Submitted by:  Becky Goodchild; 7/16/08

This entry relates to present.

Category(ies) of this entry: Parks, Bike paths

My pulse quickens as I round the corner. Will it be there behind that bush or perhaps up in the tree; maybe they camouflaged it as a rock, or better yet, floating in the creek. With quick glance to my handheld GPS (global positioning system) I check the coordinates. Yep just a little further to the North East. Check the coordinates, step forward, check, step, check, step… bingo. According to the GPS I’m standing right on the coordinates. My nose is also brushing against bark. With a quick look at the branches in my reach, and a scan of the base, no obvious hiding places or anything notably unusual stick out. Tricky little bugger. Things hidden with such obvious crafty delight deserve thorough searching. Down on my knees, I sweep my hand over some of the roots sticking out of the dirt. Hmmm… that can’t possibly be it. I flick a few leaves away, and peer at a little fold in the bark near one of the exposed roots. Pause for the hallowed heavenly sunlight to pour down, pause for the Hallelujah chorus, pause for the… is that a bluebird on my shoulder. The object of my desire lies before me, a film canister. At last I have found the cache (pronounced like cash) or the treasure of a geocaching expedition.

What is geocaching? A few years ago when internet and GPS systems became available and affordable to the public, a few tech minded nature people in touch with their inner child came up with a new form of treasure hunting. First you make up a log book that the finders can sign, get some treasure in the form of key chains of small toys, place it all in a durable container, hide it, record the coordinates and put them online. If you’re like me and have the treasure itch but without the yacht to go search for sunken treasure in the Bahamas, this is perfect. It’s an incredibly fun puzzle that takes you too many unexplored little spots tucked away along Davis’s many bike paths and parks.