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My phone doesn't have service in various parts of town. Iphone 8, and the same phone chip I took out of my 'droid phone that had similar issues. I think it's my prepaid phone service (Straight Talk Wireless). Anyway, I couldn't log if I wanted to. Which I tend to not want to, until I return to my PC and can type proper logs. But I hardly ever “claim FTF” anymore*. I sign a blank log, and my online log says that I found it, and I include the time I found it. People can figure it out. * An eye-opener was as a newb Geocaching, I made a log about how some cache was the first one I found that day. And it began to seem in the ensuing logs by FTF hounds, that they were intent to bite my head off, because THEY WERE FIRST, THEY WERE FTF, not me. Um. Just wow. Eventually, I pretty much decided to be a lot more careful with the word “first” in my logs. And I pretty much don't “claim FTF”, for any reason.

Well, it might be easier to talk it over with the CO. If the OP's intent is to "confront" before he's heard the CO's side of it , I can see why he'd want to go through a 3rd party.

Gosh, talk about doing it the hard way! We have heavy rain and possible storms forecast for Friday and Saturday, but hopefully nothing quite that severe. There's a couple of P&Gs I should be able to get to if I'm still in the running at that stage. I got number 3 today (although my stats page still only shows a streak of 2 days), a nice little Sidetracked multi at one of Sydney's northern railway stations, and I'm planning to do similar ones tomorrow and Thursday. A handy quirk in our railway's electronic ticketing system is that if you start your return journey within an hour of reaching your destination you don't get charged for it, so I need to make sure they're quick finds .

My husband forgot to get a cache where he teaches in another city, and I don't have a car. He was teaching in town tonight, when all the sirens went off, with very strong winds, the most severe lightning I've ever seen, and a possible tornado about 2 miles north of where he was teaching. Since all the warning sirens went off the students were able to leave a little early! Time's running out. Then we talk and figure out that all day long my account was locked, and now I can't see the coordinates of a geocache to tell him how to navigate there. Little panic. I frantically tried to jump thru all the GC hoops, and finally got my account back up. He'll be finding a cache on the way home, in the dark in the pouring rain and hope he doesn't get struck by lightning!

Yep, I know. The APE is on my tentative list as one can't stand on one leg, right? (found the one in Brazil last year). HQ, it depends on whether they are open around the time. The stash plaque... well, maybe. I'm rather looking at GC12 as I'm only in need of that date for completing my Jasmer challenge But I'll avoid the Going Ape event as I'm simple not into Megas in general. I'd rather go to a small event in a pub and talk to friends than being among masses of people I don't know. Basically I want to explore, enjoy nature, all the different landscape forms you mention. Might be tempted to try and get a Mount St. Helens permit And yes, so much to see in general! Utah last year was super difficult to plan as I knew I could not do everything, didn't want to do too long drives between parks and not sleep elsewhere every night. I think I stroke a fairly good balance by choosing Zion (Kolob turned out to be closed, so I went to Snow Canyon for that day), Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef (the best) and planning the drive such that I could do some Jasmer caches.

Hi all, I was thinking of starting a geocaching Discord which is a easy place for UK based geocachers or people visiting the UK to connect and talk with other UK Geocachers. I thought it would be a fun place to help one and other out with puzzles or ideas for future caches. Remember sign up with your geocaching name to make it easier. Use the below link to join the discord server and it would be great to get to know you all. https://discord.gg/pm3bCC

That quote should come up every time someone looks at the submit-a-cache form. What about gadget caches? Often placed only in a location where it would be feasible, rarely about the location. It's a great quote, but I would never use it to presume that it's fundamental to every cache placement. It's something to keep in mind, but sometimes yes, the reason you bring people to a spot is the geocache. Better would be to consider that your bringing someone there either for the location, or the geocache. However... sometimes a cache is about the extended experience - it is to many people. So those who enjoy powertrail mentality would take issue with not including extended experiences. In that case it's not about each individual location, or each individual geocache, but the experience from start to finish. And then it gets more convoluted when you talk about 'why not make it a multi', and so on... Geocaching today ain't so cut and dry! Many different cache owners want to provide a wider variety of geocaching experiences than used to exist 'back in the day'. And not everyone enjoys every kind of experience. The fun part is finding a balance point, and that balance point is bordered by the guidelines and definition of 'geocaching' that Groundspeak wants to provide (as implemented by geocaching.com, since there are a couple of other sites with their own definitions as well).

