#22

Went out of town today to visit the family and found time to sneak in one cache. Ghosts of Robertson County - James This was our first cemetery cache. It had an interesting camo. We grabbed a couple of items and gave back several items. Signed log. This would be mega creepy at night. It is down a long lonely dirt road out in the middle of the country.



Interesting camo job!

Geocaching in the news...

Here's a very well done article, "Come and Find Me".

Snippet -

"It’s called “Geocache” and it’s basically one big, global and (now not so) very clandestine treasure hunt. I must admit that I wanted to keep the whole thing to myself, but after a couple of days spent outdoors, discovering new places, feeling the sun on my skin, being bitten by bugs and scratched by branches, I felt the need to break the code because the more people avoiding shopping malls and PlayStations on the weekend the better. Geocache gives new life to well-worn walks, and childish promise to familiar surroundings. It makes you want to get out there."

Here's something interesting from this article! - BookCrossing - Welcome to BookCrossing, where 762,115 people in over 130 countries come to share their passion for books with the world. Where books take on a life of their own.

Oh I also ran across Letterboxing tonight.

#21

Yet another great cache in this series! Brooks Lake 3 - At the Bend I really enjoyed finding these! I thought this one was going to be very difficult but just look 'around'. Signed log.



Sorry for the spoiler pic but I liked this hide!

#20

I walked up on a big black snake, water moccasin?, on this one, Brooks Lake 6 - Cast Your Worries Away . It slithered into the water. It was at least 3' or 4 ' feet long and a couple of inches around. Didn't get a pic.

Another great cache. Found it fairly easily. Older logs helped. Signed log.


Yes, that's the cache hanging from my sunglasses.

#19

Well guess I should see what else is the area, ah! there's another, Brooks Lake 5 - R&R close by. This particular one was off by about 10' according to my software. But reading a previous log - "Was on the wrong side of the trail when lil ags spotted it." - gave me an idea of where to look. Nice cache! I keep finding different caches everytime and am enjoying it! The log was full on this one and it was damp. Found a spot to sign it anyway.

There were some ducks right behind me but my big head covered them up. :-)

#18

Needed to go to Sugar Land for my job. We got out at 3 today for Good Friday and I decided to see what was in the area.

I first went to this one, Brooks Lake 4 - Keep Fit . Found it fairly easily. Cammo'ed Altoids can. Not giving too much away here, the hint reads - magnetic.

This area is soooo much nicer than the area I was in earlier. You can definitely take your kids here and enjoy a walk along the water with the ducks.

Signed log.

#17 - My second FTF!

The next one was in the area so I went to find it. Sims Bayou Adventure #12. Judging from the map I had printed out and from the map on my Blackberry, I parked on the north side of the bayou and walked toward it but I pretty quickly realized that it was on the other side.

So, I drove over the bridge and into the neighborhood looking for a place to park but settled on parking at Sonic. Walking toward the find I noticed a couple of homeless men on the under side of the bridge on the other side of the bayou. This concerned me. This is not a very good part of town and I was by myself. I continued on and continued to keep an eye on those men.

I walked into the woods there and very near the area was a homeless shelter, there were blankets hanging from the tree and I wasn't sure but I think someone may have been in there from the direction that I approached. I didn't like this at all. I walked back out and approached from another direction. Lots of ground cover here and I was happy to be wearing hiking boots and blue jeans. I spied the geocache, which is locked by a cable to a tree (smart move!) but that shanty town was still about 20' from me. I admit I was scared (my heart was racing) and quickly opened the ammo can. Yay! I am the FTF! Grabbed the FTF prize, and the Jeep toy, signed the log, put back several items all the while keeping en eye out for people.


OK, I know bad things can happen anywhere but there are some areas where the liklihood that something bad might happen increases. I DO NOT recommend doing this one alone. Finding this cache wasn't worth my life. If you go get this one, please go with several adults and have your cell ready (I was very ready to dial 911). I would not bring my kids to this one with just me. I definitely would not recommend a woman doing this alone. Oh, and please do this one during the day. You are completely isolated and if anything were to happen, nobody would see it. Sorry to sound so paranoid, but better to be safe than sorry!

#16 - My first FTF!

Got the Groundspeak Weekly Notification e-mail this morning. I like getting those e-mails! Tells me of upcoming events and the latest geocaches placed within a 100 mile radius of my home location. One titled, Sims Bayou Adventure #11 , caught my eye because I work fairly close to Sims Bayou. So, I looked at the details and thought this could be doable for lunch and there are a couple of fast food places I could go to for lunch right there in the area.

So, I parked across the street at the Walgreen's and went in search. The details on the site for this one say "Never used this type container before so we'll see how its lasts. You could call it a container inside another container or draw your own conclusion. A seeing eye dog is not required to find cache." He's right, once I saw the container, I knew what it was. I opened it, grabbed the container inside, unfurled the log and verified that I would be the first! I have to post a picture of the cache at the risk of spoiling this for someone.

Signed log - BadAnimals

Geocaching in the news...

Nice article here on searching for a GPS device.

