03/04/2004: "Geocaching - the ultimate nerd pastime"

A few months ago, I finally bought myself a GPS unit, a Magellan Sportrak Map. I chose the "ATV Bundle", as it came with a CDROM containing Topographical maps of the entire United States, and Magellan were running a $50 rebate, so I wound up paying about $180 US. I did a lot of shopping around, and this bundle was by far the best value for me, as it also came with data-cable, car adaptor, and mounting cradle. Buying the accessories and software alone would have run over a hundred dollars, so it was a very good deal!

(click below to read more)

The unit is very sturdy, although the controls take a little getting used to. The LCD is black and white, but is clear and bright. The unit has 6M built in memory, which was enough for me to load up the detailed topographic maps for about a 100mile square, with plenty of room left over to add extra maps for specific places outside of that. The Mapsend Topo software is easy to use, and it is very quick to change what maps are stored on the GPS unit. The GPS also has a built in basemap of the US, with major roads and features shown.

For roadtrips, I hook the unit up to my laptop, and run mapping software that gives you a detailed map, with a little arrow saying "you are here". The software is not the best (the trip planning part is extremely clunky, and the searching leaves much to be desired), but it was relatively cheap. I wouldn't really recommend this software though... It was bundled with the hardcover Trailer Life Atlas and directory. Still, it makes the co-pilots job a lot easier, and is just plain fun!

But, if I may start with a preposition, back to the point of this article - Geocaching. From the geocaching.com website:

"Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a gps unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache. "

Geocaching is loads of fun, and there are caches virtually everywhere there are people (and even quite a few places where there aren't). Its just like a huge world-wide treasure hunt, using high-tech gadgets. What more could a nerd want? I did a small amount of geocaching when I first got the GPS, and then lost interest over the winter. Now that Spring is almost here, I am dusting off the GPS, and ready to go hunting again. We're off to Calistoga this weekend, so I'm looking forward to my first couple of Geocaches away from home.

Whats next? Well, I have played around with the idea of starting a "Real Time Friend Tracker". The idea came from the fact that I so often wander around the world, and I could be right nearby an old friend and not know it. So, the plan was to start a website along the lines of friendster, but that gives you the chance to pull up a world map and see where all your friends are actually located. For the uber-geeks, there would also be the chance to upload GPS "tracks", so people can see where you are, and where you have been. A nice idea, who wants to put it into practise?