Aerodoq
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Posts posted by Aerodoq
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I know there is a similar thread for this topic but it was asking for the best geocaches in the Vancouver Area, I am looking for the park or area where I will be able to find the most caches.
I am in Vancouver for a few days and wanted to find a family friendly area where there might be a bunch of caches that I could find. We would like to keep it within some walking distance.
If anybody has any information on any large parks that contain some caches it would be greatly appreciated!
The Vancouver park with the greatest number of caches is probably the Pacific Spirit Regional Park on the Point Grey peninsula on the west side of Vancouver (near UBC). Despite what you may be hearing in the news today and in the days to come, the park is quite safe. It has a large number of easy walking trails, covering quite the distance but also has a number of parking areas where you can drive to access caches instead of walking for many kilometres. The terrain is varied, covering Pacific Northwest temperate rainforest (ie big coniferous trees), hardwood forests, peat bogs, harbour cliffs, and kilometres of sandy beaches.
There quite a number of traditional caches, a few multi's, a few puzzles, an earthcache, and the oldest cache in BC.
Cheers,
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(@anthonyfloyd)
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Hey all I have started an account on Twitter for all Canadian Cachers. If you have a twitter acount feel free to follow me. I will update landsharkz news sometimes. Give a little storey here or there and mabey talk about some topics you would like me to talk about. Tell me in this forum. Thanks!!
I've got a list of BC Lower Mainland geocachers here: http://twitter.com/AnthonyFloyd/geocachers-yvr-yxx and an international one here: http://twitter.com/AnthonyFloyd/geocaching
Cheers,
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(@anthonyfloyd)
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OK, I sent a newbie who I knew lived quite close to the cache to go look for it. However, in his excitement of finding his first cache ... he forgot about the coin. He did mention, though, that since it's so close he doesn't mind going back and checking/grabbing the coin and moving it to a more-frequented cache in the area (or maybe bring it to Vancouver).
Cheers,
Aerodoq
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I was thinking about picking one of these up for my kids. I am wondering how the update kits etc. work in Canada. Is it worth the trouble and expense to bring one in from the states and the update kit? Do you get access to newly placed caches?
Or should I just keep my eyes open for an entry level gps here in Canada?
The Geomate.Jr works fine in Canada. Check out http://www.geocaching-101.com/2010/03/21/geomate-jr/ for our review. Also, you can buy them from a Canadian retailer, Landsharkz carries them for example.
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Hey fellow Geocachers!
I am still a new geocacher (Since Dec 2009) and I have yet to get a GPS unit. I've been venturing out with my son and my dad (who has the geocaching iPhone app) so I haven't needed one myself until I got really into it. I've been look at the Geomate Jr as a starter unit for me (and my 6 year old son) but I've been a little spoiled on the iPhone. Can anyone who has experience with the Geomate Jr. tell me about it and the pros/cons. What do you all recommend (as a starter)?
Thanks in advance for your appreciated tips and opinions!
Sarah
I wrote a bit about our experience with it here: http://www.leftcoastfloyds.net/2010/01/geomate-jr/
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* Another plan is to start the PQs to processing at 8pm PST. If we have time this week, we plan to prioritize processing by Latitude so those of you across the Pond and further will have your PQs during the day, and to allow our side of the Pond to still log their caches for the day.
We want to make sure the generator is stable this weekend, so processing by Latitude may get pushed, but it is the plan. Any thoughts on this?
Sounds great ... except I hope you mean you're processing by longitude not latitude
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Brrr, still a little cold and snowy in the northwest (I'm thinking the Yukon or Northwest BC) but if you want to send it to Vancouver (sunny and warm here don't you know -- Winter Olympics and all), we could set it on its way.
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I don't usually do multi's, typically because I'm caching with a 3 yr old and his attention span isn't quite long enough. However, I recently completed a multi while on vacation (the toddler was with a grandparent) that was great.
Cruel and Unusual (in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia)
I won't reveal how many stages it was (part of the fun) but it's more than 10. Typically cachers track over 11km back and forth across a hilly forested provincial park with great views of the Atlantic Ocean. Some cachers have reported doing it in just over 3.5 hrs, but typically it takes several days of return visits. The waypoints are not containers (again, revealing what they are would ruin the fun) and are slightly evil in their placement. The final is an ammo can, locked with a padlock. You need to have gathered the combo numbers from other stages, and if you've done the job correctly you have more numbers than you need.
Here's my log:
I was brought in from the West Coast as reinforcements for one of EastCoastTwo. Over the course of several days we fought the blackflies and mosquitoes while searching for all the way points. Well to be truthful, we spent many of those hours looking for one waypoint in particular. Occam's Razor *should* have come into play, but for some reason we made it much harder than it was. Having found that waypoint now, I don't know how we didn't see it several hours earlier since I'm sure both of us looked in that area several times.
