Guest Post at Madcacher

Today I was given the opportunity of writing a guest post over at Madcacher blog.  If you remember, I recently did a review on their book "101 Devil Caches."   Please take the time to go over, read my post and say hi.  I'd really appreciate the support!

Crazy Cris Finds a Cache

A couple of weeks ago I introduced you to my friend Cris, who lives in Spain.  If you missed that post, you can go back and read about her here.

Since then, she's gone out and found her very first geocache.  I knew she couldn't resist!  She wrote 2 great posts about her experience.  The first one is posted on her blog with a great video showing her favorite area in Spain where the cache was located.  Go here to read her post and watch the fun video.

In addition to that, Bloodhounded over at CacheCrazy asked her to share her story with the readers over there, so she wrote up a second account.  Between geocaching and writing posts, Cris has been quite the busy girl.

I have a feeling that there's a lot more geocaching in Cris' future, don't you?

Flashback Friday 02-22-13

It's time for Flashback Friday over at Seaside Simplicity.  Flashback Friday is open each week from 6pm Thursday evening until Midnight on Sunday. I hope you will join the fun!


My photo this week is of me and was taken in 1982.  I was visiting my sister in Colorado and we were climbing around in the mountains.  I can see that my habits haven't changed much in 20 years.  LOL!

Geocaching Maps Part 2

Geocaching Maps of your Milestones and Extremes

 

 

This is day two in the series on geocache map making with Wayne, aka Cajunabear.  If you missed part 1, go back here to read it and get up to speed.  Let's pick up with our Q & A where we left off.

The finished product is a JPEG which you send to the client to print.  I see the printed size is 18" by 24".  How does one print that out and what type of paper do you suggest they use?  Or do you need to use a service like Walgreens to print it?

That is correct.  The size is a result of common poster and frames sizes and also the result of trying to keep the image to about 5 MB or less without losing its clarity or becoming pixelated.  A number of retailers have the capacity now to print poster size images such as Walgreens.  But there are also many Walmart, Office Depot, Fedex Office places that have the capacity to print poster size prints.  Large format plotters are also used at many Surveying and Engineering firms and at supply retailers for these firms.  Years back Engineers and Surveyors employed these vendors to make blueline and large plots.  I imagine some of them still offer the same services today.  Fedex Office also has an option to print images to canvas.  One of the maps I made for a geocacher was printed on this medium, but due to distance I have not seen it in person to know whether it produces well on that medium.

Short Circuit 2’S Map was a special size..... 

 

Short Circuit 2's map is only one of two that I have made in this particular size, i.e. 24x36. I lost the map template with a computer crash, but could bring it back.  The present size of 18" x 24" allows everyone to find a frame easily. It also is from a while back when I was using other mapping technology, Digital Elevation Models along with mapping data to make the hill-shade affect.

One of the inset maps is a treasure to me.  There were about 15 of southern Louisiana folks that invaded the north (North Louisiana that is).  Our ultimate goal was to get to the GPS Adventure Exhibit which was at a park in Southern Arkansas.  Being in that number, this is the only map or inset where I share the Busy Day Challenge with a team that had a blast on that trip.  To this day I have not made a map of my own adventures.  Kind of like the carpenter that does not make his own house I guess.

I’d like to tell you about Short Circuit 2 -  His generosity was the inspiration for the Milestones and Extremes Maps.  It has been my experience that there are givers and takers.  SC2 as his friends know him, was in a bad accident over 10 years back which crippled him.  As you can imagine the effects were not only physical, but it weighed heavy on him as a person as well.  He told me that in many ways Geocaching helped him to recover, stick through the therapy and conquer the disability physically and mentally.  His legs are not completely healed than before the accident, but I think his mind is as agile as it can be.  He pays back to the geocommunity these days by serving as a Geocache Tour ambassador.  That is if cachers will provide the transportation he will help them navigate the many odd streets of the Metropolitan New Orleans Area to some of the best caches.  No, he does not show them where the geocache is, but he can verify if it is missing for them.  This is just one of the many things he does. 

The other is that he has from the earliest time provided Ammo Cans that are stocked and Gold in color to geocachers that have made a major milestone.  The cost of these has risen during the same period.  SC2 represents the spirit of a volunteer and is something that I always admire in others.  I have many geocaching friends in the New Orleans area and miss them.  I am always pleasantly enchanted by the good spirit of fellow Geocachers.

