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Well, we finally bought a GPSr for Geocaching this afternoon at LLBean. :D We picked up a Garmin GPSMAP 76. (Please don't tell me it's a bad model...hmmm...it IS a good one, right? :confused:) It has a "12 channel GPS receiver with WAAS" and "it's waterproof and floats". :p So, what's MapSource and do I need it? The guy at LLBean couldn't tell me.
Mapsource is mapping software that provides more detail than what your GPS come loaded with.
More streets, back roads, bodies of water. etc.
I'm not sure if you are only going to use your GPS for cachign we use ours for directions as well and the Mapsource software has helped us out a lot. On our GPS it includes places of interest like hotels restaurants gas stations ATM etc.
It's a bit pricey but for us it has paid for itself.
Here is a link that will tell you more.
I'm not sure what Mapsource is available for the Map76
http://www8.garmin.com/cartography/AboutCart.html
Need it? No, but want it..........yes you will want it someday. The GPS'r will work fine without it, till you get lost somewhere unfamiliar.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Congrats! and good luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Trust me when "I" tell you this, but when they say that the garmin is "waterproof" and "it floats" they mean it! (i think its the most valuable part of the gps) :D
Another question: What do you put inside the caches in exchange for something? Ideas please!
a good rule of thumb is to "trade even, or trade up" meaning if ya take somethin out, put somethin in of equal or greater value. For example, don't take a dvd and put in the dead batteries out of your gps or an old movie ticket stub. Takin a trip down the campin isle at dicks or walmart can get you some good stuff pretty cheap, like those rain ponchos, match holders (make great micros), and other various little outdoor items. Just dont put in things that are smelly (like soaps or lotions) and dont put in any food items. (Those items attract critters that will tear apart the cache to get to em) :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Congratulations . . . and for the record while I am an unabashed Magellan lover just you really can't go wrong with buying a Garmin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
As mentioned Mapsource is a more detailed map for your GPSr . . . while more detailed maps are never necessary to go geocaching, I often find that the more detailed maps are extremely useful . . . especially if you have mapping software that offers turn-by-turn directions to get you close to the cache while driving . . . or conversely I use my more detailed topo map while ATVing and sledding to see where I am. Trust me . . . not needed, but once you have it you'll never want to use the base map packaged witht the GPS ever again.
I try to put a mix of things that would appeal to children and adults . . . past experience has shown me that most adults don't tend to trade unless they see something that really appeals to them whereas children involved in this hobby love to trade items.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
As Hiram mentioned, camping type items are liked . . . some folks also love to hit up the dollar store (in fact one of my favorite items I pulled out of a cache was corn-on-the-cob holders -- in the package I should add, not used.)
Typical items found in my caches include bouncy balls, mini frisbees, penlights, novelty pencils and erasers, flashlights, etc.
In a couple of my caches I decided to experiment and placed items valued at $5 or more and asked cachers to make similar trades . . . while some folks expressed their opinions that folks would not adhere to the trading stipulations, most all have done so with only a few exceptions and misconceptions . . . in these I have placed mini-binoculars that I won at work, gift certificates to local restaurants and gas stations and other similar items.
Geocaching.com has a complete list of prohibited items . . . in addition to smelly items like soaps, lotions and candles (and me after I've spent all day working on the house) and food (bad since it attracts animals in some cases and also bad because who really wants to eat a granola bar after it's been sitting in a musty ammo can for who knows how long) . . . knives, firearms and shells, smoking materials and other adult-related items are prohibited.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hiram357
If you come to the WWWWWW4 event tomorrow, you'll have a great opportunity to meet other cachers and ask LOTS of questions! LOL! :D:DQuote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
What's the WWWWWW (is that enough W's? LOL) 4 event? I bet there's a thread somewhere...
Thanks for the cache suggestions! I probably won't take anything, but I know that my kids will. And I'm not sure what to get to put in. LOL They of course want toys.
The 4th annual "Winslow Winter Weekend Waypoint Warrior Wingding" - one of many geocaching events GeocachingMaine.org members hold each year. Click the link above, or see the notice on the front page of this website.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Oh, looks neat! But it's tomorrow! I'm going shopping in North Conway tomorrow! Too bad I had posted a while ago to plan! Grrrr! (Is Winslow near Bangor?)
its on the way to bangor, just take the first waterville exit, and follow the signs to winslow. :D (big g's is about 10 minutes from the highway from the first waterville exit and the fairfield exits)Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Well worth the little detour to check out Big G's for lunch.....
The Windham Dollar store. Back of the store in the right hand corner. Lots of goodies to get there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
Gotcha on the $ Store! LOL
Big G's does sound good...but VERY out of my way! LOL
Our boys like to trade but you never can tel what they may like. We have gotten some stuff from Oriental Trading company. Some of their items are not the best quality but other things are good. You'll find that you start looking at things differently every place is a good place to put a cache and you'll see things in the store and say "that would be cool in a cache." You may even make something. I saw a gum wrapper bracket the other day, I hadn't seen one of those in ... well a long time. i thought if I could remember how to make them that would kinda cool. I just would be careful about how big the items are large caches seem to be getting scarce.
