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Anybody Up For A Wa Delorme Challenge Run?


globalgirl

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Now that - thanks to our illustrious resident mapping guru, M10B - WA has its very own WA DeLorme Challenge, it occurs to me that it might be fun to have a sticky thread for ongoing RBs (Run for the Boxes) (not to mention - think of the potential for petrol prudence!)

 

Given my own Pathetic WADC Progress (presently but a weenie 13 boxes), I'd surely be game for a run in most any direction (a "4 corners" locus either vertically or horizontally would seem most productive.)

 

I still haven't figured out how to define the lat/longs of the DL boxes (though I think somebody linked to such around here somewhere), but personally a jaunt across the lat above boxes 47/48/49 would loom a good first run (and yield at least 4 new boxes for me). Anybody game for a weekend run... sometime in October?

 

And meanwhile, for those bewildered by the techno logistics of gleaning a PQ/GPX and finally a sweet LOC file of all your WA finds/hides (including the decidedly laborious individual pluck of archiveds), I shall shortly post a set of step-by-step instructions.

 

Thanks again to Moun10Bike for both setting up the WA DeLorme Challenge, as well as offering the (clearly waaaaay over-the-top) techno service of monthly mapping updates of each and any folk's WADC progress.

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I still haven't figured out how to define the lat/longs of the DL boxes (though I think somebody linked to such around here somewhere)

 

Indeed. M10B posted it in the other thread, but here it is again:

 

http://www.xsnrg.com/geocachingwa/

 

1. Go to the WSGA website above (and sign up as a member if you haven't already...hint, hint... :lol: )

2. Click on the Washington Polygons link.

3. Under 'Select a Category', choose the DeLorme Atlas Pages option.

4. Select a page.

5. Push the button.

6. You'll get a new window with the coords for the corners of the 'filter' you'll need in GSAK.

 

:)

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Very kewl! Thanks Allanon. Just curious though... I pulled up a random sample of pages/boxes and... howcum they have 5 wpts for each box (i.e. essentially each a pentagon rather than a rectangle). The 5th wpt - at quick glance - appears to be but a smidge from a corner, but... just wondering why many (all?) have 5 sets of coordinates?

 

And meanwhile... looks like I have a good bit of quality GSAK time in my future... :)

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Very kewl! Thanks Allanon. Just curious though... I pulled up a random sample of pages/boxes and... howcum they have 5 wpts for each box (i.e. essentially each a pentagon rather than a rectangle). The 5th wpt - at quick glance - appears to be but a smidge from a corner, but... just wondering why many (all?) have 5 sets of coordinates?

 

And meanwhile... looks like I have a good bit of quality GSAK time in my future... :)

There are 5 points because it's a the polygon has a start and and end... the box must be closed. Two of the points SHOULD be exactly the same (The start and end point).

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In looking at the map, specifically page 29, which is splt, there appears to be one cache in the far southeast corner of the state, that might be on Page 29. Given that that cache is the only possibility I can see, is that cache on page 29?

 

Note to self: that potential caching trip to San Juan Island might be worth doing now.

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Very kewl!  Thanks Allanon.  Just curious though... I pulled up a random sample of pages/boxes and... howcum they have 5 wpts for each box (i.e. essentially each a pentagon rather than a rectangle).  The 5th wpt - at quick glance - appears to be but a smidge from a corner, but... just wondering why many (all?) have 5 sets of coordinates?

 

And meanwhile... looks like I have a good bit of quality GSAK time in my future...  :)

From the GSAK help: "The polygon filter allows you to specify an irregular shape. GSAK creates a filter that includes all caches within the shape. The start point and end point must be the same in order to define a closed shape. The simplest polygon filter is a triangle defined with four waypoints: start - waypoint1 - waypoint2 - finish (equal to the start waypoint)."

 

Have fun......

 

Well I see RWW had answered if first, but didn't see it.

Edited by Kiersolvd
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In looking at the map, specifically page 29, which is splt, there appears to be one cache in the far southeast corner of the state, that might be on Page 29. Given that that cache is the only possibility I can see, is that cache on page 29?

I just ran a filter on only block 29B and appears that there are *no* caches within it. It looks like we have several blocks that will need some hides soon!

 

I would love to have a DC run! I am noticeably missing the northern quads, southwestern quads, Olympic Peninsula quads and south central quads.

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Hang in there Patudles - I'm still polishing off the step-by-step instructions for running a PQ, gathering your archived caches, importing all into GSAK and exporting to a LOC file to send to M10B.

