Proud Soccer Mom

There is a Letterbox at the cafe on the grounds of the Ringling Museums in Sarasota, Florida. Now, the Ringling Museum of Art and the Circus Museum are Free Admission on Mondays and students (of any Florida school/college) are Free Admissions every day. The letterbox is located at the cafe, but in a location that doesn't really require you to order/pay for anything. I think most people would because it's a great museum, great cafe and a great way to spend a day (especially if you tour the mansion)... but, technically, one doesn't have to pay anything to get at the letterbox. Given all that, I'd say to do your homework on the museum. Is there a time that they allow free admission and is the museum okay with you placing the cache? Also, if the cache idea turns out to be a wash, you can still Waymark it!!! - HauntHunters

Check Waymarking.com. They might have a category for benchmarks in your country. If there isn't one, you can start one. - HauntHunters

Okay... Obviously there are people who are not anti-Jeep, and people who own Jeeps. This question about people who have anti-Jeep paraphenalia obviously wouldn't be about them. So is there something against the Jeep TBs? Is it about the Challenge or the vehicle or the company? - HauntHunters

Move to Florida, would you? Thank you for this comment. Your excellent attitude makes some cachers look downright snobby. We fluffed the description and are considering hiding another. Perhaps one that they DO find will reinspire them to look for the one that they thought was our fault that they didn't find. I know that after we find a good cache by someone, I want to find all the rest of their caches. - HauntHunters

We rarely trade. It's about finding it. For a long time, we weren't even logging before we realized that we really should be because people care about numbers on the website. Our kids are thrilled with finding a cache because that's what we're most hyped up about (and we really need their help for micros - which don't have anything more than a log). If a cache full of Happy Meal toys bugs you (although I bet the kiddies were thrilled), you might want to consider trading out 1:1 each toy your child wants for something a bit more appropriate for grown-ups. The Golden Rule of caching is to do unto other caches what you would want other cachers to do unto your caches (or the caches you find). I (the mom counterpart of HauntHunters) do ceramics and was considering making a little something of interest that can be left in caches or placed a number of them in a Regular cache we place. I couldn't imagine charging for that. I'd just be cool if someone wanted it. Look at it this way: if you swallow the price on something that represents your skill when you place it in a cache, you're advertising and people may considering buying from you. Also, I think charging for items (even on the honor system) in a cache that you place is too much like a commercially-promoted cache which are forbidden in the geocaching rules. - HauntHunters

We love cemeteries... ...but we're ghosthunters. As long as you have the cemetery's permission to place a cache, it doesn't disturb the landscape and function of the property in any way, and you include the visiting hours on the cache's page, there should be absolutely no problem whatsoever. While you're there, bring a digital recorder and record your visit. When you get home, listen to the audio files to see if you've picked up any voices that weren't there at the time! You can also pay attention to the gravemarkers to see if there's any you can waymark. - HauntHunters

We've seen and heard of people who are anti-Jeep. If there's some offensiveness to the Jeep Challenges, we're not understanding where it is. We haven't done a Jeep Challenge, so maybe that has something to do with it. Why would someone be anti-Jeep? - HauntHunters PS: Sorry if this is placed in the wrong category. We figured this was a beginner question.

New question for this... Geocaching.com has our water tower as a Benchmark. Can I create the Waymark or will it result in a duplicate if/when Benchmarks are turned over completely to Waymarking.com? - HauntHunters

We just have a FTF certificate. Right now, we're too broke to even promise the world. - HauntHunters

I just wanted to say that I wish there was a concise explanation easy accessible so, perhaps, more people would become involved in Waymarking. I have the suspicion that they aren't because they don't see "a thrill" or point in it, when that's hardly the reality. We love geocaching, but Waymarking guarantees me something to photograph when we get there and our kids (and us) usually learn something very interesting. We don't have to bushwack our way to the spot, get bit by bugs, or watch for gators. I wish more people would do Waymarking in my county so we're not one of three doing it (the only ones if you minus the other two because they just did a palindrome waymark each). - HauntHunters

By your own words - sounds much more like a 2 star rating if it takes 15 minutes of searching. A one star should be much more obvious. Just my thoughts. Yeah, but do we determine difficulty based on the average adult or on a 10 year-old with ADHD who manages to lose his shoes every single morning? We did the site calculator for difficulty and terrain when we were filling out the form, so that's why it is what it is. I might up it to 2 since I'm changing the description, but do you think people would be passing it up simply because it's a 1 instead of a 2? - HauntHunters

Have you checked into how this might work for you? http://www.geocaching.com/my/userroutes.aspx -HauntHunters

