Lookout Lisa

Hi Lizzy, I think the GPX file will be posted to the cache page shortly. If anyone else is having trouble downloading the file(s) please do let us know. Might have just been a traffic problem with lots of downloading at the same time. Here is an alternative download mirror site for some of the files. Cheers!

Greetings Cache Machiners! We have updated the route and there are some great changes: 1. We are starting at the University Web Cam at 6:15am with a group picture of everyone. We've worked an agreement with WSU Spokane so you can also leave your extra vehicles here all day for a very small fee! There is security 24/7 on campus. 2. We have fine tuned the route to ensure the easiest turns and reasonable parking (parking coords are included for most of the short walk caches) for ALL caches on the list. 3. REI is sponsoring a 'Pit Stop' on their patio about 2/3 the way through the route, and it will be open from 11am to 3pm. Come on by for a bonus cache, some refreshments (for donation), get your drawing tickets for the GPS give-away at dinner, and your REI treat. 4. Recently placed caches have been added to list! Cache owners, please let us know if don't want all of us visiting your cache that day!! Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Machine! Don't forget the pre-event at the Kress Gallery in Riverpark Square Friday night at 7pm (a desert potluck!), dinner Saturday at 6:30pm and then the night route for non-stop fun

Northern Lights is just a few blocks from I90 just east of Division... so it is basically right between the northern hotels (near the dinner) and the eastern hotels (a few miles from each set). It is also just a few blocks from the new starting point on WSU's Riverpoint Campus. Clear as mud? But the good news is that the Chocolate Dunkel is sooooo yummy

If you haven't already, you might want to take a look here for details about how to get a trackable coin with GC.com. If I'm reading it right, there's also the need for their approval of your design, and then a fee of $1.50/coin +$150 (on top of the cost to mint and ship and market the coins) to make it trackable. Oh and if you use PayPal, there is a fee for every transaction (sale) so you have to be sure to keep that in mind too. Some folks have done pre-sales, but again that is a lot to manage...

Ok Everyone. I now have a new hosting site. Have changed the URLs on the CM Site. Lisa, when you get the new route up on PDF, I'll go in and load it to the site. Hearing no complaints about the coin, That'll be what we use. The Steaks Sure, I'll be sending draft 2 (or would it really be 4?) of the PDF and Route files in a few days. Regarding the coin, are you bankrolling the entire thing? And do you realistically have enough time to do this and have the coins in hand by the time of the CM? It's a huge outlay of funds, and I just wanted to be sure that I'm not somehow charged!!

My advice for driving in a cache machine is to watch the following: Smokey and the Bandit, Cannonball Run I, II, and parts of III (Three is also called Speed Zone!). It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The second season of Dukes of Hazzard, and of course, All seasons of the Amazing Race on 3x speed on the VCR or DVD player. Some people may recommend Speed Racer, but after all, that's a cartoon and not real life. You forgot Death Race 2000 Found this list for your viewing/educational pleasure

Hi Jon, so glad that you are coming too! I've posted the PDF of the first draft route here I'll be working on draft 2 this weekend based on all the great feedback we've been getting.

I will work this weekend on updating the Saturday route, and getting out the Sunday route too. I have 2 questions: 1. Starting off: Is caching through the neighborhood by the Super 8 a good idea? I haven't done many of those caches, so I'm not sure about 100+ folks showing up at 6am to the first handful of caches. My first route had us going out to the state line rest area as there is ample parking, and people will disperse from there... We could even make that the 'start', as there are a lot of concerns about the space and getting into-out of the Super 8 parking lot. 2. Now that it's clear that most of the Hillyard caches are archived, I am thinking about re-routing to go west of Division. There is pretty good cache density out that way instead. Thoughts? Thanks! Lisa

Thanks Jester -I'm keeping a list and we'll get an updated route out in a week or so (and correct my bad copy/pasting!). I do plan to park myself at the web cam for an hour or so Saturday afternoon... hopefully that will helps some folks. Other's might have to just skip it. Regarding the ending coordinates, the route is correct, and the CM page was just updated to show the correct restaurant. Thanks and keep the catches coming!

Oh good! I'm sure we'll find some other concerns with the route between now and the big day... be sure to pass on any caches to me that owners want removed from the route. We do still have 10 weeks... I'm sure we'll have a few updated versions between now and then! So if folks could take a look at the route as posted on the CM page (both word and pdf), and then let us know if there are problems with either the actual route or any caches on it, we'd be much obliged! Also, I haven't looked into actually timing it just yet ... so we may have too many or too few caches...

Hi Trevor, did you get that upsized route that I sent to you yesterday (word doc and pdf)? I'd like to get the pdf out to folks and posted, so cache owners can opt-out, mistakes can caught and new caches can be added. I'll work on the night route to Sandpoint and get that one out in a few days here.

