Groundspeak Portal

I have a problem (actually several but won't go into that here): I'm a geocacher. In the "early" days, I frequently used geocaches to find unique places along the routes I was traveling as well as my destination. Unfortunately with the elimination of virtual geocaches and other restrictions, that's not geocaching anymore. :-(

So wait, looks like waymarking is a better way to go to find interesting things. I'm driving cross-country (USA) on I80 which should have lots of interesting waymarks along it. However it appears that I am required to indicate what type of waymark I'm interested in. Well I'm the curious type so would like to see them all. So how do I "download" all the different waymarks?

Am I correct in believing from my reading that there is no such thing as waymarks along a route?

Another post asked about downloading waypoints into a GPSr. Of course I would want to download the points into a GPSr but this doesn't seem to be a straight forward procedure. Appears that waymarking is fundamentally different from geocaching in terms of finding waypoints. What is the "procedure" for finding waypoints?

Looking at the few postings on the forum versus geocaching, is waymarking the poor black haired cousin of geocaching that no one cares talking about?

Thanks for your insight.

~Tom
Whom Would Really Like to Go Waymarking But Just Doesn't Get It

You are not required to say what type of waymark you want... if you want them all you can see them all. (and download them).   However there is not an ability to download waymark along a route at this time (geocaching didn't have that capability for it first 6 years of its existence either).   At this time there a limited download capability for waymarks, basically limited to 25 at a time in a gpx file (one page of from the search page), however you can download as many gpx files as you want, and instantly.    To get all waymarks in an area just type in the address (or city, state)  you want centered on (or click  additional search options and enter coordinates).  The search will then show all waymarks centered on that point.  Then you can select the ones you want to download by putting a check in each box or click the box on bottom of page to select all then click gpxlite.  If you want the next page go to next page and repeat.  The gsak handles gpxlite files fine along with other software.

The direction of waymarking has been oriented mostly on building the database with  waymark rather than with visiting them thus most of the development effort on the site has been in that direction.  The capabilities for visiting are evolving and will increase over time.

To see potential waymarks along a route, waymarking does have network kml for google earth so they can be investigate that way also.

twm3:

Am I correct in believing from my reading that there is no such thing as waymarks along a route?

Looking at the few postings on the forum versus geocaching, is waymarking the poor black haired cousin of geocaching that no one cares talking about?

Thanks for your insight.

~Tom
Whom Would Really Like to Go Waymarking But Just Doesn't Get It

You DO get it, it sounds like. But waymarking.com is just not quite there yet. We've all already stated that we want all the things that you mentioned wanting the site to do, and we appreciate you reaffirming this as a new user! Waymarking.com is, perhaps, not getting nearly as much attention as Geocaching.com, but it does get worked on and things are progressing.

Be patient and don't expect too much right now, and you'll have fun with it. And if you participate here in the forums you can affect its growth and evolution. I can't say you're getting in on the ground floor, but you're getting in on, maybe, the second floor....

Welcome!

When I post 'visits' for waymarking, I visit the things that I find interesting, and take lots of pictures. Then I go back and look to see if there is a waymark there to visit, and I post the visit. If there isn't a waymark, I make them.

The hardest part is that the areas that are waymarked are more densly waymarked than geocaches. So, if I visit a town, and take the pictures of a dozen or so things that interest me, I sometimes takes pages and pages of scrollling for a find nearest waymerk to spot the things that interested me.

how i waymark a route:
-make your caching route. load it into map software.
-'randomly' pick cache in area. go to cache page. click nearest waymarks (filter out finds if ive been there before)
-check to download all desired marks.

-note: i use 'loc' files. the gpx makes them look like unknown cache types. i have a 200 gpx file cache limit, and a 500 poi file limit (ive only ever maxed it out once, anything over 500 is lost when you power down)
-open raw loc file(s) in excel. copy/paste to new excel file (you must use a new file, the loc setup is corruptable to map software importing)
-set up columns as per software import guidelines (i can use the gps poi file icons to let me keep some categories straight), delete multiple files, alter names (i use this as my poi message, but am limited to 16 characters, cant TPTB fix this in download?)

now i have my normal, everyday (local) poi file. i add the marks in that zone, but make a new poi file for an out of area run.

take my recent trip:
-caching routes( home-daytona, daytona-st simons, st simons-savannah, savannah, savannah-chattanooga, chatt-cherokee, cherokee-destination)
-homemade mark routes )home-savannah, savannah, chickamauga, savannah-destination. and i printed the imported excel sheet for each so when we got near/were sitting in parking area for a mark we knew what we were looking for.

as for savannah, find a start point. take a gazillion pics, hope they turned out and you were facing the right direction.

my girlfriend said that most people are like gt.us, they visit/post what they happen to run into, but i set out to post/visit them all. either way its a lot of work.....

I agree with everything above.

As for "getting" waymarking, as someone new to the hobby, I tend to think of geocaching as "Indiana Jones" while waymarking is "Lewis and Clark".  In geocaching, you want to get the treasure (before everybody else).  With waymarking, you want to share what you have found (even though it has been known for years).  I have found the latter more appealing.

One of the turn-offs of geocaching for me was reading the forums and reading all of the "my way is the only way to geocache" threads.  I read cache listings with people fighting over deleted log and other juvenile antics.  This is less common on waymarking.

A good example of how things work on waymarking is a problem with one of my recent waymarks.  There was some question of whether I met the requirements of the category (I just didn't read the requirements carefully).  The issue was settled with a vote by the committee.  Now, because the matter was settled with due process, I was not insulted by the decision (in my favor, but I am still going to correct the issue).

