How Spread Out Are Your Dots?

[+Team GPSaxophone]

I've posted threads before about how many states you've visited. In the western states, though, you just need to visit a corner of one to claim the entire state. I got to thinking during my road trip that it isn't always about the numbers even though I just hit 1000 finds) but more about the places you've visited.

 

Yes, most of my cross-country travels put me in the Interstate. It's by far the easiest way to cover a lot of ground out west.

 

 

So, where have you been?

 

 

In case you're wondering, I used the All Finds Pocket Query to get the data for the map. All multi and puzzle caches are represented by their posted coords. Locationless caches have been updated to show where I logged them rather than the posted coords. The PQ was loaded into GSAK and exported to Microsoft Streets & Trips. A screen shot was taken and uploaded to Photobucket so I can display the image in this post.

[+TEAM 360]

I've posted threads before about how many states you've visited. In the western states, though, you just need to visit a corner of one to claim the entire state. I got to thinking during my road trip that it isn't always about the numbers even though I just hit 1000 finds) but more about the places you've visited.

 

Yes, most of my cross-country travels put me in the Interstate. It's by far the easiest way to cover a lot of ground out west.

 

So, where have you been?

 

I was totin' my pack along the long dusty Winnemucca road

When along came a semi with a high canvas covered load

If your goin' to Winnemucca, Mack, with me you can ride

And so I climbed into the cab and then I settled down inside

He asked me if I'd seen a road with so much dust and sand

And I said, 'Listen! I've traveled every road in this here land'

 

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel...I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

I've been to

Reno

Chicago

Fargo

Minnesota

Buffalo

Toronto

Winslow

Sarasota

Wichita

Tulsa

Ottawa

Oklahoma

Tampa

Panama

Mattua

La Paloma

Bangor

Baltimore

Salvador

Amarillo

Tocapillo

Pocotello

Amperdello

I'm a killer

 

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel...I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

I've been to:

Boston

Charleston

Dayton

Lousiana

Washington

Houston

Kingston

Texas County

Monterey

Fairaday

Santa Fe

Tollaperson

Glen Rock

Black Rock

Little Rock

Oskaloussa

Tennessee

Tinnesay

Chickapee

Spirit Lake

Grand Lake

Devil's Lake

Crater Lake

For Pete's sake

 

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel...I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

I've been to

Louisville

Nashville

Knoxville

Omerback

Shereville

Jacksonville

Waterville

Costa Rock

Richfield

Springfield

Bakersfield

Shreveport

Hackensack

Cadallac

Fond du Lac

Davenport

Idaho

Jellico

Argentina

Diamondtina

Pasadena

Catalina

See what I mean

 

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel...I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere

I've been to

Pittsburgh

Parkersburg

Gravelburg

Colorado

Ellisburg

Rexburg

Vicksburg

El Dorado

Larimore

Adimore

Habastock

Chadanocka

Shasta

Nebraska

Alaska

Opalacka

Baraboo

Waterloo

Kalamazoo

Kansas City

Sioux City

Cedar City

Dodge City

What a pity

 

I've been everywhere, man

I've been everywhere, man

Crossed the deserts bare, man

I've breathed the mountain air, man

Travel? I've had my share, man

I've been everywhere.

Edited July 20, 2006 by TEAM 360

[ParentsofSAM]

Mine are not dots...because I like flags better! They are also not very spread out. We have only 7 states. They are either in the east or the west none in the middle. Here is our maps:

 

 

 

I just took out the locationless caches and like Saxy the puzzle and multis are at the coords that are posted on the site. Everything else I did the same as the Smurf.

Edited July 20, 2006 by ParentsofSAM

[+StarBrand]

Yellow squares are finds

 

Blue Squares are hides

 

[Pto]

I've posted threads before about how many states you've visited. In the western states, though, you just need to visit a corner of one to claim the entire state. I got to thinking during my road trip that it isn't always about the numbers even though I just hit 1000 finds) but more about the places you've visited.

 

Yes, most of my cross-country travels put me in the Interstate. It's by far the easiest way to cover a lot of ground out west.

 

So, where have you been?

 

I've been to:

Reno

Chicago

Fargo

Minnesota......

