Geocaching

A few months ago, I came across a You Tube video about geocaching. Geocaching is like going on a scavenger hunt, using a GPS unit to guide you to hidden caches around the world. People hide all kinds of things, and then post the GPS coordinates online. Usually a concealed cache will include a log for you to sign when you find it, and, occasionally, little prizes or trinkets as well. I thought this all sounded like an exciting type of hide-and-seek game, so I became an official geocaching.com member, and was thrilled to discover that there was a cache less than a half mile from my house. I studied the clues that were supposed to lead me to a little film canister, assuming that I certainly knew my own neighborhood well enough to decipher the rather obvious hints. Jacob and I rode our bikes to the precise hiding spot and enthusiastically rummaged around for the secret treasure. Several times. We never found it. I also learned of two geocaches near the farm, so I brought that information along when we went up north last weekend. Jim, Jacob, Wayne, Carol, Nick, and I searched all over for those hidden containers, but never found them, either. I am slowly beginning to feel like a geocache failure and am becoming a bit frustrated. Of course, I do not own a GPS unit, so that may have something to do with my geocache defeats. Or, quite possibly, that may have everything to do with my lack of success. Then, Jim impolitely pointed out to me that joining a GPS-users group without owning a GPS unit is comparable to, and about as stupid as, joining a bike club without owning a bike.