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Welcome to GotWake.Com
Whether you're a wakeboarder, a geocacher, a snowboarder, my mom, or all or none of the above - hopefully you find something of interest while you're here.
To log a Gotwake signature item, please visit the Tracking Application.
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News
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Articles: Garmin Colorado and Paperless Caching |
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Posted By: Billy
on Monday, February 25, 2008 - 04:20 PM |
I've been Paperless Caching for several years, constantly evolving and refining my processes as new tools are introduced.
Well, the new Garmin Colorado400t has turned my entire caching approach on its ear. This unit caries geocache "data" (description, hints, recent logs, etc), and with the latest firmware upgrade, allows logging of finds (and DNFs, Needs Maintenance) in the field.
Read below the cut to learn how I started with an idea, and through participation in a helpful online community, have been able to produce a utility that I think will be of great value to owners of this unit.
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Read more about Garmin Colorado and Paperless Caching (1770 bytes more) [ ] |
2130 _READS |
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Articles: Four Thousand Finds... and climbing. |
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Posted By: Billy
on Saturday, August 19, 2006 - 04:20 PM |
A pretty good caching year, and as I approached this milestone, I picked out a particular cache as my target for find #4000. That cache was Firestone, which happens to be the oldest active cache in the San Francisco Bay Area. Placed on 10/2/2000, this venerable old cache has stood the test of time.
Read on to hear a little about the adventure that was 4K.
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Read more about Four Thousand Finds... and climbing. (620 bytes more) [] |
1937 _READS |
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Articles: Second Anniversary |
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Posted By: Billy
on Monday, March 28, 2005 - 04:20 PM |
Or: Two years and no signs of slowing...
So, this date marks my two-year anniversary with this little obsess... errr, hobby, we call geocaching. I thought that perhaps after the first year, having well exceeded my initial goal of averaging one find a day, that I might taper off a bit.
Quite the contrary: I've actually significantly picked up the pace, bumping that average up to well over 2 finds per day - racking up 1714 finds, and 125 First-To-Finds. I have discovered the Bay Area Geocaching Leaderboard after being kindly "nominated" by TeamAlamo and added to the list. Now I can see graphs, trends, and more stats!
I'm not even going to make any predictions or forecasts about year 3 - just because my life is in such a state of flux right now. I'm trying to find time for caching and other activities - but am working on controlling the obsession and finding a work-life balance with the insanity of the job.
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1847 _READS |
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Articles: Bay Area Backroads Goes Geocaching |
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Posted By: Billy
on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:35 AM |
Or: How long will a cache last after its location is shown on TV?
Some time ago, I rang TeamAlamo for some help, and he mentioned that he was out filming with Doug McConnell of Bay Area Backroads. Every once in awhile since then, I would ask him when the show was supposed to air -- but it kept being delayed or just unknown.
Well, the time is here - is just aired this evening on SF Bay Area station KRON4. Here's the story associated with the show, which those of you in the Bay Area can catch again on Sunday night at 8PM on KRON4.
Congrats to local cachers Team Alamo, WorkerofWood, Team Jiffy, Fisherwoman, Bthomas, and Hemlock on their "15 minutes of Fame" as the crew that escorted Doug to a variety of caches around the city. I even spotted my favorite SF cache to date: Sounds of the Bay. I even got 2-3 seconds of (indirect) fame of my own, as I spotted a signature Gotwake thermometer-compass on the hood of the Jeep in a couple of shots.
So, my question is: How long will the various featured caches last? Only a couple showed the actual hiding location - most notably Lombard Street.
Be sure to tune in Sunday night at 8pm on KRON4 - or, just show up at the BADGES event cache Sunday in Cupertino. See you there!
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2019 _READS |
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Articles: Concurrent Milestones |
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Posted By: Billy
on Friday, February 04, 2005 - 04:20 PM |
WooHOO -- FTF... times 100!! Just the other day, I scored my 100th FTF (first-to-find) and my 1500th overall find... all with one little cache. Thanks to TeamAlamo for placing Higher atop Mt. Diablo and enabling this double bonus find. I can't believe this one lasted well over a month without a find - while OTHER caches around the peak were being logged?!? Oh well - works out nicely for me!!
