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Today only, Fry's has 128MB Secure Digital cards for free (after $20 mail-in rebate, tax not included, limit one per customer, while supplies last, no rainchecks, etc.). These are the memory cards used in the Meridian series.

 

While I was there, I also picked up a book called Digital Photography Hacks (also free after $20 rebate).

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Wow, been quiet here lately - hope everybody's been out caching.

 

Any plans for an upcoming event? I missed the one on 10/3 (but did manage to pick up 10 or so caches while in Washington on the Friday before that. Met a great group of locals there, too!).

 

Work's busy right now, but can't complain - I'm working!

 

Just popping in to say "Aloha".

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Any plans for an upcoming event? I missed the one on 10/3 (but did manage to pick up 10 or so caches while in Washington on the Friday before that. Met a great group of locals there, too!).

I am definitely up for another event. The local SJ one we had at Fresh Choice sure was great. Can we do something like that again? Anyone?

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Wow, been quiet here lately - hope everybody's been out caching.

 

Any plans for an upcoming event? I missed the one on 10/3 (but did manage to pick up 10 or so caches while in Washington on the Friday before that. Met a great group of locals there, too!).

 

Work's busy right now, but can't complain - I'm working!

 

Just popping in to say "Aloha".

We are currently targeting the weekend of November 20th for the next BADGES dinner. As soon as things get firmed up, we'll post the event.

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Any plans for an upcoming event? I missed the one on 10/3 (but did manage to pick up 10 or so caches while in Washington on the Friday before that. Met a great group of locals there, too!).

I am definitely up for another event. The local SJ one we had at Fresh Choice sure was great. Can we do something like that again? Anyone?

I'm planning to host an event on Fri. 11/5. It will be a cache workshop at my place. We had a trial run on this last Friday night and it was fun...

Details will be posted when I get around to listing it (probably not for a couple of weeks).

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Anyone planning to attend WOW's cache building evening - here is your chance to leave an lasting impression with your host. And maybe you score a few hints for the upcoming "Assume Nothing At All" series, who knows?

 

Space geeks get bona fide rocket in pocket

 

Camui rockets are true rockets, being 1.6 meters long, flying at 300 meters per second and parachuting slowly to the ground after reaching heights of up to 1 kilometer.

 

"Unlike standard fixed or liquid fuel rockets, the Camui are hybrids, using a mixture of fixed fuel acrylic and liquid oxygen," Haruki Nagata of the Hokkaido University's Laboratory of Thermophysics for Space Engineering tells Weekly Playboy. "We don't use any explosives, which makes the rockets safe and easy to handle. And there are no legal regulations, either, which allows low-cost production and operation of the rockets. And the rockets are used repeatedly provided they are re-fueled."

 

CNN Story

 

Pictures

 

And then finally, without knowing if this formula is accurate:

One kilometer in one second. This would require an average velocity of flight of, oh... 1 km/s. If we had linear acceleration (rough estimate) and we started from zero (sounds like a safe assumption) then we'll have 2 km/s by the time we hit 1km altitude.

 

If the fuel is cut there:

vf^2=vo^2-2*a*s or 1000^2/(2*9.8)=max altitude -> 50km

Edited by nostrada
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It seems like the first question he gets all the time is about what is used for propulsion. If I hear about ammonium perchlorate one more time..... ;)

 

I still think we need an event where he loads up a GPSr/transmitter into one of his rockets, launches that sucker, and when it radios back the coordinates where it has landed the FTF race for the event cache is on! Even the cache owner could hunt for that one.

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I still think we need an event where he loads up a GPSr/transmitter into one of his rockets, launches that sucker, and when it radios back the coordinates where it has landed the FTF race for the event cache is on! Even the cache owner could hunt for that one.

Hmmm...

Maybe Jeremy needs to create an icon for an "Astrocache"?

 

Since none of my rockets ever come back to where they should, they all become temporary caches... just got to work on that transmitter.

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Since none of my rockets ever come back to where they should, they all become temporary caches... just got to  work on that transmitter.

Ask an Amateur Radio Operator! They like to play with rockets, GPSr and adventures too. Suggest you contact the Livermore Amateur Radio Klub and maybe they'll make it a Fox Hunt (aka T-Hunt or Transmitter Hunt).

 

If you just want to do the math and find a cache... try The Black Box by Georgeandmary. ;)

Edited by Green Achers
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I'd love to attend a cache-making workshop! Hmm, it would be fun if everyone brought a couple of things along for show-and-tell, too....

 

I'm not QUITE sure why we're talking about rocket fuel....? In any case, I saw a great special on Discovery about Spaceship One, that just one the X-prize. ("Black Sky", tell your TiVo.)

 

In any case, Spaceship One is fueled with rubber and hydrogen peroxide.

 

...Sam

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Just got back from a few days down in Pfieffer Big Sur camping. Can anybody tell me why there are NO caches in this park????

