Rumor or not...need to know

[+Sparticus06]

I heard somewhere that all PA rest stop caches are to be banned. Shortly after that, my one cache at a rest stop came up missing. So for the time being I archived it till I heard and found out more. I had a really nice scenic spot at this one. Other cachers that have rest stop caches that I have talked to have never heard of the ban. I really want to put this cache back, and maybe even do bigger container than a micro this time, but I need to know first.

Any truth to it?

[+Renegade Knight]

Could be a PA thing. I've got a couple of rest stop caches. No problems there and none anticipated. Each state runs it's one transporation program. That would include the rules on caches in rest reas. Truth be told they have bigger fish to fry than caches. The average maintenance crew has more problems with truckers dumping buckets of poo and clogging up the system than a cache.

[+D@nim@l]

This log alludes to one.

[+Quiggle]

Moving to regional forums.

[+cerberus1]

Read every page on pabulletin.com , made up of notes/actions/regs from the PA General Assembly, for this year.

Can't find anything pertaining to rest areas at all, much less cache placements in them.

 

Possible that a cache was "found" and destroyed/confiscated, permission wasn't asked/granted and now the cacher believes this is a State-wide thing. Or an "attendant" decided to take it upon himself to rid "his" area of these annoying...

 

I always thought rest areas were like parks with the "frisbee" rule in place (if you can play frisbee here...)

 

Been to quite a few areas were the groundskeepers are not only aware of the caches, but get a kick out of watching folks look for them.

 

Pretty sure if this was true, the folks at Groundspeak would get wind of it.

 

We need a geocaching snopes

[+softball29]

Seems to me that there would be a lot of wind of this rumor if true. I can't imagine the state would bother with a ban like this. Maybe like someone else said, the groundskeeper at that place didn't want it there.

 

I like the idea of a "GeoSnopes."

[+TakeTheLongWay]

While I wasn't aware of this previous to reading your post, I'd have to say its true.

 

After all the last DNF on your cache that stated PennDOT isn't allowing them was posted by the player account of our local reviewer....

[+D@nim@l]

The DNF on your cache by The Leprechaun's is all I would need to verify the truth to it.

He would privy to such information coming down the pike.

[bogleman]

Similar situation happened with this cache last September.

 

Used to live in DuBois & have family there as well, many are long gone. Couple of months the kids and I will be paying a little visit

[Keystone]

I haven't heard anything since last fall. There were credible reports at the time that administrative regulations were on the way from PennDOT. Until we learn of their actual issuance, it continues to be caching as usual.

[+nikcap]

I heard somewhere that all PA rest stop caches are to be banned. Shortly after that, my one cache at a rest stop came up missing. So for the time being I archived it till I heard and found out more. I had a really nice scenic spot at this one. Other cachers that have rest stop caches that I have talked to have never heard of the ban. I really want to put this cache back, and maybe even do bigger container than a micro this time, but I need to know first.

Any truth to it?

 

You can always check in with the person or department that you got permission from to place the cache and see what's up?

[+Sparticus06]

See that's just it, I was told by several that I did not need to get permission to place a cache at a rest area, since it was a public place. Oh well, think I will keep it archived and say the heck with it, even though it was real scenic back where I had it.

 

Thanks for the infos

[+whistler & co.]

See that's just it, I was told by several that I did not need to get permission to place a cache at a rest area, since it was a public place. Oh well, think I will keep it archived and say the heck with it, even though it was real scenic back where I had it.

 

Thanks for the infos

 

Is any place really "public" in the sense that one can do whatever one wants there? At the very least, hiding a cache could be, strictly speaking, interpreted as littering.

[+Trucker Lee]

Could be a PA thing. I've got a couple of rest stop caches. No problems there and none anticipated. Each state runs it's one transporation program. That would include the rules on caches in rest reas.

 

Would certainly hope there are no bans coming down the pike. Often, rest stop caches are the only ones a cacher traveling on a schedule has time to grab, thus getting excercise and refreshed. Too often, there is no adequate parking at exit ramps and businesses to allow those in larger vehicles to satisfy their addiction for smileys.

 

Truth be told they have bigger fish to fry than caches. The average maintenance crew has more problems with truckers dumping buckets of poo and clogging up the system than a cache.

