I beg to differ on the travel bug issue.  Your argument is the same argument
that people use when joining health clubs.  Just because they pay the fee
every month for the health club doesn't mean they are more responsible about
going and using that membership.  I consider myself to be an addicted
cacher, but I sometimes am unable to put travel bugs into different caches
for a few weeks at a time.  This is because I cannot revolve my life around
getting that travel bug into a cache, and I do not feel comfortable leaving
it in an urban cache...even if it is Members Only.  As cachers using public
areas, we have to accept the fact that people will destroy caches.  Many
times people probably come across them by accident or see people put them
back and decide to destroy them.  A members only cache would not solve this
problem.  I understand that some people feel that they like having their
caches be members only, but I would prefer to let all cachers enjoy the
sport equally.  People who place members only caches are not helping the
game.  When I started 6 months ago, it pissed me off that there were caches
out there that I couldn't view because I didn't pay for a membership.  I
have supported Geocaching just as much or more than many members have
through my purchases from Geocaching.com and it's affiliations.  I agree
that there should be limitations to the features on Geocaching.com for
people that are not members, but Geocaching is about the caches and they
should not be restricted to be accessed by a small number of people.

Brian
Team LeapLab

  -----Original Message-----
  From: az-geocaching-admin@listserv.azgeocaching.com
[mailto:az-geocaching-admin@listserv.azgeocaching.com]On Behalf Of
ken@highpointer.com
  Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2003 4:50 PM
  To: listserv@azgeocaching.com
  Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Obscenity written in log sheet of Mat274 cache on
ASU campus


  Geocachers,

  I was at Mat274 geocache on the ASU campus today, and I found it along
with Casey and Sarah of AZCelts.  However, I was appalled when I opened the
log sheet and saw that the previous finder had written an obscenity in the
place for his name.  He wrote, "F*** this cache" instead of his name.  This
is particularly disconcerting because the first person who recovered the
cache was Casey's 12-year old daughter, Sarah.

  What could we do about geocachers who do something like this?  My idea
(admittedly controversial, and something discussed before) is that all
caches in public places like this should be "Members Only".  I expect that
the kind of person who would write an obscenity in the log sheet would be
less likely to pay the nominal annual fee (less than a tank of gas) to
become a Premium Member.

  Protecting caches by making them "Members Only" will also reduce the risk
of lost travel bugs.   Apparently the travel bug that RandMan put in the
cache was taken, but has not been logged yet.  Many travel bugs become lost
because they are taken by a geocacher who fails to log them properly and
does not put the travel bug in another cache.   If a travel bug is placed in
a "Members Only" cache, then it is more likely that the travel bug will be
recovered by someone who will log the travel bug properly, and will put the
travel bug promptly in another cache.

  Ken Akerman (a.k.a. Highpointer)