Sample of article -

"The eTrex Vista has been so easy to use. I can operate it with one hand. Downloading caches from www.geocaching.com is as easy as one mouse click. The device lists the caches I hope to find in order of what's closest to where I'm standing at that very moment. When I mark one as "found" it moved to the next set of coordinates. My path of travel from one cache to the next is somewhat logical and so much fun.

Problem is, when I'm thinking it's time to head back and the next cache is only .16 miles away, I MUST find it.

For the past two days, my three-year old son and I have been out 2.5 hours at a time hunting treasures. Yesterday we meandered nearly five miles!

The geocaching community is huge and very friendly... very family friendly.

Time is a'wasting and there are some undiscovered caches out there. My next article will demystify geocaching and introduce you to the web-based cache log and community."

Darcie's Articles

Here are other great geocaching-related articles from Darcie -

What exactly is geocaching?

Geocaching neophyte

Geocaching fiction thriller

Interview with geocacher and author Colleen Coble

Geocaching and corpses: a true story

Geocaching Survey

1. What is your name?
Marc

2. What is your GC name?
BadAnimals

3. What kind of GPSr do you use?
Blackberry Curve 8310

4. What is your favorite feature on your GPSr?
Using Geocache Navigator on my Blackberry, I don't have to have anything else with me, I am paperless. I can look at maps and hints and past logs, it has it all.

5. What is your best memory of geocaching?
Alot of my answers on this probably don't hold alot of water since I am only at 15 finds, might be interesting to do this again a year from now. Anyway, I would say our first find was most memorable.

6. What is the farthest from your house you've ever found a cache?
42.5 miles. I guess that is by 'how the crow flies'.

7. What is the hardest cache you ever found?
Hmmm I might say Bling Baby.

8. What is the most amount of caches you've completed in one day?
Four.

9. How did you get started in geocaching?
As documented on this blog, my Scout was going to do some orienteering and I Googled that and ran across geocaching, I was immediately hooked.

10. What is the silliest mistake you've made while geocaching?
Nothing too silly yet.

11. What memorable animals have you encountered on the trail?
So far, just a rabbit.

12. What is your favorite earthcache?
I don't even know what one is. :-(

13. When do you geocache most often? (Season? Time of day?)
Only been at this a month but I can tell you the most comfortable times in Houston are Fall and Spring. Late afternoon, evening.

14. Who do you usually geocache with?
My sons.

15. Have you ever logged a find on one of your own caches? If not, would you?
I haven't hidden one yet and I wouldn't do this.

16. What is the most consecutive days you've gone caching and had a find?
One, I think.

17. How do you feel about people who "collect" trackable items?
Trackable items? No way! Move it along. They probably paid money for it, it isn't yours to keep.

18. Is it all about the numbers for you?
Not at all. I know I don't have the time. I'm happy with whatever we have.

19. What have you learned since you started geocaching?
That this seems to be a really great community to be involved in. And that I get to spend time with my sons outdoors.

20. What is the most interesting travel bug or geocoin you have discovered?
I've only had two in my possession so...

#15

Nice cache! Hacky Sack My youngest and I spotted this one at about the same time. Took a hacky sack. Left several items. Grabbed Bicyclecacher pathtag. Signed log - BadAnimals


The ground cover getting to this one was about 6" to a foot deep, I worried a little bit that there could be creatures lurking underneath.

#14

The youngest and I went out after supper to go find at least one. The oldest had already invested 10 minutes into NCIS and decided not to go. Nice camo work! I Think I Owe You a Smiley Without the hint, we might have had a hard time finding it. I gave the hint to my youngest and he spotted it pretty quick! It was about 7:30 pm when we found it so there was absolutely nobody around. Signed log - BadAnimals


Lots of ground cover around this one so be careful. Thorns don't seem to be an issue. I imagine though there will come a day when this lot will become another building along the Beltway. Get it while you can.

Geocaching in the news...

Regarding the 'Geocaching in the news...' posts, I find them interesting because I am still a newbie at geocaching. I'd like to be making more 'found' posts than I am but that thing called life just gets in the way. :-)

I can foresee a point where the 'Geocaching in the news...' posts become less frequent. And, once summer hits here in Houston, I can see the 'found' posts becoming less frequent as well.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the site and find the posts and links I have on the sidebar helpful.

Geocaching in the news...

Geocaching becomes popular adventure

With terms even Harry Potter would love, geocaching is becoming one of the hottest high-tech games in the world, and it has made its way right into Marshall County.

Geocaching is a treasure hunt for which anyone armed with a Global Positioning System unit can participate.

The idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, that are placed somewhere outdoors. Longitude and latitude coordinates pinpoint the location. Other adventure seekers then hone in on the item, or benchmark, to discover the prize.

Caches can be hidden in anything from an old ammunition box to a discarded coffee can - anything waterproof - and contain various items such as pencils, small toys or trading coins with names. They can be found anywhere along bike trails or public places such as GrimesFarm and city hall.

Once the item is found, the hunter signs a log book and returns the container to its original location.

Afterward, participants may go to on Web sites like geocaching.com or iowageocachers.org and share their experiences. Anyone can enter a postal code or address and explore the caches in their area and beyond.

There are currently 761,834 active geocaches world wide and hundreds of them are literally popping up across the state. People of all ages are becoming part of this phenomenon due to a sense of environmental and community support.

