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Grawp

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Posts posted by Grawp

  1.  

    What I enjoy is -

    Teach me something - tell me something I otherwise would not have known, the history behind something. something interesting.

    Take me to something i would otherwise not have seen, be it something interesting I did not know about or an awesome view or on a great hike.

    Test my mind with a good creative puzzle.

    Time - take the time to keep your cache healthy and fit, dont just neglect it, if it needs maintenance, do it, if a once great area turns into a haven for the homeless or if the circumstances change then addapt accordingly

     

     

    Well said Mike. Everything in your post is valid. I also believe that there ARE places for micros, but NOT, as mentioned, on top of a mountain, or at some indescribably beautiful place surrounded by nothing but magical African bush.

     

    We are proud of the caches we have placed - not too many - but all are quality hides, with quality contents, and all present varying degrees of challenge to the seekers.

  2. Welcome back Grawp... hope that your health remains great. Just a quick note I sent a mail to you some time back about my travel bug on a cocke bottle keyring called brrrrr, you don't perhaps have it in your possesion as it went missing from a cache you visited and was never logged out of the cache.

     

    Sorry - not us. Having launched TBs of my own, I know how important they are to their owners and would not hold onto one.

     

    I do hope you find it.

     

    Thanks for the welcome back - I hope to get back into caching in a BIG way!!!

     

    I LOVE this game!

  3. Returning to geocaching after a series of heart attacks, I am surprised, and disappointed, at the large proportion of micro and small caches.

     

    To me, this seems like laziness. Dropping some tiny container with a tatty piece of paper in it and calling it a cache is, in my opinion, not worth the trip.

     

    We are fortunate to live in a place where there are wide open spaces, with amazing scenery, beautiful locations and a vast number of hiding places suitable for a medium to large container to be secreted.

     

    Is this aspect of our country taken advantage of? No! Roadside micros are placed!

     

    Come on everybody. For goodness' sake - get a bit more creative, take the time to find decent caching spots, hide interesting caches, stop leaving crappy caches in public, muggle-heavy areas, start playing the game with a bit more style.

     

    Placing a cache in a car park is, quite frankly, dumb! As is hiding a 35mm film canister in a children's playground! We don't play the game to evade muggles - we would rather be out in the open somewhere, enjoying the natural world that surrounds us, hunting for a well-hidden, good-sized cache.

     

    Man! I HATE MICROS!!!!!!

  4. So ... looks like I'm not the only one with problems!

     

    Believe me when I say there aren't that many "points of interest" way out here in the African bush! The one it picks for my home co-ords is a long, long way from my actual position.

     

    Who knows what it will come up with when I try to place a cache and try to enter the cache co-ordinates.

     

    Could be a lot of fun trying to find caches as well.

     

    Ah well ...... we USED to have a great amount of fun caching ..... guess the Cammo Kid and I will have to find a new hobby.

  5. I have been out of the geocaching scene for some time recovering from a couple of heart attcks and moving house.

    I am now in the middle of nowhere, in a little-known valley, well off the beaten track.

    Trying to update my home coordinates was an exercise in total frustration.

    The map kept putting me in a location I have not heard of - a long way from the coords I entered.

     

    My entered coordinates were simply ignored. The high-tech mapping system decided it knew better!

     

    My gps unit is quite capable of prsenting me with the coordinates of my home location. Why can't the site simply accept a typed entry? Why does high technology keep rearing its ugly little head and failing to produce acceptable results!

    In well-mapped parts of the world (USA, UK etc) I'm sure the system works fine. But here, where the on-line maps show vast expanses of grey, the system falls flat on its backside.

     

    How do I get to a page on the site where I can simply type in my home coordinates?

  6. Hi everyone.

    Just to let you know that the reason for the total lack of activity on our behalf was me having a heart attack!

     

    Sure puts a dampener on caching activity!

     

    The good news is that my health is improving daily and we should be able to get out and about again real soon.

     

    Regards to all.

  7. Quarry Cache (GCK36Y) update: -

    Many thanks to Whostops for helping me out by replacing this cache for me. KZN geocachers are, with out doubt, the best there are!

     

    So ... Quarry Cache is back in action. Let's hope we don't get badly muggled there again!

     

    Have fun doing this one, and .... be brave - do it in a 4X4!!!!

  8. Writing comments is a lot harder than voicing them! My concerns are for the environment, the safety of cachers and responsibility. I was not passing judgement, but DO admit to making emotional assumptions.

     

    And believe me - I am really looking forward to getting back to the park in the near future for a few days of living in paradise, and will be seeking the caches.

     

    I am aware of the type of location your cache is placed in, having been to many of the areas where these turning circles have been placed. Sounds good.

     

    PS - I envy the frequency of visits you make to the park!!!!!