<snip>

I'm a Killer- I've been everywhere, man

....<snip>

For Pete's Sake

I've been everywhere, man..

Crossed the deserts bare, man...

Richfield.....(MN????)

Baraboo...(Wi! )

I've been everywhere

 

^^()'s - by Pto

 

Team GPSaxophone - great topic!

The song nailed 2 of my 3 states

Id make up a map, but it would pale in comparison to most any example.

From work, Ill give it a shot tho- (Thurs)

 

T360- Thanks! I always wondered what all the words were, but never looked them up- Now, I got 'em !

And,

[+Jennifer&Dean]

 

I enjoy making maps, this was fun. Red dots are my style... to represent the blood the darned skeeters take every chance they get.

We travel via interstates when on road trips, as you can tell by the way the dots line up. The clusters in cities without lines of dots leading to them are from business trips of mine.

 

~1500 finds. Added 2 states this week- Kentucky and Ohio! Gotta update the states map soon.

 

-J

Edited July 20, 2006 by Jennifer&Dean

[+mtn-man]

Most of the dots are here. The ones that aren't were in a red area anyway.

 

 

That's 46 states cached in as well. Need ND, SD, AK and HI. You can tell that I fly more than I drive. I should fill in the panhandle of Florida a bit this weekend.

[+fizzymagic]

Very, very spread out.

 

I am still averaging over 100 miles between successive caches.

 

[+DocDiTTo]

No pretty map, but I've cached in NY, PA, WV, MD and CA. 5 states, that's it.

 

I don't get to travel the country much though, so my dots/flags/whatever wouldn't be really impressive to look at. Instead, here's a big number:

Maximum one-day distance -- two caches 2276.1 miles apart on 03/18/2006

(Flew home from CA, found a cache before and after the flight)

 

woooooooot!

 

[+Yellow ants]

We've gone done 4 countries: Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands and Belgium. Going to grab one in Germany tomorrow

 

 

Longest distance between any of our finds is 1043.37km (GCG402 and GCH8C3). That's about 650 miles for the metrically challenged.

 

EDIT: Just realized 39% of our cache finds are outside Denmark :wub:

Edited July 20, 2006 by Yellow ants

[+Pablo Mac]

[+mtn-man]

I like the shaded states. That's pretty cool.

[+geognerd]

Since I am a GIS mapping nerd, I had the software calculate a standard deviation ellipse for my finds as of last month (my current data is on another computer). A standard deviation ellipse is used to show how dispersed certain features are on a map, and if the dispersion is biased in a certain direction. I was shocked to see that the calculated ellipse had an eccentricity of 0.060848229762892332409693656339. An ellipse with an eccentricity of 0 is a circle. A circle would indicate that my finds are evenly dispersed around their mean center. I find this kinda freaky. I didn't think my finds were so evenly dispersed geographically speaking.

 

Edit: I skipped a step in the calculation. My eccentricity is 0.246674339. Which doesn't seem right. I like wasting my time on academic things like this in the office.

Edited July 20, 2006 by geognerd

[+Yellow ants]

I find this kinda freaky.

 

And that's the only thing you found freaky, right?

 

(Okay, I confess - I'm a geo-nerd too. GIS developer for a multinational consulting/engineering firm.)

 

I'd think our finds are highly eccentric - especially if you disregard the couch virtual whose coords are in the middle of the North Sea

Edited July 20, 2006 by Yellow ants

[+Davispak]

Ok, Not that good at making cool maps, but I have only cached one state so far. North carolina

[+wimseyguy]

I think we are all a bit eccentric?

Please don't agitate the dots.

This is cool, can someone PM me how to map my dots?

[+WeightMan]

No map, but I have finds in WA, ID, FL, OR, NV, SC, CA, CO, GA, AK, IN in no particular order. I also have finds in Canada and the UK.

 

Edit to note that a map would show dots along I-5 and US 101 between Seattle and San Francisco. The others would be isolated as I flew there. Well I did drive to Canada, but it isn't that far away.

Edited July 20, 2006 by WeightMan

[+StarBrand]

I think we are all a bit eccentric?

Please don't agitate the dots.

This is cool, can someone PM me how to map my dots?