Marshalltown's Convention & Visitor's Bureau and the Marshall County Conservation Board are local organizations that participate in the cache-finding missions. In fact, the Girl Scouts have recently added a geocaching badge to their list of merits. Individuals can also set up cache boxes onto their property or another location with permission.

"There are quite a few people around town that do it," said CVB Director Shannon Espenscheid. "It's something neat that anyone can do, and it's a great draw to Marshalltown as far as visitors."

No longer a muggle or non-geocacher, Amy Mills, assistant with the Marshall Economic Development Impact Committee, has become quite savvy, locating nearly 140 caches on travels to places such as Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota.

"When we visit the Twin Cities, we'll stop along the way just to find caches," she said. "It's the excitement of having the coordinates in your GPS system and finding things. We became fascinated with it and my grandkids just love it."

Hand held GPS units may be purchased at various electronic stores or online with an average price of $100.

---

Contact Tammy R. Lawson at 641-753-6611 or tlawson@timesrepublican.com

Fact Box

Geocaching tips:

Figure out where you are going before you get there.

Wear sturdy, comfortable shoes and clothes for hiking. Be aware of poison ivy, oak or sumac - ticks, too.

Before heading out, make a way point to your car or starting location.

Route choice is an important part of the hunt. Stay on trails as long as you can.

Some caches may be hard to find. When less than 20 feet from the item, your GPS can't help when you are that close.

Carry a bottle of water if walking or biking long distances.

Leave something in the box stating your town or location to say you were there.

Always get permission from a property owner to search for an item or cache box.

Geocaching terms:

Caching: Geocaching

Cacher: Geocacher

Muggle: Non-geocacher

Ground Zero: Immediate area where the geocache is hidden

Sig Item: Signature item

Log: Log sheet or log book

BM: Benchmark

Coin: Usually refers to a geocache coin

Multi: A multi cache - a cache with smaller items, or stages, that provide information to find the final treasure

Swag: Items for trading

- Tammy R. Lawson, Times-Republican - Central Iowa's Daily newspaper

#13

Found this, Way to Bovay , after spending the weekend at Bovay for Webelos Do Your Best, so it was just S and I for this one, we both easily spotted it.
Nice cache! Great area. Took a couple of little creatures, left 4 erasers (1 space-themed and the other 3 travel-themed) Signed log - BadAnimals - Left travel bug Tyler



There were some thorns around this one, careful.

Geocaching in the news...

Geocaching the Tucson area makes for a great family day trip

Written by - Nancy M. Dickinson

Geocaching is the latest sport to take hold in the world but what is geocaching?

The website dicitonary.com defines geocaching as "a type of scavenger hunt for waterproof containers bearing treasure using the containers' exact geographic coordinates and Global Positioning System devices." People who do geocaching define it as fun, exciting, adventuresome and a great way to spend a day.

Go here for the full article - Link

Geocaching in the news...

GPS Marks the Spot: Geocaching Houston

Face it. You've been wanting to go treasure hunting ever since you saw the Goonies chasing One-eyed Willy's loot and running from the Fratelli's. Don't lie or we'll make you do the truffle shuffle.

Lucky for you thousands of objects are hidden around the greater Houston area just waiting for you to find them. All you need is a hand-held GPS receiver (less than $100) and a bit of creative thinking (priceless). The game is called geocaching and everybody's doing it for lots of different reasons like it's a great way to explore the city and sometimes you can win a Jeep.

Geocaching started in 2000 after the the US government made available data from the Global Positioning System (GPS). The roll-back of selective availability made it possible for civilian GPS users to increase accuracy ten fold. Dave Ulmer, a computer scientist from Oregon, placed the first geocache (a waterproof container containing a log book and some giveaways), recorded the GPS coordinates and sent them to a GPS user group. Within three days two GPS users had found the cache.

The popularity of Geocaching has snowballed during the ensuing six years. Caches have been hidden on six of the seven continents; only the Arctic is not represented. So, don't forget to bring your GPS next time you're in Antarctica. There are currently 17 caches down below including one named Cone_Z that requires a helicopter for access resulting in only three folks finding it in just over two years.

Those of you lacking a helicopter are in luck. Roughly 2200 caches have been placed in the Houston area dating back to February 2001 when the first cache, appropriately titled Houston's First, was placed near the Johnson Space Center. Don't worry about getting busted for trespassing unlike when you're out cow tipping in College Station. All caches must be placed in publicly accessible areas like T.C. Jester park, Braes Bayou and downtown. But, that doesn't mean it's as easy as walking up and eyeballing the cache from 50 feet away.

Caches range in size from five gallon buckets to old ammo cans to empty chapsticks. The containers are hidden in such a way that non-participants (called muggles; yeah, like in Harry Potter; yeah, you should stop snickering) don't happen upon them and run off with the loot.

The loot typically consists of some sort of log, so that you can let folks know you found it, and whatever stuff the hider can stuff into the container. Five gallon bucket sized hides may yield something fancy while a film container may only contain small trinkets or maybe some foreign money. Finders may take an item from the cache, but must leave something in trade.

