Rob and the California George Family

We have discovered a new hobby: geocaching. Some friends mentioned this to us a while ago, but we never got around to trying it until last weekend. The girls are now hooked!

Geocaching is basically a GPS treasure hunt. Find a cache that is near you (we use www.geocaching.com), enter the coordinates in your portable GPS, take along any clues of where the cache is hidden, and go. When you find it, at a minimum you sign the log book. Most caches have prizes within where the rule is to take something out and put something in.

We have only found 3 so far, but they have been fun to hunt down. Some people out there get VERY creative in how they hide those things! Last night the girls and I figured out a puzzle for the next one that we are going to find. That's one cool thing about this activity -- it combines computer work, puzzle solving, and outdoor activity.

I'm looking forward to it as something new to do outside with the kids. For example, our local Aliso Creek Bike Trail has a bunch of them hidden along the route. We can go for a bike ride and track down caches as we go. The caches are literally hidden all over the world. Bethany's Girl Scout troop wants to create a cache of their own and publish it. There are enough people with this desire that there are many places to practice this hobby.

Labels: Family, Geocaching, GPS