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Sunday, April 20, 2008

High-tech gadgets steer geocachers to treasures

By CHRISTOPHER DAY
Daytona Beach News-Journal Staff Writer

It's probably happening within blocks of your housein a park or a parking lot.

4 Popular GPS Units GARMIN ETREX LEGEND Price: $159.99 Screen size: 1.1 inches by 2.1 inches grayscale Batteries: 2 AA Average battery life: 18 hours Controls: Keypad PC interface: Serial Waterproof: Yes Geocaching mode: No Cacher comments: 95 Camaro Couple (Paula Tedrow of Orange City) says they started geocaching with a used Garmin eTrex Legend. It was an accurate, no-frills unit. They have recently upgraded to the lightweight Garmin eTrex VistaHCX because of its color screen, geocaching mode and the ability to download information directly from geocaching.com. MAGELLAN CROSSOVER GPS Price: MSRP $199.99 Screen size: 2.11 by 2.81 inches color Batteries: Li-on rechargeable Average battery life: 8 hours Controls: Touch screen PC interface: No Waterproof: Yes Geocaching mode: No Cacher comments: The Princess (Pam Atkinson of Ormond Beach) says the Crossover “puts us where we need to be. It’s accurate and has nice features.” GARMIN 60CSX Price: $399.99 Screen size: 1.5 inches by 2.2 inches color Batteries: 2 AA Average battery life: 18 hours Controls: Keypad PC interface: Serial and USB Waterproof: Yes Geocaching mode: Yes Cacher comments: Jetskier911 (Michelle LaMoia of New Smyrna Beach) says the Garmin 60CSX is accurate in normal use, but experiences some trouble under heavy foliage. She likes the unit’s geocaching mode which allows you to see where you have been, and has ability to download the geocache information directly into the unit from the geocaching.com Web site. GARMIN COLORADO 400T Price: MSRP: $639.99 Screen size: 1.53 inches by 2.56 inches color Batteries: 2 AA Average battery life: 15 hours Controls: Keypad PC interface: USB Waterproof: Yes Geocaching mode: Yes Cacher comments: Fegan (Forrest Egan of Port Orange) says the technology in the Colorado 400T is “far superior to anything else right now.” All the information about a geocache can be logged into the unit, and geocachers can “hunt for the cache” — paperless.

You may have seen them — people walking, peering intently into a device a little larger than a cell phone, and then stopping and scanning the ground looking for something.

You may have seen the treasure they seek. It could be hidden underneath the pile of white rocks that have always seemed out of place or discreetly attached to a bench in front of a strip-mall store.

Yes, geocaches and those who seek them are everywhere — participating in a worldwide hunt for hidden treasures.

ANOTHER REASON TO BE OUTDOORS

Geocaching was another outdoor activity for the Park family of Port Orange. They spent many hours hiking, biking and boating. Geocaching added another layer of togetherness.

"When we discovered geocaching, it was another way to enjoy it (the outdoors)," Lisa Park said.

She also saw geocaching as a way to keep connected with her 10-year-old son Clay, who was entering his pre-teens.

"Kids love it, and it makes adults feel like kids again," she said.

Lisa and Clay hope to spread geocaching fever to R.J. Longstreet Elementary School when Kristi Perrone's class studies latitude and longitude this spring.

Clay and his mom will place several caches on school property and let Clay's classmates use a GPS unit to find the items.

"It will be fun at least. Kids are used to playing online and hunting for virtual presents. We will show them how to join a real-life treasure hunt," he said.

THE FINAL FRONTIER

Paula Tedrow sees the big picture when out on a hunt. She, her husband Robert and 3-year-old daughter, Olivia, enjoy finding caches. For the Tedrows, the thrill is going where they have never gone before, especially places they wouldn't have visited if not for geocaching.

Recently, the Orange City family went cache hunting in the Ocala National Forest.

"Geocaching opened up the Ocala National Forest to us," she said. One cache took the Tedrows into the middle of the forest — deep among the pines and scrub oak.

"Out in the middle of the pine forest, we came across a crystal-clear spring. It's not something I expected to see in the middle of nowhere. It was a beautiful place and made all the mosquito and bug bites worth it."

LOVES GADGETS

Survey Bob loves gadgets. He already had a GPS unit so geocaching was a natural step. Survey Bob and The Princess have around 700 finds.

Survey Bob is Bob Atkinson. The Princess is his wife, Pam. They started geocaching in March 2004 after reading an article about it in the News-Journal.

With gas prices hovering around $3.40 a gallon, the Ormond Beach couple has found a way to keep on caching. They ride bicycles to nearby caches in Ormond Beach and Holly Hill.

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