>[ Extremely irresponsible cache owner behavior, done in anger to goad. See what happens @dprovan when you talk to some addicted COs. He archived without retrieving it and welcomes irresponsible finder behavior. katdude archived Westpoo Tree Hanger Saturday, 17 August 2019California W 3441.3 km from your home location "When you go to hide a geocache, think of the reason you are bringing people to that spot. If the only reason is for the geocache, then find a better spot." I should have thought better that just fun and exercise for everyone premium and basic. Feel free to log until container is stolen or I get a chance to remove. Remove and dispose as you see fit if you want. Unfortunate they have made so many cranky. All for fun in a GAME.

I've used the smaller, 3x5 Rite in Rain notepads for some time for multiple caches in a day, and simply a 3x5 index card when only going for one. Both fit easily in a 4x6, 3 or 4mil baggie with a FP sharpie/golf pencil in my cargo pocket . Bought in bulk, we've paid less-than two-bucks each for RiR notepads. - Pencil writes well on RiR, even when wet, and can be erased if on that much of a budget. I've used one PAF in my time in this hobby (so far) ... Mechanical devices pinched together, and had the option of cutting rope and dropping 30+ feet on rock, or call a friend. This is why I mention real friends when people talk about their "friends" on social sites, or the "friends" on a list here.

Have you talked to the CO about it? It seems like that would be more productive than coming here to complain. I'm not criticizing you: it's fine to come here to vent about something like this. But the problem you're having is strictly a local one, so think about how to solve it within the community. (I'm a little sensitive about this because every time someone complains about something some individual CO is doing, GS tends to make rules that get in everyone's way even in places where COs don't do annoying things like that.) I think it's really interesting that you are fully aware from your personal history why people like power trails, so that should put you in a good position to understand and interact with the CO as friends even as you talk over the problems his caches are causing you as a reformed ex-numbers cacher. In particular, I think you're in a good position to point out that while numbers are fun, it's even more fun if the numbers caches are interesting in their own right. Although nothing as bad as this has happened in my area, there have been a few series with the caches put out fairly densely along country roads, so I have gotten a taste of the problem of a hundred notifications, all for the same series. For some reason, though, the COs around here put some thought into it, so the caches themselves are reasonably good. Admittedly, they're all not super creative -- although some are -- but they are generally unique. Maybe getting the CO thinking along those lines will be enough to sort out your problem.

Yep. Sorta... Many of the "corrections" made here over the years was because of more than a few pushing the envelope. We lost cache types too. We talked with another at an event about one that required all members logging be PMs. - Even though it's PMO, there's been alternative logging for basic members way-before we started. Another requiring a photo of all at GZ didn't fair well. Parents with their kids, and that privacy thing... But I've honored requests for pirate talk, lie/exaggerate on your log, continue the story, rhyme, and did an entire series where the other 2/3rds was an elf, and I was an orc.

Hey everyone, I have been geocaching for about 3 weeks now and am totally hooked. I will be getting a premium membership when I can to help support this fantastic hobby. I'm looking for friends on this site that we could send emails to each other and talk about geocaching. I feel like a loner since most people I talk to about caching think I'm nuts ! Add me as a friend if you are intrested. It would be cool to get a group of talkative catchers together to talk about our hobby! Looking forward to receiving your friend requests!

Probably wasn't an real engineer. I doubt they would talk to someone in the users field unless it was an emergency of sort.

