Hi Maryann. I always leave a photo card.....I got them printed off at moo.com, they're smaller than a business card and more sturdy and have one of my photos on the front (I got a pack with 100 different photos). On the back is my name, website address and geocaching ID name.

So that is sort of my calling card saying I've been to the cache. Other things I might leave are lapel pins, coins (Canadian or coins from other countries), tiny kids toys like a spin-top, kaleidoscope, whistle, etc.

Basically anthing small that will fit in the cache container is a good trade. It could be something you have around the house like a measuring tape or pen, or it could be something you went out and bought. We are going to London in September and we're going to do some caches there so I am bringing all Canadian stuff to put in caches (stickers, lapel pins, coins, etc).

We started geocaching a little over a year ago and we love it. We've found 224 and hidden 22. It's a nice way to get out and see places you normally would not go to, I've walked a lot of different trails because of geocaching.

Thanks for the quick answer! It does make me want to go out and buy a GPS system right away so I can get started.

What kind of system do you have?

Hey Casey, I must have missed a post - we Geocache as well.
We just got started a few months ago and we are really enjoying it. It is a great way to explore a new area and it has been a fun resason to walk, hike and bike more.

Maryann - We use the Garmin 60CSX
Some of the things we have left: Foreign bills and coins, inexpensive small pocket knives and pedometers, carbingers.

We do geocaching too. Tomorrow we are going out to find a trackable item of some sort so our exchange student can take it back to Russia.

We have a Garmin, not sure of the model. You can put all sorts of maps on it so we can use it when we drive as well. Our geocaching ID is jadwson. We have one trackable geocoin that is somewhere in Colorado now I think, we started it off in Victoria, BC. We alos have 2 travel bugs we haven't started yet, we're going to bring one to London with us.

Oh! We have always wanted to get into geocaching...it sounds like so much fun!

This does sound like so much fun!

Casey what is a travel bug?

Gardenspice, I checked out your Garmin and it's more than I want to spend. I think I will have to start out with a cheaper handheld. I've been checking out the reviews.

Something I don't understand....if the GPS unit receives from a satellite, do you have to pay a monthly fee for that access?

I found out about the travel bug here, Travel Bug info

What is geocaching?

Maryann, we also have a lower priced Garmin eTrex. I will have to check with DS on the model. I think it was around $75 on eBay. so far, for what we do, it is fine. Our farthest we took a travel bug is from IL to PA last summer. I think it was somewhere in NY last time I looked.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here is some good information on buying

Steph - See the link below.
To quote Groundspeak/geochaching.com
"Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for gps users. 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."

MaryAnn - Someone on the central TX site was selling a gently used unit last week: I'll try to email you the link since I just got a warning about trying to post a yah00 address.

Here is a link that might be useful: Information about GeoCaching

There is no fee for using sattelite signals....think of it as using a radio....no fee for receiving am or fm channels, right?

Thanks Gardenspice (I got your e-mail) and thanks Casey! I think I'll be geocaching soon!

I just bought the Garmin eTrex Venture CX Color Mapping Handheld GPS at Amazon.com. The reviews sound great, and I read LOTS of them!

Thanks for everyone's help.

Cool Beans!
Now think of your Geocaching handle and register at geocaching.com.
That's where you will download the caches.
Be sure to report back when you start!

This sounds like so much fun! Guess you can't do it without a GPS, but we were going to buy one for our travels anyway. By the way,how do you say it ... cashay or cash?

dex215, it's pronounced geo cash.

Gardenspice, I have already registered this weekend, but now I want a different user name. So I e-mailed them and ask for a name change. I'll let you know what it is as soon as they make the change for me.

Cool Maryann! It's a really fun activity and you can make it as easy or as challenging as you like. That is, do the easy caches or do the more difficult ones that require a long hike. I've hiked places I never would have had it not been for geocaching. Hey, who knows, maybe you'll find our geocoin or travel bug one day.

An update:

I got my GPS unit yesterday and today I did some reading in the manual. What fun!!! I even downloaded the coordinates to my first find. I knew where it was just from the directions, but I wanted to try out my GPS system to see how it worked.

I located my first cache here in town. I knew it had to be my first because it was titled the Grandpa Special and the grandpa of the person who hid the cache was the doctor who delivered me. So in a way it was celebrating 2 firsts for me. I also found 3 virtual caches. There are many more in my area that I plan to find, just not all in a day.

Thanks to all those who helped on this thread!

Sounds good MaryAnn! Won't be long before you are racking up the finds.