– Looking for loot? Maybe some road action with handheld toys? Then you’ll want to join the RV’ers on the trail as they geocache (pronounced geo cashing). RV users can geocache while on vacation or by going to http://www.geocaching.com and typing in a zip code of where they’re going and locating waypoints for caches along their route.
“I feel like a girl again,” says Sebastian’s Kathy Sarafino, known in her geocaching world as “Cacheka.” Sarafino is a retired director of Imaging Services, who is not only an avid geocacher, but also an RV’er. She and her husband Bob bought a fifth wheel (RV) from Giant Recreation World about three years ago and love to go on long weekend excursions and are members of the Gold Club. The Gold Club is an exclusive membership for RV owners who can participate in pre-planned activities, from barbecues with hoedowns, to crafts for kids, to boating and fishing, special parties and even mascot costume contests.
Sarafino has logged over 785 caches to date. “Geocaching is great to enjoy as a couple or with a friend. My friend and I usually go out three or four times a month, and usually all day long,” says Sarafino. She admits that her handheld GPS unit is now an extension of her arm and she rarely goes anywhere without it.
“RV’s make lifelong friendships, whether they are young children with their parents who enjoyed camping growing up, or as they begin their second life in retirement,” says General Manager Dennis Charron, of Orlando (Winter Garden) Giant Recreation Dealership. World. “Families have the opportunity to spend quality time together that most families don’t. They’re making new friends, visiting interesting places and creating VR memories.”
Geocaching is a high-tech version of a treasure hunt. There are traditional caches, cache containers of various sizes, and even mystery caches. Many are RV-friendly. Hunters can often locate treasure within a mile radius of their camp, in urban areas, and in places like Cracker Barrel, where the caches are known as Rocking Chair Caches. Hunters put a waypoint (coordinates) on their GPS, which they can find on geocaching websites, where there are often clues, and the hunt begins.
“Most GPS units are accurate within a 10-foot radius of where a cache is buried,” says Graeme McGufficke, geocache name, Ozguff. Ozguff started caching in 2003, when he found out about it from his daughter’s friend. McGufficke lives in Jackson County, NC, and more than 240 people have logged in (online) to just one of his caches that he put up in 2003. Visitors even upload a photo of themselves and their RV with the cache on record. . There are over 300 geocaches within a 20 mile radius of Sylva, NC.
McGufficke has strategically placed 10 caches on private property for a bed and breakfast in Sylva for his guests to enjoy. It’s also worth noting that it’s important to pay attention not only to the difficulty level of the loot hunt, but also to the challenging terrain.
Sarafino belongs to the Spacecoast Geocachers Association and has laid out a cache of “travel bugs”, Satin Lips, with the goal (ID tag) of “Kissing the Blarney Stone in Ireland”. He can follow his progress through his website. The geocachers have found his satin lips and are helping to move him along the path, to another cache closer to his target. “It’s already in Ireland,” says Sarafino proudly. “Geocaching takes you to wonderful places that are usually only known by locals.”
Giant Recreation World’s Gold Member club is an opportunity for RV’s to meet and greet, share hobbies such as geocaching and outdoor activities, but more importantly, people meet people they might not otherwise have met. and build lasting relationships that could carry them. the world.
RV’s can bring their bikes, kayaks, favorite coffee, favorite pillow, and their own music and movies (even their family pet). Many RV models allow a family of four to save up to 74 percent on vacation costs compared to other forms of travel.
Click on geocaching.com, you might be surprised how many caches or treasures can be found in your backyard!