Elite Members

Posted November 9, 2004 · November 9, 2004

I would like to see a "McToy" standard implemented. I realize that if I put Geo-coins, TB's, watches, Georges or anything else that is any better than MCtoys, I will probably receive something that is the equivilent of a McToy. But the value of any item left in the cache should not be less than a Mctoy. Anything with less value than a McToy should be thrown in the nearest trash can. It's funny to see a cache with 2 busted marbles, a one-legged G.I Joe and a soggy deck of playing cards....and a CITO container right next to it. There's a whole bunch of crap right there, you don't even have to walk around to pick it up! Maybe CITO should be as much about removing crap from caches as it is trash from the enviroment. I just don't expect much and I'm rarely disapointed.

He that is hard to please, may get nothing in the end. - Aesop

I really think the game would improve if more people made handmade items to put in the cache. Even if you're not creative, you could throw some beads on a string and make a bracelet or a neklace. Even if it just costs you 10 cents worth of material it would make it more fun to take something with you that another person created.

ahh but that's probably a pipe dream, and my pipe is loaded

Would the inexpensive handmade item meet the "worth more than a McToy" standard simply because it was handmade? If you truly only spent $0.10 on materials then the item, assuming your labor was free, is worth about 90% less than a McToy. (I think they're $1.00 if you buy them without the meal.)

I have to admit I'm clueless as to why people get their undies in a bunch over what's in a cache. Are you really 'caching for what's inside the container? What about the hike, the time spent with family or friends, the fun of the search, the camaraderie of a shared hobby?

I know people get into this hobby for different reasons but for those who are truly in it for what's in the cache maybe treasure diving on sunken ships would be less frustrating!?

Edit: OK, a cache full of trash I understand. Simply re-stock it and trash out the junk. We found one this weekend with an empty Star Wars toy box in it. Our friend's son was very disappointed as he is into Star Wars big time and would have loved the toy. He's learned the lesson early that some people aren't as generous as others. We had a sack full of stuff so we re-stocked the virtually empty cache and trashed out the junk. Was it a big deal? Only for the four year old!

In my opinion a handmade item would be worth 10 times the value of a McToy, because someone actually took the time to think about it. Throwing a half eaten sucker with the wrapper put back on it just shows a lack of planning or respect for others playing the game. If you don't have anything besides crapola then just TNLNSL...I don't see anything wrong with that.

Remember the old anti-litter campaign where Iron Eyes sheds a tear. It would be cool to find an old picture of Iron Eyes and photoshop some broken McToys in the background. I'll get right on that..lol

Anyway, it is just a game and there's no sense in getting upset over toys when the thrill is in the hunt.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Just curious -- has anyone ever tried an experiment to see if there's any difference between the degradation rate between a MOC and non-MOC cache?

You could hide two (or more) similar caches (same starting contents, similar terrain/difficulty, etc). Make half MOC and the other half non-MOC. Then see how they fared over time. Might be a fun experiment. Though you couldn't let anyone know you were "monitoring" the cache contents, that would influence the outcome (Hawthorne effect, I think it's called).

I find my cache contents tend to degrade over the course of a year or so. I visit them about once a quarter (more often if any problems are reported). I remove any trash, and add a few trinkets usually. I am a member, but I've never hidden and MOC. I'll have to try it I guess. I doubt there would be much difference, but I suppose if there was, I would consider making more of mine MO -- mostly to reduce the maintenance requirements a bit. I don't mind the contents eventually disappearing; in fact I expect it. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I stop by to do some maintenance, and find some cool things in the cache.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

Took me years of practice. How about you?

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

I have to admit I'm clueless as to why people get their undies in a bunch over what's in a cache. Are you really 'caching for what's inside the container? What about the hike, the time spent with family or friends, the fun of the search, the camaraderie of a shared hobby?

This misses the point. I'm not so much disappointed about the crap I find in a cache as I am upset that my cache has been degraded by unthinking or uncaring cachers.

Look at it this way; I invested my time and money in making the cache for the enjoyment of others. If those others thank me by filling it with broken crapass toys, household junk, or other worthless jetsam, I am going to be offended.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

^

|

Eh?

Edited November 10, 2004 by grimstuff

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

Can we get our warning meters back now?

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

Yeesh!

I am also confused. What was so offensive about that comment????? Anyway that was a very counter-productive reply.