  9. You're more than likely correct - the wording was from memory, I made the photograph a good few years ago. As I recall it was at a spot where there is plaque attached to a large rocky outcrop which acknowledges the donation of land to KNP. I cannot remember the exact location, perhaps you are aware of it.

     

    Apologies for any confusion over the wording, but as I said - written from (old and hazy) memory!

     

    But I stand by what I tried to illustrate - it is NEVER safe to get out of your vehicle while exploring a place like KNP. It's the animals' preserve, not ours, and the dangers are VERY real.

     

    In the times I used to be a fairly regular visitor I have witnessed behaviour from visitors that were death-defyingly stupid.

     

    As an avid wildlife photographer, always on the look out for an outstanding image, I would dearly have loved to get out of my car on ocassion to get the "right" shot, but would never do so.

     

    Wildlife is too unpredictable.

     

    I applaud the ideas put forward in this thread for an "approval comittee" for caches placed in parks and reserves. If I can help in any way, please let me know.

  10. I'll dig out the photogpraph and post it for you.

     

    It's actually really amusing!

     

    But beneath the humour lies a real and obvious danger - what if the young lions (4 of them) had been lying in the bushes close by the sign? Assume they investigated the humans who, believing the sign implicitly, had got out of their vehicle.

     

    Who is responsible for the inevitable outcome?

     

    Would KNP be sued because the sign STATED thast it was safe to leave the vehicle?

     

    Scary thought!

  11. (Now if we can only get someone from Government to follow our lead, :grin: ).

     

    And another thing ..... geocachers have an amazing sense of humour! ...... get someone from Government to follow our lead! .........

     

    Absolutely PRICELESS!!!!! :unsure::blink::grin:

  12. Fish Eagle - well ...... that post of yours perfectly illustrates why the SA caching community is so far ahead of the other countries!!

     

    Well written, well thought out and eminently sensible.

     

    You're right - I haven't been caching in KNP (also one of my all-time favourite pieces of paradise I might add!), but next time I go, I WILL try the caches.

     

    I think some of us reacted the way we did because the OP expressed concerns, which I agree with, and because (in my case anyway) no additional research into KNP caches was carried out.

     

    The points you raised are all valid, and your ideas of a "policing" group an admirable one.

     

    I also agree that for places such as we are discussing, the guideline be more rigidly enforced.

     

    Thanks to all who have contributed to the thread in such a professional manner.

  13. Again we have an excellent thread running, with considered and valid replies to the posts. South African cachers are probably the best there are!

     

    As I mentioned - I once had my own lodge up in Limpopo Province, which is why I get a bit heated about caches in these pristine and beautiful areas.

     

    I HAVE to agree with the the comment about irresponsible visitors and guides - the so-called tour operators in their fancy viewing vehicles are a curse.

     

    I just don't like the idea of cachers wandering around trying to find a cache in a reserve. The muggle probabilty is high - monkeys more than humans! - and it would be very easy for cachers to wander an appreciable distance away from the safety of their vehicle - and get into serious difficulties, not to mention the fact that if spotted by the authorities, would be asked to leave the park (and probably fined).

     

    In the camp sites themselves, apart from the monkey threat, there would be a better chance of placing and maintaining a cache, but I stand by my original comment - NOT out there in the bush.

     

    I also feel that in the main, South African geocachers are a very responsible group of people, and play this game exceptionally well. But as one of the posters stated - it only takes one irresposibly placed cache to stuff it up for all of us.

  14. As the sport gets bigger in South Africa more and more caches will be placed in this sensitive areas and we need to make sure we keep the authorities happy. We can only do this by asking permission to place these caches.

    Maybe it is a good idea to start looking for volunteers that could contact the Park authorities in their areas to set up some guidelines for placing caches in parks etc.

     

    This is the right approach, and one that has met with considerable success in America. Although I must point out that some park administrators have banned caching completely because of people who will NOT obey the rules.

     

    I stand by my comment that in areas where there is wildlife, no caches should be permitted. While there is danger for the cachers as far as the predators is concerned, the more inquisitive animals - monkeys in particular, can be adversely affected by some of the things in caches. As for the so-called "safe" areas, I have a photograph of a large rock with a sign in front of it which states "It is safe to leave your motor vehicle at this point". Lying beneath the sign are four young lions!!!

     

    I did NOT mean to insult anyone with my comments. The views expressed are my personal observations only, so I apologise for any implied insult.

  15. I notice that there are now more and more caches appearing in National Parks - I am talking here about the SANPARKS.

    With SANPARKS permission? I wonder ......

     

    In my own mind I am uneasy about this, whether the caches are in the rest camps or at spots where visitors can get out of their cars.

    "real caches" or dreaded micros??????

