http://www.geocaching.com/
Since the Admiral and I have a GPS now.... This site lists where people have hidden treasure caches around the world and then list the latitude and longitude on-line. People with a GPS then go on treasure hunts looking for the cache. The GPS will get you within ~20 feet of the latitude and longitude and you look for the hiding place. When you find it, you take one item in the cache and leave something new. Usually just trinkets. It is not as easy as it sounds. Most locations are tame. Some are underwater or on the side of a cliff and require skills to find them. Some are on Mt. Everest. This brings a new dimension to treasure hunt parties.
It is a high tech hide and seek. A bazillion sites around the world to go find. $99 bucks for a cheap Garmin GPS, great exercise. Quit watching reruns on TV. Puget Sound sailors - hide treasure in the San Juans and have a Mac Treasure Expedition.
What is usually in a cache?
A cache can come in many forms but the first item should always be the logbook. In its simplest form a cache can be just a logbook and nothing else. The logbook contains information from the founder of the cache and notes from the cache's visitors. The logbook can contain much valuable, rewarding, and entertaining information. A logbook might contain information about nearby attractions, coordinates to other unpublished caches, and even jokes written by visitors. If you get some information from a logbook you should give some back. At the very least you can leave the date and time you visited the cache.
Larger caches may consist of a waterproof plastic bucket placed tastefully within the local terrain. The bucket will contain the logbook and any number of more or less valuable items. These items turn the cache into a true treasure hunt. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left there for you to enjoy. Remember, if you take something, its only fair for you to leave something in return. Items in a bucket cache could be: Maps, books, software, hardware, CD's, videos, pictures, money, jewelry, tickets, antiques, tools, games, etc. It is recommended that items in a bucket cache be individually packaged in a clear zipped plastic bag to protect them. You could also have a printout containing prized Mark Prouty web graphics and illustrations. What would Archaeologists think if they found Mark Prouty graphics buried 1000 years from now? That is a scary thought.
Anybody want to hide something? Any Pirates out there?
