Geocache 2

(Our computer is having a difficult time publishing these things and has forced me into a different program.  Its more difficult to import, resize pictures, print screen, and set it up to look nice.  Sorry)

I would say the kids are hooked.  Most nights I came home this week it was dinner, scriptures, geocaches.  Kids ask “Can we go find a cache?”  There are quite a few around, so we load up one or two on the gps and head out.  There are all different kinds.  Big ones, small ones, some stashed in trees, under rocks, on posts.  Some have treasures you can trade for, all have at a minimum a log sheet you can sign.  You really have to pay attention to your surroundings and look for something out of place in order to locate it.  The gps can generally put you within 8 feet, but there is some searching involved.  Soren is pretty good at finding them, Svea has found a few, but it can be a challenge.  Of course, a few we have been unable to find, does that mean we didn’t look good enough or that they are gone?  Luckily, when you search for one you can view the last 10 logs on the website and there are sometimes additional hints, but you can see if the majority of the people are able to locate the cache.  You can also see the dates they searched.  The ones that people have a hard time finding or have been gone for a year are not worth following up on.

Tuesday Night – one behind the church:

Wednesday Night – found two on Buckeye Road.  One was a magnetic altoid box on the back of a guard rail and one has attached to a wire hanging on the inside of a roadway delineator:

Thursday and Friday it was really rainy.  Saturday was clear, but 60% chance of rain in the Tahoe Basin, so we stayed low and decided to hike the Fay Luther Trail.  It is also going to rain on Sunday and supposed to rain through the week.  We will take the rain as we are desperate, but has killed my fly fishing the last two weeks.


We went from purple to yellow (Sandy Trail) then did the red loop – round 2.5 miles, good hike to tire the kids out so that they do not wig out.  The good news was there are a ton of geocaches along the trail.

First one was a tiny pill box that was wrapped in camouflage tape and attached to a sagebrush.  Many of the previous geocachers were not able to find it.  Good find by Ashley (Actually her first find):

Soren found a good sized one and then I found one next to a burial ground:

Found a really nice one under a pine tree – it was in one of those large ammo boxes.  This one had lots of treasures. Liv decided that she was going to keep a plastic kitty.

Soren found a really good one that had a swiss army knife he decided to pocket.  Svea took a bobble head rabbit out of it.  The cache was full of about 20 items to keep or trade:

Kids with the daily loot.  Amazing how finding these items motivates them to hike:

We did stop by Fay Creek.  Number of our favorite flowers blooming – the red California Snowcone (actually called the snowflower)

We found one last cache on the way back.  Liv traded her kitty in for a squirrel. We tried to tell her it was not a good trade, but she did it anyway.  About 100 yards down the trail she started crying “I want my kitty back.” But – it was gone.  She cried for a while about that one.

So our geocache map is looking pretty good.  You also get little “souvenirs” from the website.  Now we have a “California” souvenir since  we found our first California Cache.  Good day, got the kids out.  All worn out and tired by the time it is over. So you can see what we have found.  Still a whole bunch left to get.

The last one is Soren's first pack meeting.  He was able to earn his bobcat badge in cubscouts.  He also took part in his first flag ceremony.  Funny to watch.  He looked so official, and you could tell he had pride in what he was doing.  He was really smiling.