Cache Routes (GeoRoutes)

[+reaglin]

The last few days I have been leading groups in locations with multiple caches. What I do is create a simple spreadsheet of the caches in the order that we will find them with instructions. it makes for a fun hime - for example here is the spreadsheet I used for one trip (this will probably not format correctly);

 

Cache Name N W Code

The Shell Game N 28 37.307 W 081 03.777 GCHKPK

Toys, Toys Toys N 28 37.196 W 081 03.737 GCHJRN

Chuluota Nano N 28 37.217 W 081 03.256 GCHKPV

Made in the Shade N 28 37.136 W 081 03.072 GCN2XD

R U Nutz N 28 36.926 W 081 03.544 GCHKPN

Hare of the Dog N 28 36.787 W 081 03.649 GCHKP8

Back over the fields and Through the Woods N 28 36.891 W 081 03.741 GCHE69

1 Sandwich short of a picnic N 28 36.787 W 081 03.759 GCN2XP

Mother Natures Cache (multi) N 28 37.ABC W 081 03.DEF GCHKPR

 

Park at entrance of Chuluota Wilderness Area. Collecting all caches should take approximately 2-3 hours

Mother Nature Cache must first find; The Shell Game, R U Nutz, and Hare of the Dog to get clues to final location

 

I'm sure plenty of you plan a cache outing by going through and printing them out. I personally do not download the waypoint file as I like to keep the GPS on the current coordinates. Also this screen is best for teaching the concepts of location.

 

A great service would be the ability to create Geo-Routes with a

 

Park Here:

Estimated Time to Complete:

 

List of caches with instructions that can be printed on a single page. This would be something you could use - but also share with others. There are lots of possibilities here - but most of all it is a nice service, I would personally love it if I could simply choose a 2 hour GeoRoute near my home and plan for a short afternoon of finding caches.

 

Also - wouldn't it be nice if you could log all of them at one time (all caches along the route). Just some ideas.

[+Kit Fox]

The last few days I have been leading groups in locations with multiple caches. What I do is create a simple spreadsheet of the caches in the order that we will find them with instructions. it makes for a fun hime - for example here is the spreadsheet I used for one trip (this will probably not format correctly);

 

Cache Name N W Code

The Shell Game N 28 37.307 W 081 03.777 GCHKPK

Toys, Toys Toys N 28 37.196 W 081 03.737 GCHJRN

Chuluota Nano N 28 37.217 W 081 03.256 GCHKPV

Made in the Shade N 28 37.136 W 081 03.072 GCN2XD

R U Nutz N 28 36.926 W 081 03.544 GCHKPN

Hare of the Dog N 28 36.787 W 081 03.649 GCHKP8

Back over the fields and Through the Woods N 28 36.891 W 081 03.741 GCHE69

1 Sandwich short of a picnic N 28 36.787 W 081 03.759 GCN2XP

Mother Natures Cache (multi) N 28 37.ABC W 081 03.DEF GCHKPR

 

Park at entrance of Chuluota Wilderness Area. Collecting all caches should take approximately 2-3 hours

Mother Nature Cache must first find; The Shell Game, R U Nutz, and Hare of the Dog to get clues to final location

 

I'm sure plenty of you plan a cache outing by going through and printing them out. I personally do not download the waypoint file as I like to keep the GPS on the current coordinates. Also this screen is best for teaching the concepts of location.

 

A great service would be the ability to create Geo-Routes with a

 

Park Here:

Estimated Time to Complete:

 

List of caches with instructions that can be printed on a single page. This would be something you could use - but also share with others. There are lots of possibilities here - but most of all it is a nice service, I would personally love it if I could simply choose a 2 hour GeoRoute near my home and plan for a short afternoon of finding caches.

 

This could be implemented in the new Caches along a Route Function.

 

Also - wouldn't it be nice if you could log all of them at one time (all caches along the route). Just some ideas.

 

As a cache hider, I'd dislike this option. The reason being, is that it encourages "cookie cutter" logs, with no originality between each individual cache. I personally like to read the experiences of cachers who find each of my caches.