So what’s the process if someone wants to get a map made?

In order to make a personalized map there are a number of requirements:

1. Your My Finds Pocket Query (email to: cajunabear at gmail dot com)

2. A list of your FTFs by GC codes.

3. And as much detailed information about your history using GCcodes for your Milestones, favorite finds, challenges you have completed and related finds. Special Trips which you would like shown on the map can be given by the days in which you made the finds on the trip. (Alternatively if you post this information on your profile and keep it updated I will data mine the information for your map.)

4. Notification of your position on whether you allow the map to be posted to the web. (You may tag the image after it is posted)

And finally I'd like to share Bamboozle's special map....

 

 

This is one of the few maps where I have been able to watch the evolution of a geocaching history.  Bamboozle, Henry and Marilyn, are two of the nicest people I know.  They have given back to the community in a number of ways.

They have hidden some of the most intriguing finds in the NOLA area which includes one of the top finds in the country, "ViewCarre". 

This team has brought the area a new award called the Platinum Ammocan, given to geocachers that have done meritorious service to the community.  For the past several years they have hosted the "French Quarter Walkabout" which visits some of the most distinguished geocaches.  The number attending each year seems to grow larger, with many returning just for the camaraderie.  The event starts at "View Carre" which is adjacent to the quarter and winds around back and forth between traditional and virtual geocaches.

 I think it shows the ultimate Geocaching adventure by a husband and wife team.  They are Louisiana's ambassadors of geocaching and own the highly recognized geocache View Carre.  

Once you have all the geocachers stats, what's the next step?

Taking this information a table is constructed using the following programs, GSAK,MS Excel, MS Access.  This table list all of your accomplishments tied to the GC code and thus the location.  The data is then converted into an ESRI GIS Shape file which can then be thematically mapped by different categories of data in the table that was earlier finished.  Using ArcGIS a map with insets is created to show many facets of the geocachers adventures.

The finished map is exported as an image out of ArcGIS AND then an art program Paint Shop Pro is used to do touchup and special affects to give the map an antique look associated with a "pirate map".  The whole process is about 4 hours long for a 1K map and longer for more finds and depending on the history of the geocacher.

How much do you charge for this - I mean, it's a lot of your time invested and great attention to detail on your part.

$0 Costs!  and I'll tell you why....

This is just another way of geocaching, it also helps me in learning the tools of ArcGIS and gives me a way of giving back to this fun hobby.  Actually this is a hobby within a hobby.  While I love doing this there is an annual associated maintenance fee for the software.  I do NOT want to charge for the maps (they are priceless for more than one reason), but donations are accepted and if you wish to purchase one of our Geochallenge Gazettes for your state, it will certainly help.  It takes about 5 hours to make a map - what does that cost you in gas during a geocaching trip?  I don't need that much LOL.  Printing costs generally will run over $10 and I understand as high as upper $20s for special prints such as canvas.

Once you're finished, how do you get the map to the geocacher?

You will receive the JPG image by email, full resolution, about 5 MB on average.  The image will be at 200DPI 18 inches high by 24 inches wide.  The size is usually easy to find for frames and not so large as to take up a lot of wall space.

Thanks Wayne for sharing the history behind your beautiful maps and for introducing us to Bamboozle and Short Circuit 2.  They exemplify the true spirit of geocaching and what makes this sport the fun activity that it was meant to be.  It was really my pleasure to get to talk to you and learn about your friends and this interesting hobby of map making.

Wayne’s FB page is called Geocaching Map of Your Milestones & Extremes.  Go check it out and LIKE it.  He has a lot more photos of the different maps he’s made and I urge you to go take a look at the wide variety.  I spoke with several of the cachers who've had their milestone maps pictured in this post and every single one of them has commented on how easy Wayne is to work with, how pleased they were with their completed maps, and how beautiful they look framed and mounted on the wall.  The maps are really unique works of art if you ask me.  I’m now on a mad quest to hit my 2500^th cache so I can get a map made too! 

Be careful of what you wish for Wayne – you’re going to be really busy map making pretty soon! 

