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With all the
excitement about this summer’s high seas adventure movie, Pirates of
the Caribbean, I have to let you in on a little secret. We have our
own high desert pirates right here in Rio Rancho.
Yes, it is true, there is a treasure hunting sub-culture living among
us. Unlike true pirates, these garden varieties aren’t thieves. They
don’t even take the treasures they find. They simply are in it for the
thrill of the hunt. So drop anchor, grab your parrot and let me tell
you about a high tech hide-and-seek for kids of all ages.
My neighbor, Captain Phil told me his stories of when he and his
friend Nate trolled the high desert in search of hidden treasures
(their first mates stayed behind where it was clean, cool and husband
free. Yo, ho, ho and a credit card to go) But Phil and Nate don’t
search for Aztec gold or sacred Indian relics. Remember, it is not the
fortune, but the hunt that has captured the interest of these
adventurers. When they come upon their fortunes of Beanie Babies, old
tools or Mr. Potato Heads, you would think they hit the lottery. What
am I talking about you scallywags ask?
It is called geocaching (pronounced cashing as in cashing a check), a
modern-day treasure hunt led by technology beyond a pirate's wildest
dreams. This hide-and-seek by satellite is an exploration game for GPS
(Global Positioning System) users that has been steadily growing in
popularity since 2000. Would-be adventurers stash a cache (treasure)
and register its coordinates online so that all the other pirates, I
mean cache-rates know where it is. The modern treasure map leads a
person to within roughly 20 feet of a cache, which is close enough to
search the surrounding area visually.
Rio Rancho’s Captain Jack Sparrow (aka neighbor Phil) explained to me
when you get to a location there is no telling what you may find;
everything from wooden nickels to a 1950s Howdy Doody lunch box, which
has a street value of over $2500. Turns out one of his caches was a
bottle cap hidden under a park bench. “That’s it? That’s the treasure”
this spirited lass inquired. You spent all day looking for a bottle
cap? That’s right, drink up me hearties!
Ok, now I was starting to understand it and actually found this whole
new hobby very intriguing. The caches are not necessarily to keep.
Rules state you may take what is in the cache as long as you leave a
new treasure in its place. I particularly like what insiders call a
“hitchhiker”, which is an item that you move from cache to cache.
Reminds me of those people who steal your yard gnome and snap its
picture in front of The Eiffel Tower or wearing a rain coat on the
Maid of the Mist boat at Niagara Falls. According to geocache.com, it
was reported a candle had traveled from Australia to Arizona. There
was no mention if it arrived with a stamped passport and picture
postcards, dirty socks, a half eaten pack of Chicklets and in dire
need of a shower.
Although Phil and Nate aren’t the eye liner, puffy shirt and peg leg
type of guys, they are ready for the hunt should the opportunity
arise. Hey fellas, did you know the Volvo Corporation has buried a car
somewhere in the world? It could be anywhere, even in Rio Rancho, New
Mexico.
Yo ho, yo ho. I’m on my way to Radio Shack now to get my own hand held
GPS; safari hat and metal detector optional.
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