TAG :: Toronto Area Geocachers » 2011 » September
Sep 27 2011
Here’s an interesting update that just came out for the Garmin Montana series. You can tweak the paperless geocaching now to be more OpenCaching like, or more “Traditional” (aka Geocaching.com) like, or combine them both.
This is handy for telling at a glance whether the cache is listed on Garmin’s OpenCaching.com site, or elsewhere. My immediate thought turns to noting which site I’m going to log the cache find on or potentially seeing cross listed caches for logging both quickly.
In “Traditional” View (seen above), the list hows Groundspeak icons, and the Difficulty/Terrain stars. The same information shows on the map view.
Switch the unit over to “OpenCaching” mode and that all changes. You’ll now see the icons shown in OpenCaching.com’s brown palette and the radar view showing the Difficulty, Terrain, Size and Awesomeness rankings.
Of course, you can see them combined in list view as well.
The Dashboards and Filters also reflect the changes. To see the Opencaching filter screen, you have to set your “Geocaching Style” to OpenCaching.com, or if you have only OpenCaching caches on your unit you can use “Auto”
While Garmin says the changes are only available on their giant flagship Montana handhelds, the blog post promises more units will support the feature soon.
[ via GPSTrackLog / Rich Owens ][ Garmin Paperless Opencaching ]
Sep 27 2011
Screaming Skulls – photo by northernpenguin
Latitude 47, Groundspeak’s official blog has posted a feature article on GCPJNV – “Screaming Skulls”. The cache is one that is well known to Toronto area (and most Ontario) geocachers as a fantastic geocaching day-trip destination. It’s Groundspeak’s “Cache of the week” this week.
This cache is located at Midlothian Ridge -just west of Burk’s Falls, amid the haunting art of Peter Camani. The art features concrete forms of head like figures which appear to be screaming. In the middle, is the artist’s home dubbed “Midlothian Castle“. Seen from the air, the concrete forms depict an image of a dragon. Some of the works quite literally depict souls … the artist has an option where you can have your cremation ashes added to the concrete when you move on to the afterlife.
The cache was placed by The Go Getters in 2005. It’s been visited by 211 people and has 43 favourite points. If you visit the cache, plan on spending at least an hour exploring the area. Autumn is a particularly nice time to visit!
For Groundspeak’s take on the popular cache, head on over to their story. The images in the Groundspeak story appear to be from visit logs by filmclips and simplyred.
[ GCPJNV Screaming Skulls ] [ Latitude 47 ]
Sep 12 2011
BFL Boot Camp, our annual night caching tradition, usually starts at a pub, and then we head out into the woods for a night of geocaching. While the main event was announced a few weeks ago, we still needed some time to get the pub together. Today, I’m glad to say we’ve addressed the pub situation. We’re meeting at the Mohawk Inn and Conference Centre for our pub.
In previous years, we’ve had problems accommodating everyone who wanted to come to the pub, as frankly there aren’t a lot of pubs that can handle crowds of 100+ people all at once. We tried to solve the problem one year by splitting the pub up and taking over three venues. This year we’re fortunate that the facility can handle up to 180 people – we’re taking over a banquet hall.
Still, in less than 12 hours we’ve signed up over 80 people for the pub event which is approaching the half full status so, if you’re coming out for BFL and want a seat at the pub, best to get that will attend in now.
Another fantastic opportunity this year is that the pub is, in fact, an Inn. So you can crash there after caching most of the night, or you can leave family members there to relax while you’re out caching if they are only interested in the pub portion of the evening. Rooms start at $75.
More information about the event activities can be found on the BFL Boot Camp website. The events are listed on Geocaching.com.
[ BFL Boot Camp VI – Super Pub Night ] [ BFL Boot Camp VI – Retro Reflect ] [ BFL Boot Camp Website ]
Sep 07 2011
COGger’s are much happier tonight, now that Groundspeak has finally corrected the series of errors that followed the issuing of the first Mega Event souvenir in Canada (Spring Fling 007). At first, the Souvenir had a crappy, low resolution image that featured a man holding a gun (of all things):
Next, they replaced the artwork with a much better logo, the one that was featured on the shirts you all bought at the event:
But the bio was still that of the Groundspeak Lackey who came up with the original gun themed image! I’m glad to report (via rca777) that the proper bio is now up for local cacher Elf (of Rainbow’s Connections). Rather than explain who she is, here’s how Groundspeak wrote up her bio on the updated Souvenir page:
About the Artist:Elf is a Geocacher with an interest in the simpler, kookier, and often overlooked things in life. She will help you step outside your comfort zone, and make you think about your world, your ways, and your thoughts on just about any topic. When not hiking or geocaching, she spends her time reading, writing, creating stuff, marshaling bicycle races, and challenging those around her to become even more amazing people. She also tends to attract various wildlife such as beavers, moose, and grackles, to get stuck upside down inside tree trunks, caves, and other hard to get into spaces, and to get quite muddy, wet, scratched, scraped, and bruised – all in the name of fun. She also enjoys wrestling salmon and working on her “How One Gets Oneself into these Situations: The Guide” photo album.
Congratulations to Elf for having her artwork featured in a Groundspeak Souvenir. It’s a great show, and much better represents the event as it was. Here’s hoping they call you first next year for the Spring Fling 8 Souvenir.
[ Spring Fling 007 Souvenir Page ]
Sep 01 2011
Well, Waterloo Region had their GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit, and Alberta had theirs. Now, it’s Toronto’s turn!
The GPS Maze Exhibit is an interactive display about geocaching put together by Groundspeak, Minotaur Mazes and Trimble Navigation. The travelling exhibit features a 2,500 square foot maze with interactive experiences that teach about GPS technology and, of course, geocaching. The Waterloo Maze exhibit was clearly American oriented but this time (the rumours say) it will be the redesigned Canadian specific version that debuted in Alberta this summer.
The exhibit will run at the Ontario Science Centre from October 2, 2011 through January 8, 2012. There is an admission fee for the Science Centre but it’s a really cool place to explore in addition to the Maze Exhibit.
Also, just like they did in Waterloo, Groundspeak will host a Geocaching Event complete with a Lackey (Eric) on opening day. The event runs from 11AM to 2PM on October 2.
[ GC33AVY – GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit Event ] [ GC32XHM GPS Adventures Exhibit ]