Tour de Cache - NJ

Testing one two three one two three

After careful review we have found that Dirty Bird and Big Nasty Brain have found a cache for each of the NJ counties and they have been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done fellows. Good luck in your search for the final cache. Though the committee prefers that you take your time and enjoy the sights along the way, we acknowledge that there are other ways to enjoy the Tour such as the all puzzles run that Dirty Bird and Big Nasty Brain completed. That is what the Personal Challenges section of the cache is all about when we said, "This cache is what you make of it." Just read over the rules and guidelines carefully when you embark on a cutting edge Tour to avoid any surprises or disappointments. When in doubt, drop us a line and we will work with you to ensure your Tour is within the bounds.

Sorry for late posting - its been busy lately. FYI, Moose_is_Loose has found a cache for each of the NJ counties and he has been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. And since this posting is late - congrats to Moose on finding the final cache for the Tour de Cache.

FYI, Evil Chicken has found a cache for each of the NJ counties and they have been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done folks. Good luck in your search for the final cache. It is getting to be the hunting season so "dress accordingly" Looking forward to reading about your adventures.

Do what we did - set up a cache that requires you to find one cache in each county in the state. Tour de Cache - NJ County Challenge The GSAK macro mentioned above has been very useful in tracking which county a cache is in. Just be careful around state and county boundaries as it can miss a few. Unless you have a specific goal such as our cache, US county designations are of limited use. Now if you are in another country where counties play a more significant role - Ireland comes to mind - then county designation on geocaching.com may make a whole lot of sense.

FYI, ekitt10 has found a cache for each of the NJ counties and they have been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done ekitt10. Good luck in your search for the final cache. It is getting to be the hunting season so "dress accordingly" Looking forward to reading about your adventures

Frodo, If you have a question, feel free to contact the committee through geocaching.com TDC-NJ

FYI, JoenSue have found a cache for each of the NJ counties and they have been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done JoenSue. Good luck in your search for the final cache. It is getting to be the hunting season so "dress accordingly" Looking forward to reading about your adventures

What if the cache submission had a TB placed in it by the cache seeker? Assuming that the placement of the bug is on the up and up, of course. If you did it before November 1, write to us and we will discuss the situation. However - policing micros for Travel Bug capacity is starting to become a time consuming exercise. The Travel Bug rule was meant to rule out micros. It has not served that purpose as well as we thought it would so micros are now being specifically excluded. We really wanted the Tour to be all about finding traditional caches with log books and trade goods, not finding hide-a-keys in gaurd rails along the turnpike. Rule #4 was clarified to keep the Tour on its intended course.

---- IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION ---- There has been some confusion about allowable caches condition #4 which states "The cache must be large enough to accept travel bugs and other trade items which rules out micros and nanos." We had been interpreting in such a way that a micro which would hold a bug would be allowed in the tour. However we are getting increasing submissions of micro caches that are not easy to verify. We do not have time to run out and check all of these caches. It was are original intent to exclude micros so are going back to that. Begining November 1, 2006 any cache listed as a micro will not be elligible for consideration under the Tour de Cache.

FYI, Frodo_Underhill has found a cache for each of the NJ counties and has been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done Frodo. Good luck in your search for the final cache. Looking forward to reading about your adventures

FYI, wigoweb has found a cache for each of the NJ counties and has been sent the final coordinates for the Tour de Cache. Nicely done folks. Good luck in your search for the final cache. Looking forward to reading yourlog.

Finally got the macro working after they posted some additional information of one of the GSAK export file settings. It works pretty well - BUT.... There are about 30 caches that are very close to the state line/seashore or county lines that are either not included in the state or are in the wrong county. And looking at those in the wrong county - well maybe 3 of those are a toss up on what county they may be in depending on which map you look at. They are really close to the lines. So the GSAK macro works pretty good. 30 wrong out of 2550 is about a 1% error. Though when in doubt check the maps. If you come up with something that is a close call, we will work with you via e-mail to come up with an equitable solution. We will end up counting it one county or the other but not both.

Re-read rule number 13, the Pencil-tucky claus states that no person or animal (real or fictional), west of the Deleware can register FTF, STF or TTF. ekitt10 - our apologies but we are going to foil you again. There is no rule 13 - yet, and I pray there never is! But as everyone east of the river knows, nearby Pennsylvania is considered to be far western New Jersey. There is some historical basis as Quakers were settling in the West Jersey colony before William Penn got his charter for Pennsylvania. <Switching to serious mode> Cachers from the neighboring states are more than welcome to try their luck at the Tour de Cache challenge. The more the merrier! <Switching to humor mode> Perhaps the TDC-NJ Committee should get together and plan an all out assault on the Pennsylvania DeLorme Challenge? Though the last time I checked the committee was too busy enjoying the unique road side eateries they keep coming across during their TDC-NJ business!

The committee has reviewed Y's Owl's cache finds for the Tour de Cache – NJ County Challenge and found that the list was in good order. He has been sent the necessary information to find the final cache and we wish him the best of luck in his search.

The committee has reviewed Trowel 32's cache finds for the Tour de Cache – NJ County Challenge and found that the list was in good order. She been sent the necessary information to find the final cache and we wish her the best of luck in her search.