We also had a bit of trouble at the end. Certain but not too certain that we had all the combo numbers, we couldn't get the lock open. Of course, neither of us knew the correct sequence to get the lock to open. After exhausting all the possible combinations twice using two different lock-turning methods, we packed it in and hit the internet to find out how to open a lock! Mind you we briefly considered whether a rock was a tool or an implement and therefore didn't go against the cache guidelines! The return trip to the final with the correct lock-opening procedure was successful ... we only had to try half the possible combinations.
In the end we've had an incredible tour of the park. We kept coming across areas where we figured a waypoint (or the final) could be hidden ... and might have even taken a quick look to see if we could catch a waypoint without specifically directed there
By far this has been the best put-together multi-cache I've done so far. The time and effort that has obviously gone into planning and placing the waypoints is quite impressive. Once we got by the frustration of the one waypoint, it was rather fun, and we're both kinda sad that it's over.
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Who can give me a step by step list of "Here's How" to do this?
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I agree with Miragee, but if you really want to do it the way you asked then this is how I *used* to do it:
1) From your "MY ACCOUNT" list, assign the caches you want to a new bookmark. That is, create a new empty bookmark, then assign the caches you want this time to the bookmark. Actually, I find that it's easier to do this from the map rather than from the list of caches because there are bookmarking shortcuts right on the map.
2) Create a PQ from the bookmark
3) When you get it, open the zip file in GSAK, but in the importing options uncheck the "Use Defaults" check box then select the "Set user flag" option, and the "Clear user flags first" option
4) After the PQ has been loaded in, use the GSAK Search menu item "User flags set" to filter to just those ones you've recently imported
5) Transfer them to your GPS/PDA
The problem with this approach is that finding the caches and sending them to a bookmark is slow. Plus you will sooner than later run out of bookmarks. Deleting caches from bookmarks is a bit of a pain, and you can't dump a bookmark w/o removing the caches from them first. Much better to do as Miragee suggested and get a PQ for a particular area and then use GSAK to filter them down to the ones you're interested in (certain type/rating/location/etc).
Hope this helps,
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Thanks for the update!
Aerodoq <-- (note the 'Q' at the end ... could you change the racers site please? : ) )
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Well, there are a couple actually on Granville Island and a few more that are nearish. Of the two on Granville Island, one is a micro that is in heavy muggle traffic constantly and has traditionally been difficult to find (although I see it's been pretty good lately). The other is a quick easy find a little bit out of the way.
For starting out, though, Stanley Park might be a better place to start. There are some larger caches there, and there might be a few less muggles.
You should look at this thread too:
Vacationing in Canada without a car, visiting Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary from the UK
Cheers,
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What kind of project?
Well, depending if I get a broken GPS, you might find out. April's coming up and I've got some ideas...
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I'll echo the others. The Yaletown Currency Exchange is a fun, if not surprising find. By The Light of the GPSr is also a fun find, but could be muggle heavy. There are a number of others in Stanley Park that aren't micros too!
The south side of False Creek has some but the cache density isn't very high, and most of the caches are on the smaller side. Still, a visit to Granville Island is a must, and from there you can strike out and go after a few more.
Queen Elizabeth Park is a bit further away, but accessible by transit. It's a nice walk and there are a few caches there including a nice "traditional" multi that tours you around the park.
If you're really adventurous, you can take transit out to the Point Grey pennisula (with the UBC campus on it) and visit the Pacific Spirit Regional Park. There are many trails through this large park, and there are a number of larger caches scattered through it. However, you can expect to walk several kms while going from cache to cache. And it's hilly. But it's West Coast rainforest, so that's kinda cool.
I'll also support the others: WestJet is the way to go for regional flights.
If you want some help on some of the transit options, drop me a line.
Enjoy your visit!
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Trying to figure out what to do with the broken GPS? I'm looking to acquire one for a project. The make/model doesn't matter as long as it's a handheld. I don't think I'm willing to pay much for a broken GPS, but I'll pay for the shipping.
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Usually it's when something becomes a problem that a policy needs to be created to manage something that appears to be awry. If you are following the overlying park or public space use policies then why should they be asked to create a new policy to cover this specific activity?
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The Municipality of Saanich have said that they have no issue with geocaching and also said they don't want to dedicate any manpower to writing policies for this one activity. They were surprised they were being asked. I've heard this is the case in some Lower Mainland parks too.
OK, that make a lot of sense. Thanks!
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I have read articles that indicate that Vancouver Parks Board supports geocaching. This is an interesting link.
Hmmm, interesting indeed. I wonder if the parks board has put that into policy, or if it's just the musings of an independent-minded commissioner.
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(cross-posted at bcgeocaching.com forums)
It seems to my uneducated eye that many urban caches (and off-road too I bet) are placed with the 'easier to apologize than to ask permission' philosophy, with some of the 'frisbee' rule thrown in too.