FS: SIM Free Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro 8Gb/128Gb Mobile Phone £300. UK Postage free. Brand new unused, sealed box. Unlocked, Sim Free. I think this is the most amazing Android 9 Smartphone for Geocaching. It has really accurate dual GPS. That is as speedily accurate as my dedicated Garmin. The Mi 8 is the first phone to boast dual frequency GPS navigation technology. It has massive memory and I've not yet had a memory space problem. long battery life. Rave reviews online everywhere. Loads of info online. I bought my first in January 2019, but dropped it 2 days before setting off to Poland, smashing the display. Hence all my plans, geos, wherigoes lost. Urgently needing a phone, I bought a new one from Argos, reloaded everything. Sent to original off to my Insurance company. They sent back a brand new one in a sealed box. This I now have for sale. Specifications. Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro features a 6.26-inch display for a vivid and amazing visual experience. With triple cameras 12.0MP + 12.0MP back camera and 20.0MP front camera, you can enjoy detailed and defined images. And with 8GB RAM, 128GB ROM storage and a long-lasting battery, you can play games for longer. Plus, it's lightweight, ultra-thin, curved body fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. AI dual camera with optical zoom DxOMark photo score: 105 1.4m large pixels brighten and bring out the details of nightscape photos. SLR-quality dual pixel auto focus allows the Mi 8 to snap photos rapidly. Ultra-thin four-sided curved body Lightweight and curved on all four sides, amazing hand-feel Transparent Curved-edge glass body in an 7000 series aluminum alloy frame. Model number: E1S. Network: Network provider: Sim free. 2G, 3G and 4G network capability. Dual SIM card phone: supports 2 SIM cards simultaneously. SIM card type: nano SIM and nano SIM. Display and Design: 6.26 inch LCD display. With a density of 402 pixels per inch. Touch screen. Toughened glass. Dimensions: Size H154, W74, D7.6mm. Weight 177g. Camera and Video: Dual camera. Front camera 20MP. Rear camera 12MP. LED. Camera features: Portrait. Video capture in. Storage: Internal memory 128GB. Technical specifications: 2.8GHz octa core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. 8GB RAM. Operating system: Android Android 8.1. (Download upgrade to Android 9) Battery: Up to 31 hours standby time. Up to 1620 minutes talk time. 3000mAh battery capacity. Product features: MP3 and MP4 player. This phone features fast charge technology - faster than standard charging, for when time is of the essence. Contactless payment Link up your card to your phone for easy buying on purchases up to £30. Fingerprint scanner For simple, safe and speedy unlocking and better security. Connectivity: Wi-Fi. Bluetooth. NFC. GPS. General information: EAN: 6941059614401. Manufacturer's 2 year guarantee. Derek C Johnstone 99B Wakefield Road Pontefract WF7 6BT 0752 197 2632

Assuming you're talking about promotions, I'd sort of agree. I've got someone hounding me about something around twelve hours a day. I cache to be left alone a while. Most times I've only got a regular phone, because people don't/won't talk on phones now. If there was an option to toggle off/on promotions in our settings (We still do annual and states...) I'd be for that.

EVERYBODY was a new cacher at some point in time. You keep caching and you'll begin to realize that you belong. It took me a couple years to realize I was already a "real" cacher, regardless of what types of finds or hides I had and that what others said or thought of me didn't really matter in the larger scheme of things. I wish I had realize that sooner. Be content with what makes you happy when you cache and don't worry about what others think, say, or do. That doesn't mean to ignore what they have to say but realize that they're coming at it from their experiences while you are coming at it from yours. Their "way" works for them but it won't necessarily work for you. If it does, great; if not, then no big deal. There is no one right way to cache. I've changed my caching habits from a find them all attitude (first couple of years) to being more selective in what types of caches I find. Don't be surprised if you change as well. It's part of the game. Your years in this activity don't really make you a "real" cacher. They just make you one that has stuck around a long time! Those charter members and early members, however, are great to talk to and have some recollections about the early days that are neat to hear. I have a couple friends with over 125,000 finds each but that doesn't make them any more "real" cachers than my friend who caches sporadically and has less than 1000. I met some Canadian cachers this past weekend with a crazy high D/T average, but that doesn't make them any more "real" than my friend who has an average around 1.5/1.5. As for the CO who is taunting seekers for not being able to find a 5D cache, that's uncalled for. A 5D cache will, by nature, have significantly MORE DNFs than it will finds and every one of those DNFs is a "real" cacher who logged their adventure the way it should be logged.