Special thanks to Short Circuit 2, Bamboozle, DinaWorks, Salz69, Dutchlandia and Astarandson for allowing me to post copies of their maps.

 

 

 

 

 

Geocaching Maps Part 1

Geocaching Map of Your Milestones & Extremes

 

Today I’d like to introduce you to Wayne, also known as geocacher cajunabear.  He’s come up with the coolest way to proudly display your geocaching milestones.  He makes old world style maps and inputs data taken from your geocaching statistics and then creates beautiful, personalized maps for display. 

Join me in a little Q & A with Wayne:

This first map is the one I made for DinaWorks.....

 

 

You’re a geocacher, correct?  How long have you been caching and how many finds do you have?

I have been geocaching since 2007 and have just over 3000 finds.

How did you become interested in map making?

My profession is as a GIS analyst and a Professional Land Surveyor in 2 states, both having a heavy mapping requirement.  I have been mapping since the 1970s.

This map belongs to Salz69 and was made commemorating his 25,000 finds..... Go Salz!

 

How did you come up with the idea to make these maps?  It's a very cool idea.

The New Orleans Metro Area has some great geocachers. I know, not the only area with great geocachers, but they took me under their wing as a newbie and had regular meetings.  There was always the recognition of geocachers that made milestones.  ShortCircuit2 was one of the torchbearers for such recognition and always had something for the latest achiever.  We were also close to some great south Mississippi Geocachers, who also have a great tradition of hospitality and recognition for achievers.  I do NOT have enough time to plan and hide caches, but I do love mapping and wanted to do something as a way of recognizing all the memories that our hobby affords us.  Hence the maps started out crudely at first, and as I worked with each geocacher some themes and techniques for displaying all the fun came about.  I love that the challenge and EVERY map is a challenge in a sense to capture the spirit of the hunter and the way they play the game.  

This map was made for Dutchlandian.  It was a difficult map to do because it shows both East and West Hemispheres.   At 3700 finds and counting, she is tearing up 2 continents!

 

Each map contains a large center map and then a variety of smaller maps on the outside edges.  What are some of the different categories people like you to map out?

Thanks for bringing this up.  This has become the best method to capture various themes of a geocacher's history.  The themes have almost always consisted of  the following series:

• First Finds by type, i.e., First Traditional, First Event, First Multicache, etc.
• First to Find map
• Best Day
• Best Weekend
• Detail Milestones
• Detail Extreme Finds
• Busy Day Challenge
• Max Distance/Day

But there have been inset maps also for the following:

• First finds by State or Country
• Delorme State Completion Map
• County Challenge Map
• Alphabet Challenge Map
• Favorite Finds
• Hides Map
• Favorite Trips showing multiple days of finds from a geocaching vacation.

As you can see the variations are really only a matter of conception, challenge, or imagination.

Astarandsons map has special geo-art features.....

This one with the hummingbird and smiley face is very cool - how did that come about?

 Geo-Art has been around for a while, but the geocacher that wanted that map had a special desire to have it shown on the map along with a couple of others.  She specifically requested and provided the info so that I would not miss it and therefore used some insets for the GEO-ART.  This is the very thing that I hope every geocacher would provide.  I run a number state generators on the myfinds file from a geocacher, but this level of detail requires the knowledge of the geocacher to let me know what may be missed in the process of looking for extremes and milestones for mapping.

This concludes part one in the Map Making series with Wayne, aka Cajunabear.  Please come back tomorrow to read Part 2, find out how you can order your very own map, hear all about 2 geocachers who are near and dear to Wayne and see their awesome maps.  See you tomorrow!

 

Book Review - 101 Devil Caches

Whether you're a seasoned geocacher with thousands of finds under your belt or a newbie to geocaching, I think there's something for everyone in the recently published "101 Devil Caches."
Co-written by EJ Martin and Kurt Milligan, these guys know what they are talking about.  Lifelong friends and avid geocachers, they currently run the Madcacher Geocaching Blog and Navicache.com in an effort to share their geocaching experiences with others. 

Since they are fans of geocaches that are a little more difficult than a basic park and grab, they came up with the idea of this book to showcase caches that require thinking outside the box and using your wits to figure them out. 

The book is so much more than a cache primer - it begins with an excellent and detailed description of the game, how it began, the different types of geocaching hides, rules of geocaching, how it impacts our lands and society and finally, the future of geocaching.