To be strictly correct, though, we should be seeking permission for all caches not on public land, and even for many of the public areas I wonder how many of those strictly should be approved too.
In that vein, I wonder if there's anyone in the Lower Mainland (or in BC) that can provide me with examples of approaching businesses or institutions for permission to place caches on their property.
I've got a couple of ideas for caches in a number of publicly accessible places but on non-public property. (If it's publicly accessible and you're encouraged to be there, I have a hard time calling it 'private' property.) Anyway, I thought I'd take the 'hard' route and see if I can get explicit permission for a couple of potential locations. To do this, I'd like to be able to point at other local caches where people have sought and obtained permission for the cache. Does anyone have some examples or personal experience that they could share?
In terms of letters asking permission, I've got some examples from other places around the world, but again if anyone has a local example, I'd appreciate some pointers.
Cheers!
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My caches with external links have the same problem.
Adding rel="nofolllow" to them didn't change the behaviour. No linking seems to work, the html munger munges it pretty good.
Caches:
GC18XFD
GC18EJ5
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I'd like to do a cache that consists of some type of prank (i.e. jelly-bean can jumping snake or something similar that gives a good surprise), but have some reservations as I don't want to be responsible for someone with a weak ticker checking out at one of my caches. Anyone seen any similar caches or have any thoughts on such a cache?
There is one cache outside Halifax NS that has a small device in it that lets out a cat 'meow' when the cache is opened. Given that the cache is located somewhat off the beaten track, and given that NS has various species of wildcat, it is a bit of a momentary rush of adrenaline if you're unaware of the device. In fact, when my wife and I opened it up, we both scurried back about 10 ft to evaluate exactly what was going on. I'm sure it would have looked pretty funny if there were anyone watching, and we had a good sheepish laugh about it.
Anyone looking through the logs of the cache, though, would have expected something. Given that this was one of a run of 40 for the day, we weren't too careful about reading all the logs.
In the end, we didn't see anything wrong with it, and still get a chuckle over the experience.
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We've been caching since April, just after our son turned two.
Now, with 200+ finds, only 40-ish of those were without the toddler.
The biggest thing we've learned is that the boy is boss. When he's hungry, eat. When he's tired, let him sleep. If he's done, we're done. Bring lots of snacks and drinks. Don't fall into the "one last cache" trap and stay out too long.
Patience is key. Be willing to give up looking for a cache that's taking too long and the toddler is getting bored.
Keep it interesting for them. Let them open the Lock-n-lock. Let them look through the swag. Let them keep swag (make sure you've got a good selection of trade items, and wipes to clean off the newly acquired swag).
Make it an adventure. Our boy loves going to look for "treasure". He loves "going for a walk in the woods". He loves The Backyardigans, and often sings the "Treasure, treasure, find some treasure!" song from the "Pirate Treasure" episode.
You will be limited to the terrain you can tackle. Many urban caches are stroller friendly. We use a backpack for some of the less urban caches, and let him walk for many of the others. For the most part, anything rated higher than a 2 is pretty tough with the toddler.
Bring a partner. Usually one of us is looking for the cache while the other is keeping the toddler engaged. Caching solo with the toddler is *really* tough.
It's not just about the hunt. You'll discover playgrounds you never knew about. Stop and let them run off some steam. You'll discover "attractions" you never knew about. Enjoy them. Sometimes you'll abandon the hunt because the toddler's discovered something more interesting.
Did I mention patience is key? We average about 4 caches per caching day with the toddler but a good day is about 8-10. Of course, that's a function of the cache density in your area too.
Anyway, that's my experience. Your mileage might vary!
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Just curious as to what some of you have made for a GPSr holder to mount on the dash of your vehicle. I have been trying to think of some way to build a holder for my Garmin Etrex but have been coming up with a blank. If someone has a good idea, I would like to read about it or see pics.
I did a search, but came up empty.
We use one of those "Universal" cell phone holders that latch on to the centre console air vent. Our Vista Cx fits in the holder fine, and the holder is easily removed from the vent when we don't have the GPS in the car. The holder was $15 or so, but I bet you can get them cheaper if you look around. Ebay?
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With that said I would like to make up a certificate that sounds and looks great. If you have any idea's on what a certificate of this type should say, have stated or should look like I would like to hear it..
Share your idea's and thoughts on this subject and lets see what we can come up with..
Geocacher-U has some things that you can print out, including a few FTF certificates:
http://www.geocacher-u.com/resources/printables.html
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Testing, testing, testing
Is $16.50 a good Price For a 30cal Ammo Can?
in General geocaching topics
Posted
An intrepid team of cachers brought 100 ammo cans into Canada from Washington state for an upcoming event here in BC. Kudos to Catapult Jeff and Iron Maiden. There's a bit of their tale here: http://www.bcgeocaching.com/index.php?name...p;p=16754#16754
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