August 16, 2003

Speaking of Adventure...

We were launched on a new adventure today -- GeoCaching! It's one of those New Millenium type of adventures, the kind one can only do with the technology of today.

It all started when I finally sat down with my most recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens this morning. In an article about finding fun ways to exercise with your family I stumbled across the adventure. I'd never heard of GeoCaching before and the premise intrigued me. I went to my computer, logged onto the Internet, and read all about it.

Basically, it's a type of "treasure hunt" where you go to the GeoCaching site, put in your zip code, and read through a list of caches in your area. Each cache comes with the coordinates to be input in a GPS system, which is used to locate the "treasure"--i.e. container filled with worthless trinkets and toys along with a visitor's log. (Those who find the caches are to write in the log then they are invited to take a trinket and leave a trinket, thus the contents of the caches are continually changing.) Who thinks up this stuff?

After discovering there were many caches in our area I printed out a few information sheets and showed them to my husband, who immediately got excited. Then we told our son about it and he was really excited!

So Joel did the research on GPS systems and we were off and running!

Since we had to go into OKC to get a GPS system we decided to check out the caches in an area near Best Buy. We took four cache information sheets with us, all level 1 to 1-1/2 (the easiest levels), thinking we would figure out how it's done before jumping to a more difficult level.

After three hours of searching in near 100 degree heat we had found only one cache--but what a victory that was!

The lessons we learned today were:

  • GeoCaching is best done in milder temperatures instead of the dangerously high ones we experienced today.
  • Further research is often warranted as poison ivy grows rampantly in the wooded areas of our lovely state, and many people, it seems, hide their caches in those wooded areas! (The first cache we searched for today was in one such area. I knew better than to venture into the densely wooded area, but Joel and the kids threw caution to the wind and barreled through--clothed in short sleeves and short pants. So far no one is itching--and this is a good thing!)
  • We need to further research the ins and outs of GeoCaching. There must be some points we are missing in how to locate the caches once we arrive in the designated areas. We were feeling mighty inept this afternoon having only found one of the four caches...especially those from the easiest levels!

    Anyway, this adventure did prove to get us out-of-doors and exercizing together. And even though we only found one cache, I think we will be enthusiastically waiting for cooler temperatures so we can give it another go.

    You just never know when an adventure is going to arise.... Sometimes it can even happen as a result of flipping through a Better Homes and Gardens magazine!

    Carpe diem!

    Posted by at August 16, 2003 11:04 PM