View Full Version : Benchmarks- off-topic at Mainegeo?



SFTA2010
11-17-2010, 07:07 PM
Is the subject of Benchmarks considered at mainegeocaching? Or is it not appropriate for discussion on this site. I know that the Geocaching.com has a place for it.

brdad
11-17-2010, 07:11 PM
Feel free to use the general geocaching discussion are of the forums for benchmark discussion. If it turns into a popular thing, we can add a new category. I did 6, all in one day, but that was just to log the easternmost US benchmarks, and that was waaaaay back 09/07/2002!

WhereRWe?
11-17-2010, 07:41 PM
I did 6, all in one day, but that was just to log the easternmost US benchmarks, and that was waaaaay back 09/07/2002!

Sheesh! You really can remember that far back? :eek::eek:

brdad
11-17-2010, 08:15 PM
Sheesh! You really can remember that far back? :eek::eek:

Heck no, but I remember gc.com keeps records of it!

CARoperPhotography
11-18-2010, 01:32 AM
I haven't bothered with benchmarks yet.... mainly because they don't count as a "find" on Geocaching.com ha!

brdad
11-18-2010, 03:53 AM
I haven't bothered with benchmarks yet.... mainly because they don't count as a "find" on Geocaching.com ha!

I am quite certain that is the reason many people don't do them. It's probably the reason I did log the ones I did yet never logged a locationless cache. Benchmarking is not geocaching in my book, and neither were locationless caches. But locationless caches did count toward your numbers, so I refused to do any. Benchmarks can be hard to find and often take some research to complete and I can see where some people have dun doing them. But for me I think it is missing that personal factor, with geocaches someone placed something intentionally for you to go look for.

The most famous locationless cache?
Yellow Jeep Fever (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=53a308bb-d02a-42d2-9b03-c1d35407536e)(Locationless) (GC3FFB) by Team CBX2 (http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?id=3449) (1/1). To log a find on the cache: Coordinates given are false. To get credit for this cache you must find a Yellow Jeep (any model) and post its picture along with the GPS coordinates the picture was taken at. The more detail the better.

This cache was getting so many logs and had so many finds that is was dragging down the servers big time whenever it was included in a PQ, and ultimately forced the move of locationless to waymarking.org. Gc.com's current servers would probably have no issue with it.

As easy as most locationless caches were, it was not easy enough for some who chose to cheat. One cacher in particular photoshopped the same picture of his hand with GPSr in front of pictures taken from the web to log a large number of them all over the world. Sheesh!

http://www.geocachingmaine.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=553&stc=1&d=1290068535

Mainiac1957
11-18-2010, 06:08 AM
I recognize that hand, but no idea about the jeep.:cool:

Hiram357
11-18-2010, 07:25 AM
I recognize that hand, but no idea about the jeep.:cool:

that fence looks familiar....

Mapachi
11-18-2010, 09:48 AM
I think I recognize the grass!

Mapachi
11-18-2010, 09:49 AM
Could this be the fastest a thread has gone off topic?

SFTA2010
11-18-2010, 10:02 AM
I think I've always liked Benchmarks (even when I didn't know what they were called) for the same reasons that brdad doesn't like them so well. I treasure the idea that an object had some purpose or source that has/had nothing whatever to do with my unexpected stumbling across it. For me it marks a place and a time completely separate from its intended purpose. And then I can research it.
I haven't found even one actual geocache so it remains to be seen whether or not the "numbers" and logging part becomes interesting for me. Meanwhile this is all fun.

cano
11-18-2010, 10:17 AM
I am quite certain that is the reason many people don't do them.
I would do them, but I can find an easy way how to download all of them in certain area.

brdad
11-18-2010, 03:57 PM
I would do them, but I can find an easy way how to download all of them in certain area.

There used to be a way to do it by county though the NGS site. It's been so long I don't remember, and can't seem to find it. There is a guy on the national forums selling a 3 CD set of supposedly every mark in every state for 10 to over shipping, all converted to gpx format.

http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=258803

SFTA2010
11-18-2010, 08:18 PM
These maps only cost $8 at Cadillac Mt Sports and they have all the Benchmarks and much more other stuff on them. They are great.
This from a person who has had the GPSr for 3 years before putting batteries in it and still has the waymark (?) compass without any pointers on its face.
But with these maps, all you need is the coordinates, right?

brdad
11-18-2010, 08:55 PM
Coordinates are not always enough for some benchmarks. Many of them are under steps, or on the wall of a building. Having all of the NGS data can help.