 

And meanwhile... whilst yammering w/ the Jester about puzzle caches, it occurred to us... now how best to locate mystery caches amid the WADC map boxes? While the posted coordinates of a mystery cache generally are within a mile or so of the actual cache, these might well fall into two different boxes. Same for a multicache - do you go by the 1st wpt of the cache (i.e. the posted coords), or the final cache coords, should they fall in more than 1 DC box. In any case, it's the posted coords on all mystery and puzzle cache pages that we're presently using in the LOC files M10B uses to create our individual progress map.

 

I vote for K.I.S.S. Perhaps the WADC cache page should clarify that for the WADC, the coordinates on the cache page will be used to define what D map box the cache lies in. In reality, it likely will prove a rare dilemma 'cuz I imagine most the caches in remote, sparsely cache populated boxes will be simple, traditional hides. Nonetheless, a somewhat interesting nuance.

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When exporting data in GSAK, you can specify whether to use posted or corrected coordinates.

Yes of course, and you can lock them in, but... do we really want to have to go back and solve all those puzzles so as to tweak to the hide coords? And do all the multis again to tweak to the final coords? I think not.

 

If there is an issue, we could always try both for a given individual and see if it makes a difference.  I imagine it won't, but you never know...

True, but then you'd be manipulating the data on a case-by-case basis. Truth is, it's just a matter of having some standard from the getgo, and then let the chips fall where they may. For example, on one puzzle cache/mulit, using the final hide coords might be welcome (i.e. put you in a new box) while another might dump you out of one. Ditto for the posteds. Just seems to me either way, it's likely a random wash. And using posteds is oh so much less trouble.

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Not to mention that most of your puzzle finds are probably already in boxes in which you have another find anyhow.

 

I don't know about you, but I seldom do puzzles away from my home area. For example, if I were to be in Spokane for a day, I probably would not do any puzzles if I only had time for one or two caches.

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(Cross posting here and in the "Can't Do This Cache in a Day..." thread.)

 

O.k. - I've now whittled a webpage of instructions for those who need a little help in gleaning their full set (including archiveds) of WA hides and finds and getting them into a LOC file to send to Moun10Bike so he can work his mapping magic to create your very own WA DeLorme Challenge Progress map.

 

Not all that difficult to actually DO it, but turned out to be quite the natter to peck a step-by-step hand-hold walk-through. No doubt I've left some gaps and/or made errors along the way, so do let me know what needs tweaking. Others may well have differing methods, but this is just what works for me.

 

Moun10Bike - once we've got it fine-tuned, you might want to place a link to it on the WADC cache page:

 

WADC Cache Glean Primer

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Sure puts a new light on planning where I am going caching next. We should all be quite knowleable about our state when we are done. :blink:

 

Planning a couple of trips this month with caching involved but now I will need to plan on new routes of getting there to cover new territory. What fun! :ph34r:

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With the rainy weather this afternoon, I did a little playing around with S&T. It is possible to do the following in one very long day. Starting early enough (0500 in Seattle) catch the 7:45 ferry at Anacortes, and upon arriving at Friday Harbor, do 25 caches on San Juan Island including caches in quads 93 and 107. Catch the 4:15 ferry to Lopez Island and do a few caches there in quad 108. Catch the 5:35 ferry to Anacortes arriving there at 6:15. That still leaves some time for caching in 109 and 95.

 

I did eliminate three caches in San Juan because they might take too much time. One is rated at T=4 and another at T=3.5. The other lists a half mile walk.

 

Since this is so dependent on catching the right ferry, I propose to do this on a weekday when there is not as much ferry traffic. Ferry fares, as best I can tell, would be $34.80 for each car and driver adn $10.10 for each additional passenger. I started this ar 5:00 because the 7:45 ferry continues on to Sydney, BC and there might be a problem catching that boat if you arrive close to departure time. Missing any of the boats puts the rest of the schedule in serious trouble. For example missing the ferry at Friday Harbor means catching the next boat at 6:45 for Anacortes and missing Lopez altogether. The caches on Lopez are fairly close to the ferry dock.

 

Is anyone interested in giving this a shot? Dates are entirely open except that this could not be done on a Sunday since the Friday Harbor to Lopez trip does not run that day. If there is enough interest, I will put a list of caches in the thread.

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Oh man...I'd love to do this! As long as there's not too much terrain/altitude change while walking...don't want to slow the group down!

 

If it's not too late in the month, I might be able to get a day off. I'd take 1-3 persons with me or ride with someone if available...

