Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The 'Copa Dog Cachers
We've been thinking of taking up Geocaching for over a year, now, but when we found out our good friends, the Ds, go Geocaching, we just HAD to start. If you've never heard of it before, Geocaching is an adventure game that involves using a GPS to guide you to a waypoint that has a "cache" in it that another Geocacher has placed. A cache can be pretty much anything, but always includes a log book. The most common type of cache is a sealed container that contains several items. You can take an item if you leave one behind. Geocaching has also been described as "hiking with a purpose." You find the waypoints for the caches on the Geocaching Web site , where you also register a team name and log all of your finds. Our team is "The 'Copa Dog Cachers."
There are also special items called "Travel Bugs" that are tracked through the site. Pretty cool! The Ds, AKA Team Willy Nilly, allowed us to "grab" the "hannah Travel Bug" from them. As a first travel bug, it was great, because it involved looking at pictures of Geocachers' pets, and then adding photos of our own. We placed the Travel Bug in the Team Willy Nilly cache we found on Sunday. There are lots of special items, and lots of special types of caches, but we still have a lot to learn about them before I report on that.
Since we don't have our own GPS unit, yet, Team Willy Nilly let us borrow theirs, and they escorted us, too! They did a good job of letting us find it without giving us too many hints. We had to drive about twenty miles east of Maricopa, off-road through the desert, walk through a firing area (no one was there, thankfully), and then up a rock mound. We found the cache nestled under some rocks in a crevice. It was really fun to see it peeking out and know we had succeeded.
Here's a picture of B with the hannah Travel Bug before we placed it.
Here are Mrs. D and Little D getting set to hike.
Hubby and B with the GPS unit. Getting warmer...
Found it! Mr. D, Hubby, and B.
Examining the contents of the cache and enjoying the view...
There are also special items called "Travel Bugs" that are tracked through the site. Pretty cool! The Ds, AKA Team Willy Nilly, allowed us to "grab" the "hannah Travel Bug" from them. As a first travel bug, it was great, because it involved looking at pictures of Geocachers' pets, and then adding photos of our own. We placed the Travel Bug in the Team Willy Nilly cache we found on Sunday. There are lots of special items, and lots of special types of caches, but we still have a lot to learn about them before I report on that.
Since we don't have our own GPS unit, yet, Team Willy Nilly let us borrow theirs, and they escorted us, too! They did a good job of letting us find it without giving us too many hints. We had to drive about twenty miles east of Maricopa, off-road through the desert, walk through a firing area (no one was there, thankfully), and then up a rock mound. We found the cache nestled under some rocks in a crevice. It was really fun to see it peeking out and know we had succeeded.
Here's a picture of B with the hannah Travel Bug before we placed it.
Here are Mrs. D and Little D getting set to hike.
Hubby and B with the GPS unit. Getting warmer...
Found it! Mr. D, Hubby, and B.
Examining the contents of the cache and enjoying the view...
# posted by Kristen–well minded @ 6:19 PM 
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I've heard about this--sounds like fun! The B's certainly look like they're enjoying themselves :)
# posted by 
: 9:11 PM
: 9:11 PM
I'm with Steph: it sounds totally fun. Like a combination of orienteering (except not so hard) and a treasure hunt.
Everybody seems to be coming up with great ways to use a GPS; soon everyone will have one. Eventually there will be combo PDA/GPS/cell phones. With or without a camera.
Everybody seems to be coming up with great ways to use a GPS; soon everyone will have one. Eventually there will be combo PDA/GPS/cell phones. With or without a camera.
# posted by : 9:15 AM
: 9:15 AM
steph- It is fun! You better not start, 'cause you'd be addicted. And with the marathon training, anime, painting, and other escapades, I just don't think you have time for another activity. :)
miss vee- What's orienteering? I think we'll eventually just have microchips implanted in our heads that will allow us to do everything. We'll even be able to translate foreign languages!
david- Um...that's like a foreign language to me. Did you and Brennen have some convo that I was not privy to? :)
miss vee- What's orienteering? I think we'll eventually just have microchips implanted in our heads that will allow us to do everything. We'll even be able to translate foreign languages!
david- Um...that's like a foreign language to me. Did you and Brennen have some convo that I was not privy to? :)
No Way!! I have been interested in caching for the last 4 years but I haven't done anything yet because we keep putting off buying a handheld GPS unit. I think I am going to register for one for our wedding. I would love to do a cache in Bora Bora on our honeymoon.
# posted by : 11:47 AM
: 11:47 AM
That has to be the coolest thing! Hicking with a purpose. . .that is it, that is the reason that I haven't been hiking. Now all I need is a GPS unit! Wonder how long that will take ;)
# posted by : 11:07 PM
: 11:07 PM
sarah- Yeah, we've been putting it off, too...and we still don't have one!!! It would be cool if we could go together when you guys come out here. If one of us has a GPS, of course.
alyssa- Well, if it takes as long as the kitchen pictures, you should be ready to go around retirement age.
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alyssa- Well, if it takes as long as the kitchen pictures, you should be ready to go around retirement age.
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