WindChill

Im still waiting for our kit. Ive got an Eagle Scout / geocacher on board to do the public stuff while I focus on the private (summer camp, camporee, unit demonstrations). He is fired up to do a Cache To Eagle series but is having trouble locating appropriate project sites. We have a meeting with the Council folks tomorrow evening so Im hoping they will be able to help with that.

I saw/read, I think in the slides from the recent webinar, that they have received all of the materials for the starter kits and they should be sent out very soon. Ive got a meeting with the anniversary committee in a couple of weeks to kick off the planning in earnest. I think my problem is going to be keeping the scope of things to a manageable size...

As a matter of fact...Im planning to do just that (course C-10-09, starts next weekend)

The Boy Scouts of America is including geocaching as part of its 100th anniversary activities ((link). They are calling it "Get In The Game! with Geocaching". Groundspeak is even supporting this with a free 30 day premium membership for Scouts. Anyone else helping plan the geocaching activities for their local council?

Ive got a PQ set up for caches 4/4 or higher. It returns 16 caches in the state; several 5/4, 4/5 and 4.5/4.5 but no 5/5.

Best thing I have found to hold it on is stuff called Badge Magic. It is made for attaching patches to uniforms but works wonders on all kinds of other stuff. Mine has held the "rubber band" on for over a year with no slipping or lifting despite the band having tore through in one spot. You can find Badge Magic at BadgeMagic.com or at many places where Boy Scout uniforms are sold.

Ive had my Legend open a couple of times to fix the "lines across the screen" problem. This requires removing the rubber band and the clear tape under it. After cleaning all of the adhesive gunk, I tried to reattach the rubber band with a couple of different glues but none held. What I finally found that works is a product called Badge Magic. It is made for attaching patches to uniforms but works great for lots of other stuff. It has held my rubber band in place, even on the corner where I tore the band, for more than a year with no signs of coming loose.

You dont say which Garmin unit you have. Not all of them can do POIs, but most (?) of them will do 1000 waypoints if you have the latest firmware. As I recall, I didnt have any luck gettting the POI Loader to work with GPX files. But I didnt spend much time on it when I found there was a GSAK macro to export POIs. It exports as CSV.

Yah, I just got a 60Cx and RAM mount and found it was really hard to get out. I did actually file the lip down just a bit. After playing a little more, I found that if I put the heal of my hand on top of the GPS and my thumb on the front of the "release" I can push down the GPS (and flex the cradle) while I push back on the release. Then it pops right out. I also decided that it is snug enough without actually snapping it into the cradle that I wont bother much of the time.

Just ordered a 60Cx and got a RAM "pop can" mount for it. A cap that goes over a pop can and a sleeve that helps the pop can fit snug in the cup holder. Should be in later this week so we'll see how it works.

For my two cents, early spring and late fall are best. No bugs, good temperatures and less underbrush makes for the best caching. A 327 acre field wouldnt be much fun, but if it has some woods and a bit of terrain that would be great for all but the biggest events. Recruit a few people to help put out caches, and have fun with it. Other ideas... Add a pot luck at the end of the day to let the folks meet each other and share their experiences. You might consider having some kind of food available for lunch so people dont have to leave the site. With some notice you may be able to get a youth group (Boy Scout, Girl Scout, 4H etc) to come out and set up a lunch stand as a fund raiser. You can contact some local businesses and ask for items to be used as prizes. Combine the poker with the caches. Put each card in a sealed envelope and put a couple in each cache. People collect 5 envelopes throughout the day and open them at the end of the day. On one big event I had a scavenger hunt to give the non-caching family members something to do. Ive also had geo-bingo at an event. Put an ink stamp or a bunch of stickers in each cache. People mark their card as they find the caches. Hope these help.

You should limit the area, at least for the competition caches, and declare "no driving". Driving during a competition is just asking for people to be speeding and driving dangerously. Otherwise it sounds fun.

There are a few macros that will allow GSAK to export caches as POIs. I havnt looked for any programs to create POIs of other (non geocache) locations but Im sure there is something out there. The format is even simple enough that you could create them by hand if you just had a few.

There is a thread pinned at the top of the Getting Started forum just for avatar/signature testing. You can post all you want there and dont need to apologize. Avatar/Signature Testing Thread

Thank you!

Ive added your question, and a response, to the Iowa Geocachers Site thread.

In another thread, gis6685 asked a similar question. I figured Id answer here to keep them all together. There isnt usually any problem getting registered on the main web site, however the forums require a seperate registration. We have had a lot of spammers on the forums so, as welch said, you need to put the word "geocaching" in the Interests section when you create your forum account. Otherwise the account will automatically be deleted. We appologize for this hassle, but it has virtually eliminated the spammers (at least for now).

Thanks for the thread EM.... The Iowa Geocachers Organization hosts several events a year, helps private organizations with events and our forums are fairly active. The web site has a list of upcoming events throughout the state, a list of members favorite caches and geocaching policy information for most of our 99 counties. The IGO is open to anyone interested in geocaching in Iowa. We have no formal boundaries (for most things), everyone is welcome!

Then make it happen. Maybe do it as a den activity first, then have the boys in the den help set up the pack activitiy.

Ill copy this post to the Iowa Geocachers forums. Olgezzer doesnt visit our forums, but a few folks who do visit know how to get ahold of him.

You mean like this:

With the number of folks that got information for a wrong location, it might be nice to list the location being used. At the bottom where it says "This email is being sent to username X" you could add a "for zipcode Y" or "for coordinates Z".

Here are the dates for the various hunting seasons and here is a map/brochure for Yellow River State Forest. You know, now that you mention it I dont think I have had a tick all year.

I have also heard that the Great River Road series is very nice. As always, recommendations depend on what type of cache you like. If you want something with some really nice scenery, I highly recommend the "Boots" caches in Yellow River State Forest (near Marquette/Prairie du Chien): These boots are made for walking ARE YOUR BOOTS ABLE TO STILL WALK????? They are a fairly short walk along a little-used service road...for most of the way. The terrain is a bit challenging but I dont think they deserve their 4.5 star terrain rating. Probably more like an Iowa 3.0-3.5 (or a Colorado 2.0-2.5) Horse-lovers Geocache #1 Is a nice cache near the old fire tower and not too far from a great scenic overlook. There are other caches in IA and across the river in WI, but I have not done them.

Thanks for the clarification robertlipe. I didnt realize that the c320 could have actual waypoints. Which is just as well since you cant get rid of them.