Groundspeaks Geocaching Andriod App Part 1 - Initial Impressions

Well here goes the run with Groudspeak's app.  This will be multiple parts focusing on the Android app and how it works, and what you can expect from it.

First I should point out that I use a Sprint Hero running 2.1.  I have tried a number of other apps, all with their ups and downs. I did not pay money for any of them.  I stuck with the free versions, or apps that were free.  So the chance to jump on the app was great for me.  We were told that it was coming out sometime during the week, so I would check the app store every few hours.   No luck at all.

Loading

Finally the app appeared in the store.  I downloaded it and it said there was 50-100 dowloads at the time. So woo hoo here I go off to the great beyond.  <poof> $9.99 vanished from the checking account and a few minutes later I was downloading.

No problems on the load.  Well there was one. Where I was at work had a poor download speed.  Well I guess there was not hurry.. I was at work after all.  Not much I could do there.

Impressions

It was running nicely.  I liked the splash screen, it reminded me of a place I camped a few months ago.  It smoothly ran me to the screen that asked me what I wanted to do: Find geocaches, different searches, and a trackables button. 

I zoomed through a number of screens, I had it search for the nearby caches and came up with a list.  Skimmed through a number of caches on the screen.  I clicked on one and the cache listings came up.  There were many different options that appeared, I looked through them and was able to get all the information from the cache page that you see on a page.  Description, hints, and other info. 

Clicking Navigate took me to a screen that let me look at the map of the area... with a line to a nearby cache.  The one at the destination.  It was a simple Google map. 

I took it out for a spin and found a cache.  I was happy with how smoothly it worked.  There was no delay. and I quickly noticed that on the map screen was a circle.  I eventually figured out that the circle around the dot that represented me was the margin of error.  It was pretty small, but there were times (inside and near buildings) that I could make it grow.

When I selected the option to actually navigate with the compass (from the menu screen) it took me right to the cache.  I am getting really good accuracy.  Far better than I expected, especially after I read about the iphone 3g gps issues.

Then it was a simple matter of logging the cache.  There are two options.  One that let me submit the cache as a field note, or just submit the log later.  Either could be a good option.  You may want to publish things later and write a longer note, or you may wish to do ir right then.  Depending on your skill with typing logs, or wanting to make it bigger later.

Final thoughts (part one)

It worked really nicely and I was happy to get my first cache with it.  I found two more that night, it worked smoothly and I did find some other little tricks that I will bring up when I continue with this.  But I would recomend it.

On that note.. some users are having issues with a few models.  Android phones often have a special UI over the Android operating system.  My Hero runs one called HTC sense, and also has some Sprint UI built in.  The Droid X has had a number of issues.  So you will spend some time working around them until the next update comes up.  Apparently they all have work arounds but you will want to be aware of it.

Android Geocaching App - Part 1- Initial Impressions

Android Geocaching App - Part 2 - Searches, Trackables, and Settings

Android Geocaching App - Part 3 - Geocache Navigation

Android Geocaching App - Part 4 - Loading Saved Files

Android Geocaching App - Part 5 - Final thoughts

Android app has arrived.

After a few months of waiting and moderating the Android forum on geocaching.com the moment finally arrived.  This afternoon the Android app appeared on the market.

I have tried a number of the other apps out there, and was always left kind of bummed at almost all of them.  From the geocaching.com websiteThis afternoon I logged on and finally had the app.  It took me a few seconds and it was on my phone and then I had to wait a few hours for quitting time.  Then off i went. The first cache was a bust.  but I could not find it anyway, and the second I went right to it.

I have been pretty please. It appears I have the ability to log it to my field notes, so i can make a longer cache note later, save a batch and upload 4-5 logs, or upload each log as I go.

I really liked how it looks and its ease of use. I was worried with all the other stuff out there that this one would not measure up.  It does.  and I am happy that is does.   It is the favorite of the ones that I have played with .

