In May of 2007 my Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) adventures began when PJ accidentally discovered a copy of “Geocaching for Dummies”, while perusing the shelves at the Barns & Noble bookstore. She had heard about geocaching while living in Washington but hadn’t learned much about it. She bought the book and by the end of the evening, we were both hooked. We checked out geocaching.com and found a slew of caches in our immediate area in Long Beach, California. That was all the additional incentive we needed to purchase a handheld GPS unit from REI and when they arrived, the adventures began!

It is rare in life to find an endeavor that fundamentally changes the way you look at the world and how you live your life.

Geocaching changed everything for me. Suddenly, I was out of the house, exploring areas in cities I had been in my entire life, and just driven through, and began really “seeing” things for the first time. Many caches commemorate historical events or monuments and some are like a locals guide to the best of the area restaurants and shops, or out of the way getaway spots. Seeing where you live through someone else’s perspective or learning the history of this or that odd thing makes it much easier to really appreciate their significance. Here is a prime example. I have passed this flag pole probably hundreds of times since I was a child. The first time I remember seeing it, was from the backseat of my Dad’s ‘64 Chevy Impala, on the way to my favorite art store, Lyon Art Supply, in Long Beach, California. I was probably about nine or ten and it was the biggest, absolutely biggest, flag I had ever seen!! Now, at 43, I finally know all about it and Lyon’s is still where I buy most of my art supplies! View Polish Pole Cache!

So there is my basic story. How did you come to be a geocacher?

N 33° 46.314 W 118° 11.017