Optional Parking Coordinates

[+TheNomad]

Hey all,

 

Some of us hide caches in areas here in Florida where it's very difficult to find the trailhead. While sometimes this makes for an entertaining part of the cache, sometimes it really gets in the way. So, for some of my caches, I enter parking coordinates in the body of the description so as to keep people from parking in dangerous areas. But I think it would be a really nice extra addition to have an optional parking coordinates area on a new cache. Then, these coordinates could be downloaded as part of the GPX file.

 

What do you guys think?

[+cachew nut]

I think this would create a different game than the one we have been playing all along. Maybe we could call the new game "Geocaching with the parking coordinates."

[+MrPeabody]

I would suggest putting the coordinates for parking in the description.

[+sbell111]

Cachew, what's up? You seem really set against this seemingly harmless suggestion.

 

I see no harm in having an optional field for parking coords. However, I can't see a benefit to this greater than entering them in the cache description. Therefore, I certainly don't think this should be a priority item.

[Jeremy]

This is on my improvements list, but it will be a more generic option for additional coordinates, not specific to parking.

[+robert]

That would be sweet, Jeremy. It would then be up to hiders and seekers to use them if they wanted to or not. Cachew, it would be no harm in adding them--as I said, it would be up to you to use them or not. A few months ago, a few members of the MGS went to PA to find some caches in Mt Gretna (just do yourself a search of 17064 and tell me that isn't gc mecaa!) Parking coords would have been VERY helpful for that area as there is no specific parking yet there are tiny lots all over the place. It would/could have saved a LOT of walking.

 

Back to Jeremy, any thoughts on how that feature would be integrated into the PQ's? Just a listing in the info? I doubt it would be a part of the gc.com waypoint, leaving that for the cache itself.

[+shunra]

More important than adding a field for something that can be wrotten in the description, it would be to make sure that the datum is really the datum of the cache, and not the datum of the parking space, as so often is the case.

[+cachew nut]

It would/could have saved a LOT of walking.

Silly me. I thought a lot of walking was a positive thing.

[+Wadcutter]

Silly me. I thought a lot of walking was a positive thing.

But, but, but....without parking coordinates it takes too long to find the right parking place and someone may have to walk further and it takes longer and as a result those won't get "X" number of finds and their find totals won't be as high and, and, .........

and maybe it's not about the hunt experience afterall.

Edited December 25, 2003 by Wadcutter

[+TheNomad]

Well, when it's a good part of the cache experience, I wouldn't put parking coordinates. But, there are a few places where it would be useful. For example, I have a cache near a highschool. I don't want them parking in the highschool lot because they might get cited, or towed - but the highschool lot appears to be the best place to park.

 

I've included the correct parking area in the description, but I think it gets overlooked there. But, it's certainly not a high priority by any means.

Edited December 26, 2003 by TheNomad

[+Divine]

It would/could have saved a LOT of walking.

Silly me. I thought a lot of walking was a positive thing.

Walking is a positive thing. Driving is not. If optional parking/trailhead coordinates save unnecessary cruising around the cache area, it's always positive. As I've said to cache hiders in another similar threads: make me walk, run, climb, roam, jump, crawl, leap and tiptoe, but save me from the unnecessary driving. It's bad for the nature and for my wallet.

 

As others have stated, the parking information (with coords or not) can be included to the cache description already, so an optional additional coordinates field is not very high on my wishlist.

[+cachew nut]

Walking is a positive thing. Driving is not. If optional parking/trailhead coordinates save unnecessary cruising around the cache area, it's always positive. As I've said to cache hiders in another similar threads: make me walk, run, climb, roam, jump, crawl, leap and tiptoe, but save me from the unnecessary driving. It's bad for the nature and for my wallet.

 

As others have stated, the parking information (with coords or not) can be included to the cache description already, so an optional additional coordinates field is not very high on my wishlist.

Thanks Divine. Your opinion carries a lot of weight especially when you are playing the game in a place where gas prices are so high.

 

There already is a method in place for providing parking coordinates. Having a field for them will simply cause some people to fill them in whether required or not, simply because it is there.

 

As far as walking, running, climbing, roaming, jumping, crawling, leaping and tiptoeing, I would agree.

 

I tried to point this out in another thread in the general forum, but was jumped on by some noob who accused me of getting personal. I compared it to driving laps around the supermarket lot looking for the closest parking to the door. You could be in and out of the store before that prime spot becomes available.

 

My feeling is to look at the GPS and determine if it is possible to walk the distance. If it is, park and walk. Who cares if it is not the absolute closest spot? It's about the geocache and not about the parking spot, right?

 

Edit:typo

Edited December 27, 2003 by cachew nut

[+robert]

I don't see what the big deal in having parking coordinates is. It doesn't make it any easier to find the cache, just makes it easier to find an appropriate place to park your car, especially for caches that are near private property.

 

It's like the people who campaign against Howard Stern. They're offended by him, so they want him off the air. Forget those who actually listen to him. I'm in the camp that believes that even though I'm no longer a fan of his, plenty of people are, so leave him on the air. It's up to me to decide whether or not to listen. With the parking coords, many times I don't read the cache description until I get to the area anyway, so it wouldn't affect me very much if at all. I use Mapopolis to navigate to an area that it feels is close. If it's a park, it's a no-brainer. If it's like some of the caches I did 2 weeks ago a few were VERY close to private property, it was a bit of a gamble trying to find an appropriate place to get to where the cache was hidden. Parking coords would have made it more "secure" feeling as we did not want to trespass.