Rather than PM - I downloaded a my finds PQ and then used GSAK to output the file in a Microsoft Streets and Trips text file. Used S&T to import the data. Copied and saved map as a .jpg file. Placed the jpg out on my web server and replied to this thread.

 

Short on detail but a nice outline of how to create the map. S&T can be had for about $25 so pretty cheap.

[+9Key]

Here's mine >>

 

Thanks for the fun project, Sax!

[+mtn-man]

I think we are all a bit eccentric?

Please don't agitate the dots.

This is cool, can someone PM me how to map my dots?

Rather than PM - I downloaded a my finds PQ and then used GSAK to output the file in a Microsoft Streets and Trips text file. Used S&T to import the data. Copied and saved map as a .jpg file. Placed the jpg out on my web server and replied to this thread.

 

Short on detail but a nice outline of how to create the map. S&T can be had for about $25 so pretty cheap.

Another thing is to take the .gpx file and run in through GPSBabel. It does a straight conversion to a .txt file that you can import and place spots on the map. wimseyguy, if you want to email your file to me I will plot it for you and email you the results.

 

robertlipe, I finally downloaded and started using GPSBabel. Man, I thought it would be hard to use. I am so glad I was wrong. It is very simple, and thanks for your efforts there. S&T was $25 at Sam's. EDITED TO ADD: Looking at the site, I see there is a new version of GPSBabel. I will be downloading it tonight! It really looks great!

Edited July 20, 2006 by mtn-man

[+2ofHis]

Cool maps! I wish I could understand the directions of how to create one, but... We have all our caches in Wisconsin, except for one in Israel back in May. September will see us branch out, as we head to Wyoming to visit a friend, caching along the way

[+hukilaulau]

I was shocked to see that the calculated ellipse had an eccentricity of 0.060848229762892332409693656339. An ellipse with an eccentricity of 0 is a circle. A circle would indicate that my finds are evenly dispersed around their mean center. I find this kinda freaky. I didn't think my finds were so evenly dispersed geographically speaking.

 

YOU were shocked? I nearly jumped out of my socks when I saw your numbers. Then when I saw your eccentricity was really more like 0.24 something, I just laughed and laughed!

 

OK, I'm and idiot and I have no idea what you're talking about. But I'm making fun of myself, not you. I am truly awed by people who can do this stuff. I could barely figure out how to do the basic "red map".

My fantasy is to have a map on my profile with a number inside each state representing finds, and a link to a list of those finds when you click on the number, and of course then a link to each cache page.

Since I can see it in my mind, can I claim I've already "found" it?

[+parker313]

Any tips on how to do this using google earth? :-P

[+Cache Heads]

Our western-most find was on the South Shore of Kauai (GC51F1), which is 5016 miles away from our eastern-most find in Central Park, New York (GCGEXF)

 

Who knows where our 2nd year of geocaching will bring us!

Edited July 21, 2006 by Cache Heads

[robertlipe]

robertlipe, I finally downloaded and started using GPSBabel. Man, I thought it would be hard to use. I am so glad I was wrong. It is very simple, and thanks for your efforts there. S&T was $25 at Sam's. EDITED TO ADD: Looking at the site, I see there is a new version of GPSBabel. I will be downloading it tonight! It really looks great!

I hadn't looked at this thread until it was pointed out by a friend over dinner tonight. GPSBabel does indeed get a bit of a rep as being hard to use, but the reality is that easy things (like converting waypoints from one reasonably expressive format to another) is pretty easy most of the time. For something like taking an all-found PQ and stuffing it in a variety of mapping programs, I think it's about as easy as it gets.

 

Thanx for the kind words and the support. Given the new release and the 10,000-ish downloads this month, both have been in pretty short supply...

[+ajayhawkfan]

I have 2965 dots on this map as of today.

[+1stimestar]

Well I have BEEN in every state but Florida and Hawaii. But I didn't start caching until after I moved here to Alaska. I have no desire to go out of state for even a visit though "they" will try to drag me kicking and screaming onto a plane for a visit sometime, hopefully this winter as it will be easier to make myself go.

[+Team Laxson]

Most of ours are still pretty centered in Colorado, but we've managed to do some caching on vacations. Glad we like driving!

