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stickerooni
Geocacher
Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 24
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 Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| Arcticabn wrote: |
stickarooni,
There are those that play this sport that only want to do urban caches. For what it is worth, there are cachers out there that don't want to walk in the woods. They enjoy the sport but would rather walk around downtown finding micro in signs then walking through Battle Creek Park.
To each their own on this game. If you look at the cache page you can make your own decision whether you want to go after it or not. In most cases micros in signs do not impact the ability of anyone to put a regular in the woods some place.
Just a thought. |
Very true. |
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stickerooni
Geocacher
Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:18 am Post subject: |
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| bflentje wrote: |
I didn't mean the difference between legal and illegal. Anything that is spelled out I have no problem with. What I do have a problem with is people who use their feelings to make decisions. Just because they have a problem with the wheres and hows a cache is hidden does not necessarily make it wrong. |
And I didn't mean to imply that simply because something 'feels' wrong to me that I should be the deciding factor in whether or not a cache should be allowed. But I was curious as to whether or not there was a way for me to check to see if there was a violation in the placement...without raising lots of flags or getting someone in trouble needlessly. |
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bflentje
Geocacher
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 3652
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: |
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| stickerooni wrote: |
| bflentje wrote: |
I didn't mean the difference between legal and illegal. Anything that is spelled out I have no problem with. What I do have a problem with is people who use their feelings to make decisions. Just because they have a problem with the wheres and hows a cache is hidden does not necessarily make it wrong. |
And I didn't mean to imply that simply because something 'feels' wrong to me that I should be the deciding factor in whether or not a cache should be allowed. But I was curious as to whether or not there was a way for me to check to see if there was a violation in the placement...without raising lots of flags or getting someone in trouble needlessly. |
I understand. For me, if it isn't a blatant disregard for the published rules I'd let it go. Regardless of how cool it sounds that (paraphrasing) bad caches can give us all a bad name, it does not happen that often at all. |
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stickerooni
Geocacher
Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| DeltaMikeAlpha wrote: |
Sorry to have opened this can of worms but sometimes I wish that there was an attribute that indicates that there is a school nearby. Or at least a warning in the description so a person could know when or when not to look for a cache.
It's pretty obvious too me that it's an individual taste about what is too close. I happen to cache alone a lot for these urban caches as my wife routinely refuses to look for them. Unfortunately a middle aged white male caching alone looks a heck of a lot more suspicious than a husband/wife twosome does. I have been stopped and questioned by the police for caching in a generic city park before. I believe it was because a woman playing on a baseball field with several kids under 8 about 200 yds away didn't like the looks of some guy wandering aimlessly around a couple of pine trees (I know, I know... blame the pine trees!) and called the local police. While I don't mind having to explain myself to local law enforcement, I regret that I made the woman that uncomfortable where she felt the need to leave the park and call the police. I doubt they ever called her back to explain what the reason was. Now I routinely walk away from caches that are placed too close to where kids are playing and I absolutely refuse to look for caches (when I'm alone) that are placed either on playground equipment or near a school. I don't CARE what others do in these situations. Personally I don't care to test the waters so to speak of being detained for loitering near a school.
What's too close to a school? For me, it's always a judgement call. I've walked away from four caches that I felt were too close for MY comfort zone. I have probably found at least that many near schools. I tend to take a pass when it's a highly visible hide location but go for it when the cache is hidden in a large wooded area.
All I would ask is that if a cache is legal but near a school, that the fact is indicated in the description so that fellow cachers are aware of the fact and can act accordingly. |
I will, as I have for the past five years, cache and keep my concerns over some hides, to myself. And, like DeltaMikeAlpha, walk away from those that I don't like ... for whatever reason. As a middle-aged, male, like DMA here, I feel very exposed when searching for a cache across the street from a school, or digging in a sign post on a well travelled road for a micro.
I have not been approached by the police yet, but I attribute this to my leaving a scene in which I am horribly out of place. I've definitely been watched.
I don't have a problem NOT caching. I don't need to find every single cache out there. Not even those near me if I don't like the area. I may post a note as to why I am not visiting a cache so that others can learn what might be in the area and make their own decisions.
I will leave the posting of caches to Surfer Joe and leave my feelings out of it. And while I did question what good micros all over creation are, I have not suggested, for 'cool' or other reasons, that bad caches give us all a bad name.
I'm a little mind-boggled and disappointed that my innocent question about how to question the placement of a cache has made me feel as though I'm a trouble-maker looking to raise flags about a cache. I used the word "feel" and I'm suddenly 'wrong' for using my 'feelings.' I have to admit that I'm not intimate with the rules for placing a cache. I look through the rules when I'm hiding one of my own. But since I can't quote chapter and verse, I rely on my gut.
No one answered my question with, 'check the rules for placement.' But of course, as Surfer Joe has already reported, the proximity to a school is subjective. Being subjective, I would think that a gut feeling is perfectly viable when concerned.
If I started seeing reports on one of my caches that people were uncomfortable with how close it was to such-such building or that there's constant activity in the area, I would probably consider moving it.
My gut stands firm (and large). My reporting of concerns will remain silent. |
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stickerooni
Geocacher
Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Mon Sep 22, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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...and for the record... I will admit that I have a hated micro across the street from a school. It is a Premium Member only cache, partly so that there aren't scores of people haging around the area (which is actually closer to another public entity than it is to the school).
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bflentje
Geocacher
Joined: 29 May 2006
Posts: 3652
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:44 am Post subject: |
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| stickerooni wrote: |
...and for the record... I will admit that I have a hated micro across the street from a school. It is a Premium Member only cache, partly so that there aren't scores of people haging around the area (which is actually closer to another public entity than it is to the school).
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You may have been taking my statement personally. I was merely stating my position. I was not casting judgement on you or anyone... which is really the root of my statement. |
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stickerooni
Geocacher
Joined: 30 Nov 2007
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2008 7:50 am Post subject: |
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| bflentje wrote: |
| stickerooni wrote: |
...and for the record... I will admit that I have a hated micro across the street from a school. It is a Premium Member only cache, partly so that there aren't scores of people haging around the area (which is actually closer to another public entity than it is to the school).
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You may have been taking my statement personally. I was merely stating my position. I was not casting judgement on you or anyone... which is really the root of my statement. |
I probably was taking it too personally. 
It's a new day, and I have a short-term memory. |
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