Posts Tagged ‘gps’

What Is A Cache?

Monday, April 11th, 2011

Two years ago, dear friends let me in on their hobby (Geocaching.com). It is basically treasure hunting anywhere in the world.  It takes a GPS and downloads coordinates from the computer (longitude and latitude) and off we go looking for what someone has hid,registered and maintains.

There are nearly 1.4 million caches worldwide and 4 million treasure hunters like me!  So as someone could be walking down the street and be oblivious,I can zero in and find a cache. I sign the log inside it and go back to the computer and record my find!! Andy says this is for “old people”, but pffft, I think it’s fun! There are 50 or so in R.B. alone!?

Home Again, Home again, Giggidy Gig

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

stonecherubWhat I missed while gone…hmmmmmm,

My bed, my grandbaby’s hugs, my fuzzy bathrobe, my kids, knowing my way around without a GPS, and those who couldn’t join us in Montalcino. that’s all! 

Everything else was just stuff and habit, and since we are rediscovering what and who we are without jobs, there is still a spirit of adventure lurking just below the surface!  So watch out!

Part III: Memories

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

Just arrived in Goteborg.  Returned the car to Volvo.  Ships out on July 4, and should be in Irvine by your early August. Weather is  fantastic.  At the same hotel we stayed at when we arrived…SAS Radisson.  We Leave Wed. AM.

We have found that familiarity breeds contentment, making a place feel like “Home” seemed to be our comfort zone, while living on the edge was not.  So our many trips to Camp Darby in Pisa, or even the other military bases were even safe zones. Returning to Goteborg and this hotel feels good. But we have done a good job of enjoying everyday as we countdown to take off.  I would not delete a day of it, and we intend to make the most of today and tomorrow (we are headed to the Spain vs Finland soccer game in an hour).

We were to have the car until tomorrow, but the GPS came across some road construction it couldn’t understand.  Our 11 minutes to our hotel was 45+ and we were still lost.  At that point, we knew we could find Volvo, and walking would be a lot less stressful the remainder of our time. They went over the car, we signed some papers, and they taxied us into town with no expense to us. They will pick us up and take us to the airport on Wed (I like being taken care of too).

The car will be fine, safe, cleaned and it will give me some time to deal with the used car lot we currently have at home!  I was sad to leave Montalcino, but I am ready to be home, be of help to Debbie Powell and Aaron’s wedding this weekend, and get my knees looked at  (and get back in shape).

cloudsSo if I always look at something in the future as a challenge, I don’t have to look backward.  Any way , any big event is 3 parts:  planning, happening, and memories.

We are just moving on to part III.

Lucy!!!!

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

thinksignAll is NOT glamorous in the world of travel, and we find that we either love or hate Lucy (our GPS with an attitude)!  If our guides tell us we will be driving for 3 hours, you can count on us needing 5.  She will take us to the most remote corner of anywhere and then lose her signal and just stop. 

With all the water in Holland, she didn’t know whether to have us travel on a road or canal.

In Monaco, she had no understanding  of what a one way street was (we spent an hour going 3 miles…round and round and round). 

And because she thinks she knows it all, if we ask to get out of Monaco and into Italy, rather than take the best road, she just takes us up and out and into the French Alps, whereas 2 miles out of our way would have given us a real road and not a cart path.

Now tomorrow  she has her last challenge for awhile: to get us to Montalcino from Pisa in the 3 hour drive time indicated…or she goes in the suitcase and I go buy a map.

In Brugge

Saturday, March 28th, 2009

We had a great day today…Lucy was a little ornry first off and we traveled by the seat of our pants for awhile, but she got her act together. Brugge was awesome and we took a canal ride and had Belgium Waffles and Belgium chocolate and bought a Belgium Lace bookmark. Do I have to eat Brussel Sprouts while I am here too?

Now we are at a military hotel across from the NATO base outside of Brussels in their computer center. We have time change tomorrow, but I hope I can still sleep in.

FYI

  • The gps is Lucy
  • The itouch is Ethel
  • My kindle is Brittany
  • Steve’s kindle is Marion

The naming of the car???  It is still up for grabs.   Andy votes for a Swedish name (Gail’s delivery van is “Brutus”).