Help Finding Caches On A Route

[+firefly_snatch]

I can't quite figure out how to use the premium feature of searching along a route. We are taking a trip from Salt Lake City to Marietta, OH. We are driving these roads:

I-80 East from Salt Lake to Davenport, Iowa

I-74 East from Davenport, Iowa to Indianapolis, Indiana

I-70 East from Indianapolis to I-77 South in Ohio to Marietta

 

If someone could help me, I would really appreciate it. We are just wanting the quick easy not too far off the road no bushwhacking stops as we don't have a whole lot of time for our trip. Thanks in advance.

[+Miragee]

You need to create a .gpx or .kml file in a mapping program (like Mapsource) or Google Earth. Then you upload that file.

 

From what I read here, I think each segment of the route should less than 500 miles long, but I haven't used the feature myself. I'm sure a more-knowledgeable person will come along to give you more details.

 

When I went on a road trip last spring, I had to create many PQs along proposed routes and then filter them in GSAK and Mapsource. This new feature is a great addition to the site.

[+thedeadpirate]

That's about a 1,900 mile trip. You will need to break it up into at least 4 legs <= 500 miles each. Save each leg of the trip to a seperate .kml file and upload into the tool. You can then generate your PQ's based off of these segments.

[+StarBrand]

There are a few public routes out there that will get you down I-80 thru Wyoming and Nebraska anyway - you might start there. I can help create addtional routes if you like??

[+TeamGuisinger]

Maybe this isn't the quickest or most hi tech way to do it. But it was accurate and didn't involve purchasing software. Search for your starting zip code. Pick a cache, click on view map, then click on the beta map. Those maps are awesome! Find the road you're taking out of town, you can drag the map from Utah to Ohio and it'll pop up caches all the way. I liked do it this way because I could see exactly how far they were from the interstate. It worked great for our trip, we cached through 6 states. It really makes the drive more interesting, so have fun and be safe!

 

p.s. If you get the chance in Indianapolis, I recommend an attempt at Shelter III. It's not far off the outter belt.

[+The Peanuts]

I went to college in Marietta. The zip code is 45750...not too many caches near there I discovered.

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

I'm revisiting this issue because I'm having a similar one...

My family and I are moving from Crescent City, California (95531) to So. West Maine (04002). I know I need to break the route up into segments less than 500 miles each, and actually, that would be a great way to break up our days of travel.

 

My issue: using Google Earth, if I just say that I want to go from point A (CC, CA) to point B (SW Maine), Google Earth picks the route. How, in GE do I insert stops? I've tried putting in 'pins' along the route, but maybe I'm missing something because it doesn't seem to be working. I mean, ideally, I'd like to say, my first leg is from Crescent City, via Klamath Falls, Oregon, on to Winnemucca, Nevada for our final stop for that day, then on to the next day.

 

I did try saving points that were roughly 400 miles apart, but even though they are from city to city, when I closed GE none of it saved. I also have MapSend Topo 3.0 and DeLorme Street Atlas 2006 for PDA, if those would be easier to use for the 'cache along a route' feature of PQs.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are really hoping to do as much caching as possible. I mean, we have to break up this trip somehow, while pulling a trailer and juggling two kids between two vehicles. The move is stressful enough. I sure could use some help.

 

TIA

[+Jhwk]

I faced (am facing) this same problem right now. I have been planning a 5 state cache run with my wife for about 3 months now. Before GC.com added caches along a route I just made PQ's in the areas I was going to pass through and worked from that. THEN I saw GC.com caching along a route. THEN I ran into the google earth problems that you describe. I am going from MO through Southern IL to KY and TN then finally back home throuh AR.

 

I first picked a point on the KY TN state line (Fulton) that looked like a good overnight/half way stopping point. But when you use Google Earth, you can only add start here and end here. I never did find a way to add stops along the way like you can in say M$ Streets and Trips. So finally, I broke the trip down into 5 segments, that allowed me to pass through the 5 desired states on the general route I wanted to follow. I saved those routes as .kml files in google earth, and then imported them into GC.coms routing system to run as PQ's. To save time, I limited the caches to those withing 1-2 miles of the route and voila! I now have 133 caches to hunt over the next two days, and will add 4 new states to my "hunted in" map. It's not perfect, but with a little work, you can do it.

 

Now is where the 40 pound brains show up to tell me how stupid I am...