It sounds like you are trying this for the right reason.  Don't be as worried about the technology.  It will catch up to the maturity of the users soon enough.

A very thoughtful response, Tom!  And, I've enjoyed your waymarks from the Maysville area that I've reviewed, and it brings back memories of my trip through there.

Well, we will occasionally hear from some one who thinks his/her way to waymark is the only way, but I think that, by and large, we've come together as a community that recognizes the diversity of the waymarking experience, and the many legitimate approaches to it.

With over 900 different categories now, there is something that should appeal to just about anyone.  Most of us have our favorite categories.  I've seen people who specialize in just one category.  Some like to play with the scavenger hunt approach and try to get as many different categories as possible.  Some do extensive research in historical categories, while others do a lot of quick hit waymarks.  There is some beautiful photography submitted with some waymarks.  Some shun commercial categories while others do a lot of them.  We have some who are casual waymarkers, maybe submitting something only when they run across it in the course of their geocaching, and others for whom it is a passion.

Waymarking has also become an increasingly international hobby.  Just look at the country distribution on the right hand segment near the bottom.  This brings in a lot of new perspectives and ways of doing waymarking.

As Bruce has pointed out, the initial emphasis has been on waymark creation, but there are still some who primarily enjoy logging visits.  I enjoy reading those logs.  So, we do expect that there will be features added to enhance the wayark visiting experience.  Can anyone spell PQ?  And, "Waymarks Along a Route" would be a great feature to have, too.

Sure, there will inevitably be things that rub you the wrong way, don't I know it, but there is enough good here, and enough good people to make up for the things that may seem off kilter.

You're off to a good start, Tom, and we look forward to your continued involvement in waymarking,

Thanks all. Don't think that waypointing is going to be part of the trip going east across the country. However I have a couple of days on the east coast to fully digest these posts and see how I can figure waypointing into my drive west.

Thanks again.

~twm3/Tom

twm3:

Thanks all. Don't think that waypointing is going to be part of the trip going east across the country. However I have a couple of days on the east coast to fully digest these posts and see how I can figure waypointing into my drive west.

Thanks again.

~twm3/Tom

Tom as you drive east, visit those places that interest you.  Take photos and coordinates.  If they happen to be waymarks post visits and if not submit them as waymarks.  If you can't figure out a category to post some of your interests in just ask, many of us can suggest categories that you may not have thought of. And if there still is not a category then if the type of site interests you then it will probably interest others and a new category could be created.

yes coords, of the specific item. i take pics of the coords, thatway they are with the pics when i need them, true, i do end up with a lot of 'gps' pics, but then they never get lost.....

and pictures. lots of pictures. the item, it's text, the surroundings. yourself, depending on the category....

chapterhouseinc:

.... i take pics of the coords, thatway they are with the pics when i need them, true, i do end up with a lot of 'gps' pics, but then they never get lost.....

The GPS receiver photo serves one more purpose. There are a few pesky holdover categories that still require the photo for a visit. 

Plan your route. Go to the waymarking home page, make sure "show map" is checked. Click "search from map center" and adjust your filter as needed and move the map along your route searching for waymarks. Use the above mentions method to download them. I don't download every one sometimes, just some to get me in the area if there are a lot.

Another big help, print a list of the categories. Review them a bit. This works great if you have a "navigator/shotgun" riding with you. Some will jump out at you as you drive down the road (water towers, McD's). You may not want to stop for each and every one, but that water tower that looks like a peach may speak to you ("come take my picture"). Then when you stop for lunch and you see that giant ant statue across the street you say to yourself "thats a waymark!" so you get it (post if no one else has found it, visit if someone has).

 

Adding to what everyone has said, if you use Google Earth, be sure to download the Waymarking KML layer. This will make panning along your route extremely easy.  And the bonus is seeing where the Geocaches and Waymarks overlap.   Since you said you were a geocacher...if you use GSAK or CacheBerry I can let you know how we do it. Let me know.

Like pretty much everyone else here, I have been geocaching forever (April 2001) and have gotten a little weary of some things about caching (crappy caches, for the most part) so I have been doing virtual caches for a while, and waymarking seems to be the next evolution.  I'd rather find waymarks than micros, any day. 

So how do I get a TON of waymarks into my GPS?  I have an Oregon 400T, and a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx.  I use the PQs to load the Oregon, and GSAK to load Custom POIs in both the CSx and the Oregon.  I am pretty adept with GSAK macros, so I should be able to figure out whatever I need to do, if I can just get pointed in the right direction. 

Help, please?

bunkerdave:

Like pretty much everyone else here, I have been geocaching forever (April 2001) and have gotten a little weary of some things about caching (crappy caches, for the most part) so I have been doing virtual caches for a while, and waymarking seems to be the next evolution.  I'd rather find waymarks than micros, any day. 

So how do I get a TON of waymarks into my GPS?  I have an Oregon 400T, and a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx.  I use the PQs to load the Oregon, and GSAK to load Custom POIs in both the CSx and the Oregon.  I am pretty adept with GSAK macros, so I should be able to figure out whatever I need to do, if I can just get pointed in the right direction. 

Help, please?

This is an article that really needs to be written. But briefly...

What I do is... I search for the nearest waymarks and download them in blocks of 25 using the GPX Lite link.

Then after I have as many as I want, I dump them all into GSAK. Then using "Global Replace" I switch them all to Virtual Caches... then Send to GPS.

I find it takes less time than waiting for my PQ of caches to come in.

BQ

Yeah, what BQ said...

Quite honestly, if you expressed any interest whatsoever in acually VISITing waymarks the waymark owners in that area would probibly fight amongst themselves for the opportunity to drive you around to visit their waymarks. Most of the waymarks are starved for visits.