     

    1. I have in the past worked for the Parks, and there is no doubt that foreign objects can both attract and sometimes affect wildlife. The ecosystems are fragile without a doubt (and this is not just a greeny beany statement).

    2. Wildlife does exist in the camps - it is just smaller.

    3. What will be the effect as the number of caches proliferate?

    4. It is not a good idea to have people wondering around at "get out" points looking for caches, instead of being alert for animals!

    I had a game lodge a few years ago and, from a personal perspective, even though I love this game, there's no way I would EVER give permission for a cache to be placed on the property - ANYWHERE!

     

    Do not get me wrong here - I like the idea of caches in Parks, but at the same time as I indicated above I also get uneasy about them as well - for the reasons mentioned.

    I don't. The parks are wildlife refuges. They contain wildlife that is dying out elsewhere due to urban sprawl, poaching, illegal hunting and so on. With this in mind, I feel that the parks (and by this I mean game parks and reserves) should NOT have caches hidden within their boundaries. Go visit - see the wonderful diversity of wildlife in their natural surroundings. That should be enough for anybody. If you want to go caching in a wildlife reserve - you are there for the wrong reasons imho.

  16. So ...... let me get this right.

     

    The thing has got loads of lights on the front, and shows an animated image (finger waving).

     

    But, without giving any thought to the fact that the lights, the animation electronics required, the size and the fact that it was in plain sight, the clear-thinking public (and the authorities) figured it was a bomb simply because there were wires and a battery attached to it.

     

    To all those people who have electronic gizmos with batteries and wires attached - please be careful out there!!!

     

    Oh, and automobile drivers - there are wires and batteries in there. Don't drive in public!!!!

  17. LANDROVER!!!!!

     

    The ONLY real go-anywhere off-raod vehicle.

     

    Goodies? ......

     

    Diff-locks - rear essential, front optional - ARB Air-lockers are the best.

    Old Man Emu suspension

    Air intake snorkel

    Diesel engine.

    Warn winch

     

    ........ and the world is yours ......

  18. This is what the forums are for.

     

    You haven't "kicked up a fuss" - you voiced your concerns and interest in the game, others have commented with their own views - no-one got cross, angry or upset, all comments were valid and interesting.

     

    I reckon it was a good topic. It certainly brought the cache maintenance issue to everyone's notice, and that is a GOOD THING!

     

    Off topic: Just a comment .... coincidentally, I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean the other evening. I have a strong suspicion that someone on the crew - writer, director or actor - is a cacher. Hidden treasure, treasure hunters, and the comment about "guidelines" was all a bit to close to geocaching. What do you think?

  19. I have found some amazing places to plant caches, but they're too far away for maintenance. No ..... I won't tell you where they are!!! :D

     

    So, why not share this with a new or old member that is in the area or in a position to maintain... that way those numbers grow. ;)

     

    I've thought about exactly that! But, (being a bit selfish here) want to first see if I can find a way of using these places myself. If I cannot manage it, then yes, with pleasure, they;ll be shown to other cachers.

  20. I agree that a 10:1 find:hide ratio would be a good guideline to maintain, but, as I said, with relatively few caches in RSA, I don't think this can be the 'norm' here for a while yet.

     

    I was browsing the forums the other day where there were a couple of maps of caches in a few towns in USA. Wow! There are probably 3 to 5 times more caches in one town in America than there are in the whole of South Africa!

     

    Our cache numbers are steadily increasing, which is great, (some new members would also be great!), which all adds to the game. Maintenance CAN be an issue, but if caches are placed with maintenance in mind - ie reasonably close to home base, then this shouldn't be an issue.

     

    On that point, though, I have seen 'local' caches placed long distances away from each other by some cachers, making me wonder how they can possibly be efficiently maintained. B)

     

    I have found some amazing places to plant caches, but they're too far away for maintenance. No ..... I won't tell you where they are!!! B)

     

    Thanks for the offer, but playing in the Sandpit is where I want to be. No disrespect to Cape Town, but KZN is WAY COOL!!!!

  21. I don't understand why everyone is so hung up on the number of finds versus number of hides. Some cachers PREFER hiding to finding. Especially when a large number of the new caches are micros. (I HATE MICROS) so won't go looking.

     

    I do, however, thoroughly enjoy seeking out new locations and placing caches.

     

    If the 10% "rule" is to be adhered to, I would have 3 caches placed.

     

    I have more than that - all of which have had good feedback for location, hints, and quality of goodies.

     

    If placed caches are below standard, forum members will be quick to comment, thereby helping cache hiders to do it better.

     

    There are relatively few caches in South Africa. Those of us who prefer hiding to placing won't conform to the "10% rule", not for any perverse reason, or for lack of maintenance skills, but because that is the aspect of the game that they really enjoy.

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