 

I am sure there is a way to build routes in say M$S&T or another program and import those to GC.com, but I was looking for the fast solution. Also, a number of folks have built routes, both intra and interstate running from and to various locations around the U.S. I built 3 or 4 of these for common routes in MO. You can search for those public routes in the build routes section of GC.com. Your routes may have been built for you already.

 

Hope this helps - I'm off for my 5 state cache tour of the midwest.

 

Later

Edited July 20, 2006 by Jhwk

[+FamilyDNA]

I'm revisiting this issue because I'm having a similar one...

My family and I are moving from Crescent City, California (95531) to So. West Maine (04002). I know I need to break the route up into segments less than 500 miles each, and actually, that would be a great way to break up our days of travel.

 

My issue: using Google Earth, if I just say that I want to go from point A (CC, CA) to point B (SW Maine), Google Earth picks the route. How, in GE do I insert stops? I've tried putting in 'pins' along the route, but maybe I'm missing something because it doesn't seem to be working. I mean, ideally, I'd like to say, my first leg is from Crescent City, via Klamath Falls, Oregon, on to Winnemucca, Nevada for our final stop for that day, then on to the next day.

 

I did try saving points that were roughly 400 miles apart, but even though they are from city to city, when I closed GE none of it saved. I also have MapSend Topo 3.0 and DeLorme Street Atlas 2006 for PDA, if those would be easier to use for the 'cache along a route' feature of PQs.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are really hoping to do as much caching as possible. I mean, we have to break up this trip somehow, while pulling a trailer and juggling two kids between two vehicles. The move is stressful enough. I sure could use some help.

 

TIA

 

Basically, each segment of your trip would need to be a separate route. One for CA to OR, then OR to NV, and so on. The routes would need to be saved separately for each pq, anyway.

[+boda]

I still have a lot to learn about setting up routes, but the following works for me:

I'm planning a trip in August that will be 4 days out, sightseeing on the way, a few days in Oregon, and two days straight back to So. Cal. Interestingly enough, one of our stops is Crescent City, CA. I set up a route in Google Earth for each day. This keeps it under the 500 mile limit. Currently I'm running PQs against each route and then bringing them in to Mapsource to test them. Some have too many caches and I need to reduce the distance from route setting. I want smaller numbers of caches because it is just easier to find them in my PDA.

 

Just before the trip I will run PQs on each route and bring them into the PDA through the normal process. I will also make one GSAK database combining all the routes so that I can get an overview. This is in addition to each separate route.

 

The whole process is a bit cumbersome, but far better (IMHO) than anything before. I tried to put stops in a route, but found it beyond my capability. I'm not sure you can do it. We are going to stop at Crater Lake for example to sightsee (and cache), so I just created a route in GE to there, and then one from there to our final destination. I will combine them in GSAK into one.

 

I don't know if this helps, but I could also use some advice to help make things easier. Good thing I've got enough geek built in me so that I enjoy this stuff. I'm having a ball.

[+Markwell]

I've never pieced apart the Google Earth KML file yet, so I took a look. I created a 327 mile route from my home town to a point in Wisconsin. The KML file was produced in Google Earth. When I opened in in notepad, here's the content, kinda:

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><kml xmlns="http://earth.google.com/kml/2.0">

<Document> <name>MyRoute.kml</name> <Style id="roadStyle"> <LineStyle> <color>7fcf0064</color> <width>6</width> </LineStyle> </Style> <Placemark> <name>Route</name> <open>1</open> <description><![CDATA[Distance: 327 mi (about 5 hours 27 mins)<br/>Map data ©2006 NAVTEQ™, Tele Atlas]]></description> <styleUrl>#roadStyle</styleUrl> <MultiGeometry>

 

<LineString> <coordinates>

-88.20,41.62,0

</coordinates> </LineString>

 

<LineString> <coordinates>

-88.20,41.62,0

</coordinates> </LineString>

 

</MultiGeometry> </Placemark></Document></kml>

Of course, there was a lot more data in that file. Everywhere where you see -88.20,41.62,0 is was 1000 sets of coordinates in the format of "decimal longitude,decimal latitude,0"

 

I took those coordinates and exported them (using a conversion to an ASCII file) and mapped them to Streets and Trips. Then, just I laid the GoogleEarth map next to it and compared the maps:

 

 

So what Google Earth is doing in creating the KML document is stringing together segments of a path - in 1000 point increments. I don't think anyone wants to MANUALLY put in these points.

 

But Google Earth doesn't let you customize your route unless you break it up into tiny segments.

