As if we needed a new hobby, we have now added Geocaching to the list.  This page is dedicated to  this whole new breed of adventure.  These start with the most recent Geocaching adventures.  Scroll down to see more.

November 17, 2007 - Local caches - John's Mountain & New Echota Cemetery near Calhoun, GA.
It was a beautiful day that reached into the mid-high 70s.  The colors were brilliant, and we knew where they'd be the best up on John's Mountain.  After a filling IHOP breakfast, we swung by the office to get some cache coordinates for the area, and off we went.  Dixie lives part-way up the mountain, so the Richardson Tribe picked her up on the way to our first cache (which we immediately gave-up on because of the steep hills and rocks).  Our second cache was on the very top of the mountain with an incredible view in all directions.  We found the cache, and left a little something.  I think, in the future, the kids will have to bring 2-3 of their own small toys to exchange for things in the cache.  On the hike, we noticed some rock piles that we speculated were pet graves.  Turns out, after a little research, we discovered that they're "Rock Alters".  What you are supposed to do is pick up a rock and assign a worry or sadness to it.  Then, toss it onto the pile (alter) before you begin your hike.  That way, you can thoroughly enjoy the walk, air, and view without worries and sadness.  Unfortunately, the kids only noticed them on the way out.  Even then, we thought they were dead dogs. 

Anyway, we left the mountain and couldn't find our 2nd, 3rd, and 4th caches of the day.  We did visit the old Sequoyah Statue and the ancient cemetery that was used by the New Echota capitol village of the Cherokee.  I need to go back and get a picture of Chief Pathkiller's grave.  He was around before, and during the Revolutionary war, and was a General in the war of 1812 (in his 70s so it would appear).  There are many other graves here that are unmarked as well.  What we have noticed when visiting the old cemeteries is that a large percentage of the graves are of children.  Many of the people lived to be very old, certainly by their standards.  But so many kids died from Chicken Pocs, Polio, the Flu, and even simple infections, that is really what made the life expectancy so short. 

Anyway, on a lighter note, Daddy noticed a Legendary creature or two!  Well, one is more "manly" and the other is a Gremlin.  Kids, you may need some help from an older person to find the Gremlin.
Check out what we did on Sunday too (for perhaps another creature or two).

November 12, 2007 - Local caches (Trinity, Franklin Cemetery, Oothcalooga Creek)
After our relative success this weekend, we decided to hop in the car after work and find a couple of local caches on our way to Pizza Hut, a place everybody (Mommy) likes but Daddy tolerates (hates).  We found the first cache pretty quick and easy, but the other two eluded us.  We did find "Pink Floyd's" resting place (see picture). We'll go back to them when we have a chance.  Daddy did do a quick find of a "micro-cache" the next morning (little red caboose) after dropping off the twins.

November 10 thru 11 - Richardson Tribe's first time "Geocaching Experience"
On one of our PB&J Adventures, we tried our hand at Geocaching, a form of treasure hunting using a GPS (global positioning system) receiver.  I've been using a GPS unit for a long time to help find important things like fast food joints and rockhounding sites, but this new hobby adds a whole new dimension to traveling.  It looks like Geocaching is going to be a regular part of the Richardson Tribe's activities in the future.  For more on the trip to Fall Creek Falls, click here.