geo-jedi

Anybody out there playing with Amazon's Kindle? Yeah, I know they say it is for e-books but it also has this wireless internet built-in with no extra monthly fees... It is very klunky but it can access www.geocaching.com. I've been trying to use it with wap.geocaching.com but it doesn't let me in to find or view caches although you can look up your travel bugs. Anybody else doing this? Jed Team Geo-Jedi

Otis Pug did this a couple of years ago. There was even a working alarm! Team Geo-Jedi

Here's how it turned out. Only 3 states left! On Saturday, October 28, Team Geo-Jedi did a three state swing through wonderful Wisconsin, magnificent Minnesota, and incredible Iowa. It was a beautiful fall day with sunny skies. It was cloudier and windier in the late afternoon in Iowa. Even better than the weather was the caching - 6 for 6 starting in LaCrosse, WI, then west to Minnesota, before heading south to Iowa. Wisconsin GCQDVF - Pettibone Gazebo GCNDEW - Welcome to Wisconsin Minnesota GCNDF4 - Welcome to Minnesota GCH823 - Dresbach Wagon Trail Iowa GCQENX - Malanaphy Cache GCX2BY - Phelps Park QDVF was special and not just because it was the first cache of the day. When selecting caches, we tried to find ones that would be memorable. So many cachers said this was a tricky hide, that we felt compelled to challenge ourselves. There was a little bit of rust in the old geocaching force but as soon as the question was put "Where would we hide it?" the answer became obvious and the teasure was found. We left nothing but did take a coin that we'll leave elsewhere. GCNDEW was second on the list. We were afraid we'd have to backtrack along 90 to get to it but our trusty Garmin 60CS took us thru residential streets to the backside of the truckstop that ended up at the rest stop - that was nice. While signing the log, we were surprised by one of the loudest motorboat zooming up the Mississippi - were they fishing? GCNDF4 was just up the road from GCNDEW and was a nice easy find. There was a good view of the locks with about ten small boats sitting in the water - were they fishing? GCH823 gave us a chance to stretch our legs a bit along a trail that we had all to ourselves. A geotrail has developed near the cache making this one a cinch to find. GCQENX was a challenge, especially since we were caching paperless having forgotten our notes. We switched systems and had loaded the info into an iPod instead of a Palm PDA. We didn't know that there were no logs loaded. As they say, those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. The first part of our challenge was finding the trailhead. It took almost an hour of driving on a variety of roads of uncertain surface before we saw the weather beaten sign. The hike was fun with a few fallen trees to overcome. It was a magnificent climb to the top and we were willing to believe that the higher flow might be considered a falls in Iowa. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the cache. Then we made a phone call to a fellow cacher (thank goodness for cell phones) who had access to the web and read us the notes and the all important coordinates: N43-21.343 and W091-50.087. We came down found the real falls and then an important flash of white that took us the the cache. The log seems to have mostly dried out. We closed the cover as best as we could but a new container will probably be needed by next season. Thanks for bringing us to a wonderful spot and giving us memories for our first Iowa cache. GCX2BY was a fun walk in an area that got busier as the afternoon went on. Once again, the lack of access to logs caused problems. We started on the paved low road and had our GPS tell us we were near. With the bluffs, we were willing to be forgiving with coordinates that were off but still didn't find anything. Back and forth we walked, pretty much alone. We went down the gully and the GPS said we were getting warmer - then we saw the bridge. We walked out thinking that the path might loop around. After getting to a second parking area, some locals said that there the path was just what we walked and no more. We walked back towards the car almost ready to admit defeat and then we saw the start of a trail up. There were 3 groups of people on the higher trail and a very big yellow lab who seemed to be on his own. Anyway once on the right trail, the cache was eventually found and the log signed. A nice cache to end the day. Thanks for the adventure, Team Geo-Jedi