Chapter 3 goes into a thorough lesson on GPS technology and how it works.  They then explain GPS units in general and tell you about some of the different capabilities they have and how to use them in conjunction with geocaching or other applications in your daily life.

Chapters 5 & 6 will tell you everything you want to know about joining in the fun.  They list step by step instructions on how to find or hide a cache as well as the different types of basic containers that are usually used.

The real nuts and bolts of the book though are the 101 devil caches that follow in chapter 7.  Each page gives a detailed description of a cache, how to make it, and an excellent drawing of what the cache should look like. If you're looking for some fun and creative caches to make, then you will find this section really useful.  But what I really liked about this section is that it would truly help the newbies to see examples of some of the devilish hides that are out there. 

Many of the caches in the book were ones I've seen over the course of my 3 1/2 years of caching.  But I have to admit there were a few I've not seen before and the book does a great job of getting you excited to try your hand at making some of these different caches. 

Pros:  If you're new to geocaching or thinking about giving it a try, I highly recommend this book to you.  It's a wonderful primer on the how's and why's of geocaching.  And if you're an experienced geocacher, I think you'd enjoy the book as well.  I found out some things about the early days of geocaching and about GPS units in general that I didn't know before.  And as I already mentioned, I'm itching to try my hand at some of the fun and creative caches they describe.  The authors plan to use the proceeds of their book to re-invest in their madcacher.com and navicache.com sites.

Cons:  They have one small, 2 page spread called Geocachers in Profile that I felt could have been expanded.  They only talked about 3 geocachers, and while this was interesting, and exciting since I was pleasantly surprised to see one mentioned that I know personally, I think they could have done an entire chapter on this.  For me, I would have liked to also see some interviews with cachers who have contributed something to the game, or maybe a few cachers who have over 50,000 finds, or even a few who have cached since the inception of the sport.  But that's totally my opinion and the focus of the book is on the devil caches themselves and not the geocachers.

Overall, this book was a good read, very thorough, written with humor and great attention to detail.  Very affordable at $ 14.95 per copy, you can go to the madcacher.com site and order a copy for yourself or to give as a gift.  While you're on their site, take some time to look around - read their blog, look for geocaching clubs in your area and do a little shopping.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.   Get your copy here

I'd like to thank the guys over at madcacher.com for the review opportunity.  I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

 

Chicago RV and Camping Show 2013

This weekend is the 45th annual Chicago RV & Camping Show.  I love to go and inspect all the RV's and dream about a life on the road.  When our kids were small, we owned several different sized travel trailers and we loved each one.  We had a great time camping and the kids loved the bunk beds we always had in them.  It was fun to camp next to the lake and wake up to the sun rising with a cup of coffee in my hand.  We liked to have roaring campfires where we roasted hot dogs and ate gooey s'mores.  At  night we'd lay on the big bed and look up at the dark sky through the opened vents and if it rained, the patter of raindrops on the roof would lull us to sleep.  But most of all I loved the sense of adventure, the open road and the closeness that being in a camper afforded us. 

Really, is there anything better than hitting the road and watching the horizon stretch out in front of your windshield?  If I had my choice (and the money) I'd buy a Class C motor home, pack it up and travel the country.  I want to visit every state and what a great way to do it.

Here are some of the campers we checked out this year....

I saw several that I fell in love with.  The interiors are beautiful.  I thought the campers we used to own were pretty nice, but they have made vast improvements in the past 15 years.

I really liked these with the slide out side...

Look at how roomy the front seats are - and comfortable too!  I can see Louie and I cruising down the road in one of these beauties....

Chablis and I had a great time at the show.  We walked around for four and a half hours.  We talked to a lot of salesmen, picked up a ton of brochures, sat in on a travel seminar about Rt. 66 and got a couple of cute shopping bags for free.....

This one was a regular travel trailer that you pull behind your car.  These are more affordable, and the nice thing about this option is that you can park it at your campsite and still have your vehicle to travel around with.  Definitely an option to consider.

 

 

So, have you ever owned a camper?  Which kind and what did you like best about it?  Would anyone like to give me a camper so I can travel around the country and write about my adventures?  That would be the perfect job for me!  I can just hear Willie Nelson's song "On the road again" playing in the background.