Diamonds, Events, and Caches

Caching run

There has been a bit of news this week, and a bit of fun.

I was busy most of the week.  Scouts, church activities, and family took up most of my free evenings that I had.  Things were going pretty well, even though they were very hectic.

Then Thursday night my family was off playing when I got off work.

Jacob and I decided to head out.  With no particular place in mind, and with no specific goal.  We headed up spanish fork canyon.  Jacob wanted to look for a benchmark that someone had supposedly found and yet no one else could. 

We were digging through the grass looking for a benchmark that was on the front steps of an old building that was torn down.  (Yes we pretty much guessed it was not there and the person logged it anyway, but we wanted to check.)

We dug through the bushes when we heard a voice call out.  Dorkteam6 was on his way back from central Utah and just happened to see Jacobs jeep on the side of the road. 

Well we decided to head up Diamond Fork Canyon. Jacob had a cache that he wanted to place.  We did get to that location and decided to follow the road up.    So up we went.  Higher and higher up the hill.  I was impressed with how high it actually went.  I have not been on  many roads that gain that much altitude that fast.

Well all the way up we knew we were going to hide a cache or two.  So much of the discussion was where, and what to name them.

Dorkteam6 at his finest. He does look better with a mask.We decided to place thee. I wanted to have a clue in each one that leads to a final, but they wanted to part of it.  That was just as well we did not have many containers of size.  And hiding a micro in the woods seems counterproductive.

We ended up with a name.  Damn Barking Spiders.  It was tricky and there was a lot of discussion on route.  But that was the only thing that we could agree on.  And only because we were hearing them in our travels.  So it seemed to fit .

Events

Fridat was the events.  I got off a little early and headed over the the hot dog event.  There were a few that were still there hanging around and talking.  I talked for a while before heading off home to gather things for the campout.  I had decided not to campout but I had decided to cook while I was there.

The group on the hike.. at least the start.

I grabbed everything too make a few cobblers (Peach and a Raspberry).  Everyone asks for peach, but after I make the raspberry no one finishes the peach (it happened again here).  We had a pretty good crowd that wandered in and out of the event most of the evening.  From the new cacher and his mom (he was 9 if i remember right) to the older of us that still make it out.

The Route up.I stayed for quite a while.  A number of people had scheduled campsites and were staying over.  Slowly they filtered off as we discussed cacheing and the different people, caches, and things that everyone had seen or done.

They made fun of me. I am getting used to it.  More than I used to. Slowly developing a thicker skin about it all.  I had another reviewer state that he though some gave up because they could not develop a thick skin and toss aside all the garbage that is tossed at them, or not able to filter out the attacks from the honest critique. Hopefully I am gbetting better.

The next morning was the hike to Maple Mountain.  I knew that I was not going to make it all the way.  It was a given already.  I knew time wise that I was not going to get that far before I had to be home.

In order to claim the hike you had to go 1/4 mile up the trail and get to the trailhead.  Well we had a group of about 12 that made it to the trailhead.  We talked for a bit and six of us started the hike up the mountain. LV2WV, the new cacher (9 years old) and his mother, and DrJay and I. 

We worked our way up the mountain, going slow helping everyone find caches that needed them, and I placed one in a stretch that seemed very empty.  Eventually Mr lv2wv stopped.  They had been told it was a easy hike, (it was not).  Though it was not very long it is rocky, uneven and really steep in a number of spots.An our new cacher and his mom stopped as well.

So then there were three.

Dr Jay in all his glory.We continued up the trail working our way through the heavy undergrowth.  It gets to about four feet high and fills the trail. so we had to wade, and snake our way through.

We grabbed a few caches and a challenge cache and Mrs. LV2WV headed back down to get her husband, and head down the mountain.

DrJay and I continued on. Braving the heavy growth, flies, steep hills, rocks, stinging nettle, and any other number of hardships until we found his cache half way to the peak.

At that point we turned and headed back down the mountain.  I would have gone up a little higher, but another steep spot chased me back.

