A couple of years ago, we became interested in geocaching – a kind of high-tech scavenger-hunt in which someone hides a "prize" in a secret location, and records the latitude and longitude of the hidden cache. Then other folks, using GPS devices, try to find the "hide". The cache is recorded on a national web-site by the person who placed it, and the finders login to note that they found it – or didn't.
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There are over 1.3 million caches worldwide that are tracked in the website. They are often located in places that require some hiking and are also often in scenic areas. A fun way to get a bit of exercise and see interesting places. They are rated by difficulty – some require a lot of exercise. Many take "geosense": Being able to see what doesn't quite look right – like why is that rock black and others are white. Look underneath and a geocache may be found.
Today, we achieved our 100th find, one of eight we found today on the Long Beach Peninsula. We thought it was one of the more clever hides we've seen. The capsule was hidden in a fake drain pipe at a fake RV hook-up site, complete with a fake water faucet and power plug. Couldn't find anything else near by. So, just as a thought, checked the power plug - aha, nothing inside. Good clue. Tried the top of the dump pipe - and guess what we found down the hole? The cache!.
There are over 1.3 million caches worldwide that are tracked in the website. They are often located in places that require some hiking and are also often in scenic areas. A fun way to get a bit of exercise and see interesting places. They are rated by difficulty – some require a lot of exercise. Many take "geosense": Being able to see what doesn't quite look right – like why is that rock black and others are white. Look underneath and a geocache may be found.
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Well done! Fun!
The Geocaching website keeps track of the number of caches that someone has found. (You use a name, kinda like a CB "handle", when you log in.) We met a fellow last week who has found 4500, and have seen records of people with over 10,000 finds! We won't be a contender there!
Well done! Fun!
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Some of our other memorable finds include:
Kitty City in Alamogordo, NM is a cat rescue down a dirt road in the boonies. But there was a geocache there, so off we went. Not much place to hide a cache but this unique sign worked!
Hiding geocaches in national parks is frowned on, so this geocache was defined as "virtual". We had to find this picnic bench by the coordinates and count the number of bolts used to put the bench together. (None! It was a concrete bench) Then send the count to the owner of this cache.
Really like learning bits and pieces of history. This monument, truly in the middle of nowhere, was placed to commemorate Soloman Smith who established a mission here in 1840 and was Oregon's first schoolteacher. It looks like there has never been anything here. But the cache lat/lon led us there for a piece of lost history.
Followed coordinates to the Makah Museum to find out the names of the carvers of these totems. Another virtual cache.
.EarthCaches teach us geoscience. At this spot we learned lots about helium. How it is mined, used, and transported.
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And other geocaches direct you one place to get clues to develop the coordinates to find the hidden cache at some other place. Some of those clues might be a date on a reader board, an address, or a number off a power pole. All fun, all a challenge..
Sometimes we may find the caches wet or maybe even the path underwater.
We bypassed this one for now.
Here at this cache in the woods around Tillamook, we were dropping off what is called a "Travel Bug" that we'd picked up in Port Townsend. A Travel Bug comes with an ID tag and many times a destination in mind. This one wanted to visit race courses in California. We helped it along it's way.
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Many different containers are used. Army surplus ammunition boxes hold up well and are watertight. But we've seen many in Altoid mint tins, tupperware, coffee cans, magnetic key holders, plastic pipe, and attached to bobbers underwater.
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We've found caches in bird houses, bird feeders, stuck to guard rails, in and under logs, water meter boxes, hanging from trees, on people's front porches!
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Tomorrow we are going to go try a webcam geocache. We stand in front of a webcam, somebody captures a picture of us there, and we post it to prove we've found the spot.
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Getting more interesting all the time. We still aren't experienced enough to find caches described as "nano" size. These are about the size of your small fingernail. Nope. Think I'd need new glasses to find them!
Getting more interesting all the time. We still aren't experienced enough to find caches described as "nano" size. These are about the size of your small fingernail. Nope. Think I'd need new glasses to find them!
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Interested? Check out: www.geocaching.com . You will be amazed at how many are hidden within a mile of your home!