Sometimes folks place a trackable object, called a travel bug, into the cache. These items are tagged with a serial number that the finder enters on the website to record the location before placing the item in a different cache. The objects have a mission, like returning a hula dancer to Hawaii or a Randy Johnson figurine traveling the MLB ballpark circuit.

Sounds like more fun than a barrel of monkeys; don't it? Go pick up a GPS, or unleash the capability in your cell phone, and get started. And, let us know if you get a line on a helicopter.

LINK

Geocaching in the news...

It's Spring! Time to get out there and Geocache!

What is Geocaching, you may ask?

Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a GPS unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, the treasure box reveals a visitor log book and an eclectic mix of favorite trinkets. The find is recorded in the book and any trinkets taken are replaced with equally interesting objects.

This is one of the fastest growing adventure/hobbies in the world today and the North Vancouver Office of Cultural Affairs has joined the game by hiding several caches at local public art sites. It is a family friendly activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. More importantly, it's about finding new places you can explore, that you may have never found otherwise. Combine this sport and fun adventure with a delightful outdoor art search. Start today! To find the game rules and FAQ's, at www.geocaching.com and to find coordinates for the public art caches search using postal code V7M 3H6.

Link

Geocaching in the news...

Geocaching: It's the Trip, Not the Trove

By Virginia Heffernan
March 31, 2009 7:22AM

Geocaching doesn't attract the rogue and huckster gold-diggers of yore. And despite the early participation of some culty tech people, after nearly a decade geocaching is now a pleasant avocation largely for good kids, moms and retirees, with associations found around the world. This loose confederacy of geocachers has a Boy Scouts vibe.

Americans have a history of believing in oracles that tell them to dig. Where I grew up, not far from the American Society of Dowsers in Danville, Vermont, even skeptical farmers consulted dowsers to help them decide where wells should go.

Before he discovered Mormonism, Joseph Smith was a "money digger" who trusted that a stone in a hat, properly viewed, could lead him to buried treasure; when the stone pointed the way to a hill in New York that contained the Book of Mormon, he hit the mother lode.

California, of course, was settled in part by men who felt called to go gold-digging. And in this century, with perhaps less riding on their hunches than Smith or the forty-niners, a growing clique of hobbyists who started in Oregon nine years ago have combined G.P.S. satellite technology and social networking in a curious pastime called geocaching.

Geocaching is a kind of global treasure hunt. It has a number of advantages over dowsing or other Luddite methods for finding hidden stuff. First, geocaching is undertaken just for fun. Second, someone has always deliberately buried the treasure (or "cache"), noted its coordinates (usually someplace outdoors) and supplied facts about it online.

Finally, players use no magic rods, enchanted sticks or seer stones to find their caches: They use G.P.S. devices. That must take some of the witchcraft out.

It's mysterious nonetheless: What's the allure? The treasure has been planted, after all, by people so good as to signal when the surrounding terrain is not wheelchair-accessible -- so where's the suspense? What's more, it's almost a certainty that the treasures in geocaching will be nearly worthless.

You might turn up a logbook that you can read and sign; or Geocoins, which are the Monopoly money of geocaching; or some old golf balls or coupons, the esoteric trophies of the sport. But there is never gold. Food is discouraged because it rots and draws bears.

Those who find caches are expected to record their visits in the accompanying logbook and at Geocaching.com, clean up their trash and replace whatever they take with something of comparable value. ("Cache in, trash out" is the "be prepared" of these sensible scouts.)

Paul Sookiasian, a recent college graduate who lives in Pennsylvania, has become an ardent cacher in the past year. He has turned up about 70 caches so far. "What drew me to geocaching was the little bit of mystery it puts into everyday existence," he explained in an e-mail message. "It's kind of fun (in a nerdy way) to go by these places with the knowledge that something interesting is there that everyone else around you doesn't realize. Maybe there's a little fascination in us left over from childhood of hiding little treasures in secret places."

That seems about right. Thor Muller, a Web entrepreneur in San Francisco, takes his 7-year-old son on geocaching adventures. Mr. Muller seems like a busy man; why go hunting for worthless trinkets? "You discover places you had no idea existed," he told me.

"Recently, we were out looking for a cache on Russian Hill. There are breathtaking views of San Francisco. But we couldn't find this thing anywhere. Finally my wife kicked a stone, and it turned out to be hollow. The treasure was inside." A great day. Sort of: When they went through the treasure, Mr. Muller said, "it was just junk. I think my son cried a little bit."

And then there are virtual caches. "The reward for these caches is the location itself" is how the Geocaching site explains them. They're just nothings, then -- an instruction to go somewhere for the sake of it. Virtual caches are no longer allowed on the site, but some older ones have been grandfathered in.

Geocaching, in spite of its superficial mystery, has to be among the least ominous epiphenomena of the Internet. It's a sweet and highly organized way to make ordinary vistas surprising, and it seems to speak to the better angels of the Internet's nature.

Sometimes the Internet is its own place -- a blown-out fantasia that exists independent of the world of rocks, soil, flesh and blood. At other times, it seems not like a pyrotechnic cloud above us but like an earnest guestbook for life on Earth, filled with entries that say little more than "I was here and it was beautiful." Or "I was here and it was weird." When you're feeling open to these sentiments, they're each surprisingly moving.