I'm so sorry for you. I'm glad I don't cache where you do. The more I know them, the less I find anyone cheats regularly, and the more I find that those that occasionally claim a find for that cache they couldn't quite reach reconsider after I talk with them about whether they really care that much about a +1. But the point in this context is that the proposal is to treat everyone like trash by demanding they produce the right code to prove they're honest. I don't really care much about cheaters, so it makes no difference to me how you treat them, but I do worry about anyone that's being called a cheater until they can prove otherwise. I'm not sure what you mean about making it interesting and challenging. Are you talking about your efforts to thwart cheats? If so, then you must not like the secret code proposal, either, since it would make it too easy, right?

The majority of the participants here in the forums move more hot air than they do finding caches. In addition, the people that like to hear themselves talk here in the forums represent a tiny fraction of geocachers in the real world. I would not come here for advice but come here for the entertainment value. So with that in mind, don't avoid the community based on people here in the forums that think their opinions are the gospel.

RIP Barney. We visited with Barney last summer and he was still sharp as a tack and a joy to talk with. If anyone recorded his "story" please share it! Edited: His "story" concerns being assigned to memorize Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “When Earth’s Last Picture Is Painted,” in the 5th grade. He could still recite it from memory!

The one that always springs to mind when I think of the most challenging caches I've done is Broken Silence (GC6MT5R). Getting to the vicinity of GZ is tough enough, with a hike of some 3km along an undulating ridge followed by a daunting descent to a lower ledge and from there along a few hundred more metres to where the point ended in a narrow neck with vertical sides dropping some 50 metres to the valley below and, at the end of the neck and separated by a small gap, a column of rock upon which sat the cache. My sense of balance is impaired by an inner ear condition, meaning I tend to fall over a lot, so I'm not good with heights if there's nothing to hold onto. After overcoming my terror, I crawled out along the neck, pausing half way along to settle my nerves and convince myself that it was going to be easier to keep going than turn around, finally finding a blessed foot-hold at the end which made crossing the leap of faith onto the column a little less frightening. Talk about pushing myself out of my comfort zone! That photo probably doesn't do it justice, so here's one looking back along the neck from GZ.

I am trying to Bluetooth Caches from Huawei to Garmin oregon 750 via share in Geooh GO. I get a meesage saying 'Bluetooth share: Sent files 0 successful, 1 failed'. Accoring to Garmin I should be able to send Geocaches from my phone to the 750, but I can't find a how to do it. Garmin talk of:- From the app drawer, select Share Wirelessly. Select an option: Select Send, and select a type of data. Select Receive to receive data from another device. The other compatible device must be attempting to send data. Follow the on-screen instructions. However I don't appear to have a 'Share Wirelessly' anywhere on the 750. I don't appear to have anything called 'app drawer' either. I am getting messages (emails), from my phone onto the 750 so the connection is OK. Any help would gbe greatly appreciated.

Most of the events I've attended have been short 30-60 minute "meet and greet" gatherings. Geocachers get together and hang out for a while, talking about geocaching, other hobbies, or whatever they want to talk about. The large multi-hour events are the exception. Large multi-day events, even more so.

All this talk about a lack of connectivity seems off the point to me. If you aren't connected at all, you aren't going to log the cache to begin with, so there's no reason for the CO to be waiting for you to provide the confirming information. And, on the other hand, if you do log, and then are disconnected for a week while you travel home, surely you're not going to be too upset about a CO being a little quick to delete your log, are you? Given he was concerned and raised some questions, it's not really his fault he didn't know you were traveling since the evidence -- your log -- supports the mistaken idea that you are available. I'd just shrug, send the requested information, and expect permission to relog. Why the angst?