Edited November 10, 2004 by carleenp

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Can we get our warning meters back now?

The warning meters are still there, for use as a moderator tool. I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors.

There will be no further flames/personal attacks or other violations of the Forum Guidelines in this topic. Thanks.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

There will be no further flames/personal attacks or other violations of the Forum Guidelines in this topic. Thanks.

Shucks! I was looking forward to it. Since I couldn't for the life of me see what prompted the remark, I thought we had a live one on our hands.

OH! Uhhhh...the topic!

Do you know, I actually do care what's in a cache, even if I don't take anything? If it's in good shape and has nice swag, it makes me feel good about the game and the people playing it.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Fade in ...

"Dad, can I have this?" he says as he picks up the little white ball with dimples in it.

"OK, I have plenty, you can have this one."

He has a lot of fun playing with his new bouncy ball. Bouncing it on the driveway is neat, sometimes it even goes higher than he is. Wonder what it would be like if all those little dents were not there. So he finds some mud in the back yard and covers the ball, filling in all the little bumps, and then patiently waits for it to dry.....Still the same, it still bounces really high, but some of the dent filler is coming out. He has a lot of fun bouncing it and chasing it down the driveway. Makes a neat sound. Feels funny in his pocket, too. Moves around against his leg as he's walking.

Cache hunt ....

Junior is having fun on this trip; he gets to hold the GPS. It's here close, he knows it.

There it is! (Dad saw it earlier but didn't say anything) So he opens it up in anticipation. Lots of kewl stuff inside. While Dad takes the log and goes to reading, Junior goes shopping. He sees a really kewl car, still in the package. It's a collector's edition, whatever that means. He doesn't see that, just the shiney car. "Hey, Dad, can I have this?"

"You have to trade for it, not just take it."

He thinks about it, and all he has to trade is his bouncy ball, with the mud filled dents. He pulls the ball out of his pocket. Hmmm ..... ball in one hand, car in the other. I have a lot of fun with this ball, he thinks, but this car is neat. A little balancing trick with the hands, deciding which to keep, he decided to let some other kid have fun with his bouncy ball for a while. He's gonna go driving.

One man's junk is another kid's fun .....

Look for a bouncy ball in a cache near you .... mud filled dents optional.

Edited November 10, 2004 by SeventhSon

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Avroair's rubber martians come to mind.

That was a mistake!!! I bought 12 grosses thinking they were 12 packs... 1440 stretchy aliens!!!

Edited November 10, 2004 by avroair

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

This is really sad.
In your opinion, does it help if you make your caches very hard to find?

It seems that if a cache is very difficult, the only ones to get it will be dedicated and contienscious cachers.

Were you born a prick or did you practice to get so good at it?

I am also confused. What was so offensive about that comment????? Anyway that was a very counter-productive reply.

I don't get it either and it was my comment that he was replying to. I took it totally at face value. Then again, I'm easily confused.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

I can see all of the warning meters on this page.

...sounds elitist to me...

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Fade in ...

"Dad, can I have this?" he says as he picks up the little white ball with dimples in it.

"OK, I have plenty, you can have this one."

He has a lot of fun playing with his new bouncy ball. Bouncing it on the driveway is neat, sometimes it even goes higher than he is. Wonder what it would be like if all those little dents were not there. So he finds some mud in the back yard and covers the ball, filling in all the little bumps, and then patiently waits for it to dry.....Still the same, it still bounces really high, but some of the dent filler is coming out. He has a lot of fun bouncing it and chasing it down the driveway. Makes a neat sound. Feels funny in his pocket, too. Moves around against his leg as he's walking.

Cache hunt ....

Junior is having fun on this trip; he gets to hold the GPS. It's here close, he knows it.

There it is! (Dad saw it earlier but didn't say anything) So he opens it up in anticipation. Lots of kewl stuff inside. While Dad takes the log and goes to reading, Junior goes shopping. He sees a really kewl car, still in the package. It's a collector's edition, whatever that means. He doesn't see that, just the shiney car. "Hey, Dad, can I have this?"

"You have to trade for it, not just take it."

He thinks about it, and all he has to trade is his bouncy ball, with the mud filled dents. He pulls the ball out of his pocket. Hmmm ..... ball in one hand, car in the other. I have a lot of fun with this ball, he thinks, but this car is neat. A little balancing trick with the hands, deciding which to keep, he decided to let some other kid have fun with his bouncy ball for a while. He's gonna go driving.

