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Dave I get well paid for those pictures, the same amount per picture that you get for publishing caches!

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Plugging the photo albums on cache pages is a great way to generate traffic to the WGA site, and may even increase active membership. Thanks!

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@Braid Beards Gang wrote:

Ten 13 GC13Q60 is my most embarrassing muggle story.

*Like*

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Hopefully your student wasn’t doing her thing in that patch of POISON IVY that Becca spied. Becca could tell you stories about that…

I don’t know if this quite qualifies as a “muggle” embarrassing story, but last year we went to find two new night caches, and when we were getting out of the car at a residential dead end with our flashlights, another car pulls up and this guy we’ve never seen gets out. We were excited to have another join us for the journey, and asked if he was here for the geocache. He responded “What’s a geocache?” Oops, kind of embarrassing.

As it turns out it was another cacher, just having fun with us. He went on to find the two night caches with us, as we co-FTF’d both of them with him. The caches were Glow in the Dark 2 Re-do, and Glow in the Dark 3, and the cacher’s name was Ranger Boy. 8)

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We use three different units: an iPhone4, Garmin Dakota20, and Garmin GPSMAP62s. I spoke with tech support at Garmin last summer, and they said that in reference to the Dakota/Oregon vs. the MAP62s, the difference in reception was virtually non-existent, but that the MAP62s (and its predecessors like the 60) would have a very very slight edge because of the bigger external antenna. However, we’ve found that if anything the Dakota was the better unit. The iPhone of course doesn’t belong in the same category, it has inferior reception in deep woods. But it’s great for spontaneous caching.

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Congrats Becca on #900. Keep having fun!

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Congrats!

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Congrats BBG, you always make great choices for milestones!

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Three things.

First, FTP 8)

Second, Rattledbox it’s nice to see you getting involved in the forums!! ‘Bout time you hang around here.

Third, here’s my own perspective on FTF’s. As has been pointed out many times over the years in the forums, different people have fun with different aspects of caching. Some are into PnG’s, some into long walks, some like numbers, or FTF’s, or puzzles, or multis, or bushwhacking, etc. I think that’s great. Geocaching can offer all those things. Take your pick and have fun! Just stay within the rules to promote and protect the sport. I myself LOVE FTF’s, a lot, but have self-imposed a limit of one FTF per month (not counting puzzles and Survivor caches). I don’t expect others to do the same and wouldn’t think of requiring that. I think that if someone is driven by FTF’s and goes for everyone they can get, that’s their right. It makes it harder for me to get one then, but who am I to impose my will upon others. Having said that, for me it is nice to “share the wealth.” By my limiting myself to a certain number of FTF’s, my caching friends as well as newbies can hopefully experience the thrill of FTF’s too, and hopefully they’ll appreciate my restraint, because if I “need” an FTF (1x/month) I’m aggressive and I’ll go at any time (if allowable). I get alerts on my phone as soon as they’re published. I’ve actually gotten numerous emails and texts from other cachers thanking me for stopping at only one FTF cache when a new area gets a bunch.

A few weeks ago in Milwaukee there were 5 new ones from Youngins3 that popped up in a cemetery. I went at dawn and found one, then stopped. Got my “quota” for the month. Braid Beards Gang showed up probably an hour or two later and found one and stopped. Then Wisjanine found one, then Razzles I think found the last two. And he offered to co-FTF with another couple who had solved the coordinates too but they said he should go for it. I though it was pretty cool!

Bottom line to everyone: whatever floats your boat! As long as everyone stays within the rules, uses stealth when necessary, is respectful to the environment, and conducts themselves in a way that doesn’t harm the reputation of geocaching in the community, it’s allowable, and I support it. But I still want my one FTF per month! 😀 😀

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Sally I know exactly what you mean – those touchscreen units can get wonky after a while. We really like the Dakota/Oregons, but after the issues we had with the first one (which like I said earlier they replaced promptly at no charge) when we became a two-GPSr couple we decided to get a non-touchscreen unit also. So Kim uses the Garmin Dakota20 (which has a touchscreen) and I use the Garmin GPSMAP62s (which has buttons), and we like both. Plus we have an iPhone4 as a backup for spontaneous caching. The Dakota we’ve had for almost 2 years, and the GPSMAP for about a year; we’ll see how long each one lasts. They both get a lot of use. Kim dropped the Dakota in the Rock river in the winter, and when she fished it out about 20 minutes later it was still working just fine!

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We had that problem with our first Dakota 20. Since we bought it at REI, and they have a generous return policy, we brought it back and they gave us a new one right away. That’s one of the reasons I like REI.

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Way to go Mr. Seven and fam!

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@Team Deejay wrote:

… for geocaching placements in wildlife areas, fisheries, protected habitats, islands, unclassified DNR land, and the like, just send your notification form to the local service center. We are preapproved for these sorts of locations, so you don’t need to wait for a response. If there is some issue with your placement, they will contact you to let you know.

And where does one find the “local service center?” Dave is there an email address you have for them?

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@rattledbox wrote:

All I can say is there should be signs at the roadside ditches by swamps that say Caution deep bogs!!!!

Here, I lightened it up a bit. It was too funny to leave as is. 8)

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Wow, that’s incredible! Thank you SO MUCH.

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