Ok... I found some joke stuff for the Dutch people! I hope y friends from the netherlands will not be offended! They are only jokes I found!!! Since the list is big, my post will be huge! Sorry for that! I hope you will enjoy reading it! If not..sorry!! How To Deal With Dutch People (1) Many foreigners call everything Dutch…well…'Dutch'. Don't! The word Dutch reminds Dutch people of the word Duits which is used for Germans and other things he dislikes. A Dutch person is a Hollander or a Nederlander. (2) As a foreigner, don't ever try to speak Dutch. Not only will you get an enormous headache but the Hollanders will not understand what you mean. Foreigners are supposed to speak English or Gibberish. In the latter case they will be an easy target for pickpockets since they will not be able to talk to the police. (3) Don't ever try to eat 'drop'. (Dutch Licorice) Drop is a sort of candy that can only be eaten by Hollanders. It can be recognized by the colour: black. The taste is a blend between earwax and paint (black). Hollanders absolutely adore the stuff and eat many kilo's of it. There is a nationwide conspiracy to look at the faces of foreigners that were made to believe the stuff is actually edible. (4) Don't buy wooden shoes. They will look completely ridiculous. Which is the reason they will try to sell them to you. A Hollander himself would not want to be found dead wearing them.(Preferably a Hollander doesn't want to be found dead at all). (5) Don't make holes in the dikes. Such behaviour is commonly disapproved and in extreme cases it can get you stoned by wooden shoes. But feel free to put your finger in the dike if you feel the urge. It will at least get you a few laughs from the natives. (6) A Hollander is always right and he knows it. With this in mind it is very easy to cope with most Hollanders. If you ever get in an argument with a Hollander, tell him he was absolutely right and that you now realize how wrong you were. Now he will go crazy: Since you're a foreigner, you can never be right. You agree with him, therefore he couldn't be right. Impossible. He's a Hollander. But…then…he…Now is the time to take a step back and observe how the Hollander will try to strangle himself with a tulip. (7) Mills are inevitable. (8) It is not necessary to fake interest for tulips, mills, wooden shoes or cheese. Every Hollander knows you came for the soft drugs and the Amsterdam red-light district. Both are widely spread and easy to find. Just ask any Hollander over age 6 or a French tourist. (See points 19 and 20) (9) Avoid soccer fans at all times. Soccer in Holland is just an excuse to crush the skulls of practically everybody else, including yours. This mainly takes place when the game is lost…or tied…or won. It is extremely foolish to stand next to a cop during these festivities (see point 10) Also remember never to mention the 1974 cup finals near a Hollander. He will instantly pull you into a long-lasting litany about how good 'Orange' played then and how good…blablablabla… (10)Cops in Holland are mainly used to throw stuff at. If you get the uncontrollable desire to hit someone, take on a cop. No Hollander will pay any attention if you hit a cop, put a knife in his cranium or firmly kick him in the butt. Cops represent authority and not one Hollander recognizes a higher authority then himself. You will notice the fact that most cops are actually foreigners that were lured into this job. (11)Hollanders do not like spending money. They would rather cut of an ear. A Hollander will be your friend for life if you give him something for free. This might explain the great success of McDonalds in Holland. The story that copper wire is an invention of two Hollanders fighting over a found cent is absolutely true. (12)Holland is small. It is sometimes rumoured that Holland is so small they take it inside when it's raining. This is not true because it rains 365 days a year. This also explains the wooden shoes: they float. Yes…Holland is small and Hollanders are very proud of it. They will use any opportunity to say that Holland accomplished such great things for such a small country. A fitting answer would be to refer to it's colonial past. Which brings us to point 13. (13)If you want to insult a Hollander - and sooner or later you will want to - tell him you don't think he's a pacifist. Now start running for your life. He will not stop trying to prove he's the most peace-loving person in the world until your intestines are on the street. As mentioned earlier, mentioning the so-called colonial past in Suriname or Indonesia, will instantly reduce the Hollander to a sniffling child, begging for forgiveness. (14)Hollanders are supposed to be tolerant. Nonsense. They just make too much money selling drugs and Malaysian women, to miss the opportunity to make so much profit. (15)The most important way of public transportation in Holland is the bicycle. Feel free to take any bike of which you can pick the lock. Just don't expect your own bike to be in the same spot where you parked it 3 minutes earlier. Hunting season for bikes is open 365 days a year. Good luck! (16)At almost every bread meal in Holland you will find a mean looking big knife with a sharp slide in it. It is called a 'kaasschaaf' and is used to cut very thin slices of cheese (Yes, it's a Dutch invention). Never cut cheese with a regular knife, you will make yourself completely ridiculous. Another typical eating tool is the so-called bottlescraper. Beware, don't use it for that annoying itch on your back. It's designed to scrape the last bits of yoghurt or mayonnaise out of the bottle. A Hollander will use every millimeter of the product he bought. He paid for it, he'll eat it, no matter what. (17)At the time this was written, the Dutch economy was doing pretty good. Hollanders maintain the idea that this is the result of intensive negotiations between different parties like unions, employers and politicians. They even have a name for it: the poldermodel. One likes to convince foreigners this poldermodel is the key to a successful economy and if those same foreigners would be smart enough to follow their example, their economy would be flourishing as well. This is a load of crap. Hollanders just like to talk, talk, talk. By calling all this chattering negotiating they give themselves the impression they're doing something useful. Talk is never cheap in Holland. (18)Hollanders drown fried patato-sticks (Chips) in litres of mayonnaise and put it in a pointed paper bag. This is called : Een patatje