Thanks for the replies - Here's how it turned out... On Saturday, October 28, Team Geo-Jedi did a three state swing through wonderful Wisconsin, magnificent Minnesota, and incredible Iowa. It was a beautiful fall day with sunny skies. It was cloudier and windier in the late afternoon in Iowa. Even better than the weather was the caching - 6 for 6 starting in LaCrosse, WI, then west to Minnesota, before heading south to Iowa. Wisconsin GCQDVF - Pettibone Gazebo GCNDEW - Welcome to Wisconsin Minnesota GCNDF4 - Welcome to Minnesota GCH823 - Dresbach Wagon Trail Iowa GCQENX - Malanaphy Cache GCX2BY - Phelps Park QDVF was special and not just because it was the first cache of the day. When selecting caches, we tried to find ones that would be memorable. So many cachers said this was a tricky hide, that we felt compelled to challenge ourselves. There was a little bit of rust in the old geocaching force but as soon as the question was put "Where would we hide it?" the answer became obvious and the teasure was found. We left nothing but did take a coin that we'll leave elsewhere. GCNDEW was second on the list. We were afraid we'd have to backtrack along 90 to get to it but our trusty Garmin 60CS took us thru residential streets to the backside of the truckstop that ended up at the rest stop - that was nice. While signing the log, we were surprised by one of the loudest motorboat zooming up the Mississippi - were they fishing? GCNDF4 was just up the road from GCNDEW and was a nice easy find. There was a good view of the locks with about ten small boats sitting in the water - were they fishing? GCH823 gave us a chance to stretch our legs a bit along a trail that we had all to ourselves. A geotrail has developed near the cache making this one a cinch to find. GCQENX was a challenge, especially since we were caching paperless having forgotten our notes. We switched systems and had loaded the info into an iPod instead of a Palm PDA. We didn't know that there were no logs loaded. As they say, those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it. The first part of our challenge was finding the trailhead. It took almost an hour of driving on a variety of roads of uncertain surface before we saw the weather beaten sign. The hike was fun with a few fallen trees to overcome. It was a magnificent climb to the top and we were willing to believe that the higher flow might be considered a falls in Iowa. Unfortunately, we couldn't find the cache. Then we made a phone call to a fellow cacher (thank goodness for cell phones) who had access to the web and read us the notes and the all important coordinates: N43-21.343 and W091-50.087. We came down found the real falls and then an important flash of white that took us the the cache. The log seems to have mostly dried out. We closed the cover as best as we could but a new container will probably be needed by next season. Thanks for bringing us to a wonderful spot and giving us memories for our first Iowa cache. GCX2BY was a fun walk in an area that got busier as the afternoon went on. Once again, the lack of access to logs caused problems. We started on the paved low road and had our GPS tell us we were near. With the bluffs, we were willing to be forgiving with coordinates that were off but still didn't find anything. Back and forth we walked, pretty much alone. We went down the gully and the GPS said we were getting warmer - then we saw the bridge. We walked out thinking that the path might loop around. After getting to a second parking area, some locals said that there the path was just what we walked and no more. We walked back towards the car almost ready to admit defeat and then we saw the start of a trail up. There were 3 groups of people on the higher trail and a very big yellow lab who seemed to be on his own. Anyway once on the right trail, the cache was eventually found and the log signed. A nice cache to end the day. Thanks for the adventure, Team Geo-Jedi

Thanks for the advice on those Iowa caches - the Great River sequence sounds nice as do the "Boots" caches. Yes - scenic is what I am seeking. A nice hike is okay too. If I find a few easy ones near La Crosse to get both Wisconsin and Minnesota driving an hour to do some hiking in Iowa would be a nice mix. When is hunting season? How bad are the ticks? Thanks again, Team Geo-Jedi

Hello Geocachers in the great states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, Team Geo-Jedi is on a quest to find at least one cache in all 50 states. We are now lacking only 6 states. We may soon have the opportunity to be in your area for a 24 hour stretch. Does anyone have any recommendations on interesting caches (and a route) to find caches in all three states? Our latest idea was to fly into the regional airport in La Crosse. Wisconsin and start around there. We are hoping for memorable [but not impossible] caches, if possible. Thank you in advance! Team Geo-Jedi

Hello Geocachers in the great states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa, Team Geo-Jedi is on a quest to find at least one cache in all 50 states. We are now lacking only 6 states. We may soon have the opportunity to be in your area for a 24 hour stretch. Does anyone have any recommendations on interesting caches (and a route) to find caches in all three states? Our latest idea was to fly into the regional airport in La Crosse. Wisconsin and start around there. We are hoping for memorable [but not impossible] caches, if possible. Thank you in advance! Team Geo-Jedi

Thanks for the reply - In an afternoon, I wasn't able to make it all the way across the state but indeed, I was able to find two caches in each state - Oregon and Idaho - by flying into Boise and then driving north on Route 84... The trip is over so I may as well close this topic (if I could figure out how). Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi

Hello Geocachers in the great states of Idaho and Oregon, Team Geo-Jedi is on a quest to find at least one cache in all 50 states. We are now lacking only 8 states. We have the opportunity to be in Boise on Saturday afternoon. Does anyone have any recommendations on interesting caches (and a route) to find caches in both Idaho and Oregon? Thank you in advance! Team Geo-Jedi

35 states plus D.C.