 

[+parker313]

I've only got 13 finds - 4 in Cincinnati and 9 in Savannah, so it was hard to make it look impressive

 

[+KKTH3]

I like the shaded states. That's pretty cool.

 

I think when I get around to making our map, I should include Q*Bert on it.

 

BTW, we are only a little over a week away from spreading out our dots to the south and west and Q*Bert can hop on over and shade another 4 or 5 squares.

 

Maybe I should make it an animated gif and that way people can watch Q*Bert hop around the map, shading in squares and dispersing dots in the order in which we found caches.

 

Yeah, that'd work.

[+StarBrand]

I like the shaded states. That's pretty cool.

 

I think when I get around to making our map, I should include Q*Bert on it.

 

BTW, we are only a little over a week away from spreading out our dots to the south and west and Q*Bert can hop on over and shade another 4 or 5 squares.

 

Maybe I should make it an animated gif and that way people can watch Q*Bert hop around the map, shading in squares and dispersing dots in the order in which we found caches.

 

Yeah, that'd work.

How south and West?

 

We are heading southwest next week and will be up your way to add more dots the following week.

[+geognerd]

I've only got 13 finds - 4 in Cincinnati and 9 in Savannah, so it was hard to make it look impressive

<snipped image to save space>

Hey, your map is already more impressive than mine (the one shown here is from a month ago). All of my 665 finds are within 38 miles of home. At least you left your home state. Click here for a larger version of this map from my profile.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

OK, guess I am a dummy - but how do I get a PQ of all of my finds if a PQ is limited to 500 caches?

Ed

[+Allen_L]

Go to pocket query page http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/

 

Go down to the bottom on the section "My Finds"

 

Click "Add to queue"

[+Team Teuton]

Any tips on how to do this using google earth? :-P

 

Get an All Found PQ emailed to you, unzip it and drag that file into the Temporary Places area on the left side of Google Earth. Then click File then Save Image.

 

Like this:

 

Edited July 22, 2006 by Team Teuton

[+parker313]

Any tips on how to do this using google earth? :-P

 

Get an All Found PQ emailed to you, unzip it and drag that file into the Temporary Places area on the left side of Google Earth. Then click File then Save Image.

 

Like this:

Thanks!! You placed the very first cache I ever found! (home depot)

[+Team Teuton]

Yeah, I noticed that after I posted the image. Did a local turn you on to the game?

[+parker313]

No, I've been aware of geocaching for a few years now and it always seemed like so much fun (I'm a big mapping/trip routing/gadget junkie) and this seemed like a great way to combine all of those, plus my husband's constant "let's go DO something".

 

I always thought that the GPS systems were out of my price range but then a friend of mine from another internet message board was getting another of her friends hooked and said what she had paid for a Garmin etrex Legend and I was very pleasantly surprised

 

I went out and got a GPS and a Palm (couldn't resist the chance to get another gadget) and I'm hooked!

[+welch]

OK, guess I am a dummy - but how do I get a PQ of all of my finds if a PQ is limited to 500 caches?

Ed

Its not limited. (yea I know, shocked me too )

[+Webfoot]

 

Map created using TigerMapping.

 

Reds are finds, greens are hides, blacks are DNFs that will probably not be rectified, either because they are gone, or I won't be getting back there in the near future.

Edited July 22, 2006 by Webfoot

[+KKTH3]

I like the shaded states. That's pretty cool.

 

I think when I get around to making our map, I should include Q*Bert on it.

 

BTW, we are only a little over a week away from spreading out our dots to the south and west and Q*Bert can hop on over and shade another 4 or 5 squares.

 

Maybe I should make it an animated gif and that way people can watch Q*Bert hop around the map, shading in squares and dispersing dots in the order in which we found caches.

 

Yeah, that'd work.

How south and West?

 

We are heading southwest next week and will be up your way to add more dots the following week.

 

At least as far south as Phoenix - havent decided if we will make a run for an international caching trip south of there though. Then after a week in AZ, we will head over west to the CA central coast (where I went to school and met my lovely wife - going to visit her family) and spend a week in the SLO area. Since we are driving, we expect to bag at least 4 new states and maybe a mexican state as well.