One man's junk is another kid's fun .....

Look for a bouncy ball in a cache near you .... mud filled dents optional.

I loved that example... such a plausable situation! I've only been to two geocaching events locally, but that was plenty to know that ALOT of little kids (<8yrs) go geocaching. Life is just a "tad bit simpler" when you're that young! I've even put some of the stuff I've collected in my caching bag in a cache so that one of the younger kids with us could take that "really cool toy" he had his eye on. Seeing his reaction made my day (as his grandpa wasn't going to let him take the toy unless he had something of equal value to put in the cache)!

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Avroair's rubber martians come to mind.

That was a mistake!!! I bought 12 grosses thinking they were 12 packs... 1440 stretchy aliens!!!

Now *that's* funny.

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

QUOTE (avroair @ Nov 10 2004, 10:16 AM)
QUOTE

Avroair's rubber martians come to mind.

That was a mistake!!! I bought 12 grosses thinking they were 12 packs... 1440 stretchy aliens!!!

Now *that's* funny. laugh.gif

No 12 ammo cans are stuffed to the brim with stretchy aliens. 8 of them were Brian's caches!!!

Posted November 10, 2004 · November 10, 2004

Fade in ...

"Dad, can I have this?" he says as he picks up the little white ball with dimples in it.

"OK, I have plenty, you can have this one."

He has a lot of fun playing with his new bouncy ball. Bouncing it on the driveway is neat, sometimes it even goes higher than he is. Wonder what it would be like if all those little dents were not there. So he finds some mud in the back yard and covers the ball, filling in all the little bumps, and then patiently waits for it to dry.....Still the same, it still bounces really high, but some of the dent filler is coming out. He has a lot of fun bouncing it and chasing it down the driveway. Makes a neat sound. Feels funny in his pocket, too. Moves around against his leg as he's walking.

Cache hunt ....

Junior is having fun on this trip; he gets to hold the GPS. It's here close, he knows it.

There it is! (Dad saw it earlier but didn't say anything) So he opens it up in anticipation. Lots of kewl stuff inside. While Dad takes the log and goes to reading, Junior goes shopping. He sees a really kewl car, still in the package. It's a collector's edition, whatever that means. He doesn't see that, just the shiney car. "Hey, Dad, can I have this?"

"You have to trade for it, not just take it."

He thinks about it, and all he has to trade is his bouncy ball, with the mud filled dents. He pulls the ball out of his pocket. Hmmm ..... ball in one hand, car in the other. I have a lot of fun with this ball, he thinks, but this car is neat. A little balancing trick with the hands, deciding which to keep, he decided to let some other kid have fun with his bouncy ball for a while. He's gonna go driving.

One man's junk is another kid's fun .....

Look for a bouncy ball in a cache near you .... mud filled dents optional.

*sigh*

I guess in addition to a gpsr, I will have to somehow acquire a 5 to 8 year old in order to fully enjoy geocaching!

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

Fade in ...

"Dad, can I have this?" he says as he picks up the little white ball with dimples in it.

"OK, I have plenty, you can have this one."

He has a lot of fun playing with his new bouncy ball. Bouncing it on the driveway is neat, sometimes it even goes higher than he is. Wonder what it would be like if all those little dents were not there. So he finds some mud in the back yard and covers the ball, filling in all the little bumps, and then patiently waits for it to dry.....Still the same, it still bounces really high, but some of the dent filler is coming out. He has a lot of fun bouncing it and chasing it down the driveway. Makes a neat sound. Feels funny in his pocket, too. Moves around against his leg as he's walking.

Cache hunt ....

Junior is having fun on this trip; he gets to hold the GPS. It's here close, he knows it.

There it is! (Dad saw it earlier but didn't say anything) So he opens it up in anticipation. Lots of kewl stuff inside. While Dad takes the log and goes to reading, Junior goes shopping. He sees a really kewl car, still in the package. It's a collector's edition, whatever that means. He doesn't see that, just the shiney car. "Hey, Dad, can I have this?"

"You have to trade for it, not just take it."