Link

Park and Gab: Eleventh Edition - GC1NK8H

Great event! I got to meet and chat with Pappy'sPosse, The Popeteers and Manofsteel73. Saw Tachito but didn't get a chance to get introduced. There were many others there as well that I didn't get to meet. Picked up a TB to move along. The youngest BadAnimal attended with me and he enjoyed the games there.

Thank you Pappy'sPosse for hosting this event, I had a good time and came away much more knowledgable about geocaching.

Here's the Travel Bug, Tyler, that I picked up from the Popeteers.

Geocaching in the news...

Tired of the treadmill? Get out and play instead

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Tired of the same old exercise routine? Get out and play instead, suggests a fitness expert who spoke at the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) Annual Health and Fitness Summit in Atlanta.

Play is "the perfect anecdote for when your exercise routine starts to feel like more of a chore than an activity of enjoyment," health scientist from Bethesda, Maryland, and ACSM faculty member Dr. Carol E. Torgan noted in a statement from the meeting. It's good for the body, mind and soul.

"Think about activities you loved to do as a child and incorporate those into your routine (and) include your family," Torgan added in comments to Reuters Health.

To rediscover your inner child, visit a playground, toss a Frisbee, take a hike, go rock climbing, pick up a hoola hoop, or dance. An adult weighing 150 pounds can burn more than 300 calories an hour by dancing.

"If you spent your childhood outside exploring," suggested Torgan, "head out the front door and try Geocaching" -- an outdoor treasure hunt game using GPS.

You don't need to be young to reap the calorie-burning, mind-stimulating benefits of play. "The 'power of play' for adults," Torgan said, "lies in simply focusing on the joy of moving, having a little fun with it, and not taking ourselves too seriously."

"Whether it's shooting hoops or even playing on a teeter-totter with a friend, these unstructured activities can create a sense of belonging and community," Torgan said.

Another benefit of "play" exercise is that it "doesn't require expensive equipment, a gym membership, or form-fitting Lycra - it's free. You only need an open mind," Torgan said.

"The key for most adults," she added, "is simply to give themselves permission to play - even for 10-15 minutes. Unplug and dance. Life is too short to spend it checking your email."

Link

Park and Gab: Eleventh Edition

The boys and I are looking forward to this event tomorrow evening, hopefully nothing will come up where we don't get to go. I'll post about it if I do make it.

#12

This cache, Slippin', is surrounded by ALOT of thorns, be careful! I wouldn't let my kids in without safety glasses on. I was in the midst of it and couldn't see it when my youngest, his third of the day, spied it from the outside. Took green Geocaching thing (anyone know what this is (hopefully you can see it in the picture)?) and yellow happy face whistle, left McD Dr. Oct toy and a couple of pirate coins. SL Nice cache!


Oh, and as we turned around to make our way back home, a rabbit came to visit!


Regarding the thorns issue, I saw a post on the Houston GeoCaching Society site and it was asking folks to post how much geocaching had cost them in terms of making mistakes, some folks had locked their keys in their car, or lost their GPS, etc. Well, I'd really hate to see some kid lose an eye because of geocaching in the midst of thorns. With this cache and the Bling Baby cache, you cannot avoid them. I have 5 well placed scratches on my arm from the thorns yesterday that I tried my best to avoid, well my arm is about head high for smaller kids. I'd just like you all to think about safety when it comes to geocaching, I don't want to see anyone get hurt.

#11

Got this, Deadend, on a Sunday afternoon so the day care was closed. No muggles around except that one was cutting his grass on the other side of the brick wall, he never saw us. This was a first of its kind for us and my youngest figured it out, his second in a row for the day! TNLN SL

#10

I haven't been in Bane Park since they made some major renovations to it and it looks great! This cache, Remember the Alamo, is super nice, full of interesting things regarding the Alamo. My youngest spied this one. Took baseball and electronic game. Left traditional yo-yo and Chinese yo-yo. Signed log. Left BUGGY ON! travel bug.

George Bush Park

I've never been to George Bush Park, but judging from this thread, it looks like we might need to check it out sometime! There are over 100 caches in the 7,800 acre park.

Geocaching in the news...

The great GPS stash hunt

Published: March 26, 2009

Click this picture to view a larger image. A group of kids pillage a geocache stash. Geocaching is a great way to get the kids off the couch and out in mother nature. Photo by Gary Short

By Jan Short

The ‘Wild Rivers Coast' is home to some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the world. The coastal trails lead to shimmering waterfalls and pristine beaches through magnificent growths of forests, ferns and wild berry patches.

What many in this area are not aware of is that these same coastal trails hide other treasures – man made in origin. These treasures are called ‘geocaches' (pronounced geo-cashes). Geocaching is a worldwide game of hiding and seeking treasure. A geocacher can place a geocache (a container filled with tradable items) anywhere in the world, pinpoint its location using GPS technology and then share the geocache's existence and location online.

Anyone with a GPS unit or a map and coordinates can then try to locate the geocache. According to the official geocaching website there are 724,583 active caches worldwide. In a 30-mile radius of Gold Beach there are approximately 239 caches hidden and seven active caches within the city limits of Gold Beach.

