little adventure with bad caches.

[+Bmxer11]

Yesterday i thought i would go and find four caches near my house.The first one i find, while putting it back, a car almost hits me and saw what i was doing cuz that car was stealth.the second one was a good cache, but its not aloud to be there and neither was i, so said the security gaurd.the third one i looked for was at walmart in las vegas,and you know walmart,there are always a large amount of people.I actually looked for five but couldnt find the fourth one.the last one had to good of a log from one other cacher.On the last one i actually forgot to write the cords down and i still found the cache cuz of that persons log.

 

what im saying is,we need caches in a place where there arent people running you over and where you dont have to worry about muggles even when your in a highly populated town,and where you dont get asked to leave by a security gaurd.

 

please respond

[+StarBrand]

Be sure to do some followup on the one where the security gaurd confronted you. Ask the owner who gave permission - if you don't get a good response - be sure to make a "Should Archive" log and note why.

 

Sorry for the poor experience. Best advice I can give is to get a bit out of town to do your caching. There are some fine caches north of Vegas. City caches are sometimes a mixed bag. Sadly, even with a lot of research up front you will still find a lot of such caches when you reach the location. Almost any place you go.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

please respond

OK, my response is... take control of your life. If you don't like geocaches in public places, don't hunt geocaches in public places!

 

Read the cache listing. It will tell you most all you need to know about what to expect. The cache page shows a map. If the cache is along a major road in a city it's likely to be a public place.

[+WatchDog2020]

Please don't take this the wrong way. I looked at your profile and it says you're 13. Being younger you are going to be looked at as a 'trouble maker' kid when people see you 'snooping around'

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Please don't take this the wrong way. I looked at your profile and it says you're 13. Being younger you are going to be looked at as a 'trouble maker' kid when people see you 'snooping around'

Sorry, I didn't look to see that you were 13. My advice changes a bit knowing that you don't have a lot of control over where you go.

 

I know a lot of kids that love the game and cache on bicycle or when their parents take them somewhere. Urban caches are great when Mom's going to the mall... chances are good that there is a nearby cache!

 

StarBrand's advice is good. Caches require adequate permission. When I am confronted at a cache and told that it has no permission I first explain the game and ask for permission for the cache to remain in place. If that is refused I file a Should Be Archived note.

 

WatchDog is also right, kids are often looked at more closely. Don't let that discourage you, you are doing nothing wrong when caching and explaining what you are doing will usually be enough to satisfy any one. Don't be afraid of the cops, they are on your side.

 

My advice about reading the cache page still stands, however. It's really the only way to get an indication if the cache is one that will interest you.

 

Have fun, it's a great game, I hope you enjoy it.

[Mr.Yuck]

Please don't take this the wrong way. I looked at your profile and it says you're 13. Being younger you are going to be looked at as a 'trouble maker' kid when people see you 'snooping around'

 

Well, I looked at the two closest caches to your Wal-Mart find (.1 and .2 miles away), and although there's no DNF from you, the recent logs on both indicate an "overzealous security officer" in the area. But I'm repeatedly told some people like these caches.

 

I agree 100% with Watchdog2020, a 13 yr. old snooping around is going to be quite suspicious. Sorry to say it, but I do have to agree.

 

I was posting about the same time as TheAlabamaRambler, and didn't see that. I think it's some excellent advice.

Edited November 21, 2008 by TheWhiteUrkel

[+onfire4jesus]

Hmmm... One of my most recent caching expeditions included two urban caches near the Green Bay Packers stadium. It was early Sunday morning and no problem with muggles. I also went after a couple of rural caches north of green bay. One was a great puzzle cache which ended up being a guard rail micro. (kind of disappointing climax, but the puzzle was great!) The other was hidden in what used to be a wayside, except they closed the wayside access from the highway and instead you had to get off the highway park on a nearby surface street and walk 1/2 mile to the old wayside area. Fall day in Wisconsin 1/2 mile hike each way beautiful weather. Difficult cache to find - had to scramble up and down some rocks (not because the cache WAS hidden there, but because I was having trouble finding it and thought it MIGHT be there. Now that's what I love about geocaching!

 

Be more choosy about the caches you hunt.

[+Renegade Knight]

...please respond

I dont like caches in public places like that. When I drive up and look, if it's too public I'll say to my caching partners pass? Usually they are more than happy to go to a different cache. It's not like that's the last one we can find. If it were...we probably woudn't pass.

[Skippermark]

StarBrand's advice is good. Caches require adequate permission. When I am confronted at a cache and told that it has no permission I first explain the game and ask for permission for the cache to remain in place. If that is refused I file a Should Be Archived note.

Just because someone says permission wasn't given doesn't make it true. Perhaps the store manager gave permission, but the security guard doesn't know about it. Or, one security guard is aware of it (after the store manager told him or talking to other cachers), but the 5 others that patrol the lot during different shifts don't.

 

I wanted to place a cache in a historic part of town (on public property) but wanted to make sure it would be okay with a nearby store since there was a chance people might wander onto his property while searching.

 

I talked to the owner, and he said it would be fine. A few months later, someone was searching for it and got confronted by the partner of the owner I spoke to. He said he didn't know anything about it, so the cacher left. I stopped over a couple days later, and they were both good with the cache.

 

The point is that just because one person says permission wasn't given doesn't mean that it's necessarily true. In this case, one partner didn't tell the other, but permission was given.

[+ladyleo191]

Bmxer, may I suggest that you do a couple of things?

 

First, print off some of the info on this site about what geocaching is and always keep a copy with you when you cache. That way, if you are confronted, you can more easily explain, especially with your GPSr in hand.

 

Another thing is to always be truthful with any authority figures you encounter. Lying to the cops is only cool in the movies. Nowadays, geocaching is getting more well-known and the cops may well be used to seeing cachers, but they do appreciate honesty from 'em.