I am hoping for some insight on specific caches that are somehow noteworthy. Park and grab caches are less important to me than ones that are in interesting areas, or are noteworthy hides. This caching trip will take me to not just the area around Dallas but also across the border into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Are there local caching org websites that have more information? Your inputs are needed! Team Geo-Jedi

I am planning a very short trip to Dallas and hope to spend a long day driving to find caches in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana. If you have any suggestions for interesting caches (preferably with no more than a 1 mile RT hike) in these four states, I would very much appreciate an email through the website. Thank you, Jed of Team Geo-Jedi

ddd.dddddddd vs. ddd mm.mmm ? Geo-Jedi

You are correct - ED - OP was asking about voice recorders as logging devices that could be used much as cameras are in many caches. A quick look on Ebay shows that you can pick up an 80 minute digital recorder for under $10 (plus $8 shipping???) which puts a voice recorder as a not tto expensive option. Team Geo-Jedi

Our Jedi Series caches ended with a mystery cache in which we had a voice recorder with a short message for the FTF. It was a fairly inexpensive gadget that could only hold about 12 seconds. The device was obtained from some surplus science online supplier. The finders thought it was really cool although they ended up accidently erasing the message. Team Geo-Jedi p.s. we had considered using the device to give coordinates as part of a multi but decided it would take too much maintenance.

What happens when you try the IP address [63.251.163.168] directly? In the recent past, the gubbermint IT guys only manage to block the url. Geo-Jedi

RobertLipe: Thanks for the tip - I'll have to try that. The hardest part may be figuring out which app will write the GPX file with the non-caching type info. Firehouse16 - I don't think you'll lose any info in the new GPX file. Of course it will only have the 140 caches, but for those it will have all the info for those caches. You will still have the original GPX file as well. Make sure to save it in a new file so as not to overwrite the original. I do something like what you are doing fairly often. I will start with a large set of caches and then pare them down. I'll then write out a new GPX file and then create a new GSAK database into which I'll load the new file. The ability to fill the UserData field with numbers then lets me order the caches so that I can use the Condensed HTML Print to get a handy printout with caches in an order more useful for finding them. Geo-Jedi

Hey Firehouse, You could certainly save the filter but I think the easiest thing to do is to simply export those 140 as a new GPX file. Team Geo-Jedi

This must be documented somewhere but I can't seem to find it. How to edit symbols in the GSAK database? It seems that one can only put in geocaching type symbols. Here's what I would like to do. With both automation and USB support now available in GSAK, I am trying to completely automate loading up my GPS (Garmin 60CS) and my PDA (Sony Clie) from my laptop. Moreover, I am trying to minimize how much I need to connect up. For my PDA, I can simply insert the memory stick, so that is all set. I can also plug my GPSr in to the USB. I usually wipe all the waypoints and then reload. One important part of reloading is to put in a Standard set of waypoints which includes my hides (loaded as "mines"), some friends' houses, some favorite trailheads,and some other key spots that are not geocaching types. I'd like to be able to store these in a GPX file so that I can load it into GSAK and then into my GPS with the non-geocaching symbols that I prefer. My workaround is simply to load through Mapsource but it would be real slick if I could skip that step. Would it be reasonable to expand the options available in TYPE? or is there another way? Team Geo-Jedi

The case interferes with putting it in Garmin's plastic mounting bracket although I've heard [read] that some folks have cut openings to allow mounting. If I had known how hard it is to remove the case I might not have bought it. Although the case looks and feels cool, it makes it difficult to change batteries and to use the ports for USB, serial, or external antenna. The case also makes it a little more difficult to manipulate the rocker panel reliably. I still use it because it does protect the screen from scratches and may also provide some small measure of shock absorbtion if the unit were to fall. Team Geo-Jedi

I've seen a few. One idea - think camou rope and bear proof. Team Geo-Jedi

Dictionary.com suggests that this is indeed a new term. See below. 1 entry found for muggle. Main Entry: muggle Function: noun Definition: a person with no magical abilities Etymology: Used in J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of books Source: Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, © 2003 Lexico Publishing Group, LLC Team Geo-Jedi p.s. we have no posters of puppies but the whole family loves using the term, especially when we do urban caches.

While attempting to reconcile my finds, it seems that my list of logs has one fewer cache. The missing one is GC2221 which has the "Error has occured [sic] because cache is not yet approved." Is this the same problem as discussed in this thread, or is someone trying to revive an old cache? Thanks, Team Geo-Jedi p.s. after this long awaited reconciliation, please delay adding archived caches to PQs for at least another several months

Is the PQ server having problems? It seems one of mine submitted at midnight got stuck.

I recently found out that I have been volunteered to present something for an event cache titled Computer Caching 101. I probably play more with various programs for manipulating GPX and related files than I spend caching but that is really a personal problem. One of the tools that I use and love is the Geacacher's Swiss Army Knife. After receiving a zip GPX file, I rename the zip and its contents. I drop the zipped GPX file into gsak to sort and filter by type or proximity. I export files for cachemate and mapsource (to use along with my Garmin 60cs!). I used to also output html for Plucker but no more. This topic is focused on collecting reports on the coolest way that you make use of the GSAK tool to help me out in making my presentation. Team Geo-Jedi edit: GPX files, not GPS files...