 

===================

 

So I finally looked closer into the functionality of Streets and Trips, combined with st2gpx and gpsbabel that was mentioned in the original Caches Along a Route thread (here and here) that was pinned for so long.

 

The process is pretty easy.

• Create your route in Streets and Trips.
  
• Draw over your route with the Free Form tool (looks like a strange polygon)
  
• Delete your route so that all that is left in the file is the Free Form object that looks like your route
  
• Save the S&T file as an *.est (that's what it normally saves as)
  
• Use st2gpx to convert the file to GPX.
  
• Use gpsbabel to convert the file to GPX Version 1.1
  

Those two red points are something that point and click people will have to get used to. It involves command line functions - going to what looks like the old DOS - and entering in stuff that looks strange.

The st2gpx command line I used was st2gpx blah.est where "blah" is the name of the file.

The gpababel command line I used was gpsbabel -i gpx -f blah.est.gpx -o gpx,gpxver=1.1 -F blah2.gpx, again where "blah" is the name of the file.

 

I then tried it out as a route and pocket query. It worked! When I previewed the route during the "upload to the user routes" process, it looked like I expected it. The results of the PQ followed the path of my Free Form very nicely. Here's what the Free Form and the PQ results look like (blue dots are caches)

 

As a side benefit, with using this process, in Streets and Trips you can specify your PRECISE route. For this example, I decided to push the limits and tell the system that I wanted to take a detour around downtown Milwaukee. Here's what the Free Form looked like zoomed in - and the blue dot caches from the PQ results.

 

Just for fun, I forced a route that matched it, and had S&T produce that "cloud" that forms when you say "find points near route" and I specified 1 mile - exactly the same as I did with the PQ.

 

My "Caches Along a Route" page on the FAQ is out of date since this new ability on Geocaching.com, so I'll probably take this post and put it over there...

[+Raine]

Awesome job Markwell.. Makes me want to try it out when I get home and see what it produces for a few routes!

 

-Raine

[+The Leprechauns]

Well, after looking at Markwell's post plus GPSaxophone's thread on mapping all your finds, I've convinced myself to buy yet another piece of geocaching software. Streets and Trips is the best way to illustrate all this stuff. I've been getting by with just Mapsource and NRoute (for real time tracking on my laptop in the cachemobile). Thank you Markwell for the practical illustration.

[+Thrak]

I'll stick with the "old fashioned" way. Pocket queries along the route and then import the entire folder into GSAK. Map my route in Map Source and export a .mps file. Back to GSAK and run a filter using the route and filter my caches to .15 miles from my route. It's easy and gets me exactly what I want.

Edited July 20, 2006 by Thrak

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the "Geocaching Topics" forum to the "Geocaching.com" forum. This is because Raine's ankle bracelet sets off an annoying beeping alarm if he strays too far from his home forum.

 

(Actually, Markwell asked, and I think it's a grand idea.)

[+StarBrand]

I'll stick with the "old fashioned" way. Pocket queries along the route and then import the entire folder into GSAK. Map my route in Map Source and export a .mps file. Back to GSAK and run a filter using the route and filter my caches to .15 miles from my route. It's easy and gets me exactly what I want.

Take the .MPS file (you are already creating) through GPSbabel to a GPX 1.1 file, upload it and generate a PQ that way - much less stress.

[+Panther in the Den]

I used the 'Caching Along a Route' feature and generated a pocket query.

 

The PQ emailed to me contained 17 caches.

 

But when I preview the PQ on the website it indicates 46 caches.

 

If anyone would like to recreate my findings the Route can be found at

 

http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...96-c9e152b4ccf8

 

Thanks!

[+Raine]

What settings did you use?

[+Panther in the Den]

2 miles and various filters. The PQ emailed to me should of been the same as the PQ preview?!?

Edited July 20, 2006 by Panther in the Den

[+Markwell]

I'm also seeing an interesting problem. Increasing the distance from the route actually decreases the number of caches returned.

 

Try a route and PQ and preview the results. Then increase the distance from the route and preview - you SHOULD get more caches, right? Nope.

Edited July 20, 2006 by Markwell

[+StarBrand]

I'm also seeing an interesting problem. Increasing the distance from the route actually decreases the number of caches returned.

 

Try a route and PQ and preview the results. Then increase the distance from the route and preview - you SHOULD get more caches, right? Nope.

Ok - thought it was just me - did the same thing 2 weeks ago and got less caches - thought I just screwed something up but I was out of time so settled for what I had found.