He thinks about it, and all he has to trade is his bouncy ball, with the mud filled dents. He pulls the ball out of his pocket. Hmmm ..... ball in one hand, car in the other. I have a lot of fun with this ball, he thinks, but this car is neat. A little balancing trick with the hands, deciding which to keep, he decided to let some other kid have fun with his bouncy ball for a while. He's gonna go driving.

One man's junk is another kid's fun .....

Look for a bouncy ball in a cache near you .... mud filled dents optional.

Perfect! Really puts things in perspective. I can understand not wanting to find trash (candy wrappers & broken items, etc), but who's to say what holds value for any given cacher? I'm going to start looking at dirty golf balls in a whole new light now; i.e. "What's the story/history of the dirt and scuff marks on this ball?" "Where has it been and what has it seen?" "Did somebody love it once?" Heck, maybe someone should make a muddy golfball their sig item, with an attached note on it's history! Kinda like a pet rock!

You know, I don't get too worked up about not finding nice things in a cache. If I was in it for the "loot", then I wouldn't bother with log-only micros. Yeah, my kids are excited to see what's in the cache, and even I'm interested. Sometimes they find something they want to trade, sometimes they don't. But our bigger thrill is the journey, finding it, and signing the log, while out doing something together.

Edited November 11, 2004 by 4x4van

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

Fade in ...

"Dad, can I have this?" he says as he picks up the little white ball with dimples in it.

"OK, I have plenty, you can have this one."

He has a lot of fun playing with his new bouncy ball. Bouncing it on the driveway is neat, sometimes it even goes higher than he is. Wonder what it would be like if all those little dents were not there. So he finds some mud in the back yard and covers the ball, filling in all the little bumps, and then patiently waits for it to dry.....Still the same, it still bounces really high, but some of the dent filler is coming out. He has a lot of fun bouncing it and chasing it down the driveway. Makes a neat sound. Feels funny in his pocket, too. Moves around against his leg as he's walking.

Cache hunt ....

Junior is having fun on this trip; he gets to hold the GPS. It's here close, he knows it.

There it is! (Dad saw it earlier but didn't say anything) So he opens it up in anticipation. Lots of kewl stuff inside. While Dad takes the log and goes to reading, Junior goes shopping. He sees a really kewl car, still in the package. It's a collector's edition, whatever that means. He doesn't see that, just the shiney car. "Hey, Dad, can I have this?"

"You have to trade for it, not just take it."

He thinks about it, and all he has to trade is his bouncy ball, with the mud filled dents. He pulls the ball out of his pocket. Hmmm ..... ball in one hand, car in the other. I have a lot of fun with this ball, he thinks, but this car is neat. A little balancing trick with the hands, deciding which to keep, he decided to let some other kid have fun with his bouncy ball for a while. He's gonna go driving.

One man's junk is another kid's fun .....

Look for a bouncy ball in a cache near you .... mud filled dents optional.

I loved that example... such a plausable situation! I've only been to two geocaching events locally, but that was plenty to know that ALOT of little kids (<8yrs) go geocaching. Life is just a "tad bit simpler" when you're that young! I've even put some of the stuff I've collected in my caching bag in a cache so that one of the younger kids with us could take that "really cool toy" he had his eye on. Seeing his reaction made my day (as his grandpa wasn't going to let him take the toy unless he had something of equal value to put in the cache)!

When my daughter decided that an acorn was a fair trade for a flashlight (she was leaving the acorn) I could have lectured her about the comparative values of the items, but she really liked acorns (she had a collection on her dresser, making me guess she found them valuable). So I threw a little extra in the cache just before I closed it. They're kids, you're the adult.

Edited November 11, 2004 by briansnat

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

Saxondog-Maybe this trade would work for you...a dictionary-learn how to spell

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

...I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors....

How's mine look. I think I got one about a month ago, but I'm not really sure.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

*sigh*
I guess in addition to a gpsr, I will have to somehow acquire a 5 to 8 year old in order to fully enjoy geocaching!

Not really. You just have to remember it is not a game just for adults.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

...I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors....

How's mine look. I think I got one about a month ago, but I'm not really sure.

Your meter is at zero percent and I expect it to remain that way. So is the meter of the poster above you, but in that case the outlook isn't as bright.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

Saxondog-Maybe this trade would work for you...a dictionary-learn how to spell

Intierstng way to mak youre entery itto the forems by usieng youre first poast to flame somewon. Wear loking forwerd to mor from you.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

...I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors....

