If you are looking for a great way to have family fun I would highly recommend geocaching. This is a new hobby for our family. It didn't take long figure out how addicting it is. Geocaching involves using a GPS to hunt  for hidden caches which can be classified as micro, multi, mystery, traditional, virtual, and webcam to name a few.  Hands down our favorite caches are traditional. We love the anticipation of opening various containers to see what goodies are inside. Caches are as unique as the individual that hides them. Geocachers can take cache items and in turn leave other items for trade.
    Geocaching offers several different elements that make it alluring. It can be done alone or with family and friends. Geocaches are everywhere. I  was surprised that there were caches within 7 miles of our farm. Geocaching is relatively inexpensive. Global Positioning Units run from $100 and up. One of the aspects that is appealing about geocaching is the researching and planning before actually searching for the cach with the coordinates. It is important to know about the cache---is it a micro meaning it will only take a very small trade item, or perhaps none at all? Is there a theme to the cache? Some caches are geared towards children. Preplanning your cache hunting is a great way to create family memories and bonding.

    I alway had an interest in purchasing a Global Positioning System (GPS)  but could never justify it except to say I am abit of an electronics nerd and I just wanted one. When Christmas rolled around I thought a GPS would be a good gift for Max to use when he goes hunting. I had a hard time trying to decide which unit to buy. I settled on the Garmin 76C. It was more money that I wanted to spend, but offered features that made it worth the investment. I liked the color screen, the memory capacity, and it also came with Map Source CD. The sales clerk mentioned geocaching which sounded intriguing however it was quickly forgotten with the holiday season activities. It was until three months later when I was checking out the GPS unit when I saw the geocaching icon which prompted me to log onto GEOCACHING.COM. I plugged in my home coordinates and quickly located a handful of caches close to the farm. At the first opportunity Max, Brice and I headed out to the virtual, Jewell of a cache, followed by a traditional cache, Picture Falls. I will never forget that rush of adrenlin that surged when Max reached down and pulled the cache out from under a log, nor the anticipation of what treasurers we would find once the cache was opened. The three of us were very excited.
    GEOCACHING.COM  is the premier site to find information about geocaching. Right after I found my first two caches, I joined as a premium member. Premium members have a few added benefits such as the option of searching for member only caches.
    Max has dubbed me a geo junkie. He's right. It seems like anytime the two of go to town I try to fit a cache or two in.  I have found myself heading out for a "quick cache" after work although I am not convinced there is such a thing as a "quick cache". Geocaching requires patience. Caches may be hidden in areas where satellite reception is spotty.
     In order to become more organized, I have put together a three ring binder entitled The Norman Family Adventures in Geocaching. After I search for caches on GEOCACHING.COM I print any potential logs. Next I place them into the binder which is sectioned into geological locations.. The last section is devoted to caches I have found.  After a cache is found, the logs are placed in the order they were found after I add the date, who I was with, what trinket we took and what we left.
    We have also devoted two shelfs to geocaching to help us stay organized. The top shelf is for trade items. The bottom is for cache goodies we have traded for.
    It doesn't take long to think about hiding geocaches. Max and I found ourselves commenting on potential cache sites. Setting up a cache and waiting for others to find it is fun too. Currently we have five caches placed. Click on MedicGeoGunkies stats below to see which caches we have found and hidden.