02 Broadcaster Press June 24, 2014 www.broadcasteronline.com Meet Becky Rider and Diane Leja on the way it’s hidden. You’re looking to not make it impossible to find, but you want to –” “Give a challenge,” Leja said. Rider nodded, adding, “You want to hide it in a way that the general, non-caching public doesn’t know it’s there.” “Hidden in plain view,” Leja said. There’s no better way to describe it, really. Each day non-cachers unknowingly pass by the items, which are hidden literally everywhere. Fence posts, signs, gates, trees, you name it. According to Rider, there By Travis Gulbrandson travis.gulbrandson@plaintalk.net There’s treasure everywhere. That’s how Vermillion geocachers Becky Rider and Diane Leja have felt as they’ve found and hidden caches in town and elsewhere for the past three years. For those not in the know, geocache is a global scavenger hunt that utilizes GPS technology. “People will hide anything from a buttonsized magnet to a five-gallon pail,” Rider said. “The difficulty of finding it varies KNUTSON FAMILY DENTISTRY Dr. Richard Knutson Dr. Matthew Knutson Dental Excellence for Children & Adults Cosmetic • Implants General Practice •Single Visit Crowns Braces For Adults & Children •Invisalign HOURS: are currently about 105 caches hidden in Vermillion, more than 30 of which have been placed there by she and Leja. The caches themselves are a container that holds a roll, which the finders then sign the specific ID number they’re given online. “That’s the main thing, you have to sign the log to prove you were there,” Leja said. “Then you have to go back online and say that you found it.” In fact, all of the information about caches and where to find them is available on the Internet at www.geocaching.com, which gives the GPS coordinates, levels of difficulty and user ratings. Leja said most cachers begin strictly as finders, although it doesn’t take long before they begin to get ideas for hiding places. “You’ll drive by a place and say, ‘Well, that would be a good place for a geocache,’” she said. “A lot of times you’re trying to bring Don’s Dust Control Monday – Friday, 8:30 – 5:30 1714 East Cherry Street, Vermillion 605.624.6291 • Horse Arenas • Private Drives • Unpaved Roads • Elevator Access • Free Estimates Becky Rider and Diane Leja hold one of the smallest and one of the largest geocache containers in their possession. The pair have been avid geocachers for the past three years, and have left more than 30 caches around Vermillion. (Photo by Travis Gulbrandson) someone to an interesting spot, something they wouldn’t have seen otherwise. A historic spot, a beautiful scene. Then, there are some places that are just plain random. “Once you get into the game, then the next logical step is to become a hider also,” she said. “It’s self-perpetuating,” Rider added. Once they get an idea about where to put a cache, they register online to see if there are any others in the area, and they must receive approval from a local geocache official, of sorts. They said their biggest concern when creating a new cache is determining the coordinates. “You try to be really careful and check them out, because depending on which satellite you pull it off of at any given moment, they can vary a little bit,” Leja said. “Sometimes we’ll take the coordinates, and then we’ll walk away, and then try to (find it) to see how it comes out.” They do maintenance on their many caches each spring. “They disappear, or they just get ruined,” Leja said. Offices will be closed on n GEO, Page 10 Friday, July 4th for the Independence Town Square I & II Town Square o Apartments 505-507 W. 505 507 W. day Holiday. ermillion, Main St. Ve Vermillion, SD 605-384-3201 Cell: 605-491-2133 EARLY DEADLINES for July 8th Issues A division of C&B Operations, LLC QUALITY TO THE CORE 6R SERIES UTILITY TRACTORS • ComfortView cab offers 20% more space • Multiple transmissions available • Increased hitch lift capacity 0 % 48 MONTHS FREEMAN (605) 925-4241 2 MITCHELL (605) 996-6633 0 Broadcaster Press Deadline: Noon Thursday, July 3 Deadline: 11 am Thursday, July 3 57069. 1 BR apartments for anyone 55 years of age or older, or persons with older, disabilities. Please call 605-624-5218 or visit www.oakleafpm.com. www.oakleafpm.com. Utilities are included and friendly. we are pet friendly. Rental assistance available to qualify. those who qualify. Equal Housing Opportunity Equal Housing Opportunity Ribbon Cutting % FOR 60 MONTHS 2,000 OFF $ 0 “Some stuff went away in the flood a few years ago.” The pair were introduced to geocache by Leja’s sister, who lives in Michigan. “She’d been telling me for a couple years that we would enjoy this, and until we actually went and did it with her we didn’t know, and then we just jumped in with both feet after that,” Leja said. They certainly did. Their car – or “cachemobile” – is now filled with the various tools of the trade they need to find and hide caches. There are tweezers to get logs out of tiny caches, there are rollers that allow the logs to be put back into those tiny caches, there are gloves, walking sticks, hooks for % 60 MONTHS WAGNER (605) 384-4580 Celebration! 7,000 OFF $ OR 1 + 1,000 1,000 $ 3 YANKTON A (605) 665-3762 1 Offer ends July 31, 2014. Subject to approved installment credit with John Deere Financial. 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