They seem to be not what they used to be...

[+jwwphoto]

 

I am getting back into Geocaching after a 5 or so year leave (no apparent reason).

 

Seems like the caches a few years back usually had some sort of container with logbook, small items to trade and leave. I bought a new Garmin GPSMap 62st and everyone of these I look for are a location only with no physical cache....

 

Did something change while I was gone? One led me to a Burger King (I should have known, the word 'king' was in the desc and from the map I could tell what it was.

 

Looking for a challenge...

 

Jeff (JWWPHOTO)

[+J the Goat]

Welcome back. Check out the threads about micro proliferation. There's probably a physical cache at the burger king, but it's most likely a poorly maintained, wet film cannister under a lamp post skirt. There are plenty of "good" caches out there, but it can be a little bit difficult to filter through the jumble of micros in the list. PQ's are great for that if you're a premium member. Otherwise, zoom out on google maps and stay away from the densely populated (caches,not people) areas to look for caches you'll enjoy.

 

Good luck.

[+dakboy]

If you found yourself in a parking lot, you probably have been brought to a micro hidden under a lamp post skirt.

 

If you want a more traditional experience, restrict your searches to size regular (maybe small, but some people plant micros & call them small) and larger, and terrain to 2 and higher.

[+jwwphoto]

I am a premium member, but what is a PQ? :unsure:

[k_statealan]

Pocket Query--a very useful tool.

[+power69]

Welcome back. Check out the threads about micro proliferation. There's probably a physical cache at the burger king, but it's most likely a poorly maintained, wet film cannister under a lamp post skirt. There are plenty of "good" caches out there, but it can be a little bit difficult to filter through the jumble of micros in the list. PQ's are great for that if you're a premium member. Otherwise, zoom out on google maps and stay away from the densely populated (caches,not people) areas to look for caches you'll enjoy.

 

Good luck.

Don't sell the bushes short! I've found many a "altoids o mush" behind a BK bush along the building.

[knowschad]

I am a premium member, but what is a PQ? :unsure:

A Pocket Query is a way to filter caches based on your specifications and download in batch mode. You get to the Pocket Query page through a link on your profile page, but here is a link directly to the New Query page: http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/gcquery.aspx

 

I see that five of the six caches you found when you started were regular-sized. A pocket query will, among many other things, let you filter out micro and small sized caches.

 

All that said... yes, the activity has changed considerably in many ways in the time you have been away. But that's pretty true of just about anything, including yourself.

[+jwwphoto]

I am a premium member, but what is a PQ? :unsure:

A Pocket Query is a way to filter caches based on your specifications and download in batch mode. You get to the Pocket Query page through a link on your profile page, but here is a link directly to the New Query page: http://www.geocaching.com/pocket/gcquery.aspx

 

I see that five of the six caches you found when you started were regular-sized. A pocket query will, among many other things, let you filter out micro and small sized caches.

 

All that said... yes, the activity has changed considerably in many ways in the time you have been away. But that's pretty true of just about anything, including yourself.

 

Thanks for the quick responses!!

 

Jeff

[+briansnat]

There is always a container with a logbook, outside of virtuals and earthcaches. However the containers have gotten a lot smaller.

[+niraD]

For more info on Pocket Queries, see:

http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

[+L0ne.R]

 

I am getting back into Geocaching after a 5 or so year leave (no apparent reason).

 

Seems like the caches a few years back usually had some sort of container with logbook, small items to trade and leave. I bought a new Garmin GPSMap 62st and everyone of these I look for are a location only with no physical cache....

 

Did something change while I was gone? One led me to a Burger King (I should have known, the word 'king' was in the desc and from the map I could tell what it was.

 

Looking for a challenge...

 

Jeff (JWWPHOTO)

 

There's definitely been a proliferation of parking lot micros (and micros in general). As a premium member you might want to consider filtering out micros (via PQs).

 

Also, you came back at a good time - Groundspeak has just introduced a Favorites system. Premium members can now award 1 in 10 cache finds a Favorite vote. Look for the number of Favorite votes at the top of the cache page. The favorites votes can help you find a few good caches to start your caching day. I have read in the forums that Groundspeak will eventually make Favorites filterable by PQ. For more info about Favorites see:

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=287