On the way down we met goblincamper2004.  We had not realized that he was heading up as well, and he was working up to a few of the caches that were on the way up.  We pointed out that the next 1-2 were not very tricky to get to and he continued up while we headed down.

I have been up here a few times, and ruined a pair of boots, and a pair of sneakers.  Well add another pair of sneakers to this trail.  The holes finally got big enough, and a stitching blew that I had to go get another pair.

This has always been a fun hike, wether I had scouts, JedimasterAshlie, or DrJay and others this year. 

Thanks everyone for helping me enjoy myself.  I felt really good upon getting home.  I did go to bed early, and now my legs are stiff, but I still feel good and had a good time.

The Weekend

This last week I headed south to my families stomping grounds, Fishlake.  My grandparents had a cabin here long ago, and it was time for our annual family reunion. 

Not much happened of interest.  I wanted to take a hike around the lake but did not have the chance.  I did look for a few caches. I had pretty mixed luck that day about 50-50  but I did get the final info for a Earthcache I was working on.  I have a few more but I have to get permission from the Forest Service.  I just need to stop by the office in Spanish Fork and talk to them about it before I actually finalize it.  That has always been the biggest pain getting the permission part done.

There were a ton of caches listed this weekend.  I did a few from my phone.  I have to be a little selective.  If there appears to be problem then I have to wait and do it at home.  It takes far to long to write the notes on my phone. 

I did get to place about 6 caches in all. A few I made members only.  Mostly because I feel like they might vanish, so that might help them stay put just a little bit more.  I was shocked at the number of caches that are in that area that are gone.  It appears that a number of cachers have archived their caches that used to be in the area.  I used to have a number of caches in Richfield, and I had about 1/3 now I have about all of them, and i archived a few that have gone away.

I have tried to figure out why some areas are so successful with the number of cachers.  I think each area needs 2-3 people that actively place caches. or people find all in their neighborhood and they give up.  Vernal, St George, Weber County, Utah County, all seem to have so many caches being placed that it keeps people going.  Other places like Davis, and Salt Lake counties, seem to have enough cachers that they keep people going.  They get enough interest to travel to look for caches.

On another note, Geocaching Podcast mentioned the Kokapelli in southern Utah.  Billion put in a ton of work on those caches, and getting the it up.  What is really amazing is that he had to plan the caches before going and haul them all there.  Regardless of wether it was a hard place to get to or not.  Congrats Billion.

So many caches.. so little time.... talk to you later.

The Musical Highway

An amazingly long and enjoyable day.

The plan.

I had been thinking about this and tossed some ideas out to a few people.  Wondering who might be interested.  I was not sure if i would be able to go, but i really wanted to.  I knew it would be a long one.  200 caches 3 hours away from home.  so we were looking at 8 hours at most (i was guessing i would be really fast in a search. (wrong).
Then finally my plans sorted themselves out about Wednesday night that I would be able to go.  After a trip to the zoo Friday, Saturday was to be free.
I called Jacob, he still wanted to do stuff nearby, but was thinking about it.  He made a few inquiries to the Mortys and Princess Daisies. Thursday night they came over to get a few caches that were located near my home, and we started to talk.  That led to calling Jacob and the decision was made.  We were going to go.  The car was discussed, what to take, when to leave. All vital points that we needed to determine before we left.
Some disagreement on when we were going to meet was discussed and we settled on 7am. Though I did call Jacob later to determine if I had really heard correctly.

Morning

Well I got up and headed out.  Of course I was the last one.  7am is really early for me. After a few convulsions  and seizures at getting up so early I finally got rolling.
We met and were off on the road.  I struggled to stay awake, but all was well. Sadly I had to sit in the back by Jacob, but eh... oh well.

Caches on the way.

We hit our first caches as we traveled ac cross the center of the state in Fillmore.  Cache across the US, one of PeanutsParents, and a Tico Jeffry cache. There was not much time to waste as we hit the bathrooms grabbed some small snacks, and were on our way once again.