[+mrring]

It would be nice to have a feature to be able to log your caches along a route without have to look up each one but we definitely would not like to have a standard response for each find. We really like to personalize each response and we like to read the previous logs to get hints as to what others have found/seen.

 

Just my opinion and you know what they say about opinions. HA!

[+The Jester]

Most, if not all, of what you are asking for is available with third-party software. I use GSAK and CacheMate and can do just about exactly what you listed. Filtering and sorting in GSAK, then printing either condensed HTML (short version of cache info, most likely more than one page) or grip print (which is probably more what you want), export to CacheMate on the Palm, saving find/hunt details on the Palm, importing that data back to GSAK, writting logs, and using "semi-automatic" logging for all the caches (opens each cache's log page and allows you to copy/paste logs written offline).

 

There are other programs/systems that will also do this, these are the two I use.

[Neos2]

Also - wouldn't it be nice if you could log all of them at one time (all caches along the route). Just some ideas.

I also like to see original logs on caches.

 

I got three reports today on caches I own.

The first one said "In town with xxxx on a fun caching weekend"

The second one said "In town with xxxx on a fun caching weekend"

and the third one said "In town with xxxx on a fun caching weekend"

 

Not really much fun to read, and that doesn't help me know what people like or dislike about my caches so I can make better ones in the future.

 

I personally do not download the waypoint file as I like to keep the GPS on the current coordinates. Also this screen is best for teaching the concepts of location.

Just a question about this statement. I wasn't really sure what you meant by "waypoint file"

Are you just watching the numbers on the screen and walking around until the numbers match up with the cache coordinates?

 

As others have said, the ability already exists to create exactly what you want in third party software. In fact, just using GoogleEarth and Paint (to make the handout page) would do most of what you want.

[+reaglin]

The other thing I would like to do is share the routes easily with other folks. Or even better have other folks share their lists with me. Today i planned a long bike ride and went through and printed out a bunch of caches - chose 5 that looked like they would make a good route and went out and rode from cache to cache - though this is a bit different from my other purpose. So here is a scenario - I am visiting some city (lets say Orlando Florida). I can

 

A. Look individually for caches in different location where I might be and develop a plan to visit them

or

B. Go online and find a "GeoRoute" that starts from a location near where I'll be

 

With the GeoRoute option I will know;

 

1. Where to park to get all the caches on the route

2. That the caches can be found in a certain order and the order is given

3. Approximately how long it will take to visit them

 

There is a lot of utility to a feature like this. I know the hard core Geo's are going to have software to make this all possible. What we are talking about is something that really adds value and I am doing (and I am currently doing this by hand).

 

I can see where it would be kind of "gross" to log them all - but what if you logged the route (not so much the individual caches). Members could also set up "routes" and these routes can have different difficulty. If I am taking a group of kids to a certain area to cache - I want to pick an easy route, if I am with a hard core group - the route could be harder and there could easily be routes that cover the same area with different caches or in a different order.

 

So does anyone out there think this is a good idea ?

[+The Leprechauns]

The "list with instructions" part of what the OP is asking for is nicely handled today by shared bookmark lists. When I do a geo-roadtrip with others, one of us plans out the caches and adds the targeted ones to a bookmark list. Then entries can be edited, for example, to put them in the order of the route, to add parking coordinates, to add notes from studying the cache page and maps, etc.

 

When the bookmark list is ready, its owner sends a link to the other members of the roadtrip group. They then create pocket queries off the bookmark list, so everyone has the same data. Then we go find the caches. When I get home I call up the bookmark list and use that for opening links to log each one we looked for.

[+reaglin]

The "list with instructions" part of what the OP is asking for is nicely handled today by shared bookmark lists. When I do a geo-roadtrip with others, one of us plans out the caches and adds the targeted ones to a bookmark list. Then entries can be edited, for example, to put them in the order of the route, to add parking coordinates, to add notes from studying the cache page and maps, etc.

 

When the bookmark list is ready, its owner sends a link to the other members of the roadtrip group. They then create pocket queries off the bookmark list, so everyone has the same data. Then we go find the caches. When I get home I call up the bookmark list and use that for opening links to log each one we looked for.

 

Thanks - this looks like it will do what I want to do.