Flashback Friday 02-15-2013

If it's Friday, then it must be time for Flashback Friday over at Seaside Simplicity.

My flashback photo this week is of my great, great grandparents - Joachim and Augusta Rohwedder.

They bought their home in Joliet, Illinois in 1892 and it stayed in the family continuously until 1961.   Their house is now on the Historic Register...

If you'd like to read more about this historic house and see some more pictures, please read my post about it here.

And don't forget to go join the fun at Seaside Simplicity.

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day to all my wonderful blogger friends.  Each day is made special because of you!

Meet Crazy Cris

Today I want to introduce you to my blogger friend Cris from over at Here, There and Everywhere.  Some of you are already familiar with her blog, but if you're not, go over and say hi.  She is one of the most interesting people and just as sweet as can be.

Cris currently lives in Spain, but she has lived in a multitude of countries.  She speaks several languages fluently.  I am lucky that I can master English.  LOL!  Cris is an avid hiker, scuba diver and world traveler.  She hops from country to country like I move between states.... and I am so jealous!

She takes wonderful photographs of her many hiking adventures. 

This is one of her favorite mountain top poses and probably why she's called Crazy Cris!    Check out that view behind her.

Last summer she went on a multi country sailing cruise with her family and is still blogging all about those adventures.  She has a wonderfully close knit family.........

Last Christmas I sent Cris a hat and cowl set that I made for her to wear on her hiking excursions. 

The other day she posted some photos of her on top of a mountain, in Spain, wearing the set.  How cool is that??  Something I made is on top of a freaking mountain in Spain!!

I really hope to some day be able to travel there.  Spain looks awesome and I'd love to see it.   I think Cris and I would have a great time exploring, hiking and of course, geocaching.  I've been telling her all about geocaching and a little bird told me that she may have recently found her first cache....

 

Since so many of you are outdoors minded, you really should go over and check out her blog.  You'll find a lot of really interesting reading over there.  Tell her Kim sent you!

Flashback Friday 2-8-13

It's time for Flashback Friday with Martha over at Seaside Simplicity.  It's quickly turning into a favorite weekly post.

My photos this week are of me when I went sky diving - this was one of the most awesome experiences of my life.  I had to take a day long training class in preparation and then they made us wait a week to do our first jump.  I think they did that because they figured you'd come back only if you really wanted to make the jump.   I really wanted to do it.  The guy friend who took the class with me did not go back.  :-)

That plane behind me is the plane they took us up in - it held the pilot, the instructor and 3 of us who wanted to jump.  Since I was the smallest person, they crammed me in the back of the plane.  It was so cramped in there.  I remember how cold and windy it was as we gained altitude and since I was the furthest back, I was the last to jump.  When I stood in the doorway and looked down, it was a long way down.  But when the instructor hit my leg and shouted "jump" I didn't think twice - out I went.  And for a few brief seconds I was a bird - arms and legs spread out and I could feel the wind rushing against my chest and then "poof" the parachute opened and I was floating on air.  I pulled the strings to maneuver around and just took in the view - you can see for miles from up there.

All too soon I hit the ground, surprisingly close to the landing circle.  Hit the ground, roll and grab the parachute.  Except the wind caught the chute and since I barely weighed 100 pounds, it dragged me down the landing strip on my back until I could flip over and get control of the parachute.  Wow - what an experience!

 

I've only done it once, but I will never forget it.  AWESOMENESS!!  Neither will my mom - she was a little pissed off at me for doing it.  Sorry mom!


Don't forget to go over to Seaside Simplicity and join in on the fun!

Fabulous eSalon Discount Deal

The other day I did a product review for eSalon and they were so pleased with the response from my readers that they are extending a fantastic discount to all of you who are eSalon first time buyers.
 

First of all, if you missed the product review, go back and read about it here.  It's complete with photos of how bad my hair color was before and how wonderful it looks now after using the eSalon, specially formulated product.  I say specially formulated because each eSalon order is mixed specifically for each client.  Go on, go read the post because the great discount offer will still be here when you get back.....

Great hair color, don't you agree?  I really couldn't be more pleased with the results.  If you'd like to give them a try, then click on this link because "Right now, eSalon has a special 50% off deal for first time customers, where you can get a complete hair profile and custom color kit delivered to your door for just $9.95 (plus $4.95 s&h) with a full money back guarantee."

