Dave_W6DPS

How could I have forgotten my favorite place in the whole world! Mostly for the aroma, but the free WI-FI is handy, too! Dave_W6DPS

Well, I'm glad we didn't scare you off the last time you were here! I hope this vist goes well, also! This is a definate "don't miss" in San Francisco, in my opinion. A fairly near-by travel bug hotel. Another great place for families, and right near the waterfront--almost in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course, there is a nearby cache! And this is really good one, if you visit Alcatraz... Dave_W6DPS

Which valley, peninsula, and/or bay do you mean? In California alone we have several of each--mostly located near each other. Dave_W6DPS

Well, if you like whimsical virtuals you might want to try Left what in San Francisco? For more info, here is a local group. Did you folks come to the Temecula area for the Mega and coin fest, or did I find one of your caches in the UK? You sound familiar... Dave_W6DPS

The "clubs" in Southern California that i am familiar with are not especially "organized". They are loose associations without officers, by-laws, or formal structure. Some have regular events, and some have sporadic events. Some have regular group cache outings, and others don't. Most simply have a web page with forums for local or specialized discussions. In fact, I haven't seen a formally organized geocaching club. Most are just a website, others don't have their own forums--they use a thread in the regional forums on this site. Clubs that formally organize (establish charters, incorporate, etc.) are generally those with physical assets or need to enter contracts. For example a model railroad club may have a track layout and the associated electronics, which they need to keep somewhere. Rocket clubs may need to rent a flying field and interface with the FAA, etc. I agree with the suggestion to host an event and include a discussion for those interested. See if there is enough interest to "organize" the group. Unless there is a reason for formality, it would probably be best to go the loose association route. Good luck! Dave_W6DPS

Well, if you don't mind a tip or two from a fellow yank, here are a couple in London that were easy to find. Here is one that I found without difficulty. It is New St Paul's and in a nice secluded little park. If you are going to be in the St Pancras area, this one is also very easy. It is in a nice area with not too many muggles about when I was there. Either of these might be a good starting point for a PQ as well. Don't worry about setting up your GPSr. It will sort things out. It does go a bit quicker if you enter the location, but it only takes late-model a GPSr a few minutes to find itself. Hope you enjoy your trip! Dave_W6DPS

I think it is much better to leave a snake alone. If it moves off on its' own that is one thing, poking at it with a stick is another. Encounters with humans can be very stressfull for a snake! Also for the human... Remember that the vast majority of snake bites are inflicted on people who either harrass the snake or step on it (either deliberately or by accident). In my opinion, poking with sticks would qualify as harrassment, as would attempting to kill or capture it. If you see a snake before you get close enough to hurt each other, it is much more prudent to keep away! You both will live longer, and be happier. Dave_W6DPS

I simply use my first cache, which was archived a while ago. It was a real cache, that was archived in due course after being active a while. That way, I didn't need to create a cache just for bugs. No archiving unapproved caches, no extra storage use on the servers, etc. I kind of think of it as recycling... Dave_W6DPS

A "new game"??? I have been playing for over five years. These changes were made much more recently. We can't define "commercial", but we know it when we see it? I don't like that non-answer. Especially with all the unwritten psuedo-guidelines that are allowed to propagate. "You can only list the restaurant once, but you can't link to their webpage." "You have to link to a non-commercial site that may have links to commercial sites."\ Why not give an idea of what the actual guideline is? I'm not saying it should be a hard and fast definition--that would be more like a rule. But to have the double-secret guidelines only known to reviewers (and the rest of us have to guess at) coupled with changes that don't get published in the guidelines, since they are changes to unwritten guidelines, make it difficult to know what is going on. I still think a little more effort at writing down the currently unwritten part of the guidelines would help. Dave_W6DPS

You can also set up a bookmark list for the area you are interested in. Then, as you call up interesting caches you add them to that bookmark list. The bookmark list lets you create a pocker query for the caches on that list. This is what I do for trips, so i can add caches along the route and caches around the destination. Then you get the PQ to download to GPSr and Ipod. Dave_W6DPS

How are we expected to know what is allowed if the guidelines change, but the changes are not published? This is the issue I have with the way this is playing out. The moderators seem to have guidelines to enforce that haven't been shared with the rest of us. The "one mention of the restaurant" is one of the pseudo-guidelines batted around in the forums, but not included in the published guidelines. The idea of "one degree of separation"--where you can link to a personal site with information about the event, including comercial links. You just can't have any commercial links on the event page. It appears that "commercial" links include anyone who sells anything. So, if a geocaching groups sells t-shirts or geocoins on their web site, does that make it "commercial"? If these are part of the decision making process for review of a cache, shouldn't they be included inthe guidelines? I don't consider discussion in these forums to be "publishing". We check a box to indicate that we have read the guidelines when submitting a cache. I haven't checked a box for reading all applicable threads in the forums.... If those are the rules, that is okay with me. I am just stating that I think the rules, guidelines, and accompanying interpretations should be available to us. Dave_W6DPS

When you submit a cache for approval, there is a check box that you read the guidelines. There is no checkbox that says you read every thread in the forums. Most geocachers don't regularly read these forums. My point is still that all the guidelines should be published together. I don't think you should have to be current on changes discussed in the forums. And, by the way, I feel just fine. Thanks! Dave_W6DPS

