{Heartbroken} RIP - Geocaching Class App

UGH! All that work to save a copy of the app for naught!

When we opened up the Geocaching.com "Classic App" this week, this new message shouted the death knell of the app. 

40 DAYS UNTIL IT'S DEMISE!

I'm heartbroken. I can't hold back... the new app is crap. And I've tried several of the other iPhone apps (Cachly, Looking4Cache) but none make me want to use them. They are serviceable. And since GeoSphere is no longer supported, this will affect my geocaching future.

Saving my Geocaching Classic App

I admit. I think the "new geocaching app" by Geocaching.com is crap. No sugar coating it. I won't go into this here - suffice to say, I find myself turning to 'Classic' and Geosphere time and again.

So imagine my concern when my iPhone started malfunctioning. It randomly shuts down and plays games with battery levels. The forums have given me multiple options to repair, but the last ditch effort is a factory restore.

No biggie, right? Except, before you do a restore, you need to backup your iPhone to iTunes or iCloud. But an iPhone backup only saves app data and not the apps. And the Geocaching.com "Classic" app is no longer available (or supported) in the App store.

With the risk of losing it (and GeoSphere - it's no longer supported either), I've held off the restore.  But I found this easy-to-follow blog post from LifeHacker on What do I do when one of my favorite apps gets pulled from the app store.  Follow the easy steps to copy either Android or iPhone apps to a safe location on your computer or to DropBox. That way, if you ever do a restore or buy a new phone (which is my next option if the restore doesn't work), you are guaranteed access to your favorite apps.

I tried it, and the files appear to be saved to my personal drive. Hope this helps!

Clark the Wonder Cat

I received notice today that Clark the Wonder Cat has reappeared! He went missing from Midwest Geobash 2014!

FOUND 3 YEARS LATER!

The River Rages

You Might Be a Geocacher If.... you cross this raging river in 20 degree weather for a DNF. 

Harold Figgins joked, "It's a good thing you're wearing your survival kit!"

Thank you, ShelleyJean, for the laughter and the fresh air!

Footprints in the Snow

Oh, joyous! I had a little time during my lunch and decided to grab The Birthday Cache GC6H6WT.

You may think a D/T 1.0/2.0 Regular might not be a big deal, but it was so refreshing! Stepping off the sidewalk onto the abandoned golf course, footsteps crunching in the new snow, ammo can at the final. After a month of park-and-grabs, it felt great to have the crisp air on my cheeks again!

THIS IS WHY I GEOCACHE!

It was nicely maintained inside, too. This can had this cool little CITO kit inside. I've seen a version of this stuffed into film canisters, but this one had gloves and paper towels - winner!

I think I may borrow this idea, labeling it "Keep America Beautiful"!

Free 2017 Canadian Discovery Park Passes!

Scrolling through my recent posts I realized I told everyone about the free Canadian National Park Discovery passes but you!  Celebrating 150 years of Confederation, these passes give unlimited opportunities to enjoy National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and National Historic Sites across the country!

It's not too late to sign up still - takes 6 weeks to receive! And then you can visit the amazing Point Pelee this summer, too!

Amazing sandy beaches, wetlands for kayaking, wildlife plus nature center just 40 minutes outside of Detroit!

I still used a GPSr.... well, sort of.

TaGeez broke his leg.

Now, that sounds like the ending of an epic adventure. But it is not. It has been our reality for almost two weeks now. So, today found me out running errands by myself. A little bit of groceries and then my cache-a-day. I'm less than 6 weeks from realizing my goal of cache-a-day streaking for 5 years straight.

Five years of streaking is within my reach!

In this time, I went a month without a car, dealt with -26 degree temps, and cached on my way home from the hospital. But TaGeez laid up has not been enjoyable, especially dealing with... da da DA! MY PHONE!

I love my iPhone, but more often than not lately it's a paperweight (and not a paperweight I can afford to replace). My iPhone 5 has the dreaded 'battery issue' (my diagnosis - according to Apple there is nothing wrong with it). I could be sitting a 74% battery with no apps running, no background refresh, Bluetooth off, and drop in seconds to 1% - CRASH! Shuts down completely. But when I plug it in, I'm at 53% battery. Heaven help me if I don't have a power source nearby.

Hey! Any of you know... is it worth paying to replacing the battery?

I'm getting mixed answers, but there's nothing otherwise wrong with it.

So imagine today... I'm exiting the grocery store to see my battery at 4% (WTH?!?! It was almost charged when I entered. Damn potatoes! They are the culprits! Those eyes always watching!)

Source: Unknown

Crap. Ok, time to reach for an alternate power source because TaGeez will be waking from his nap, and I need to be home. I plugged my phone into my car charger - nada. Sigh - the Ford Sync system. And I only have one external battery with me... and it's dead, too. 

Well, Hell.

Trek all the way home, grab a battery and back out today? It's getting late. Grrrrr!!!!! It's been a long week.

As I pulled out of the lot, I recalled a cache belonging to afishoutawater that I had to skip earlier in the week. On Wednesday, as I pulled up near the GZ, a construction crew renovating a nearby hotel exited for the day and caught sight of me. Thinking about it today, can I remember how to get back there? Not on my normal side of town and in an area I frequent. Risk it not being there? Or revisited by the crew? Could the gates be locked?

I made it back to Telegraph and then was a little lost. Where is this place? Last time I had approached from the backside. Surely there can't be THAT MANY hotels under construction??? Looking up at my car GPSr, which is always on, I broke out into a smile. Breadcrumb trails.

The little blue line on my screen led me back to the spot from whence I came once before. This time the gates were open and the lot empty. I headed to the North side of the lot. Eagerly, I pulled up to the general area, got out and started my search. After a few minutes I came up empty. DRAT! So darn close! 

Pulling out of the lot, I looked over my right shoulder to make sure all was clear, and what did I see about 20 feet away? 

That's right. I had left last time without getting a close look at the GZ. And now I have a log in hand. Sweet! The things we do for a smiley.

Now, how do I get home?