The origins of hunting for treasures goes back as far as prehistoric man and the hiding of ‘caches' of food. Cave paintings and marks on trees may have been clues to the whereabouts of these hidden caches. As need became less of an incentive, the quest for treasures became more of a game. Modern man has developed technology to improve upon this activity.

The game of Geocaching goes back to an event that happened on May 2, 2000, when, unknown to most people, our government released orders that upgraded 24 satellites' Global Positioning Technology. Since Oregon has long been acknowledged as a stronghold of outdoor enthusiasm, conservation and adventurers, it is not surprising that on May 3, one such enthusiast, Dave Ulmer, a computer consultant, wanted to test the accuracy of the new technology by hiding a navigational target in the woods near Portland. He called the idea the "Great American GPS Stash Hunt" and posted it on an Internet GPS users' group website.

The idea was simple: Hide a container out in the woods and note the coordinates with a GPS unit. In the course of a few years the game and the name evolved to include a website and players from all over the world.

It is not surprising that many innovations to this game have been added over the years. One called ‘Travel Bugs' has become very popular. Travel bugs have tags with numbers that have been logged by the official Geocaching site. When a travel bug is launched it is put into a cache and the number and location are logged online. Whenever this bug is found and moved it is logged by the finder and the new location is posted. One travel bug, "Mr. Wonderful," began its journey in Gold Beach. It has traveled across this country, the Atlantic Ocean, and through Austria, France, and back again. Mr. Wonderful has not made it back to Gold Beach, but it is still traveling in the United States and has logged more than 14,000 miles. Most travel bugs do not enjoy such a long journey; many disappear, so Mr. Wonderful's journey is quite a feat.

One of the best aspects of this game is that it leads you to places you might not have ever seen without the incentive of the game. Caches are hidden in places that people have found and want to share with others, either because of the history or the beauty of the spot. Many towns and cities have begun hiding caches in places they want people to discover such as hidden parks or memorials and places of interest within their city that the casual tourist might not ever discover on his own. Boy Scout troops have begun using the game as a means of teaching the scouts outdoor skills. Parents and families use the game as a way to explore and spend time together.

If you are interested in learning more about this game you can log onto geocaching.com; don't be intimidated by the fact that a GPS is required.

There is an offshoot called ‘letterboxing' that is done strictly using clues. To learn more about letterboxing you can begin on the geocaching site and then find the link.

Good hunting.

#9

Had to get some fast food for the family, was jonesing for a find! A nice quick and easy park and grab. Signed log. SkyRookie's PNG series #11

Hopefully the boys and I can get some hunting in very soon!! I'm tired of seeing my ugly mug!

Header

I made the header for this blog last night, what do you think?

#8

I went by Aquarium World to get rid of some of our platys (which this was my first visit there and I highly recommend going to this place, the fish they have there are as good as, if not better than, the zoo's), decided to see what geocaches were around and, again, there was one pretty much in the parking lot. Hail to the Chief - Lyndon B. Johnson. I never even knew this BBQ place (Lyndon's Pit Bar-B-Q) was here. Coords dead on. Easy find. Microcache.


I know my graphic says 7 found but one of the ones we found is for premium members only and I can't log it until if/when I become a premium member. Would someone like to buy me a membership? :-)

#7

I had to get gas last night and while I was doing that I decided to check my Blackberry for nearby geocaches. Turns out there was one, SkyRookie's PNG series #10, right in the parking lot. I hadn't been geocaching in over a week and was jonesing hard. :-) Coords for this one was spot on, fun find! Signed log. I don't feel too guilty for doing some by myself, this was just a microcache anyway. :-)

Space Center Houston - Treasue exhibit

"Your hunt for fun has just begun at Space Center Houston with an exciting all new exhibit called Treasure!

This hands on exhibit features seven thematic areas that explore the unique history of treasures and treasure hunting, including mysterious underwater treasure, old treasures in the attic, Pirates’ buried treasure, gold rushes, the modern treasure hunt and more!

With interactive hands on activities, guests will be able to try the tools of a real treasure hunter, embark on a special adventure to find a hidden treasure chest, and will ultimately answer the question, what do you treasure?"

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We went to Space Center Houston on this day during the boy's Spring Break. In their Treasure exhibit, they had a display of Geocaching! If you click on the pictures, you should be able to read the words on the plaques. I was hoping to get in some geocaching while we were in this area but we ran out of time. Space Center Houston is always a great time and I highly recommend taking your kids there.

And I did look for this while there -

"Attention Visitors to Space Center Houston: There are Travel Bugs to be found and/or discovered there.

I found this geocache on Thursday, February 19. I was in town to install the Treasure! exhibit at Space Center Houston. I intended to drop two TBs in this cache and two in the exhibit. I forgot to bring them when I went for this hunt and then had to catch my flight home. So, if you go to the exhibit, look for the geocache. Inside the geocache are two TBs that you may 'discover'. For one lucky person, there are also two TBs hidden under the large fern right behind the cache. (Yes, this is indoors. The fern is fake.) Please take those two TBs. One TB is wearing the other TB on its head."

But I was looking in the fern to the left and to the right of the geocache box. I didn't look (or feel) right behind it. :-(

Geocaching in the news...