 

I'll keep watching.

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Is a Delorme run around the Olympic Peninsula doable in 1 day? I mapped a route starting in Olympia, driving north on 101 and around the peninsula in a counterclockwise direction, returning back to Olympia on Highway 12. S&T shows it as a 520 mile trip, through 14 Delorme pages, with 50 plus caches along the route. Pages 76 and 77 will require driving side roads off the main route (Hiway 101). It would be nice to complete it in a day, but 520 miles is at least 10 hours of driving on good roads. Perhaps two seperate trips, i.e. the top half via ferry and drive over to Neah bay and back, then another day covering the southern half of the peninsula?

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That loop is a long (but enjoyable) trip without stopping for caches. If you wanted to go for a single find per page it would probably be doable (barely) but it would be much more fun and allow you to really see the country to make it a 2 or 3 day trip. Whenever I go around the peninsula I always wish I had more time. Visit the Hoh rainforest and walk the interpretive nature trail. The tribal museum in Neah bay is definitely worth driving the extra miles to see, and since you're that far, why not drive the extra 4 or 5 miles and then the mile trail to hang your toes over the edge of Cape Flattery. The coast is incredible there. Watch the seals play at the entrances to the sea caves right below you. Look out at Tatoosh Island 1/2 mile offshore and imagine being the keeper of the lighthouse in the late 1800s. THen you have to make a choice: Windy road along the straights with bald eagles in many of the trees and views of vancouver island across the way, or back to Hwy 101 and the amazing views and deep blue water along Lake Crescent? When you get to Port Angeles of course you go up to Hurricane Ridge to get the virtual on page 76, but does it make sense to not spend some time hiking the ridge line for the amazing voiews toward the interior? And when you get back down to PA do you continue home or take the 90 minute ride across to Victoria? That side trip won't get you any more atlas pages, but hey, its not about the numbers. Right?

 

I've been all over the peninsula, but it was pre-GC, so none of those pages are marked off for me yet. I think I may take a week to do them next summer. I can hardly wait.

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I totally agree with what you're saying XY, but this is a Delorme run for the boxes. If I want to vacation in the Olympics some day, I'll take three or four days and bring my family. They're not interested in geocaching, so I'm trying to make it as quick a trip as possible.

 

By the way, you should write for Sunset magazine or Northwest Travel magazine. I felt like I was there just reading your article. :unsure:

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I agree with XY. Fortunately we spent a weekend there last summer and picked up a few caches. We did the one at hurricane ridge and walked along the ridge. It was sure beautiful with the wild flowers in bloom. I still need to go back and pick up the rest of the area. But even though we visit the area every couple of years or so. I wouldn't even consider doing it in less than 2-3 days. It is to wonderful of an area to cut short dashing here and there. Take some time and really enjoy it. Isn't this the real purpose of challenge. Not just to cover the state but to see all parts of it and appreciate it's diversity. I have pretty much been all over Washington but much of it was done when I was young. So this gives me a great excuse to get out there and experience all of it. To me it is more than just the pages. It is the experience and learning about my state also.

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You're both right. It isn't about the numbers, it is about the pages, that is why when I go I won't try to find everything, but you can bet I'll find at least a cache per page. Gas prices and the value of family time being what they are, I'll take my time on the trip lest they mutiny and absolutely refuse to let me find a cache on page 74 or 90 :mad: . That being said, if I can't get as much time for the trip as I'd like, I'd love to ride shotgun with Nav for a mad cache dache. It would be a sick sort of challenge to do the loop in a day. I'm game!

 

Isn't it cool that we can all play the game the way we want to?

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I'd love to ride shotgun with Nav for a mad cache dache.

Ok, I'll be on the west side Friday, Oct. 21. Come on over and join me. Even if we don't go around the peninsula, we can cover the south western portion of the state (say from Olympia, over to Grays harbour, south to Ilwaco, and over to Longview).

If it's a Friday run, I might like to join y'all. It's more fun with a group I've found.

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Did anyone do the San Juan pages 107-108?.....My daughters are out of school tomorrow and friday, so was thinking of heading that way with the girls and finish up the WDC. It's been about 20 plus years since I was at Friday Harbor and the car/driver/passenger cost would be over $50.....OUCH

 

Are there any walkable caches I can reach in Friday Harbor? If so, I'll walk on and not drive. The crossing time says 70 mins????? Is that right? Seems like I remember it taking several hours or more. I see Anacortes is just into page 108. Are there walkable caches to grab at the Ferry terminal there? I better run some PQ's. Thanks for any info.