How's mine look. I think I got one about a month ago, but I'm not really sure.

Your meter is at zero percent and I expect it to remain that way. So is the meter of the poster above you, but in that case the outlook isn't as bright.

I hate to be left out. Can I have one too? <_<

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

...I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors....

How's mine look. I think I got one about a month ago, but I'm not really sure.

Your meter is at zero percent and I expect it to remain that way. So is the meter of the poster above you, but in that case the outlook isn't as bright.

I hate to be left out. Can I have one too?

Trust me all the excitement is gone. You can't see your own warning bar anymore and so you can't see your own warnings and read why you got them. Maybe there is another way, but for now, if your going to be a rat basterd in the forums you can only enjoy the warning email.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

...I can see all of the warning meters on this page. And one of them has just changed colors....

How's mine look. I think I got one about a month ago, but I'm not really sure.

Your meter is at zero percent and I expect it to remain that way. So is the meter of the poster above you, but in that case the outlook isn't as bright.

How about mine? Surely I must of gotten a bar or two for my spirited plead for understand of the hunt/journey being of more value than cache contents! <_<

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

Well, here's my two cents on the matter. I think that there are two sorts of people. One kind is the destination oriented person (like my husband) and the other is the journey oriented person (like myself). My husband really likes the task of striving towards a goal. Finding the cache, hiking to the summit etc. I find myself really interested in the scenery along the way. I have found the most amazing places in my own backyard that I would otherwise not have seen. I could spend hours at some of the cache locations just enjoying the wildlife, the plants and the solitude. There are several caches around my locale that I intend to go back to just because they are such nice places to watch the seasons change. While I do admit that find junk in a cache makes me disheartened, for me its not about the prize in the bottom of the cereal box. I'm sure we could talk on this topic for years to come. Instead, I think I'll go back to one of my favorite places with a sketch pad in hand.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

OK, being fairly new to the game, what are some suggestions for swap items ? Tomorrow my 5 yr granddaughter is going caching with me........she is has the idea that we will be finding Satellites. The good news is she is a great spirited little girl and I'm sure she is going to love the hikes as well as following the arrow on the GPSr.

I've read of some burned music cd's as trade items. Now that's something I would like to find, yet what is the cost for making a cd ???

I have to go back and do some posting of caches I have found. I'm not into the numbers that I have found, but then I did realize that if I owned a cache, that I would like to know of people finding it.

As I have been sitting here reading the posts, it reminds me of a camping trip at the "River" when my kids were middle school aged.....When we checked into the office at the camp we were given about 3 pages of rules. I handed the rules to my kids to read. The kids thought that there sure were a bunch of rules. We summed up the three pages with one simple statement......."Be kind and considerate". Seems like it applies to caching as it does the rest of life........

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

OK, being fairly new to the game, what are some suggestions for swap items ?

We all love Mctoys.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

OK, being fairly new to the game, what are some suggestions for swap items ?

We all love Mctoys.

Heh. That was a joke everybody.

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

"Be kind and considerate". Seems like it applies to caching as it does the rest of life........

That basically sums it up in my mind! <_<

Posted November 11, 2004 · November 11, 2004

"Be kind and considerate". Seems like it applies to caching as it does the rest of life........

That basically sums it up in my mind!

There's a wall in my daughter's daycare that sums it up nicely. It is painted to say "What the world needs is more nice people!"

How true those words are... I try to be one of them!

Posted November 12, 2004 · November 12, 2004

OK, being fairly new to the game, what are some suggestions for swap items ?

We all love Mctoys.

And golf balls!!

Seriously though, anything that you would like to find in a cache would probably make for a good trade item. Unless you're a really strange person! :lol:

Edited November 12, 2004 by 4x4van

Posted November 12, 2004 · November 12, 2004

I believe in the recent article in Parade magazine the quote was.

It's the journey, not the destination.

I am new to this and it gives me a reson to hike somewhere and explore new areas. Am returning to Death Valley and Joshua Tree (29 Palms) area this winter with a whole new activity.

I have friends who pack up a picnic basket and take the whoel family for the whole day to look and just have a good time.

For trade items I just went through some old stuff and found very neat items that I had acquired in the past but were no longer needed such as a pin from the reenactment ceremony of the UN Charter in SF 50+ years ago. Figure I got about 30+ great items that I can pass to someone.

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