 

There is a virt a bit further down 1 at Julia Pfieffer State Park and one traditional (Tin Can), and Highway 1 is littered with caches between Carmel and Big Sur, but NOTHING in the park itself.....

 

We did a few short hikes to the waterfall and a lookout (before the rain came in last night), and they would have been excellent spots for caches. The only thing I had with me was a Geocaching tube (the big bison-type) and the caching voice in my head just wouldn't let me drop a micro here, so I couldn't place one of my own.

 

Plan on going back soon for some camping since it's so close, but wanted to check and see if there was a REASON there were no caches - Hemlock? anybody? Bueller?

 

I'll check in a bit and see what the deal is with the WOW workshop -

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Actually, that's exactly how I found geocaching in the first place. I was home with my broken leg dreaming about my next backpacking trip in Big Sur and surfing the web researching it. I was reading a Big Sur discussion board when I came across a post talking about how geocaching was destroying their park. That and subsequent posts rallied the forum members to go out with GPS's and remove all the caches. A few posts down someone who actually knew something about geocaching convinced them it wasn't necessary and agreed that the cache hiders would remove all of the physical caches in the park.

 

Meanwhile, I'm click over to read more about this geocaching thing...the rest is history. :anitongue:

Edited by Woof!
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Most of Big Sur is managed by NPS, thus no caches... ;)

I figured it must be something like that - glad I listened to the little voice that said to not drop a cache there without checking into it.

 

Too bad - pretty spot. I bet I know exactly where the caches USED to be, too!

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Okay, so Big Sur isn't listed on the NPS website, which makes my statement wrong or at least overly terse. Big Sur is part of the Los Padres National Forest, but it is managed by the Big Sur Land Trust, and also has several State Parks within the LPNF/Ventana Wilderness area. As State parks are cache-friendly, this confuses me. I guess the policy for no geocaches was set by the land trust, which would include all the areas that they lease to the state for the SPs. The campgrounds are managed by the Parks Management company...

 

bigsur.jpg

 

If anyone else has other info, or knows how the pieces of this info fits together, I'd be interested...

 

Big Sur Land Trust: BSLT webpage

Parks Management company Parks Management Company website

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If anyone else has other info, or knows how the pieces of this info fits together, I'd be interested...

As would I. Seems like a shame to have this beautiful area with no caches it if it's possible.

 

Can anybody shed some light? Can we start an outreach program via a local approver?

 

I'd be happy to see caches put there, even if they aren't mine...

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Any plans for an upcoming event? I missed the one on 10/3 (but did manage to pick up 10 or so caches while in Washington on the Friday before that. Met a great group of locals there, too!).

I am definitely up for another event. The local SJ one we had at Fresh Choice sure was great. Can we do something like that again? Anyone?

The workshop event is now listed: http://tinyurl.com/5h3oy

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(sigh)

Spent two hours last night finding maps for Lexington/Sierra Azul and printing out an area map to mark caches with the intent of doing some hiking this afternoon after my daughter's b-day party (her birthday isn't today - I wasn't abondoning her).

 

Then the rain.... B)

 

Man, there are a lot of caches in that area since the last time I was there (sometime last year).

 

Was planning on doing Limekiln trail and coming back Priest Rock Trail - maybe a stupid question but are there limekilns to see on the trail like at IXL in Felton or at Limekiln State Park down on 1?

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Spent two hours last night finding maps for Lexington/Sierra Azul and printing out an area map to mark caches with the intent of doing some hiking this afternoon after my daughter's b-day party

 

Was planning on doing Limekiln trail and coming back Priest Rock Trail - maybe a stupid question but are there limekilns to see on the trail like at IXL in Felton or at Limekiln State Park down on 1?

Next time, I have calibrated maps already done and ready for download for use in ExpertGPS .here.

 

I went up there today and it was nice. I don't know what a limekiln is, but I don't think I saw any. :-)

 

I would definitely take the limekiln up and priest rock down as preist rock is very steep.

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I still need Priest Rock, Priest Rock Hopper, Limekiln Cache, and Above the Gorge. I also need Sierra Azul caches just to the east and the two El Sombroso caches. That's probably a bit much for one day but I'm thinking about heading up to go after most of them next weekend, starting from around Lexington.

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I may be able to go next weekend; juse won't know for sure until probably Friday.

 

Definitely going to leave a shotglass or two up there, though. B)

 

Boulter, I'll check out the link and Expert GPS. Currently I use Easy GPS to get the waypoints in, but nothing outside of that....

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I'll check out the Software Forum to see what ExpertGPS is all about, but anybody want to give me a bullet list of it's features?

 

I spent my time the other night trying to plot out the coords on the trail map to determine which caches were where......will this help?

 

How do the trail maps get in and how do I plot them? I assume I use the same PQs and just load them in ExpertGPS the way I do in EasyGPS.....

