CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by Matt1344:I've been thinking about placing a cache at a place I'd only read about until this week. I went out to take a look at it. It's a fantastic spot but a little scarey. I've about decided not to risk inviting someone to plunge to their death. The location is a high (about 300-400) feet scenic overlook with a great view of a river valley below. There's even a cool natural rock arch at the site. It's just off a gravel road with a well defined parking area. It would clearly be a 1/1 cache. The problem is there is no railing and the land has a slight slope toward a sheer drop-off. One wrong step (like looking at your GPS when you should be watching where you're walking) would mean instant death. Judging by all the old beer cans scattered about the spot is obviously a popular hang-out. It's certainly visited often by locals, though none of the millions of people who travel to the nearby vaction destinations would know it was there. My concern is the 1 in a million chance that some child or inattentive adult would fall off the edge. It would also be an ideal spot for a suicide leap. After visiting the site I'll all but decided to keep it to myself. Why run the risk that someone who otherwise had no business down this gravel road would fall just for the sake of geocache? FWIW, the site is listed in a book called "Geologic Wonders and Curiosities of Missouri" that the state sells so it's not a secret spot. Matt, You bring up some interesting points, however, I think that you could probably alleviate most of this guilt if you clearly state upfront that it is a dangerous area and that you might want to leave the children at home or in the car. Beyond that, I would feel absolutely no guilt if a fellow cacher plunged to his death visiting a cache I placed. He knew the risks upfront. After all, should the writer of the book that you mentioned feel guilty if someone visits the spot and dies? For that matter, what if an entire family is killed in a car accident on the way to a cache you placed? My point is that we are fragile creatures and we cannot control everything in this world. Each human assesses his/her own risks and makes their own decisions. Would I feel sad if a fellow cacher died visiting my cache? Absolutely. Would I feel somewhat responsible or guilty? Absolutely not. FWIW... --CoronaKid

I think we are going to see more and more media coverage of geocaching in the future. You should've took them to a cache in the middle of a trash dump. I'd love to see the look on the reporter's face. --CoronaKid

I guess this means the sport is finally starting to hit the mainstream. Soon they'll be a cache on every block. Enjoy your 15 minutes of fame! --CoronaKid

Maybe it's just fancy abstract symbols. I think it's purposely designed to be open to interpretation. My first thoughts were that it was an X pointing to the cache, but I can see it as a person as well. I'm not going to lose sleep over it. --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by GOT GPS?:I bought this gps back in 1998, and one day left it on top of my friend's escort wagon. As he was driving, I remembered the GPS. I rolled down the window, and felt around on the roof at 45 mph. It bounced down the road, and blew apart. The batteries, scattering from the gps. I got it working somewhat. Sometime later, maybe a month, I took the car into a repair shop. Couple days later, relized I was missing the gps, but found it cooking on the dashboard of the car. Very Hot and a blackened screen. Got a refirbished unit in exchange. Gave the GPS to my sister, then she left the thing at Sears one day, while waiting for her car. Bye Bye gps. Okay, you win for most abuse in my book. Maybe the lanyard around the neck isn't such a bad idea for you. Nerdy or not, at least it won't be cooked or bounced. --CoronaKid

Not only is this one IN a volcano, it's also in Ethiopia. You can't get much more inaccessible than that. http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?ID=46551 Be sure and check out the pictures they have posted. Now these are truly EXTREME geocachers! --CoronaKid

While I love all the features of this program, I have found that most of the aerial maps using this program are significantly more outdated than the aerial maps on Mapquest. For example, I've lived in my new house for four years now and the aerial still shows as undeveloped using this program. This can cause problems if you are trying to find the best route to a cache. The Mapquest aerial shows my house and all the recent development. FWIW... --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by CdirtO:I was just on the Garmin site and I cannot find a link to the version 3.01 beta upgrade. Can anyone post a link to the download. I have put all the other upgrades in my legend and have had no problems. Of course, the waypoints do go away, but I don't consider that a problem as I have them all on floppy and in my laptop, too. Just a matter of seconds to replace! Thanks in advance! Here's the link: http://www.garmin.com/support/download.jsp The 3.01 beta link is the sixth from the top. Enjoy! --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by BrianSnat:According to US Census Bureau statistics, the average Geocacher is a married, Caucasian male, 37 years old with 1.5 children and employed in the Information Systems field. Well, I qualify in 4/5 of your stats. I'm actually 32, not 37. I think you are right about on target. This is often how I can spot geocachers out on a trail. I think, okay he's married, got a kid, looks around my age, and is carrying some sort of device. BINGO! --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by sbell111: I would have to disagree with this. One man's 'experienced and respected veteran' is another man's twisted egomaniac. Yes, but these administrators would be nominated by fellow geocachers and new administrators would be added and removed every 3 months. Personally, I'd be more willing to trust the opinion of an elected administrator who has over 100 finds in a given area versus a newbie with 10 or fewer finds. If an administrator starts abusing his/her power then they simply lose administrator status. I think it would work and would have many other benefits beside a great way to rate caches. For example, it would be a certain badge of honor if you were recognized as an administrator for your geographic area. Not only that, but I think newbies would get a kick if an administrator visited their cache and gave it a positive rating. The bottom line is that I think it would give people the sense that they are having a positive impact in the geocaching community and website. Perhaps I'm a little altruistic in my thinking, but I honestly believe that the more you reward and recognize long-time veterans, the more loyalty you will have. Anyway, that's my 2 cents. --CoronaKid