[+Raine]

See.. I try that and it works fine for me.. give me a couple routes to look at

 

-Raine

[+RocketMan]

I'll stick with the "old fashioned" way. Pocket queries along the route and then import the entire folder into GSAK. Map my route in Map Source and export a .mps file. Back to GSAK and run a filter using the route and filter my caches to .15 miles from my route. It's easy and gets me exactly what I want.

Take the .MPS file (you are already creating) through GPSbabel to a GPX 1.1 file, upload it and generate a PQ that way - much less stress.

 

 

This works well. I was trying to save the file from Mapsource directly to a GPX file. This always worked well for the GSAK arc filter, but for the caches along a route PQ, it created a very crude route with only a few points. Thanks, RM

[+Hynr]

Raine, As I read about the various issues folks are having and the things I am trying, I wonder if you would consider modifying the way the route PQs are set up with regard to the route data.

1. Add a parameter for us to specify the starting point on the route. Currently you assume that the first point in the uploaded route is the starting point. I suggest letting us identify which milage point to start at (or if that is too complicated, which turn point).

2. Add a parameter for us to specify the ending point on the route. Currently you assume that the last point in the route data is the ending point. I suggest letting us identify which milage point to end with (or if that is too complicated, which turn point). If the selected mile or point is past the end, then use the end. You could place the 500 mile restriction here and let the uploaded route itself be unrestricted.

 

This will allow folks to create a legitimate route and be done with that part, rather than having to keep playing with mapping software or edit with text editors (does that make you shudder?) until one has a situation that returns under 500 caches.

 

In fact, I could see some really interesting, useful things. For instance we could create one huge I-80 route across the country and everyone in the US could use it by specifying to/from milage markers. How cool would that be?

[+Freeflying]

Raine--

 

You wanted a sample of a route that returns caches in preview but none in the e-mailed PQ. Here you go. I have uploaded a public route called "Ragbrai 2006" (search keyword "Ragbrai"). My PQ is set to show caches within 10 miles of the route. Previewing the PQ produces 354 caches, but the PQ returns ZERO. Any ideas as to what is going on?

 

As an aside--You may have heard of Ragbrai--it is the largest and oldest non-competitive bicycle ride in the world--7 days across the state of Iowa. Got some news this year because Lance Armstrong is going to be riding on it for two days now that he is no longer riding through the hills of France during this week.

[+Kuhl_Kachers]

I'm having the same problem with this route. The preview shows results, but zero in the e-mail.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...90-f1a9bfec3787

[+Panther in the Den]

This is a really great feature!

 

I will put an email motification on this forum so I can know when it is ready.

 

Thanks!

[+Markwell]

Seems to me that it's working, just not completly.

 

It's not returning caches that AREN'T on the route or that DON'T match your criteria. It's just not returning ALL of the caches it should. Right?

[+PMaholm]

The process is pretty easy.

• Create your route in Streets and Trips.
  
• Draw over your route with the Free Form tool (looks like a strange polygon)
  
• Delete your route so that all that is left in the file is the Free Form object that looks like your route
  
• Save the S&T file as an *.est (that's what it normally saves as)
  
• Use st2gpx to convert the file to GPX.
  
• Use gpsbabel to convert the file to GPX Version 1.1
  

Those two red points are something that point and click people will have to get used to. It involves command line functions - going to what looks like the old DOS - and entering in stuff that looks strange.

The st2gpx command line I used was st2gpx blah.est where "blah" is the name of the file.

The gpababel command line I used was gpsbabel -i gpx -f blah.est.gpx -o gpx,gpxver=1.1 -F blah2.gpx, again where "blah" is the name of the file.

 

 

Removed Images and most of the post to make space.

 

I used this method but instead of using GPSBabel on it to go to GPX1.1 i just dropped the GPX from st2gpx into Google Earth and then saved it as a KMZ. That way I got to preview the route to see that I actually made it correctly.

 

-Pmaholm

[+Markwell]

Nifty.

[+Raine]

Ok, figured out what was up with the routes returning 0 as a PQ.. that is now fixed and working 100% as expected.

 

-Raine

[+PMaholm]

Ok, figured out what was up with the routes returning 0 as a PQ.. that is now fixed and working 100% as expected.

 

-Raine

 

Whew! and I thought this was going to be some sly comment on my use of Google Earth.

 

-PMaholm

[+StarBrand]

Ok, figured out what was up with the routes returning 0 as a PQ.. that is now fixed and working 100% as expected.

 

-Raine

Thanks!! - Just planning next weeks big vacation trip.

