ALR Caches Are No Longer Allowed

[furfool]

What are masses?

[marc_54140]

Me thinks the dead horse has been beaten enough ….

[wooden_nickel]

Whats a TLA?…an engineer’s best friend!

Let me see if got this right.

I can make you do research to figure out the final coordinates to a cache.

I can’t give you the coordinates of a cache and ask that you do some research to answer a question via e-mail in addition to signing the log book.

I think caches can still be made exciting by ways of a puzzle, mystery or challenge.

I think many comments here are right on. If the ALR is clever, exciting or cool, most people will do it. If others decided they do not have the time or desire in their race for quantity, then so be it. Their loss not mine. I would be mighty surprised if a cache owner with a now “suggested” ALR does not still get at least a few people to perform the voluntary request.

[marc_54140]

@wooden_nickel wrote:

I would be mighty surprised if a cache owner with a now “suggested” ALR does not still get at least a few people to perform the voluntary request.

I am still getting photos with my Cemetery Quests, and I’m sure they will continue.

[Sparse Grey Hackle]

Well for some of us……. who have spent the time to find the bona fide, take the pix, catalouge the pix, find the cache, then log and upload the pix…..after all that…what fun would it be not to do that?

Heck, I don’t know if I will get to all the WSQ Quest series to complete the it…but I’m enjoying it!

Besides, after doing all but the final of the Wisconsin DeLorme Challenge……..we are saving that….it’s a fun challenge.

Now, we better start looking for a cemetery that doesn’t have a cache in it before J&L gets to it! 😆

SGH

[labrat_wr]

@marc_54140 wrote:

Me thinks the dead horse has been beaten enough ….

enough??? the GC forum is on like page 10 and they have 50 posts per page !!

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[JimandLinda]

Plenty of cemeteries left for WSQ’s, SGH! Just watch WSQ Vacancy, and you’ll see a bunch. But easier to maintain, close to home.

We only had to change one cache… WSQ Q.S.W. Only had 2 logs that weren’t right, but I e-mailed the cachers FIRST, and let them delete there own log, then post a new one. If they didn’t delete, we all would have known who they were anyway! We certainly won’t penalize cachers for making an attempt of any kind.

We’ve seen new, young cachers sprinting to find a cache. We’ve also seen arthritic and blind cachers out on the trail. Young and old, handicapped and athletic. There are hides for everyone.

As far as ALR’s? We like some, and dislike others. Isn’t that the way it should be? We didn’t expect to find every cache in America when we started, so we aren’t too disappointed. There have been rule changes in every sport in this country. If the new ALR guidelines don’t pan out, they will change it to something different.

We do appreciate the time and effort that cachers put into their hides, whether we look for them or not. I hope the ALR change doesn’t stifle the creativity of some of the more talented puzzle/mystery cache creators!

[Team Hemisphere Dancer]

It didn’t really bother me too much I changed my one cache that it affected and I will move on. Bigger things in this world to worry about that the changed rules of a game.

Let it be known that if I come across an LR cache I will try to comply with the request if I can. Or I will just ignore it.

Breathe in Breathe out Move On.

[zuma]

@Team Deejay wrote:

I.

5. My understanding is that you MAY choose to change your cache type from mystery to traditional (or multi), but that this change is not required. If you desire to change the cache type of your ALR cache, please drop me a note and I will change it for you. I’m sure those who didn’t like the reduced traffic caused by the mystery designation will appreciate the opportunity to change their cache type.

Dave

I actually started to do this tonight, until I started thinking a bit more about it, and chose not to simply change em all from mystery caches to regular caches. The problem with this approach is that it will screw up the stats of people who watch how many mystery caches they have found.

In my case, I have a string of about 8 easy ALRs along the Great River Road that I know a few people did in part to get the easy question marks. My concern is if I just follow your advice above, I will adjust their stats and make em unhappy.

I am thinking that it would be better just to archive em, and find a way to rework the same feature into either a multi or a regular cache. Does that make sense, or do ya figure that too few people care about stats for it to make a difference?

zuma

[-cheeto-]

That’s a good point Zuma. It’s been part of the many pages of discussion on the geocaching forum.

I did not think of that when I changed my only ALR cache to traditional which has already been done. But my change only impacted 2 people. It seems only 2 people wanted to catch and take a picture of a bug (GC1KNVD) since the beginning of January 🙂

Something to think about for those looking to change larger volumes that have more finds on them…

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Oh, I have lots of great bug photos, but not with my GPS. I’ll have to keep an eye peeled for the chance to do that. I do have a photo somewhere of a ginormous green caterpillar, with a ruler next to it.

I’m with Hemi. Don’t worry about it and move on. If my stats change, so be it. It’s happened before. We survived!

Ralph, I did your ALRs cause it was a great excuse for a drive along the River Road. Didn’t do it to get the easy mysteries, although I just read a log last night from someone wanting more easy ones like this. Guess he hadn’t heard the news, LOL.

[Decrepit]

@-cheeto- wrote:

It seems only 2 people wanted to catch and take a picture of a bug (GC1KNVD) since the beginning of January 🙂

I guess I never saw this cache when going though the listings. I’ve added it to my list of MUST FINDS. I alos have to remember to place my order for another praying mantis egg case since it’s warming up now. 😀

[-cheeto-]

The only reason I required the GPS to be in the photo or you to be in the phote, etc was to prove you took the picture. It would be too easy to go out and find a picture on the internet. That was the idea when it was a “requirement” anyway. I did not remove that piece because it still shows that you took the picture even if it is now optional.

Having a GPS in the picture means it’s geocaching related right? 😉

This was the only “ALR” I ever put together. The logging requirement was really to add more to the “kid friendly” aspect of that particular cache which was more important to me than the fact that it was an ALR type cache. I tried to think of something fun that kids would like doing in addition to geocaching. What kid doesn’t like catching bugs? Even my 2 girls like it as long as that bug isn’t a spider or a bee 😀

[gotta run]

I hope the owners keep these ALR caches as “mystery.” I see no reason to change them. Mystery in this case means “something a little different.”

Actually I think one of the benefits of the mystery designation is the reduced traffic. It’s a way to affect the type of cachers who will search for the cache, without having to limit it to premium members (which doesn’t necessarily do the same thing either).

On the Left Side of the Road...

[GetMeOutdoors]

I had 1 cache that had an ALR: The log had to include a haiku. Really, it was a traditional cache but becuase it had and ALR, using the type of “Mystery” or “unknown” was a work around becuase there was not such thing as a cache type of “ALR” so when the ALR became optional, the whole reason for the cache being “?” went away. There was really never a good reason for it being a “?”, but was the best option. Really, it was always a traditional cache except for the haiku requirement.

In this case, I don’t think it’s “messing up” stats but changing it to a traditional… if anything it’s “correcting” stats becuase it never was a mystery, puzzle, or unknown to begin with.

So regarding the decision to flip to trad. or not, I guess it’s probably a case by case thing, considering the true nature of the cache and what how ALR effected the design, the hide, and the experience of the cache.

IMHO, but I KNOW I’m right 😉 .

BTW, where are those cool dead horse beating animated gifs that we saw a while back? Those were fun 🙂

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