met. One such bag is able to keep you alive for an unlimited period of time. It is only uncertain if this is a life worth living. But there have been sightings of tourists actually enjoying a patatje met. (19)Holland has a unique service for -mainly- France tourist. At the moment they pass the border, they are enthusiastically welcomed by youngsters in fast cars. These youngsters have the explicit wish to show these tourists the way to the many interesting tourist-attractions Holland has to offer. Strangly, they always end up in a coffee-shop or drug house though. (see point 20) Weird people, the French. (20)There is a fast and foolproof way of embarrassing yourself in Holland.Enter a coffeeshop and ask for a cappuccino with a biscuit. Coffeeshops -remember this- do not sell coffee. They do however have a large variety of stimulating products at reasonable prices. For unknown reasons, coffeeshops are very popular amongst young French tourists. (21)A 'Fries' is a sort of spare-Hollander that lives in the north in a province all for themselves. They love frozen water, Beerenburg (a form of euthanasia with alcohol) and endlessly pointing out that other Hollanders are not Fries. The rest of Holland looks at this behaviour the same way parents will look at an obstinate child. (22)When it comes to what books to bring to Holland, I would advise the following:The complete works of William Shakespeare or a leather-bound part of the Encyclopaedia Brittanica (part Fr to He of the 1913 edition). Both books have about the proper weight to keep a pushy pimp or dealer away from you with a well aimed swing. After this I would advice you to drop the book since this greatly improves your speed during your getaway. Make sure you bring enough books. (23)Don't bother renting a car. Not only will you be able to steal more bikes then you can use but car traffic in Holland is not something to enjoy. Where the rest of the world uses kilometres to express the lengths of traffic jams, in Holland these are measured in weeks. To be honest, the most steadfast ones are worth a visit. The sight of starving people in an expensive Mercedes can greatly improve your mood if your somewhat philosophical. Bring some pieces of bread to throw through the open windows. The fights over them are often very spectacular. (24)In contradiction of many rumours, it is not legal to bring your mother in law to Holland for do-it-yourself euthanasia. Tourists are warned not to take matters into their own hands. (25)Whether you're catholic, Muslim or worshipper of Urrrgl the god of all Honest politicians, in Holland it will be easy to find a church, temple or oak tree of your liking. Hollanders are supposed to be very tolerant to other religions and believes. This is not true. The only reason Holland has so much churches, sects or cults is the fact they have a difference in opinion about everything. A Hollander is always right (see point 6) and everyone that does not agree can beat it and start his own church. (26)Holland is a kingdom.It just doesn't have a king but a queen and her husband is not king but a prince. The queen does not rule -much- but she's very capable in cutting ribbons and visiting other countries. She is also very decorative at state banquettes. Her son, the crown prince, will take over if she stops queening. His wife in turn will be queen so that Holland will finally have a king and queen again.April 30 is queensday but it is not the birthday of the queen but princes Juliana's, who used to be queen. With things like this it's only logical that more and more people want Holland to be a republic. Queensday, by the way, is just an excuse to drink lots of beer and sell all their old junk on the streets. (27)It would be wise to learn how to swim before you come to Holland.No, the dikes will hold, that's not the problem, but the large amount of lakes, streams, rivers canals and creaks could lead to painful mistakes. That shiny new strip of asphalt you're turning on to with your car during rain might not be an asphalt road at all. (28)Dutch painting.Dutch painters get famous after they die. This is a very sensible rule from the buyers point of view. Not only will the artist have to make a lot of paintings to earn a living, it also produces some very nice investments. The painters however do not share this opinion and in at least one case this lead to selfmutalation of an ear. (29)If one of your Dutch friends invites you for a birthday, prepare for a unique experience. Unique in the way that you can only compare it to taking a seat in a wooden chair with a sharp nail driven trough the seat and afterwards not being able to move for a month. More then one foreigner has been driven to the brink of madness by attending a Dutch birthday. The regular Dutch birthday party consists mainly of sitting still and talking to others about your job, your car, politics and foreigners. You are expected to leave somewhere about 23:00 and you will be grateful you can. (30)Holland has more cities then Amsterdam.There is…eh…and…Well, there are more cities. (31)Dutch beer has built up quite reputation for itself. Some people even drink it! Brewing is on of the things Hollanders are traditionally very good at. Holland has never been a country where anything was more interesting then drinking yourself half blind or painting landscapes. This made the beer industry very popular rapidly. Expert say that once you've tasted Dutch beer like Heiniken, Grolsch or Amstel, all other kinds of beer taste like tap water in a lousy hotel. (32)Dutch tap water is safe to drink. This is remarkable if you realise most of it comes from polluted rivers like the Rhine. Plans to improve the waterquality in the Rhine so that fish like the salmon can return there to mate, invokes a lot of protests from the Dutch. The idea of fish having sex in their drinking water upsets them. (33)Dutch political debates are as boring as a 3-day lecture on famous Swedish sport heroes between 1762 and 1809.No shouting like 'Hear hear!!', no fistfights in front of a camera, not even politicians calling each other incompetent once in a while. (And there really are some amongst Dutch politicians). No, telling your opponent you have doubts about his policy is about the worst thing you can say. The result is that the interest for elections dropped drastically amongst Dutch voters. At the last voting only two elects showed up. The first one got lost on his way to the toilet and the second one was an illegal refugee who thought he came to the right place to get a visa.

