GeoWHAT...

As one gets older, and officially obtains "Old Coot" status, there's not a lot left to do. I mean you can still oogle the babes, redheads in particular, but what else is there to do...really? So many sports/hobbies/timewasters require at least two or more for it to be any fun. Take sex, well, I mean you could go it alone, I think they refer to that as an "Organ Solo" in the symphony, but it's a LOT better with two. A hobby that you can enjoy solo or in multiple is GeoCaching. GeoWhat? http://www.GeoCaching.com will give you all the correct answers to your questions but basically you use a handheld GPS unit (mine is a Garmin eTrex Legend) and you use it to go forth and find hidden treasure caches that others have placed around the world. Do you have to travel, NO, there are 100 GeoCaches within 10 minutes of my house in Birmingham. They're everywhere! What does it cost? Well, a good handheld GPS unit can be had new for about $100.00, matter of fact Bass Pro Shops in Leeds has the newer version of my Garmin eTrex Legend for $99.99 everyday. Now that's a damn good deal too cause I paid $499.99 for mine the first month they hit the shelves. What treasures await me? As far as treasures go... Not much in the way of untold wealth and riches. And it's usually more along the line of Dollar Tree Trinkets to be quite honest. But as with life, it's not the destination so much as it is the journey that is the most rewarding. I still remember Joy and I trudging through a forest fire at Cheeha National Park looking for and finding the Kentuck ORV Cache. Sand even more so to my pleasure was the FatBoy TravelBug that we rescued from a fiery death.

So NO... You won't get rich, you won't have to be rich to get into the hobby, you won't have to drive to the ends of the world, just to play the game. You WILL... Get your fat ass out from in front of the boob tube, you will get a little bit of healthy clean air and sunshine, you will get in a little healthy walking, you will see babes in the park, and you will exercise your mind and eyes a little bit (may be harder for some than others...).

Today was the last day of 2010, and I wanted to do something, anything, that was a little more fun than I had done the previous 364 days, and GeoCaching was what blew my skirt up. My goal was to find all 3 hidden GeoCaches at the 3 parks on Highland Ave. I got Number 1 set in my sights at Caldwell Park and my GPS LED MY RIGHT TO WITHIN 5 feet of the hideyhole. A few minutes of looking around and damn, there it was right in front of me. If it had been a snake... I punched in the new coordinates for Cache at Rhodes Park and off I went. Now, this one was a little more difficult for my dumb ass to find, but find it I did. Punched in the coord's for Cache Number 3 at Rushton Park and off like a rabbit was I. And this one got the better of me. Not for a lack of skill on my part mind you, but a rather large lunch crowd at Rojo's had taken all the parking within about 4 blocks. So here I type... And as soon as I post this, I'm headed back to Rushton before the rain gets here and snag my last and final GeoCache for the day. But there are others close by if I get the time today before the rain hits. Wish me luck!