A bit uncalled for, perhaps. Although I will acknowledge more than a adequate number of pigs in the industry, often the problem isn't with the drivers, but transients and other travelers, including illegals who refuse to flush the paper and instead leave it for others to see, smell, and pick-up. Indeed, there are even some professional drivers who will confront their numbers or notify companies of bad behavior by others to ensure correction. Most of us understand that we need these locations and choose to take care of them.

 

Still, residents of Pennsylvania need to beware. Your governor is attempting to convert interstate highways already paid for by tax and fuel dollars into toll roads. This will force much truck traffic onto secondary roads as tolls are avoided, and prices up as tolls are paid. All this, so the money can be spent with his cronies in the two major metro areas to subsidize mass transit that no one wants to ride. Be afraid! Be very afraid!

[+briansnat]

At the very least, hiding a cache could be, strictly speaking, interpreted as littering.

 

Strictly speaking litter consists of discarded items. A cache is not a discarded item.

 

The dictionary defines litter as "a : trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about b : an untidy accumulation of objects"

 

Being that a cache is none of that, and on top of that is carefully concealed from view there is no way

one can realistically call it litter.

[+Renegade Knight]

...Is any place really "public" in the sense that one can do whatever one wants there? At the very least, hiding a cache could be, strictly speaking, interpreted as littering.

 

Many are really pubic in the sence that one can do whatever they want there within the general bound of not being disruptive of the location for it's purpose.

 

As for litter, Brian Snat covered that. They don't fit the legal definition of litter either.

[ki0eh]

PENNDOT often considers itself above the administrative process ordained by law. Often they take policy decisions that are embodied in "strike-off letters" with no public notice nor review. Might be worth writing to all of your state rep, state senator, and the Governor's office to ask where the disappearing caches are...

[+kf4oox]

I search the PennDOT web site and could not find any thing on Geocache.

 

hope this helps

 

kf4oox - Paul

[+edscott]

The best way to prevent a ban would be if cache hiders used common sense by keeping caches and cachers away from high traffic areas, both vehicular and pedestrian. If PENDOT and the Turnpike commission see no problems and hear no problems there will be no problems.

[+Packanack]

"I search the PennDOT web site and could not find any thing on Geocache."--Quoted from above.

 

Institutionally they probably have never heard of it. Figure it this way, this country is 300 million people, out of that 300 million there are perhaps 30,000 active cachers. There may be individual cachers who work for PennDOT, but as an institution they have no awareness. Geocaching flies under the radar of many such organizations. I do know that some of the local NJ police agencies have been purposefully made aware--so that they know that Geocaches exist. Some members are LEO and Ex LEO and they have brought it to the attention of some departments.

 

Poor placements produce problems. As noted .

Edited May 6, 2008 by Packanack

[+stellarscapes]

I have a cache hidden in a Pennsylvania Welcome Center/rest area on I-80. Apparently someone

must have been digging and made a mess while looking for the cache recently. I received an

email from someone at the Welcome Center asking me to modify my cache description. They asked

me to put a statement in telling people not to dig in the mulch because it is not required to find

the cache.

As long as I put that statement in (which I did), they said it's fine to leave the cache on the premises.

[+Barefoot]

I have a cache hidden in a Pennsylvania Welcome Center/rest area on I-80. Apparently someone

must have been digging and made a mess while looking for the cache recently. I received an

email from someone at the Welcome Center asking me to modify my cache description. They asked

me to put a statement in telling people not to dig in the mulch because it is not required to find

the cache.

As long as I put that statement in (which I did), they said it's fine to leave the cache on the premises.

 

A great example of working together!

 

Even if it was a squirrel looking for a nut that did all the digging.

[+weathernowcast]

At the very least, hiding a cache could be, strictly speaking, interpreted as littering.

 

Strictly speaking litter consists of discarded items. A cache is not a discarded item.

 

The dictionary defines litter as "a : trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about b : an untidy accumulation of objects"

 

Being that a cache is none of that, and on top of that is carefully concealed from view there is no way

one can realistically call it litter.

 

Once again, Brian's lack of caching experiences along certain highways in Bergen county lets him be ignorant of the fact that certain caches may actually be litter by definition (trash, wastepaper, or garbage lying scattered about b : an untidy accumulation of objects)....but I digress.

 

 

I recently found a few caches at Pennsylvania Rest Stops. They were all handy and in good shape hidden a good distance away from the muggles.