The committee has given careful review of Harry Dolphin and Andy Bear's cache finds. Due to the low number of caches in Hudson County, these cachers had either placed or found all the available caches in this county prior to the start of the Tour de Cache challenge. In light of the fact that both cachers have done everything possible to meet the spirit and intent of the challenge which was which was to see New Jersey, find caches and have fun, we have approved their request to substitute caches in nearby counties to meet the Hudson County requirement. They have been sent the necessary information to find the final cache and we wish them the best of luck in their search. This is a one time substitution made solely at the discretion of the committee and is not to be considered a precedent for other cachers. If you are in the same situation as Harry and Andy, you may contact the committee to discuss options but there are no guarantees this option will be available in the future.

Harry - we hope you enjoyed your trip through South Jersey. It is quite different than North Jersey. But then seeing the differences from one part of the state to the other is what this cache is all about. Trowel - hills are all relative to the surrounding terrain. Sure there are some hills in South Jersey but there is nothing equivalent to the Water Gap there. And there is no hill requirement for the cache unless you chose to make that your personal challenge. Let's go find some caches! TDC-NJ

There have been no changes in the allowable caches. Micros/nanos and earthcaches are still "out of bounds" for the Tour de Cache challenge. What we have changed is how we handle matters. Rather than sanctioning players, we will now notify them of problems via e-mail and advise them of caches that have been disallowed and give them the opportunity to edit their logs and substitute other caches that meet the Tour requirements. We don't like sanctioning players and they don't like being sanctioned. Way too much negative energy in that kind of transaction. The challenge is supposed to be fun and the rule change is meant to get it back to where it belongs. If someone's log is still showing micros/nanos/earth etc. they obviously have not got around to correcting the problem yet. Give them some time to get to it. Let's go find some caches!

The rules have been revised to address caches that are not in compliance with the Rules or the Allowable Caches guidelines. If this occurs, the cache in question will be dis-allowed, the cacher will be notified via e-mail and a new cache in the affected county will need to be found. Also all sanctions previously imposed on any cachers for rules violations are rescinded. Everyone is back in the game. Let's go find some caches!

As food for thought, here is a picture of the semi-official travel bug cache gauge that we are using to judge caches by in the event we ever have to verify a claim on a cache. If it will fit in a cache then that cache is OK for the challenge. Coins on a Chain TB

Towel32, We hear you but are still disinclined to create an exception to the rules. It would be very difficult to administer and someone out there would get creative with such an exception and use it to get around the purpose of the Tour which is to see NJ while finding 21 caches. We thought the Tour out very carefully before we placed it and the requirement to find the caches after the starting date was meant to equalize the new cachers with those who have found thousands. The latter would qualify from their arm chair with past finds without this rule and that did not sound fair to us. It's just one of those features which make the Tour a little more challenging. The other feature that we though a lot about was the requirement that a cache was big enough for a travel bug. We wanted folks to experience traditional caches with trading opportunities. Without the travel bug requirement, the Tour could have been reduced to a run up and down the Turnpike etc. to bag all the rest stop micros. This was not the experience we wanted cachers subjected to. So how do you ever get Mercer county or Harry gets Hudson? We would suggest encouraging a fellow cacher to hide a new cache in your county - always good for the sport. Or see if you can have a fellow cacher upgrade a micro you have not found to a small cache big enough for a travel bug. It is amazing what a TB will fit in. (modifying a TB tag with tools per a suggestion above is not recommended) We keep hearing talk about hiding new caches so that folks can complete the challenge which we think is good for caching in the state. Also folks are talking about going out on trips to do the Tour. So for now we are going to leave well enough alone with changing the rules. However if you have a positive suggestion on how to get around the problem of a county that you have cleared out, we would like to hear it and consider it. Thanks for your continued interest in the tour. TDC-NJ

There is no requirement to post as you go. Some folks like to do that while others don't. Your call. As for questions and comments, this thread is the right place to post them rather than on the cache page. Dennis is near Belleplain State Forest - there are a few caches there including the oldest cache in Cape May County - GC1910 - Lenape Chief Surprise You are also not far from where Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties all come together. These "triple points" seem to be a great area to get the maximum bang for your cache buck when doing the Tour Challenge. Zip code search around 08245 Elmer is near Parvins State Park - another interesting area for caching. Lot's of caches there and you can also pick up Salem and Gloucester county. Just do a search around zip code 08318. Enjoy your South Jersey sojourn. As for another cache in Hudson county -- Is there anyone listening that can help Harry out?? Please!!

Be sure a travel bug will fit into the cache. Some of those Central Jersey caches are listed as micros. As a guideline, assuming a small object is attached, the size of a standard travel bug tag is the limiting factor on the size of a cache. If the tag will fit in the cache, then it should be big enough to meet the Tour criteria. We know of some cachers who are carrying a bug or two with them on the challenge and using them as a gauge. If the tag fits, its a keeper.

Since you're offering.. Check out Mate in One – J’Adoube It's right on the border but I think it's in Morris... Opinion? Opinion: Close call but it looks like it is on the south shore of the stream on a Topo and Google Earth which would put it in Morris County.