No, hey, that's cool! As a geocacher just reading the page, you didn't know: 1. my husband has been doing geocache-like activities with the boy scouts for over 10 years; 2. my husband and I have geocached separately (I started in May but he's done it for a few years with a coworker who was logging); 3. I did my homework before choosing the location, nature of the hide, and container; 4. what parts of southern Florida that aren't urban sprawls are brush and swamp; 5. the coords are tested by two people who are experienced with their GPS devices and didn't buy a GPS just to geocache (even though mine is a cheapie, we dropped quite a shiney penny on his and the one we use on the boat); 6. the cache was found by our 10 year-old child within 15 minutes who wasn't given anything more than a GPS and a "it's there" before we submitted it to the site. So, while I know these things, YOU as the geocacher DON'T (although the locals should know #4) so I'm glad you're being very blunt about this. It helps me decide how I'm going to edit the description and possibly even how we edit our profile! Thanks! - HauntHunters

Thank you! When I write the note today to update that it's still there, I think I'll edit the description to talk more about the glass/debris. I mean, if I'm jogging and walking my dog there daily, obviously we're not taking them to a recycling plant or scrap yard (but they don't know that from the description). Oh, and I want to specify that I think the first DNF that was logged is cute. "FDNF" is an adorable joke. hehehe - HauntHunters

Thanks!!! I filled out the questions on the cache form to determine difficulty/terrain and went with what it came up with. I think they make sense and I agree with them in the above explanation. Thanks for pointing that others may be looking but not posting DNFs. I hope you're right and someone finds it soon so it's established that it can be found. - HauntHunters

After the first one didn't find it, I checked just to make sure and everything was there and posted. The second DNF posted same day. The coords were tested with two different GPSrs and they take you there. Even on-line maps are spot on. I don't think one even needs a GPS. All they have to do is look for something that's not a plant. For the forum, I'll add that there is a partial road that ends off the road shown on the map (the one the cache is named after). If you come up the road northward, you'll hang a right before stopping. That's county land, which is why we put the cache there. Locals ought to know that (or would find out after doing a drive-by). I didn't want to post a note after every DNF. "Yup, still there." Ya know? I'll write one today after I walk the dog since it's the first of the month. - HauntHunters

NHF = Not Having Fun. I had to google that one! And I've seen numerous rude DNFs from that one. At least I wasn't told "Caches should bring you to INTERESTING places" like they've said to others. They've also refused to look certain places or assumed that coords were wrong because it took them to a place they didn't want to look. That's just who they are and the choices they make. Most of the cachers around here seem to look for anything, too, and "broken glass or debris" doesn't frighten them. I did a drive-by of a place that was much "worse" (didn't get out because it was raining with that so-called hurricane) and it had already been found numerous times. I took my cue from other cachers in the area and didn't describe the container because: 1. it's not camo'd and really does stand out... if you're looking for something that's not a plant. 2. it's not far off the road and the coords take you there. It was tested with two GPSrs. (it's even spot-on with the on-line map) 3. there are harder ones out there with the same difficulty/terrain ratings. Broken glass is no big deal around here. It happens, either from the teens partying or a trash can getting knocked over and scattered. I thought I'd warn because you can take your car up to 3 feet away from it and our seashell-embedded roads are bad enough, we don't need to drive over a beer bottle. - HauntHunters

On the 18th (of August), we hid our first geocache. It's a simple micro and there's nothing too hard about it. We have many ideas for hides but I wanted our first one to be reasonably easy, just for the experience of maintaining a cache and checking the log. Well, we have two DNFs, and one of them is rather rude. No one else in the area - and there are some experienced, high-numbered cachers in our area - is bothering to look for it. I know they'd find it. They just have to look. I don't think we should have to edit in a clue since the thing isn't even camo'd. It's been a couple weeks and for an area that usually has finds within a day or more, it's really strange that there's been no activity. The micro's in place. I pass it every day jogging and walking the dog. Meanwhile, other caches have been hid and found within a day or two (as normal) by cachers who have to travel 30+ minutes away to do those. We don't want to think it's a popularity contest but it feels that way. How long should we wait before giving up? It's really irritated us and, personally, I feel uninspired to hide anything more or even search for these people's caches if they aren't going to bother searching for mine. Not good thoughts. Please advise! *I wanted to add that my husband and I have geocached and waymarked separately quite a bit. It's been recently that we decided to have one family account that involved the kids and made sure to log all of our finds. It's been slow-going for us but the husband just had a full hip-replacement and we've been house-bound.

Pro-abortion? I've never heard that before! You mean pro-choice? -HauntHunters

I just wanted to say that I completely agree with this comment. I was mortified by what I had been reading up until that comment! Thanks, back2eight, for being someone with some decency! -HauntHunters

Thanks! Good to know! I searched "haunted", "ghosts" and "paranormal" and returned no results.

I looked all over the existing categories and couldn't find it. I believe this could work as a subcategory for Structures, and maybe even Buildings. Currently, there is no category for locations that are believed/rumoured to be haunted. This is of interest to many people, from curious youngsters to serious paranormal investigators. Since there are a lot of places that aren't haunted except for some long-lived fictionalized tales, the category has lienency for urban legend but would also include places famous for being haunted. I think it would be a really good idea to have a category like that. What do y'all think? Peace, HauntHunters