Geocaching catching on with several hundred sites within 10 miles of Saginaw

by Gus Burns | The Saginaw News

Tuesday March 17, 2009, 7:23 AM

Spring-like rays thawed the soggy the ground at St. Lorenz Lutheran Church cemetery in Frankenmuth as Michael K. Boensch, a $300 Garmin Vista HCX handheld global positioning system slung around his neck, rooted through a solitary pine tree checking and replacing his geocache.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure-hunt-like game/hobby. Geocachers, utilizing GPS and the Internet, hunt for the "geocache" or "cache," a container with a finder's log, writing utensil and sometimes a memento. Caches are nearly everywhere, in every town and state, cemeteries, parks, mountains, historical landmarks and private property. Some 745,790 active geocaches are registered across the globe at geocaching.com, and several hundred are within 10 miles of Saginaw.

More...

Geocaching in the news...

A story from the Milwaukee Outdoor Recreation Examiner

Enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t mean you have to head out to the trails and parks. If the city is your type of jungle, then Milwaukee had plenty of things to do there too. For instance, you can grab a GPS receiver and head to www.geocaching.com. From there you can get a list of coordinates and head out into the city. There are plenty of caches stashed around Milwaukee. For an enjoyable afternoon, you can head out to the River Walk. One I recently finished is Gertie and the Bridge War. This is a 2 part puzzle cache and a lot of fun. I recommend this one. If you don’t have a lot of time then there are also smaller micro-caches hidden around. Get a list and head out on the concrete trails. If all the walking and searching made you a little tired and hungry then stop off at the Milwaukee Public Market and grab a bite and a drink. They have free Wi-Fi so you can get online and fine a few other caches while you rest your feet.

Milwaukee is covered with geocaches. There are over 1400 caches hidden around the Milwaukee area. Geocaching is a great game that gets you outdoors, whether hiking in the parks and trails or hiking through the city. If you haven’t given it a try, get out, give it a try and enjoy the day. Take a walk along the river and stop by and say “Ayyyy” to the Fonz. Tell him Dan sent you.

An unusuccesful hunt today

I looked for this cache, A Trip through the Country... #4, today, I didn't find it, not to mention that it was cold and raining. I was alone for this one. I didn't read the logs to see that maybe it wasn't there. I didn't have a chance to look for any other caches in the Waller area.

#6 - My first solo find

Before I headed home from work this day, I decided to check the caches on a road I often go down. I decided to try to find this one - Softball Anyone?!

This one was in plain sight! And there were a bunch of folks around. At least one gentleman wondered what the heck I was doing.

Signed log. Yeah, no camera. Took travel bug. Will deposit soon! Put it (cache) back in same exact spot but threw a couple of pine needles on it.

#5

This is one that I had looked for earlier in the week and was unsuccessful. This time the boys and I looked and looked when I finally noticed the surroundings seemed a little out of place and there it was. This was a great cache with lots of bling! We took one, left one and signed the log. BLING BABY


Be careful, this one has ALOT of thorns around it. I would not let anyone in this area without safety glasses on.

#4

Ryan spotted this one first - Ammo Can Cache. It wasn't what I expected it to be.

#3 - Our third find

While still in the neighborhood, we go looking for Signal's in Houston! This did take about 10 minutes to find. Ryan and I spotted it at the same time. If you read the geocaching sites, they do recommend having a stick with you and after doing just a few, I wholeheartedly concur. This particular cache is just a log only. Oh, I am VERY happy with Geocache Navigator on my Blackberry. When using the radar function, it seems spot on.

#2 - The boys and I find our second cache!

We started looking for Turn around again because it was in our neighborhood. We searched for about 5 minutes before I found it. It was a very nice cache that had three travel bugs in it, I left them there because I didn't know what to do with them at the time. And I didn't get a picture. We did take one thing and left one thing and signed the log.

And, unfortunately, this is a premium member cache and I can't officially mark the log that I found it. I found it because Geocache Navigator saw it.

#1 OUR FIRST FIND!!!

We went to Stephen F. Austin State Park today for the Spring Cub Scout campout.

I had done some research before we left and knew that there were two geocaches near the entrance of the park. We had an extra hour before supper began so we went in search of one of them, the Brazos River Run.

We spent maybe 5 minutes searching for it before I spotted it. This is great fun and my boys enjoyed it too! We took one thing and left one thing and signed the log - BadAnimals.

Looking again and striking out

Friday night I went to Walmart and searched for this one, Ozan831's park and grab #1, but maybe because it was dark, I could not locate it.

Made of notebook of some local caches...

and two of where we were going camping the next day at Stephen F. Austin State Park.

I'm not paperless. While I love Geocache Navigator on my Blackberry, it doesn't provide any hints, if there are any, from the geocaching.com website. It does give everything else though.

(Update - I've since realized that if there are any encrypted hints on the geocaching.com website, that those hints are available in the Geocache Navigator software. Also, you read any of the logs posted on the website which will often give you a hint or two and will also give you the date of when it was last found.)

Looking for my first find

After work on Wednesday, I looked for this one, Bling Baby, for about 15 minutes. I was right on top of it, as it turned out, I just didn't know what I was looking for.

I also looked for Turn around again (this one is for premium members of geocaching.com however you can find it with Geocache Navigator) for about one minute but was unsuccessful.

