Q is for Quest

X Marks the Spot!  Our quest is to find the treasure!

Where is this treasure?  You just need to plug in the coordinates in your GPS and it will lead you straight to the treasure.  What is this treasure hunt called.  It is called Geocaching?

Misty and I got started on this hobby last year and it is a blast.  You might ask what is Geocaching?  I know I never heard of it.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

Caches can be anywhere from the size of fingernail to a big army case.  Some caches contain a treasure.  You are more than welcome to take an item but you have to replace it with something else.  Most items in there are just little knick knacks.  After you find the cache, you also want to make sure you sign the log.  There are almost 1,400,000 caches around the world.  To learn more about geocaching and find the caches nearest  you go to the website below.
http://www.geocaching.com/

Shelly and Misty near a cache we found at the Battle of Lexington

Here are a little bit about our stories of Geocaching.  The first time we went Geocaching, we went around the Lexington, Missouri area.  There was a cache close to a bridge.  It had very steep stairs and we went up and down those stairs a 1000 times and couldn't find it.  After we went back second time with Shelly, we found it right away.  We also found some caches over at the Battle of Lexington Warfield.  It was so exilarating after you look and look, and you finally found it.

Then Misty found out about caches close to our work.  Misty and I carpool to work, and I used to work 9:30-6:00.  Misty had to be at work at 8:00.  So every morning, I would go out to try to find caches close to my work before I had to go in.  I probably didn't find more than I found, but the the thrill of the hunt was so much fun.

Misty and Brylly standing in a train with a cache inside of it

Misty had  a cache close to her work that she was bound and determined to find. I tried to help her find it one day, and I think people thought we were crazy.  You are supposed to kind of look for it nonchalantly.  Nonchalant is definately not in my vocabulary.  She did end up finding it after about a month.  There was much rejoicing!

Shelly, Misty, and I at a park.  The cache was actually inside that pinecone.

When we first went Geocaching, we looked for stuff based on the clues on the website.  We didn't have a GPS unit.  However, we knew we were going to St. Louis later in the year.  It seemed like a great time to buy a GPS.  After we got our garmin, it made things a lot easier.  I then got a 2nd GPS unit for free, which is supposed to be a little more accurate.   I would recommend anyone who wants to take this hobby up,to get a GPS.

Misty found this cache at a rest area on our way to St. Louis

One day Shelly, Misty, and I decided to do a whole day of Geocaching.  We went to the Liberty, North Kansas City Area, and i am guessing we tried to find about 15-20 caches that day. We went to parks, big wooded areas, parking lots.   We probably only found about 1/2 of them but it is really fun.  When Misty and I went to St. Louis, we stopped and found a couple on our way out there.

Found this cache in a wooded area by Happy Rock Park in Gladstone

Our journey has taken us to warfields, beautiful parks, wooded areas, rusted train cars, Wal-Mart parking lot, Rest areas, and in the middle of nowhere.  We can't wait until our next quest.