Events are "a great way to" - not a requirement. I know plenty of well-intentioned events that do none of the above other than exist as a social "hello" or souvenir-grabber, etc. So, if you argue that 'vacation events' are effectively pulling the hobby down, then all those events are. It's making a mountain out of a molehill. The event was social. Geocachers can attend and be social, and talk about geocaching. That's all there is to it. Even if the CO only wants to do it to get another icon in another country. Everything is a slippery slope these days; all you have to do is present another example going in the wrong direction. Everything about geocaching can be argued as a slippery slope. Well that's really why we have guidelines - to encourage people to climb the hill, not toss things down it - even though there will always be rocks and pebbles tumbling down, gaining speed, and sometimes whacking people in the forehead. That in and of itself is not a bad thing. But how people act and interact while doing that could be. As long as those people's actions don't affect me (or the immediate community, ie log history) then if it's following the rules, I say it's okay. Is it positive and improving the state of the game? Likely not. But is it worth my time getting worked up about it being a 'bare minimum'? Not really. Especially if me getting worked up gets other people worked up. If the LB didn't have a stamp (which it's required to have), I'd probably NM it, or at worst report it. I wouldn't complain that it's bare minimum if it only had a tiny stamp (I've found plenty of micro LBs with a mini-stamp and nano log - is that wrong?). And we're not in the business of rating 'quality' on the scale of what is allowed. Rather, more effective would be to place a new Letterbox that really encourages or demonstrates what a LB cache can be. If an event was published by a vacationer, excellent! Now if the host didn't show up (especially if others did), then I would absolutely take issue. There are far too many unknown factors to claim the slippery slope "vacation events lead to ruining geocaching". "When the primary intent is for numbers-style play, it can have a negative effect on the pastime overall." Yep, any habit in this hobby taken to the extreme can 'ruin geocaching'.