I'll take a copy please. geo.allanon at gmail.com I would like a copy. Can anyone put it in Googlemap format or Mapsend(Magellan) format also for those who do not have Garmin Mapsource? thanks. CHRISNSCOTT email: bivens6@excite.com I'll be putting it out in PDF format for everyone to read. I'll have to look into how exactly to do it in Googlmap!

I am working on cleaning up the route, and will have a pdf with the route and turn by turn directions ready to go here shortly (sometime this weekend) -please stand by

Thanks Trevor! Yes, A 'Phone a Cacher' list for the day would be great. Either email me or the Steaks your number if you want to be available to be called for help/hints the day of the Cache Machine and we'll compile a list to hand out the 28th. Will you be only giving spoilers as quotes from movies??

I have a copy of the draft route, and am working on it now to post to the site. Will hopefully be out soon!

But you'll be really thirsty by then!

Sorry YA, your link didn't work for me... could you redo it?

Yes, I think I'll call the manager tomorrow and reserve more tables that are adjacent to the banquet room. We may not all be able to sit in the same room, but it's all connected. About RVing, on a quick google search I got: http://www.google.com/search?q=spokane+rv+...lient=firefox-a But I can't speak from any experience with any of these places

Well I took the liberty and called Mike and put us on the books as reserving their banquet room, 6pm the 28th of April. My family has reserved that room many times... it doesn't seem like it'll hold 110... but Mike assures me that it does. If we think that we are going to go over 110, they can accommodate more folks adjacent to the banquet room -but we do need to let them know ahead of time so they can reserve more tables in the main room. Steaks -we can always cancel if you find a better place! Only drawback: they don't serve alcohol. Mike is going to check with the home office to see if we can do a byob/banquet license, but he's pretty sure that will not work with their company policies. If this is alright with folks, I'd like to suggest that we go for it and confirm our reservation. It's a huge load off of my mind

Northern Quest is booked solid. I just talked to the Longhorn, and they can only accomodate 60. They can do catering at another place (we'd have to get a hall) and are going to email me the specs and contract for review. We'd have to get a pretty tight headcount, and then pay up front... and then get everyone to pay their part... I'm pretty nervous about that as I know the Wenatchee folks got stuck with a big bill as some folks didn't pay their bar bills... plus we'd have to do a byob and then $10 banquet license. Gotta get back to work here -will be back in a bit.

Did you add a note to the reviewers about this thread? And that the IE Chapter of the WSGA is included as a 'sponsor/organizer'? Also, I got word that Northern Quest Casino is booked solid that weekend... I am thinking that we might want to coordinate our efforts to find a dinner spot... it could really impact the route, and places are booking up!

I called out to Northern Quest Casino too -I am afraid with all the early excitement we may need to sit/feed over 100... the I'm not sure but I think we could get a big room out there. It would be great to end near the starting point, but that may not be possible with such a large group to accommodate! I have City Select MapSource, and have used it to do small CMs for my friends -perhaps I can 'upsize' the Steaks route for public consumption? If you plan to list participant car duties, I'd recommend that you make it very 'suggested...' Cache machines have a lot of rules already, so folks may take that as heavy handed -part of the fun is figuring out how to work together for a day, and everyone likes to do it in their own way! Plus, not all participants like to cache in groups. I really like the idea of some kewl signature items for everyone -am working on some ideas Thanks Steaks for doing so much legwork!!!

I think that we are off to a great start -the Steaks are really working hard to brainstorm and incorporate everyone's great ideas -huge kudos!! Yes, I was the one that had her geo-rig totaled in Tri Cities... Thanks to everyone there, we were able to keep on caching with the help of some re-arranging of people and gear. With some creative retooling of the route, we were able to skip a loop and then get back into the main pack (as honored passengers) for more fun So lets be careful out there and watch for muggles that pass illegally!

Yes, I am planning to keep a lot of extra log books and micro papers. And of course I plan to have my Cache Repair Kits handy! Yes, we are planning to do only caches placed since the last Spokane CM -thanks! snip ---------->> Oh yes how well I remember the Tri Cities Roundy Round racetrack cache... er... crash!! We want none of that now!! And that's good advice on how to have the first handful of caches have good parking -I also remember the Wenatchee CM where the State Patrol were called on us since there were 50 cars parked on the side of the highway at 6am and people dashing all around...

Thanks Laurie for your voice of experience! I am also looking at places to accommodate us all and passing them on to the Steaks... As there hasn't been a CM in some time, I am thinking that we'll have a huge turnout for dinner -plus locals that don't do the CM will probably join us for dinner too Is that Longhorn still there on Argon? I'll keep on hunting too... geesh -I'm getting hungry now and thirsty for a beer