Tom and I decided to try something new last weekend and go geocaching. Generally speaking, geocaching is a game of hide-and-seek using GPS coordinates as a map. When we started researching this online (geocaching.com), I was expecting to find only a few of these caches around, but was stunned to see thousands within easy driving distance of our house. Every nearby park had a couple of them, and the larger wilderness and recreational areas had between 10 and 50. We decided to team up with our friends Adam and Ashley and check out some caches at an area near their house in Fremont called Quarry Lakes. The prizes in this game are "caches", which are usually small containers (tupperware or mayo jars or the like) that are camoflaged and hidden at the specified coordinates. Inside each cache is a log book with the entries from everyone who has found the cache and some little trade-able or collectible trinkets that each visitor will leave. If you find a trinket you would like to keep, you leave something in exchange. The picture above is Tom with one of the caches that we found under a bush, and the picture below is of one of the stranger trinkets we found - "Organs in Goo". We left that one for another visitor, though.
One of the cool things we found was a "digitalfish", which is a trinket with a code on it so you can track its travels online. Some of these have destinations, so when you pick them up you are supposed to try to move them closer to their goals. The fish (8376) that we picked up had just been spawned, so it will be up to us to move it somewhere interesting. We're thinking about taking it to Phoenix with us in a month or two when we go down there for spring training. It is in the packet next to the organ goo in the picture above, but you can't really tell. Incidentally, Banjo loves geocaching, too. I thought the picture caught a really fun, joyful moment.
One last picture from our adventures. This "rock" was actually a cleverly disguised cache. It inspired us to start thinking about ways to hide caches of our own, so maybe you'll hear about that sort of adventure in the future!
2 comments:
I love the geocaching! Well, I love the idea... And I laughed at the photo of Banjo jumping up to Tom! Thanks for the update on what's happening in Sunnyvale. For those untechie types who want to introduce the under-ten crowd to geocaching (Ebel seniors?), try Letterboxing.org. More like the old-fashioned scavenger hunt. And shouldn't the bald ladies like to play Scrabble?
Judy on the Cape
Glad you liked my rock!!! I am obsessed with finding new ways to high geocaches in plain sight...I have seen some creative ways to hide mayo jars in carved out logs. Look for my next cache... csolsen
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