Mr W and I did our first geocache on the weekend and it was a blast. I highly recommend it! Geocaching is where you "seek" hidden caches using a GPS unit. Once you find a cache you write in the log book and can trade items in the cache. When you get home you log in to your account and record that you found the cash. Check it out online.
The cache we found was accessed by a logging road up one of the local mountains. We got within 500 m of the cache on the road, so we pulled over at a good parking spot. Just after we pulled over and let the dogs out we could hear someone yelling down the road. We thought maybe someone was yelling at a bear so we promptly loaded the dogs back up. But no, around the corner came a local red neck- shirt off, beer can in hand. Quite friendly, just up enjoying the view, when his dog took off towards us (which is why he was yelling). Very funny.
Off we went after talking to him a bit, up overgrown roads, up the hillside. We bushwacked, got turned around, and ended up relying on one of the dogs to find the patch. We finally found the spot where the cache should be, located at the mouth of an old copper mining cave. I ventured in using dogs, a stick and my cell phone for light, but could not find any hidden treasure. It was cold in there and Mr W was getting worried he would have to come in and rescue me.
I came out and Mr W casually said maybe it is under that tree root, and pointed a few feet away. Sure enough it was! We couldn't believe it, it was so close all the time.
What an adventure, I highly recommend it, and if you have a GPS (ours was a wedding present) it is relatively cheap fun that gets you outdoors.
Sorry for being so nosy. I just can't believe there is money just waiting out there to be found.