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Thread: My Rant

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Bangor, ME
    Posts
    6,343

    Default My Rant

    Maybe the heat is getting to us all with all the ranting lately?

    I've always been a proponent of variety in caches. I like to see something new - new location, new type of container, new type of hide. I also understand how people can be enlightened buy a particular cache and decide to hide something similar. My Battleship cache has inspired several other caches both near and far, and it is flattering. But I would not want to see one placed in every town around me.

    That being said, all these series and seed caches being placed are making a dramatic change on caching in our state. While many of them may be in decent spots, and many are designed to be wheelchair accessible, once you do a few caches in each series the variety is gone. 110 caches were placed this between July 1 and July 15th, half of which were small or micro, and a good percentage of those were series caches.

    I'm not sure what I am going to do. I may just start posting notes to these caches and say I found it, but don't feel like promoting their existence. Or, maybe I'll ignore them and not do them at all. In reality, I'll probably keep hunting them, hoping for that one "Oh Wow!" spot. While some are in good areas, I can't say as I could recommend any one of them to a cacher from away.

    Either way, I'll be happy when the next cache hiding phase comes and the placing of series die out. How about you?
    DNFTT! DNFTT! DNFTT!

    "The funniest thing about this particular signature is that by the time you realize it doesn't say anything it's to late to stop reading it..."

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Bowdoinham, Maine
    Posts
    389

    Default

    On a day when the kids aren't around and it is just Fudd and I, we like to take a ride on the motorcycle and collect quick grabs, mostly micro's and mostly seed caches. In doing that though, we do prefer the ones that are actually a different type of hide or container. The kids on the other hand, HATE that kind of day. A micro here and there to add in to a long ride is fine but a good hide in a regular size container and in an interesting place is much more there speed. Kids love swag but they also loved Rob's "Almond Joy" We are not big hikers but don't mind a level walk if its not too far(a mile or less round trip). I think that if people who don't like micros can always leave them out of their query or run a filter. Everytime we go out we run a different filter depending on what type of day we are planning.
    Slowly but surely

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Solon, Maine
    Posts
    5,965

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by brdad View Post
    Either way, I'll be happy when the next cache hiding phase comes and the placing of series die out. How about you?
    Yup! I agree. LOL!

    See my rant on "the numbers" elsewhere!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Unity, Maine
    Posts
    3,874

    Default

    Well Brad I have to say I agree with you.

    As Fuddsgirls mentioned one can always ignore these types of caches, but I feel that one problem with the proliferation of seed caches is that new cachers see these types of caches and tend to emulate them -- it seems to me that many cachers tend to put out caches of a similar type from what they have found.

    In other words, if most caches that you do in a certain area are regular-sized ammo cans involving a 1/2 mile or less walk in an out-of-the-way park or greenspace then chances are when you place your own first cache that's the type of cache you'll put out as this seems to be the "normal" cache . . . conversely if you see a lot of micro caches or seed-type caches placed on guardrails and lampposts than chances are this will be the type of cache you will place as it seems more "normal."

    And since you started this rant . . . I may as well rant as well.

    I don't have an issue with a well-placed micro . . . I have seen some very clever micros that have been placed in some neat places . . . a trip to LA for example has brought me to some great, cleverly hidden micros in neat spots. In fact, I believe urban areas with muggles, smaller parks, etc. are good places for micros.

    I also do not have an issue with a GRC or LPC providing it has some meaning . . . in other words a GRC along Rt. 1 with a particularly scenic view of Penobscot Bay is great . . . a GRC in a Home Depot Parking Lot is not so great.

    This past weekend I did some fantastic "city" caches in St. Andrews, New Brunswick . . . this is a very, busy muggle-intensive tourist town and there were a ton of caches in the area . . . and of these I think there was only one 35 mm canister . . . which incidentally was hidden in the woods and after 15-25 minutes of searching I simply gave up as the reward of finding this cache to me wasn't worth the effort . . . whereas many of the other caches (small to regular-sized caches) were much more fun to find.

    That said, while there are exceptions to the rule I have to say that I hate micros hidden in the woods. To me when you're in the woods and the chances of a cache being found by a muggle is relatively low than the cache should be a small-regular sized cache. As I said, there are some exceptions . . . the Sled Trail cache, the Cara"bean"er cache and HomeRun cache are a few recent ones that come to mind as appropriate micros . . . there is a twist to these . . . they're not just 35 mm film canisters hanging in a tree.

    And I will confess . . . I have hidden some micros myself. My Fill 'er Up cache for example is a micro . . . because it is in an area where the town only owns a very small section of land and I could not place and hide a cache anywhere else without it being found easily by muggles. I also put up a 52 Card Pick-up cache on Rt. 9 on a guardrail . . . again, there is a scenic waterfall there and it was a case of putting up a cache in a good spot. Another micro was placed on my Brier Beach cache so cachers are forced to go out to a point so they can get a nice view of the pond before going to where I've hidden the main cache.

