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@thepharmgirl wrote:
So if you signed up early, you might still be in the special goody bag section.
Sweet! I like special goody bags.
They probably wouldn’t want a mega geocaching event to be about eating pancakes…
Welcome back! We missed you 😀
08/10/2011 at 3:14 pm in reply to: Volunteers Needed to help with Beginner Geocaching Class #1951198@lone_gunman wrote:
I’m up for it if you still need help.
Awesome, thanks!!!
For anyone helping with this effort, please be at the park by 9 (at the latest) so we can prepare. I will be there earlier to hide some caches to find and hopefully setup some “loaner” GPS units.
What I saw last time is the “students” had GPS units for the most part as they were at the event to geocache (some had nav units (nuvi, tom-tom) last time I did this.
Probably get some who have cached only with a smart-phone. Not sure how I would be able to show them how to use a smart-phone to find a non-published geo-cache… Maybe if we have that scenario we force them to experience using a loaner (actual) GPS to find the cache. Lesson is the same really. And we could talk about the differences between the phone and the GPS. I have some experience with this now that I have tried my Iphone a couple times.
Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks much!!
Don’t forget to pack your camera and takes lots of pictures!!!
We’re looking forward to some great pics.
@huffinpuffin2 wrote:
@-cheeto- wrote:
@CodeJunkie wrote:
That Wiki by state is kinda cool. No Wisconsin on the list though…
Keep Wisconsin off the list…………….
Well there are rules and regulations related to DNR and certain municipalities and such that should have a page on that list… not that we want them but they exist. Must be up to a reviewer to write the wiki 😉
@CodeJunkie wrote:
That Wiki by state is kinda cool. No Wisconsin on the list though…
Thanks for digging this one up CodeJunkie.
There is a state law regarding what activities can and cannot take place in cemeteries. It was passed in direct response to geocaching I believe but is broader than just one activity. No time to google at the moment…
@ruff54 wrote:
Maybe it’s not that they are preferred caches…maybe they’re just so easy to find that no one can resist.
I was thinking about that as well based on the commentary in this thread. My earlier response is what I feel is really important but I’ll touch on the park and grab trend.
The easy park-n-grabs get found because they’re on the way. They’re easy. And most importantly — somehow numbers matter. If they didn’t matter, why bother stopping and signing the log and logging the find online if all you found was a random stop sign? If they didn’t matter you as a geocacher would be content with getting close to ground zero and spotting the hide. You found it right?
It is possible to not find the easy one’s and only hunt destination type caches. But it doesn’t result in high numbers. It seems like high numbers is what Groundspeak is basing success on.
I’m not trying to say high numbers is a bad thing. It is a game after all. Games should have a score. And there is an element of competition. FTF’s, milestones, etc. They all play a part in this for many.
But at what point is the game and score more important than trying to protect the game in the first place? Have we crossed that threshold yet? Can I ask more rhetorical questions than gotta run in one post?
Looks like they turned back on their server.
“Quality” is one thing. Placing caches in people’s front yards, near the entrance to a school, or in roundabouts in the middle of traffic (possibly jeopardizing the game in a city) is quite another. I think as a group when we see a new trend start that could lead to moving backwards with land managers, we should have an obligation to research the facts and attempt to do something about it. Whatever that something is, be it sending in a petition to Groundspeak or whatever.
As zuma points out from Article II:
…and other property management officials to protect the rights of individuals to geocache in the state of Wisconsin.
So do we protect the “rights” of a cache owner who feels that it is in the best interest of the activity to hide caches in people’s front yards or in traffic? Or do we protect the “rights” of the geocaching community as a whole? Or do we talk about it a lot on the forums and at social events (and look the other way, following Groundspeak’s example)?
Ultimately, if the WGA is not going to try to put some logical sense into the game here in Wisconsin, then who else will?
On the subject of having a website resource available if Groundspeak were ever to close up shop. That’s a pretty silly thought nowadays.
We can debate quality versus quantity and whether a micro in every possible spot will be to the demise of the game till were blue in the face. For me, the more important take-away from gotta run’s observations and question is: the WGA should get involved when it can to protect the game and the progress that has been made with land managers across the state.
All it takes is one piece of “bad publicity” to lose the ability to place geocaches in a city’s parks.
@Marble Guy wrote:
It went down Friday night. Too bad, I wanted to find a few.
Some info from their facebook page: (this was posted Friday)
Munzee is officially OFFLINE until tomorrow. I (Snicker) took the server completely offline by accident. We will won’t be able to get physical access to the box until tomorrow to repair my error. Sorry guys!
No data is lost. Everything is retained, I just disabled the ability for the server to talk to the internet. It’s setting there lonely wondering why no one is playing Munzee tonight 🙂
We weren’t testing new code or any changes. It was a production environment error we were trying to fix that failed after the facility power outage.
Despite the headaches this week we are still having so much fun with this project! New features in the apps are about to roll out to beta testers and we hope you guys still stick around this weekend 🙂
@Todd300 wrote:
I’m probably the only one here in the WGA that feels this way
I don’t think so. If a blind survey we’re done I think you’d see the camps split in favor and not.
I’ve done 2 caches in cemeteries I’ve really enjoyed. The rest I could have done without.
One was nearby my brother inside the mausoleum. It’s now archived but it was a very moving experience to visit. It also got me in to visit my brother which I hadn’t done in a long long time. It was a puzzle and you needed to locate a travel bug “key” to find the cache and open it.
The other was a virtual down in the Chicago area and led you to Al Capone’s grave.
They (cemetery caches) can be good life experiences, but for me, looking for a container at the back of random countryside cemetery is not one of those — in most cases.
An observation: In some areas of Wisconsin all there are, are cemetery caches and very few non-cemetery caches for many miles.
Cemeteries are places where the living should come and visit. Otherwise, why have them?
The personal dilemma I have is, should a game be your reason to visit? The other dilemma I have is that not all people are respectful of their surroundings regardless of where they are standing. Also, not all cache owners are respectful of their surroundings when they place a geocache.
There’s a cemetery in appleton where many people ride their bikes, jog, etc. through. Some people enjoy the scenery in old cemeteries. Some enjoy the history. They’re not meant to be “sacred” places in my personal opinion. However, they are what you make them to be. Many visitors do consider them sacred as they are visiting a memorial of someone they lost. In their eyes, it’s not a place for fun and entertainment. That’s what a park is for, right?
One of our reviewers posted in this thread already regarding permission. I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be nearly as many cemetery caches if each one of them was placed with actual, sought out permission…
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