Caching Road Trip Map?

[+JSmiles07]

Hello!

 

So I have the opportunity to drive with a friend to New York City from Des Moines, IA. She is moving there and wanted to take her car, but needs a friend to go with to help with the driving. She's agreed to leave a day early so that I can cache along the way! I am stoked about this, BUT I want to have all of the caches I want to hit mapped out. I don't want to go wasting time on caches that aren't there anymore, or ones that don't matter as much. I want to hit worthwhile caches that allow us to see some really cool sights and stuff along the way. Where in the world do I start? How can I do something like this and have it be planned?

 

Any advice is great! Thanks!

 

JSmiles07

[+Gill & Tony]

Here's how I do it. It needs a windows machine with Google Earth and GSAK installed. If you don't have GSAK you can download it and run it for free. I think there's a nag screen if you don't pay for it, but no limitations on features.

 

Step 1. Go into Google MyMaps and create a new map. Add a directions layer and enter your start and end points. Once the default route is displayed you can drag it away from boring freeways and through places you actually want to visit. Once happy, delete the default layer and then save as a KML file. Once the KML file is downloaded, double-click it to open Google Earth - it will appear as a blue line on the map. Close Google Earth and "SAVE" the route into your permanent places.

 

Step 2. Go to geocaching.com, play menu, Pocket queries. Then click the "Find caches along a route" button. Once there go to the "Upload a route" tab, click the "Choose File" button and select the kml file you saved in step 1. Click Upload. There you can rename the route to something meaningful (I use MM DD Description), tick the little box and then click "Save Selected Routes"

 

Step 3. Create a PQ from the selected route. I usually create two. One for anything within 1Km of my route and one for virtuals and earthcaches within 5 Km of my route. I'm happy to detour for a virtual or earthcache since they are usually worth visiting. Run the PQ(s).

 

Step 4. Create a new GSAK database and load the PQ's into it. At this stage I filter for caches with "Hard" characteristics. I delete everything with high terrain, with may require swimming or wading, anything with climbing required or which require long hikes, flashlight required or UV light required. If I'm driving from A to B I don't usually want to do any of that sort of thing. Delete these caches.

 

Step 4. Run the MyGoogleEarth Macro. This will load GE and will show the caches and the route you saved there in step 1. You can visually see which caches are too far from the route and you can delete those.

 

Step 5. I create a custom field in my database called "Target". This is a boolean field and I then add it to the view for this database. I then set the target field to "ON" (or ticked) for the caches I really want to go for.

 

Step 6 Once I'm happy with the final cache list, I refresh the database the day before I set off (or maybe that morning), delete anything disabled or archived. I then load all the remaining caches into my hand-held GPS as a GPX file and into my car GPS as POI's. Finally, I filter for target caches and print those out, so I have a paper list of the GC Code and name. If you want, you could run GE again and screen-dump the route with caches displayed, but I don't bother.

 

Step 7. Program the car GPS to aim at the first target cache and set off. Once there, program the next target and away you go.

[+HHL]

The following steps has to be done with the help of GSAK and some GSAK macros.

 

At first search for the Caches Along A Route:

 

 

Select which caches you want to download fro your trip. I selected traditional and earth caches only with more than 100 favorites as an example:

 

 

Filter for that downloaded caches:

 

 

And then map them with the macro Google_Map_V3:

 

 

Your milage may vary on your settings.

 

Hans

[+lee737]

Step 3. Create a PQ from the selected route. I usually create two. One for anything within 1Km of my route and one for virtuals and earthcaches within 5 Km of my route. I'm happy to detour for a virtual or earthcache since they are usually worth visiting. Run the PQ(s).

 

 

I like this idea......

 

 

[+on4bam]

GSAK + caches along a route macro for sure. Easy, fast and if you use some extra filtering after import only what you really want is left.

[+machard]

I found this subject because I have a problem with my PQs along a route... The distance options on each side of the road do not appear...

 

Search Radius:

 

Show Me: caches on either side.

 

Of:

 

appear without a field or a pick list, both with Chrome and IE...

 

Any idea what's wrong?

 

Martine (machard)

[+HHL]

I found this subject because I have a problem with my PQs along a route... [...]

 

You're off topic.

 

Hans

[+machard]

Sorry, I did not think I was off since the topic explains how to do PQs for caches along a route, and the procedure (step 3 of the first post) actually doesn't work right now...

Edited July 11, 2016 by machard

[+HHL]

Sorry, I did not think I was off since the topic explains how to do PQs for caches along a route, and the procedure (step 3 of the first post) actually doesn't work right now...

 

The topic is

Caching Road Trip Map?

and deals with mapping issues - not PQ issues at first.