    I guess maybe I'm a little odd (OK, no great surprise there), but I've always felt as though it's a much greater challenge to create a good hide involving a small to regular-sized container than it is to create a good hide for a micro. For example, it wasn't planned out, but my Behind the School Cache and Once a Year Cache are ammo cans that can give even experienced cachers some problems in finding them . . . another cache that I can think of that has been cleverly hidden (and this was mentioned by BrDad) is Brdad's Battleship cache.

    I will continue to find and sign the micros . . . but I will also confess that when given a choice to go to an area with lots of micros or an area with a good number of regular-sized caches I will choose the area with regular-sized caches almost every time . . . even if it means not finding as many caches.

    For me personally, hiding a micro seems to be a cheap way to hide a cache. You get a free 35 mm canister, put a slip of paper in it and you're all set . . . folks that buy an ammo can or Lock N' Lock container, put a log in it and some swag make a real investment in caching. Again, not everyone can do this due to financial issues or their location -- for example if you're living in a City you may not have or know a lot of good hiding spots for regular sized caches.

    I also personally enjoy placing my signature items in caches . . . you can't do that with micros. I also try to help TBs along their journey . . . you can't stuff too many TBs or geocoins in micros. I also personally like jotting down a few notes about my search, the weather, the walk, etc. . . . you can't do this with a micro log (although you can do so on-line, but honestly after you've done 7 or 8 GRC or LPC there's not a lot to say.) Finally, I try to think of families with kids . . . I usually don't make a trade, but I often drop an item into a cache as I know kids enjoy the thrill of the hunt and making the trade . . . again you don't get this with micros.

    So to wrap up my tirade . . .

    -- I personally feel there is a time and place for micros, but there is also a time and place for regular sized caches and many folks seem to be taking the cheap and easy way out and hiding lots of micros . . . .

    -- I think these seed caches may be a phase and they offer another type of cache hide -- remember when we were seeing a proliferation of puzzle caches a year or so ago and they do offer some cachers another type of experience which isn't always so bad providing cachers continue to put out other types of caches . . .

    -- I think the final telling fact is something Brdad said . . . if someone was visiting you from another state and wanted to do some neat caches, how many of you would realistically recommend some of these micro seed caches placed in guard rails and lampposts???
    "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."

    "Death is only one of many ways to die."

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Unity, Maine
    Posts
    3,874

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    Oh yeah, I thought of another micro cache that was appropriate . . . Hiram's Pen is Mightier cache at a boat landing is one that was very appropriate . . . it was hidden well in a very muggle-intensive area. Going with anything more than a micro would most likely have resulted in a MIA cache.
    "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the realization that there is something more important than fear."

    "Death is only one of many ways to die."

  6. #6

    Default

    I think just about every idea has been hit upon…there are no more ways to hide a cache. Are there? Every idea has been taken and many have been duplicated
    I don’t rule anything out anymore. I check everything…..wether it’s a bolt, a rock that seems to be sitting all by itself in the middle of nowhere or a birch log that came from nowhere…in the middle of a pine forest.

    Unlike Jake, I personally LOVE those micros in the woods….There are so many creative ways a person could hide a cache in the woods…and yet I’ve seen just about every type of hide it seems except maybe …the one where you slit a slice into one of those mushrooms that you often see on old trees… ….and slide a piece of paper in it with the coords to the next stage….. Uh oh…I may just have given someone an idea…..oops!

    No seriously….a part of me agrees w/ brdad. Our playground is becoming saturated w/ caches…and many of the micros you see are being put out by newbies (nothing against newbies…I was one too) Many of these newbies geocache for a short time and then lose interest…its too bad. I have even come across some that placed a cache but had no finds.
    I think GC.com should put a policy in place that you need to have found 50 (as an example) caches before you can place one…

    As for the micros I do see a need for them as there are many people who are either wheelchair bound or disabled in some way and what a great way to get them to beautiful places they may not otherwise want to go. It gives them a sense of accomplishment too. But put them in a place worth going to. I do not like guardrail caches where there is nothing there but a guardrail.....put me in the woods and put me even deeper in the woods and give me a nano to look for and I am happy as a lark…but that’s just me. (yeah I'm a glutten for punishment )

    There are caches for every type…of person. Some of us have more time to cache than others and some of us are in it only for the numbers but the bottom line is we need to play nice and be respectful of eachother and our environment (playground).
    Afterall its only a game.....except no one wins.
    "It may be that your soul purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others" ~Steven Wright~
    I'm in my own little Lat/Lon

    “Danse avec les Arbres”

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    ME
    Posts
    3,529

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Foxgloves View Post
    There are caches for every type…of person. Some of us have more time to cache than others and some of us are in it only for the numbers but the bottom line is we need to play nice and be respectful of eachother and our environment (playground).
    Afterall its only a game.....except no one wins.
    Nikki - great thoughts! Creativity comes from getting out of our area and seeing new ideas, trying new containers and seeking something new - hence there will be a chance to swap containers, grab containers and trade swag at my event in September.

    Will there be film cannisters - sure - but come on - get crafty - what can you do with them??? I saw a pretty cool softball recently - and what about chainlink fence? The recent CaraBEANer cache is an example of thinking outside of the box. A well done, creative, theme cache.

    Maybe this is what winter is for in Maine LOL!

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