As we headed south, we pulled off so Jacob to do some cache maintenance and to hit a few more caches on the way. Grabbing a multi, and a few other caches and back on the freeway heading south.  

We hit town at about 11 and grabbed some gas (so we would not be out in the desert without it). Princess Daisies and I grabbed a cache at the gas station, and we started looking for caches in the area to go find. We hit a few and finally decided to go grab some food.  jacob wanted to meet some girl while we were there, so we ate and talked.  

Then we jumped ship for a few and headed out into the parking lot to grab a cache while Jacob visited.  We hit the store and grabbed some Oreos, and a little junk food. We got there and broke up the lovebirds and off we went to the event.

We were late at this point, but there were caches on the way.  Crap.. how did that happen.  So we started to grab a few on the way. Then finally determined that we would be too late if we did not get rolling.

I worked the magic on the way and 190 caches suddenly magically appeared. >>poof<<.  Then I realized a horrible mistake that I had made.  I was watching them all.  So every cache find was going to send me an email until I finally got home and could turn them off.   Drat i had started with 200 emails in my inbox.

Jacob then pulled out his laptop and created and loaded a  pocket query for the area, so that he would be ready. I had cheated a little, and had made the query before I published it.  I sent a copy to the host, but I did not give it to him before we left.  I made him work for it.

Arrival

We pulled off and into the driveway.  We were not sure we were in the correct place, but I remembered getting an email from one of the event hosts so I pulled out my phone ans sure enough it matched the sign  >woohoo< we were there.

I stopped and talked at the entrance with one of the hosts and eventually went upstairs where everyone was eating and finishing loading the caches to head out on the adventure. Crap.  Mistake #2.  

If I had thought about it I would have waited, so that I could have visited with a few people for a while.  In the end that was probably a good thing.  We chatted with a few people, and people were heading out the door so off we went.

The Musical Highway

We headed off on the journey. I tried to stop and say hi for a minute but the rest of my team was off and in the car by that time, so I figured I better go.  I got out and off we went.  We were the back car in the driveway, so we were first or second to get out on the road.

A breakdown of the caches...
There were a few large ones.
A handful of smaller ones.
Pill bottles
Marker tubes
DNA tubes.

Some were pretty easy to find, others were evil  If you head out the difficulty rating does not always follow how difficult we found it.  The marker tubes drove me nuts.  many were painted, some were in holes in the fence a  number of them were original in how the containers were hid.  All in all it was great.

The day wore on and the train of cars diminished.  Some had to leave at 4pm others 6pm.. The temperature was near 100 and I was surprised that no one had any car trouble.  We would shut the car off at some hides, turn of the AC when we were out of the car.

The day did drag on, after an hour or two I remember thinking.. crap we are only about 1/4 of the way. I thought something like that many times during the day.  We gathered at around the halfway point to talk as a group - we were bunched up looking for one of the unfindable ones, and the cache owner showed up.

The number of cars slowly diminished so that by the end there were 4 cars.. 10 people finished the trail.  At this point I was glad I did not schedule to sit and talk earlier in the day.  The sun was going down on our evening. We snapped a parting shot as a group, and headed off.  We were taking an old train road north, and everyone else was heading back to get the night cache. that we hit earlier in the day.

Return

The return was uneventful.  Jacob placed two at two old rail town/stops that were nothing but dots in the sand. I found a place that I placed my disco inferno cache.  It seemed fitting there was a fire in the distance in some of the hills, and finishing the trail.  We headed up through minersville past all the pig farms. On to beaver and home.  But we did make it on one piece.

We finally crawled home at about 12:30 or a little later. Thanks Wildrills and Ironbuttwings for the fantastic day, and all the cachers for putting up with the four strangers from the north invading your desert country.  I dont want to forget my trip, caching companions, Mortys, Princess Daisies, and Jacob, for making the day and the trip fun and possible.