Funny, I don't see that here: ... If there are more guidelines, why are they not listed? Why all the definitive statements in the forums about "guidelines" with no reference? Dave_W6DPS They are. Under the section that says "Guidelines that Apply to All Caches" we see: Commercial caches attempt to use the Geocaching.com web site cache reporting tool directly or indirectly (intentionally or non-intentionally) to solicit customers through a Geocaching.com listing. These are NOT permitted. Examples include for-profit locations that require an entrance fee, or locations that sell products or services. If the finder is required to go inside the business, interact with employees, and/or purchase a product or service, then the cache is presumed to be commercial. Some exceptions can be made. In these situations, permission can be given by Groundspeak. However, permission should be asked first before posting. If you are in doubt, ask first. If you do not have advance permission, your reviewer will refer you to Groundspeak. I still don't see anything about an event location being listed once. I still don't see anything about 'one degree of separation' on links to commercial sites from private webpages linked from the cache page. I still don't see any changes in the PUBLISHED guidelines. If the guidelines change, they should change PUBLICLY. Dave_W6DPS1

Funny, I don't see that here: If there are more guidelines, why are they not listed? Why all the definitive statements in the forums about "guidelines" with no reference? Dave_W6DPS

I don't see it. I think the issue is what constitutes a "commercial" cache. I don't think that a geocaching group with ad banners or links to a store on their page is commercial. My homepage, as listed on my profile, is on a "free" hosting site that uses banner ads to fund the site. Does that make my profile, or homepage, commercial? Debate of appeal procedures aside, I think the definition of "commercial" being used here is a bit unreasonable. So any geocaching group that sells t-shirts or geocoins through their website are not allowed to list that website on an event cache listing? Neither is a group that has banner ads on their site? Yes, I am one of those SoCal4x4Geocachers, and I also associate with the folks at www.cachaddicts.org forums, and the www.SoCalGeocachers.com mob. But don't tell anyone--it might seem like a commerical post in the Groundspeak forums! I think the definition of "commercial" has gotten out of hand... Dave_W6DPS (

I am turning 50 this month, and the major physical change I have noticed is that my eyesight just isn't what it used to be. I have also noticed a trend in the tracking numbers for geocoins getting smaller. Particularly on coins with low-contrast color schemes, they can be very tough to read. Some of the coins I have found recently have been difficult to read, even in good light and with my glasses. Well, the tracking numbers are hard to read. Everything else on the coins are usually fine. So, when designing geocaoins, please remember two things: 1. Please remember that many cachers are over the hill and have trouble reading the fine print. 2. The cachers who don't fit in item 1 will bve joining us sooner than they think.... Thanks for reading! Dave_W6DPS

Here are my favorites on that island: A really nice place to visit. Spouting Horn An easy drive up a beautiful canyon, and a short walk. Well worth it! Koke'e Nature Walk The drive to this one is very rough, but the location is beautiful. I performed a wedding on the beach there. Polihole Have a great trip! Dave_W6DPS

At a mega event in our area someone put together a list of geocachers to meet who met certain criteria. Things like: A cacher who had been caching more than 3 years A cacher who had started in the last month A cacher with more than 5000 finds A cacher with less than 100 finds A cacher from another state/country Etc. I think there was a rule that each cacher you met could only fill one catagory. If you filled you card--I think there were 8 or 10 catagories--you could enter a drawing. It definately prompted folks to introduce themselves to others and get to know them a bit. Usually it wound up being more than just a "ticket-punch"; once someone meets a cacher with 100+ hides it tends to lead to conversations about their caches and techniques. I wish I could remember who came up with it--they helped a lot of folks break the ice! Dave_W6DPS

It has already been tried on my virtuals in Yosemite. So far, they have been easy to spot. Dave_W6DPS

Another thing to consider is that just because the location is in the Czech Republic doesn't mean the log is in czech. You might try Slovakian and similar languages to see if it was a tourist from a nearby country.... Dave_W6DPS

I try to log the same day, but often it is Monday before I can catch up for a weekend. Occasionally on a vacation it takes up to a week. More than a couple of weeks, and I would wonder. I don't think that FTF should make a difference. It is First to Find afterall, not first to log. Remarks about other finders do not belong in a cache log. Only finds, DNFs, notes about the cache, etc. belong in cache logs. The cache logs are not a forum.... Remember, this is supposed to be fun--don't sweat the small stuff! Dave_W6DPS

I definately agree! I think the size of the container should be listed accurately. I am annoyed by caches where the owner will mark the size as "Other" and then have nothing in the description about the size. My PQs generally filter out micro and small--and I prefer not to waste my time on either because the listing is not accurate. Instead of incorrectly listing the size, or listing it as "Other", I prefer that the listing have the correct size of the log container, and then any additional information or description be included in the description. Of course a micro with outer camo is still going to be filtered out on my pocket query, but that really doesn't bother me. If you want to impress me, use great camo to hide a normal or large container in an appropriate location! Dave_W6DPS

This one used to be just for armchair caching! But, that is no longer available. You just have to live vicariously through the forums--a lot of the time you are not alone! Dave_W6DPS

I found caches in the UK from London to Bath, as well as on the continent from France to Austria, via Germany. You probably want to disable WAAS, since it will not help in Europe. Dave_W6DPS

I found caches in the UK from London to Bath, as well as on the continent from France to Austria, via Germany. You probably want to disable WAAS, since it will not help in Europe. Dave_W6DPS