I think their rating methods for reviews might be applicable to rating caches. You could have experienced and respected veterans that are nominated as administrators for certain geographic areas. Their votes would have more weight in the caches overall ranking. Check out the site, it's just a thought. www.epinions.com --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by adrianjohn:I like that kind of warm feeling you get when you find the cache and feel connected to the person that hid it. You kind of feel they are watching you and smiling. Whoa, I think that's a little too touchy feely for me! You make it sound as if the cache owner has died and is looking down upon you. I enjoy finding places that others find interesting, but that's as far as it goes. --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:http://gps.algebra.com/ a simple one for you. Thanks! It is very accurate. That's exactly what I was looking for. Markwell, I tried all those sites you listed in the faq and was not successful. Two of the sites were down, and I couldn't figure out how to get the lat/long using a address with the other two. I appreciate the help. --CoronaKid

I understand that Mapquest doesn't provide the Lat/Long for an address you type in, but I was hoping that my fellow geocachers knew of a site where this was possible. OR, is there a way to figure it out yourself? If this has been discussed at length before, feel free to markwell the thread. Thanks! --CoronaKid

Believe me, someone has thought of it and has probably pitched it already to the television stations. If I was a television executive, I would turn down the idea for several reasons: 1. What percentage of people actually own or even know what a GPSr is? You've lost a huge market share right there. 2. What's so exciting about watching people hike around the world? Wow, Team A found the cache first...BORING.... 3. To get ratings, we need dumb, good looking blondes on the show. How many of them would know how to operate a GPS? I think a better idea is to have a one-hour special devoted to extreme geocaching. All of the caches will be difficulty 5/5. You could show people kayaking, mountain climbing, scuba diving, etc. It would be sort of like the current eco-challenge or 100 mile race telecast. --CoronaKid

well, I live in Corona and I enjoy drinking Corona, so my avatar was a no brainer. Finding a pic that said "Lost in Paradise" sealed the deal. We'll see how long it lasts. --CoronaKid

I think it's great! It's unfortunate that most women probably feel more intimidated to trapse around the woods by themselves. Given our society and all the sickos out there, I can understand their concern. Men, on the other hand, tend to be too overconfident and will often place themselves in unnecessary danger. Just a thought. I don't want to start a battle of the sexes. --CoronaKid

I usually just peruse it quickly since I hunt caches on my lunch hour and I don't have much time. --CoronaKid

You can buy 24 AA 1800 MAH NIMH batteries for around $25 on eBay. You can't beat this price. Also, I'd recommend that you spend the money for a good charger. The C. Crane Company has an excellent one for around $40. A good charger will extend the life of your rechargeables. --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by leatherman:An acronym list would be cool. It took me six months to figure-out what IMHO stood for. Iquanas make happy orphans, right? Once I figured it out, I was surprised that so many people own iguanas. --CoronaKid

In my opinion, these type of classes will help introduce geocaching to those who would otherwise feel too intimidated. Considering that people actually PAY people to set up their computers, I see no problem with a geocaching class. I'd be curious to know what they actually teach during the 3.5 hours. --CoronaKid

quote:Originally posted by JoeCthulhu:You are a nerd! Any self-respecting geocacher knows you wear the laryard around your wrist. LOL...I usually put it around my wrist, but sometimes I need both hands free. I have a 3 year old son who usually needs a little help on the steep hills. I can't be the only one that occassionally puts the lanyard around their neck, can I? Maybe I'm more of a nerd than I thought. --CoronaKid

I especially like the little sidebar about the lost keys. Too funny. That's probably the most thorough story I've read on geocaching so far. Thanks for pointing it out. --CoronaKid

Although I love caching and I am still fairly new to the sport, I can't help but feel a little nerdy everytime I put that lanyard around my neck. My wife stills says to me, "You're such a nerd!" Am I? Are we? I mean, what the heck are we actually doing anyways? I suppose the nerd stigma will slowly dissipate as the sport grows in popularity. Time will tell. --CoronaKid