 

Looks like I've got some research to do!

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You load coords in just the same as with EasyGPS. But once loaded in, you can then take a calibrated map and open it up, and you'll see the cache waypoints marked on the map. Ditto for aerial photos; ditto for USGS maps. It will download the appropriate photos and USGS maps automagically as you scroll around and zoom in and out. VERY cool, and very much worth downloading the trial version. I did, and bought it when the trial finishes.

 

...Sam

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So.....

 

If I read correctly, it automatically has Topo maps, etc. but how does it get TRAIL maps in the program like the ones that Boulter linked to?

 

Can you import any mpa (jpeg, pdf, etc.) into the program and then somehow 'calibrate" it? Then load the waypoints in and see them on the map??

 

If that's the case, I'm downloading the trial version tomorrow.

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To get park trail maps into Expert GPS, you start with a JPG of the map. This is opened in ExpertGPS, then calibrated (an easy task using the existing Topo maps as a reference). Pre-calibrated maps are what you download from Boulters site.

 

When you open up a GPX file in ExpertGPS, the waypoints will all be shown on the park map, ready for you to plot a route.

 

Well worth the price, it's something I use everyday.

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WHY OH WHY AM I JUST FINDING OUT ABOUT THIS NOW?!?!?! :blink:

 

Just downloaded the trial version and loaded in the maps for Sierra Azul and Lexington - in three minutes I did what it took me at least 2 hours to do the other night!! Woo Hoo!

 

I'm sure there are many more features that I'll use as I play with this, but for now this one feature is awesome. (I'm thinking that I'll be able to download my tracks from my GPS and lay them on the map as well to see where I've hiked).

 

Before I go trying to find a map and calibrate it myself - does anybody have claibrated maps for:

 

Nisene Marks

Henry Cowell

Fall Creek

 

Boulter, thanks for the link. I grabbed the big zip file.

 

Now we need to have another event cache so I can pick somebody's brain on other cool features/uses....

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I still need Priest Rock, Priest Rock Hopper, Limekiln Cache, and Above the Gorge. I also need Sierra Azul caches just to the east and the two El Sombroso caches. That's probably a bit much for one day but I'm thinking about heading up to go after most of them next weekend, starting from around Lexington.

I think that's definitely doable in a day. It would probably be around 14 miles round trip with about 2K of elevation gain. Joani went with me when we hid the priest rock caches, and were FTF on the Sombroso caches. Man, that was a while ago.

 

--Marky

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:D  Check out 4wheeler's claim to fame: Technology creates a new treasure hunt.

For some reason this link takes me to a general page with headlines. :blink:

It worked for me just fine yesterday, but no longer works now. Not a really great article. Poor focus and almost makes it sound like geocachers are intruding on local neighborhoods.

 

Edit: This link that should work for at least 7 days:

--Marky

Edited by Marky
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I think that's definitely doable in a day. It would probably be around 14 miles round trip with about 2K of elevation gain. Joani went with me when we hid the priest rock caches, and were FTF on the Sombroso caches. Man, that was a while ago.

Yeah, I think it just depends on how much time I actually have available in that day, or if the weather is exceptionally unpleasant or something. I figure I can start off by Lexington and work eastward and see how things go, and cut it short if I need to.

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http://tinyurl.com/489ot

 

Local cache removed by SJPD

 

....wonder what the story is....

Well... it is in a pretty sketchy area... [;)]

Dang, the site is down, I can't even see which cache it is.

It's the WaterRats' Cache. Here's the story:

 

SJPD got a "suspicious activity" call and went to go investigate. They found our ammo can, X-rayed it, and took it to the station. We have retrieved the can from them (The SJPD were very nice about it!) and we have these tips for you:

 

1) If they saw batteries or wires inside, they would have blown up the cache. So, this is no guarantee, but if you value your cache, try not to leave behind batteries and so forth. You cache would probably have a higher chance of remaining intact if they investigate. We did have a spiral notebook for the log.

 

2) I also did a quick search on other geocachers' stories and some said that their police wanted caches labeled on the outside and with a contact name & number. Our can was not marked with any Geocaching.com logo or anything on the outside. I'm sure most of us would balk at leaving direct contact information.

 

We have the 4 TBs that squints last dropped off as well so we will likely redeploy the can to another location after sticking a label on it or something.

 

- a Water Rat

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To all you Bay Area cachers and those RCGDS members that haunt this list (because our email is down):

 

The SKWERLs and BootyBuddies are about to reach the 1000 find milestone. Since it's not a competition, we decided to throw each other a cache bash at Hoppy Brewing Company on Monday, November 1. The web page for the event isn't up yet, but you can get information about the location in The Happy Hoppy Webcam Cache.

 

Come help us break the millennium cache barrier. Drop by anytime after 6 PM for a brew or stay for dinner. See you then!

 

SKWERLyBuddies

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