I hope you give eSalon a try.  If you do, be sure to come back and tell me what you think.

I'd like to thank eSalon for the review opportunity.  I was given free product in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Product Review - eSalon

I was recently asked to test and review a new hair color system by eSalon.  Have you heard of them?  Well, if you haven't yet, believe me, you will.

I've been dyeing my hair for close to 37 years- gulp!  Shush, don't repeat that!  My natural color is a sort of dirty, mousy brown, so I usually dye it blonder in the summer months and go a little darker during the winter months.  I've been hankering to go a little darker, and when I heard about eSalon and their review offer, I was ready.

The unique thing about eSalon is that they offer the salon experience at home.  Now I admit, I am a box blonde, meaning I'm a do-it-myself girl.  I haven't stepped foot in a salon for a professional dye job in probably 30 years.  The prices around Chicago are just too high for me, and besides, I prefer to do it at home, at my own convenience.

Convenience is the accurate word when it comes to eSalon.  They offer professional grade dyes like those used in the high end salons and you can choose from demi-permanent or permanent haircolor.  The dye is $ 19.95 per application plus shipping and handling, but get this - each application is specifically formulated for you, based on information that you input onto your order form.  Here's how it works.....

First, go to their very user friendly website at eSalon  Once there you're going to input some basic information, such as your natural haircolor, what percentage of your hair is grey, if you currently color your hair, how often you color your hair, current length and style, and then you choose your new desired color results from an extensive color chart.  Once you do all that you have the option of up loading a current photo of yourself.  Then you submit your order.  It's all pretty quick and very easy to do, let me tell you.

After their colorists reviewed my profile, color choice and photo, I received an email back from them suggesting that I go with a slightly lighter color.  They felt my desired color was too much of a jump and asked me what I'd like to do.  I went with their recommendation and chose a new color, darker than what I was currently using, but not as dark as I wanted to go.  4 days later I received my order through the mail, complete with tracking number.

Check out my personally created hair color and instruction booklet with my name on it.....

The entire kit comes complete with hair dye, application brush, gloves, conditioner, stain guard, stain remover and cotton pads.  First I'll show you a really unattractive photo of the top of my head - yes, I was due for a dye job....

I enlisted Chablis to help with the application process.  I usually use an applicator tip for the dye bottle, and since they supplied a brush, I needed help.  She quickly applied the color and in 15 minutes we were finished.  One thing I noticed right away was the relatively light scent.  My usual store purchased dye has that strong ammonia smell that I hate and this dye was more subtle - a definite improvement.  I let it set on my hair for the recommended 20 minutes and hopped in the shower to wash and rinse. 

Look at the finished product....

I love the color - it doesn't have any of the brassy undertones I often get.  My hair felt lighter, didn't have that "after you dye it" smell and Chablis summed it up perfectly when she said the color was vibrant! 

Pros -  I have to say that the whole eSalon experience was top notch from the moment I signed into their website until I dried my hair after I colored it.  I was very happy with their customer service and their product.  Adding my name to the bottle and instruction sheet really gives it a personal touch.  I would recommend this product and I will certainly use it again.

Cons - I have 2 suggestions and these are merely a matter of personal preference and have nothing to do with the coloring product itself. 

1) I prefer to use an applicator tip on my coloring bottle, similar to this one below.  It would be nice if they could include that as an option.

2)  I think they could supply a little more of the conditioning product.  It's only a small sample and for me, it didn't have any detangle properties.  Again, this is a personal preference on my part.  I added a little of my own detangle product and my hair combed out just fine.  But if you have more hair than I do, then I don't think it would be enough conditioner. 

I think eSalon earned high marks for a really nice product.  Visit their website for more information, how to video's and their easy to use ordering guide. 

*** NEWS FLASH - THIS JUST IN:       "Right now, eSalon has a special 50% off deal for first time customers, where you can get a complete hair profile and custom color kit delivered to your door for just $9.95 (plus $4.95 s&h) with a satisfaction guarantee or your money back  . Go here to give it a try."

I'd like to thank eSalon for the review opportunity.  I was given free product in exchange for my honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.