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There are a lot of great caches on San Juan Island (I hit about 20 of 'em on a fun day-trip with SquareBear, AndrewRJ and Weightman a few weeks back).

 

These two are walking distance from the ferry dock at Anacortes:

GCK541 Ferry Godmother - Annie's Corsets

GCPXFF A Ferry Good View

 

These are an easy walk from the ferry dock at Friday Harbor:

GC7932 Friday Friday

GCK4G3 Ferry Godmother - Saturday Cove

 

There are probably more that are walking distance, but these four are very close to the docks. Seems like the ferry took about an hour or so.

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Huh? I had to check page 107. I see the 2 that GG posted as being close to the Ferry terminal. Your logs say you did it while waiting in the ferry line???? I'm looking through my PQ and see quite a few on San Juan Is, so I might as well pay the extra and make a day of it.

 

Is it possible to drop off at any of the other islands and grab a few caches and then catch the next ferry? Do they charge for inter island hops?

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Inter island runs are included in the one time fee you pay at Anacortes. While it is possible to get off the ferry and do a few caches, it will require a close look at the schedule. On heavy days the ferry systems wants you in line an hour before the boat leaves. The schedule is a bit hard to read as some boats load eastbound on a westbound trip. Some boats don't stop at some islands. If you are looking for pages, there is not need to get off on other islands. San Juan Island is on four pages.

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Thanks, I've been trying to figure out the times on the ferry schedules and it's a real puzzle. I'd like to spend some time looking around, so may as well do some geocaching. I think the other islands will have to wait. I really only need 107. I see that page clips Pt Roberts. Hmmmmmm, maybe I'll skip the island and head there. Save me about $50, but then I'll have to hassle with the border crossing. Last time coming back into WA from Canada I was "detained" and it took 2.5 hrs. I guess I have that terrorist look!........:lol:

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Did anyone do the San Juan pages 107-108?.....My daughters are out of school tomorrow and friday, so was thinking of heading that way with the girls and finish up the WDC.  It's been about 20 plus years since I was at Friday Harbor and the car/driver/passenger cost would be over $50.....OUCH 

 

 

If you want to skip the ferry altogether, you can just head north on I-5 and have your choice of plenty of caches on page 108 in northern Bellingham, Ferndale, and Blaine.

 

Then cross through the border into White Rock, drive about 20 minutes west and drop back down across the border into the tiny peninsula of Point Roberts WA. I've got 5 caches in Point Roberts that all fall within page 107.

 

What's The Point #1

What's The Point #2 Might be missing

What's The Point #3 On Moun10Bike's top cache list!

What's The Point #4

What's The Point #5

 

Read any one of these cache pages for important information on crossing the border, especially with minor children.

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:lol:, .....ESP Saw you on here and just sent you a message. I think that's going to work better than the ferry. Save me $50. Weather isn't looking all that great for a ferry run anyway. I can grab the other 2 pages on the way up I-5, so that's the plan now. I know I'll have to have my daughters birth certificates. I'll have to check the border requirments and see if they require anything else. Thanks for the info. Pt Roberts here I come!.......:lol:
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Birth Certificates and photo ID is all you need and if you're lucky, not even that. We went to Victoria during the summer and forgot to get the birth certificates out of the safe deposit box the day before we left. Couldn't wait until the bank opened or we'd miss the ferry so we took our chances. We got lucky and all we needed was our driver's licenses and the answers to some lame questions from the customs officer. What state were you born in? What is that state's capital?

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Passports work best, but other ID may work.  They are going to change sometime soon to require the passport to get back into the US.  I don't know when that is, but HC should know.

Passports will only be required for people that are not citizens of the US or Canada. The birth certificate/driver's licence combo will continue to work for citizens. I believe they are going to start phasing that in sometime later in 2006.

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We went to Victoria during the summer and forgot to get the birth certificates out of the safe deposit box the day before we left.  Couldn't wait until the bank opened or we'd miss the ferry so we took our chances.  We got lucky and all we needed was our driver's licenses and the answers to some lame questions from the customs officer. 

You got incredibly lucky! It would be unlikely that you would be detained for questioning when entering Canada and almost unheard of that you would be denied entry, but it is almost a given these days that you would be held for lengthy questioning when re-entering the US without proper ID.

[political rant] Don't get me started on Homeland Security and those Kiddy Kops at the US port of entry. Crossing the border several times a week, I have seen so much that just makes me shake my head and clench my teeth...and try to smile politely [/political rant]

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