[+Markwell]

I did some testing and it appears you also figured out as to why when you INCREASE the distance from the route, it decreases the number of returned caches. It seems fixed.

 

But why I can't select TYPES of caches on PQs from the route (I suspect a java problem). When I do the first time setup it seems to be OK, but when you go to EDIT it, it's messed up.

 

Link to PQ.

 

This is what I see right now on that cache page:

 

Try changing the distance and take a look at the cache sizes. Or try changing the cache TYPE at all.

Edited July 21, 2006 by Markwell

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

I still have a lot to learn about setting up routes, but the following works for me:

I'm planning a trip in August that will be 4 days out, sightseeing on the way, a few days in Oregon, and two days straight back to So. Cal. Interestingly enough, one of our stops is Crescent City, CA.

 

I hope you get an opportunity to do some of our 50+ caches in the Crescent City area. A lot of them are being adopted now, be we still hid 'em. Too bad we won't be here when you arrive... we love meeting fellow 'cachers that visit. We have no problem buying the coffee (tea, milk, cookies, whatever)!

 

But we'll be watching from our trip, so cache on, and enjoy the gorgeous 68 degree weather we've been having.

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Again, I'm bumping this topic...

I have read with great interest and whole loads of hope all of the interesting ways the "40-lb. brains" have used to make the route-thing work...

 

But I'm still stumped. My brain isn't anywhere near 40 lbs., and if you combine that with the stress of packing and preparing a resistant household for a cross-country move, the results aren't very pretty and involve a great deal of blood, sweat and a high level of tear-duct activity.

 

Part of me wants to ditch the whole thing and say we'll just power our way from the left coast to the right, but then the Geocacher in me jumps up and down and does a great imitation of a Neverwinter Nights character doing the *spasms* command.

 

Will anyone out there take pity on a over-stressed mother trying to make this one-shot trip the most enjoyable ever for her family of Geocachers?

If anyone who considers this a fun exercise would like to attempt it, I'd be happy to email you our route. As I stated before, we have Google Earth, MapSend Topo 3.0 and DeLorme Street Atlas 2006 for iPaq PDA. Keep in mind that I am on a very limited budget, and we'd prefer not to drive more than 400 miles per day.

 

I don't know what I could use to barter with... Postcards from every major city we stop in? Pictures of The Giant Ball of String? Obscure Geocoins that I probably don't have? A t-shirt from our Third Annual Cool Coastal Retreat Event two weeks ago? My first born son (he's turning 13... take him, please!)?

 

I'm desperate, and yet cannot stomach the idea of passing all of the caches along a 3,400 mile route and not stopping to look for any of them...

 

TIA...

[+The GeoGadgets Team]

Thanks for the help, Hynr! Your links to routed PQs sent to my email have worked like a charm! I really appreciate it.

 

Now at least I can do some caches across the 3,500 miles I'll be driving! And with some hair left over!

 

Thanks again!

Lori

[+Hynr]

Others following this thread may be interested in the result. The route is 9 segments of various lenghts created with DeLorme Street Atlas 2003. Normally you could search and find these routes, but the search feature for routes of other geocachers is broken, so I'll provide the links below.

 

I did not test PQs of all these routes since I didn't have any spare ones at the moment (so hopefully each is less than 500 caches).

 

Segment 1: KlamathFallsOR Winnemucca NV_UT border: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...db-6a545c2a4053

Segment 2: I80 Utah and Wyoming: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...55-613640807857

Segment 3: I80 WY-NE border to DavenportIA: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...22-c86902329d8f

Segment 4: I-74 DavenportIA Illinois to Bloomington Ind: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...58-6b448f2b807f

Segment 5: I70 jct39 Indianapolis to WestAlexandria OH: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...2d-860f2e4ff844

Segment 6: I70 Dayton via I71 to Erie PA: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...c7-cae7fb1ca6f3

Segment 7: I90 Erie PA to Rome NY: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...d7-159fcc80e46d

Segment 8: I90 Rome NY Mass to I495 near Boston: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...55-2e9fe43cca75

Segment 9: I495 and I95 north of Boston to Lyman ME: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userrouteedit...74-65285bed3f53

 

Some of these are longer than 500 miles, but I think they still work OK. The 500 mile "limit" seems to be a guideline, rather than a stringent limit.

[+Panther in the Den]

Ok, figured out what was up with the routes returning 0 as a PQ.. that is now fixed and working 100% as expected.

 

-Raine

 

I just did a test and it works great!

 

Thanks!