Goodbye Geocaching ET Highway

Well after a long time the ET highway was archived today.

The statement placed on caches...

This cache is being archived after a request from The Nevada Department of Transportation. The Cache Owner, Clay4&whtwolfden, has received additional information and is responsible for physically removing the container from the location. The same applies for all other caches in this series. Drive safely.

Several Reviewers and Lackeys have teamed up to take all the necessary steps to archive the series and so you will see different usernames taking action on this series of many caches.

Groundspeak thanks everyone for their cooperation.

Sorry for anyone that had plans to go down for the cache run. I have heard a number of people state they had tickets this spring/summer to fly into the are to actual search for the caches.  I saw the note earlier today when reviewers from around the world were asked to help archive the huge series.

I have heard a number of reasons in the forums.   No shoulders on roads, people driving through the brush on the sides of the road and not on the road, and people stopping on the road to run for the caches.  Apparently there have been a number of close calls and accidents, and others just foolishly ignoring the world around them when placing the caches.

Some thoughts if you decide to do something to avoid issues.

• Make sure you have permission.  One cache may not be an issue, event fifty.  But once you place 400, 500, 1000 caches there will be an impact.  some looking for numbers in a one hour period will completely ignore the environment to do it in a hurry.
• Place them where people can park, and not on blind turns, where there is no shoulder, etc.  If you have to go to 800 feet or 1000 feet instead of 550' please do so.
• From a reviewer perspective, remember that your GPS may say 530' from the last one, but the GPS error at the start and at the end may mean you are 470'.  Ask the many that place power trails on walking/driving trails, I will ask them to move it if you are closer than 528'. 
• Avoid High Voltage power lines.  Those were an issue somewhere else.  The power corridor is no places for people driving around.  Makes the tower owners nervous.

I have heard of plans here in Utah, and in other places.  Contact your reviewers up front.  Let them know what you are planning.  They can help you get it going and point out possible issues beforehand.

I have done a few here in Utah (200ish), and I am cured.  Of course with the right friends a drive is always fun, and the long runs are more that I am interested in now. Of course I say that every year.

Other trails are out there.

Here in Utah the Mcguiver/Shakespear/Sienfield road is around by Utah Lake (300 caches I think)

Musical highway down by Cedar City (200 caches about)

Kokepelli southwest of St. George a hiking pattern in the desert 100+ caches

Heart of the Desert north of I-70 west of Salina

Scout Series just south of Payson Utah 60-70 caches (hiking)

And a number of smaller runs. 

Update on 2011-03-03 20:32 by firennice

From the forums... second hand from the cache owner.

If you haven't heard...we had to archive all 1021 ET caches as of today (1 March). I am afraid it is WAY our of our hands. Groundspeak pulled the plug on the caches due to Nevada Department Of Transportation filed a law suit through the Nevada General Attorney's office. There is nothing we can do.... So sorry for the bad news...it happened fast! A close call with a snow plow was what finally pushed NDOT over the edge

We are both disappointed, but understand the seriousness of a law suit, something NO ONE wanted.

Oldest & Favorite Caches in Idaho

I received an email request to add an Oldest cache in Idaho list, and favorites.

I do not plan on adding all the links (because of the time it takes) like I did with the oldest 100. 

So here you go.

The oldest caches?

1	17-Jun-00	24	Traditional Cache Camels Prairie Stash by Moun10Bike, Cindy, Laura and Jasmine (GC25)
2	21-Jun-00	1	Traditional Cache Eggcellent by Ry Jones (GC27)
3	21-Jun-00	2	Traditional Cache Two roads by Ry Jones (GC26)

and the favorites?

24	Traditional Cache Camels Prairie Stash by Moun10Bike, Cindy, Laura and Jasmine (GC25)
15	Earthcache Shoshone Falls Earthcache by DzzyOnes (GC16YNE)
12	Traditional Cache Priest Lake Underwater Adventure by dblply2 (GC1452W)
12	Earthcache Crater Rings of Idaho by maverick_65g (GC10EBR)
10	Unknown Cache Davy Jones Locker by Da_Muggle & The_Thief (GC230JX)
10	Earthcache Craters of the Moon National Monument by The Wandering Stars (GC10F0Y)
10	Multi-cache SPYDER CAVES by Team Spyder Balls (GCM0GX)

Update on 2011-03-01 17:28 by firennice

Similar Pages

Oldest Active Geocaches Worldwide

Favorite Caches in Utah

Oldest Caches in Utah

Update on 2011-03-01 23:51 by firennice

New Poll - 2/28/11

I have a new poll today asking what geocaching sites you use on a regular basis.

On that same page the last poll is still going:  What is your favorite cache size.  That one will be open for a few more days.

Winter in Pine Forest 2011

Cerving Girl teaching the kids (and grownups) how to use the skis.

What has quickly became my favorite event of the year hit yesterday. Cervine Girl's Winter in Pine forest event.  At the scout camp up Payson Canyon there is a ton of fun to be had.

The BSA (thanks to Cervine Girl) lets us use cross country skis and snowshoes to head out to Pine forest.  It is a great trip. 

Getting ready for the tripAfter a brief instruction on the use of the skis, how to get in and out, and some tips on how to keep out of trouble on the trail we headed off.

The trip to pine forest is not very long.  I would guess it is a half mile to the forest and the snow was really sticky so there was not a lot of sliding, just walking on the skis. 

A few took the time to grab a number of Baldin Eagles caches that were along the way.  He has a pretty well known cache series of puzzles in the hills around the camp. So when we left the camp gates we were taking the time to grab them and hunt for Stopping for a Baldin Eagle Cachethem.  One was never found, but most likely because it was under 3+ feet of snow.  Poking with ski poles found the other when people heard the "thump" of hitting the plastic containers.

There were a number of smaller kids this year than I remember in the years past.  I wish that I had thought ahead and brought my kids on the trip as well.  The weather was warm and it was snowing the entire time.

Ski cachin' in style... with a tie. All in all it was a blast, after a long trip caching, and talking we worked our way back to the kitchen. 

There we had Hot Chocolate and doughnuts waiting for us. So it was really fun to sit around and visit with people that had gotten ahead of us on the trail, or behind us as they arrived.

I had one other thought.  It was at this event last year that I told people that I was the reviewer,  catching everyone off guard. 

So it was interesting to think what I had been involved in since that time, and the changes in geocaching.

I will write the changes that I have seen soon, and toss in some thoughts on them.

Thanks for everyone and your support.  It makes all the work worth the effort.

 For more pictures from the event visit the set on Flickr.

Poll today

I was playing around and decided to try an poll. 

I will do one a week, or more, and they will appear on the left side of the screen. 

Just a fun experiment.

The first one.. what is your favorite cache size.  Discuss.