That's the whole idea. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Maine-iac_Mom
I have always gotten compliments on dollar kids stuff that I pick up from Craft Mania and Jo-Ann fabrics. I also save little favors that we get at Eastern Star. And my Aunt, who gives a lot of money away to charity, gets lots of small trinkets in the mail and she saves them for me. I don't put in the blatantly religious ones, except for the guardian angel coins because that doesn't seem too pushy to me. I like to make the little keyring doll that I use for an avatar, but I run out a lot. MadQuilter does a really useful and pretty quilted coaster. I use mine all the time.
Here are some instructions on the bracelet.Quote:
Originally Posted by Team Richards
http://fluffyland.com/blog/?page_id=50
I made one for myself out of Viactiv wrappers and I thought that was very funny, but most people just wrinkle their foreheads when I show it to them. hmmmph... on MY planet, that there's a good joke!
We use to make those from juicy fruit gum wrappers when we were kids.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kacky
We also used to make some really neat key rings and lanyards out of gimp. Now, like most things, gimp is a computer program. I'm sure the real stuff is around and the instructions to make things as well. Camp crafts who wouldn't like that.
Thanks for the instructions on the bracelet I'll be saving gum wrappers
I have to add don't let anyone talk you into carrying little bags of river polished rocks in your backpack. no matter how much you love them.....
Sheesh! I can think of a LOT of things we used to do "before computers". LOL!Quote:
Originally Posted by attroll
I get lots of ideas here....
Google "scout swaps" for more great sites.
Actually, we should create a thread just for Do it yourself swag...all these great ideas in one place.
LOL Team 2 Hunt! I suppose one of these days I MIGHT make it to Big G's in Waterville. Is there anything else there? ;)
Wouldn't the gum wrapper bracelets have a smell that might attact animals to the caches?
I'm not sure what we're going to get. I'd like a Signature Item, but I would need them for both kids since they would want their 'own thing'. We'll figure something out! With all this now, it'll be JULY before we get out anyway. ((sighs))
Talked with the kids. They want to MAKE something. I have TONS of the Oriental Trading Company kits so they'll put together some of those for the caches - Lucky Ladybugs, Beaded Santas, Sun Windsocks...It'll get them involved more. (And maybe I'll find some things elsewhere as well...)
I love discovering signature items!:cool: I especially love sig items that are useful! I feel if sig items are useful / of value, then they can be traded for other things, but if they are just a card or something plain then you really ought to trade with something else too. Main thing is to have fun, as always!:cool:
Brdad has a good collection of sig items. Perhaps he'll post the link to his site - he's got a great set of photos.
I especially like MsTeeLee's cardinals, Forest Nymph's acorns, WhereRWe? & RULOST2?'s Maine Geocacher Permit... ;);)
I'd LOVE to do a signature item, but I'm not sure what to do at this point. Maybe after we actually get out there and find some caches and see what others have done. It's hard to decide when you haven't actually done something YK. You'll have fun doing the crafts - some are really cute and "give good luck.
I have 3 shoe boxes of sig items I have collected over the last few years as well. I have started another of SC sig items down here now. That's my favorite part of caching and I leave one of mine in the larger caches if I can. I should photograph and categorize mine one of these days.
Speaking of Forest Nymph,have they dropped off the planet or what? I haven't heard from them in ages.Quote:
Originally Posted by WhereRWe?
Maineiac Mom, have you seen this photo album yet? http://www.geocachingmaine.org/galle...ry.php/cat/509
I love sig items. I have a whole jar full. It was fun, my first year of caching, to hunt for the most famous ones, like the ladder, the cardinal, acorn, photo marble, rubber chicken, Beachcomber magnet, even the baggie of mulch! I still hope to find the elusive water-blasted Hafenecker. If anyone listens to Cachers of the Round Table, the next episode will be about handmade signature items.
I have amassed quite a collection in my years caching. I know I have a few that are fairly scarce. I need to catalogue them as well. One of these days I guess. I know some of the ones I have the cachers aren't active at all any more.....Like Brdad:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
Wouldn't it be great fun for folks to bring their signature items collections to a cache event to show them off!:D What great memories could be shared!:rolleyes: Something to keep in mind this coming year...:cool:
It might be fun to have a coffee, coins and sigs event. In my swag jar along with the sig items, I have lots of coins that I have collected just because they have personal significance, but they are un-activated. I don't usually bring them to events because people can't log them.
Wouldn't it be fun to activate them all to have folks discover them, give them stories and life?! I got a new coin this weekend, a FTF signal coin, to add to my collection. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Kacky
Oh, thanks for sharing that link, Kacky! It gave me some great ideas on signature items! What's "Cachers of the Round Table"?
Question: If you find a signature item in a cache, can you take it? Or are you supposed to leave it for the cache owner?
When I leave sig items, I expect that they will be traded for unless the cache owner gets there first, in which case they can have it. Most cache owners would not expect you to leave an item for them, since they may not be back to check the cache any time soon. Cachers of the Round Table is a podcast with hosts of the different geocaching podcasts talking to each other. It's kind of a digest where we compare all the stuff we have learned while producing our own shows. http://cachersroundtable.com/ is the URL. It comes out on the First Thursday of each month.