2000, here I come...
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1493 _READS |
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Articles: eCaching |
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Posted By: Billy
on Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 11:49 PM |
Or: The only way to score 43 caches during a 19-hour, 2-state drive
So, all geocachers share some common tools and practices. We all have a GPS receiver (or three ;-), and access to a computer connected to the Internet, so that we can research geocaches, obtain coordinates, and log our finds.
This is how I started when I stumbled upon geocaching. Being the geek that I am, I quickly realized that there was huge potential for more technology, and ideally some automation to streamline the process. Read the full article at the link below describing the evolution from manual coordinate entry and printed cache pages to fairly automated, mass-scale, paperless, mapless eCaching.
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Read more about eCaching (6414 bytes more) [] |
2025 _READS |
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Articles: SnoWake With a K |
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Posted By: Billy
on Tuesday, September 07, 2004 - 04:20 PM |
Or: How I learned to stop worrying and follow the little arrow…
It seems like nearly 200 finds ago ;-), but it I recently cracked the 1000-find mark, and became a 4-digit cacher – just 529 days after my very first find. I selected a great Lamneth puzzle cache, Double Agent, for this milestone find. In addition, I created a corresponding travel bug with the hope that eventually, IT will visit 1000 caches, as well.
Much thanks to the cachers from all across the country who have contributed to that find count by placing caches – but special thanks to local Bay Area uber-cachers – a small handful of which placed a vast majority of my finds. You know who you are…
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778 _READS |
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Articles: FTF Blitz |
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Posted By: Billy
on Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - 12:54 AM |
Just a quick note to recap a really fun evening the other night. I got home from work LATE, after a long, miserable day with 7 (you heard me right, SEVEN) meetings in San Francisco. I had just changed out of my 'city clothes' and settled in, when I noticed a whole slew (or is it slough, in the case of the Delta caches?) of new placements - all courtesy of Andy and Robin. I set out just after 10pm - and in exactly 3 hours, I had logged six new First-To-Finds. Ranging from nearby Snake Road, through Fairfield and out to Grizzly Island.
Funny, for as much of a Delta rat as I consider myself - I don't think I've ever been out this way, either by boat or by land. Pretty cool out here - will have to come by day sometime - maybe even bring the boat!
Thanks again to prolific hiders Andy and Robin, without whom this late-night First-to-Find frenzy would not have been possible. In addition, my new Garmin 60CS did a flawless job of routing Dingo and I from point to point - so well, I didn't crack a (paper) map for the entire outing. Keep your eye out for a thorough review (In the Reviews section) coming soon.
That's it for now. Until next time!
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1113 _READS |
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Articles: Cache Machine |
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Posted By: Billy
on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 05:34 PM |
or How I reached my one-year caching goal in eight months
No, I'm not talking about an ATM: With the betwixt-season lull, I've picked up the pace on my caching. It seemed I had no sooner conceived of an anniversay goal -- 365 finds in my first year -- than it was falling by the wayside. I've got a new goal in my sights, and at the current pace, should have no trouble reaching it. The irony here: while that may sound like a LOT, I've become friends with some of the area's caching elite (or UBER cachers, power cachers, etc - ala vdbalamo, Marky and Joani, bthomas and TeamJiffy) and by comparison... I'm a total weekend warrior. One of these days I'll actually meet these folks, and do some real caching. <grin>
This darn rain! I know, I know - normally I LOVE the rain, as it translates to snow in the mountains, my favorite terrain. Alas, this storm is too warm, snow levels too high... and rain on the slopes brings a tear to my eye.
So I'll cache: I'll cache in the rain, I'll cache on a lane. I'll cache late at night, I'll cache out-of-sight. Several new First-To-Finds added to my list - at all hours of the night, so as not to be missed.
Read the extended text for more details, a list of the recent FTFs, and my first locationless finds.
</grin>
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Read more about Cache Machine (1494 bytes more) [] |
1279 _READS |
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