Geocaching?

I had heard about geocaching a number of years back but since I didn't own a GPS unit, I didn't think much about it.

But on this day I found out that our Cub Scout Pack would be doing some orienteering at the upcoming campout and maybe be using GPS devices as well. Well I got a Blackberry back in September, it has GPS functionality.

I did a little bit of research and came across the geocaching info. I was hooked! I sent out an e-mail to other folks in our den -

"Good afternoon,

Do y'all know about geocaching?

I had heard of it many years back but knew that it required a GPS to participate and I haven't had a GPS unit until this past Fall when I got my Blackberry.

I know several folks in our den now have Blackberries with I assume the GPS activated.

http://www.geocaching.com/

FAQs

Getting Started

Here is a map that you can scroll around and look at some of the present locations near us -

http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx?lat=29.884167&lon=-95.5411

And here is the profile of one of the members of the site - lives in JV and was in Scouts.

http://www.geocaching.com/profile/Default.aspx?guid=ac515ab2-8671-4a57-91df-7a283e36d7e4

There is free membership and then there is a premium membership as well.

If any of you guys are interested in this, we could potentially have a group (like the LostGuys).

There are even a couple of spots near Stephen F Austin Park.
http://www.geocaching.com/map/default.aspx?lat=29.807467&lon=-96.095617

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I don't know why the boys are supposed to bring a compass and/or GPS this weekend, is it related to orienteering?

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Anyway, I find the above pretty interesting. Looks like it could require abit of free time if you really got into it but at least it would get the boys out and about doing something. Everyone loves an Easter egg hunt or scavenger hunt.

Comments?

Thanks,
Marc"

Shortly after, I sent this out -

"There is an app for the Blackberry that looks like it works in conjunction with the Geocaching site.

It has a free 30 day trial and then it is $14.95.

Point your browser on your Blackberry to - http://www.cacheberry.com/beta

I just installed it. Not sure how to use it just yet though. :-)"

Shortly after that, I sent this one -

"Hmmmm I'm trying to figure this out but not having much luck (after 20 minutes or so).

We might have to have a premium account on the geocaching site in order to dump info into the Cacheberry software on our Blackberries.

However, I am looking at other GPS apps for the Blackberry to see if we can input GPS coords that way."

And finally, I sent this one -

"OK, I have done alot more searching of Geocaching stuff available for Blackberries.

Try this one - Geocache Navigator. You can get a free 60-day trial here -
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/rim/?utm_source=bb-ol&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=bb-ol-gn-04-08
Fill out the info at the bottom of the page, including your phone number, so that you may easily just download it to your phone without having to use the Desktop Manager.

This software looks to be very user-friendly. Once you agree to a couple of things, like the general rules of geocaching, which by the way one of them is Cache In Trash Out, very similar to our Leave No Trace Behind rule, then just choose a menu item like Quick Cache and it'll list all of the geocaches in your area.

Here are some other links that I bookmarked concerning Geocaching -

• Welcome to the Free Trial of Trimble Outdoors Applications for BlackBerry
• What Can You Do With GPS on Your BlackBerry Smartphone?
• Blackberry Geocachers: BlackStar - new (FREE) geocaching software for the BlackBerry
• PinStack.com - Geocache Navigator review
• Crackberry.com - Geocaching anyone?
• Mahalo Answers - Geocaching software for Blackberry?
• Blackberry Forums - CacheBerry - New BlackBerry geocaching software
• Geocache with your Blackberry GPS!, A how-to guide to using free tools to cache with Blackberry Maps
• CacheBerry
• Berry Review - CacheBerry - Geocaching Solution For BlackBerry
• The Geocache Navigator
• Geocaching Online
• Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site

Goodnight!
Marc"

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.

Sampson shares knowledge on court

Ralph Sampson knows what it's like to attend an all-star basketball camp as one of the best prospects in the nation.

These days he's getting a different view — as a coach and a father.

The 46-year-old Sampson, a No. 1 overall draft pick by the Rockets in 1983, is in his third go-round as an instructor at the NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp, held on the University of Virginia campus where he rose to prominence as a three-time national college player of the year.

Two of the campers are his sons, Ralph III and Robert, who are rising prospects at Northview High in Duluth, Ga. Ralph III is a 6-11, 235-pound center, and the 17-year-old senior-to-be has scholarship offers from Minnesota and Georgia Tech. Robert, a few days shy of 15, will be a sophomore and at 6-6 has more of a perimeter game.

"Ralph's got more size and muscle than I did at his age, and he's just starting to come into his own," said the elder Sampson. "Robert is totally different — a lefty, who'll shoot the 3, and he's got real fire and aggressiveness in him.

"The name, of course, turns people's heads, especially for Ralph. But he's not me. He's Ralph III. The only pressure is to get good grades and be a good person."

This is the 14th year of the camp, which focuses half its time on life skills. Each 10-hour day is split evenly between the court and the classroom.

"I'm enjoying my time here with my boys, but also just being out there on the court with all of the kids, offering whatever help, any advice I can," said Sampson, who played nine NBA seasons before retiring in 1992. "I've been talking to some NBA teams and hoping I can work something out. I still love the game, and I feel like I still have something left to give."