New Airstream part-timers Nick and Jill Iverson had heard about geocaching travel bugs, but had never found one until a 2010 summer vacation in Tennessee.
“It’s the biggest find of my geocaching career,” Nick said. Not only are the travel bugs rare, but chances are someone else will get to them before you do, he explained.
“They don’t stay in a cache long. Those who find them are supposed to take them out of the cache and “travel” with them – putting them in another cache as far away as possible. Once they’re in a new cache the next person along usually gets it.”
Geocaching is the sport of using GPS coordinates to find a hidden cache – anything from a container the size of a pillbox to the size of a foot locker that contains anything from a small notebook with the names of those who have found it, to a variety of small toys or items. The “stash” isn’t valuable, but it is unique since no two caches are alike.
“It all depends on what kind of area it’s in and how much space they have to hide something,” Nick said of how large the caches were. Cache containers range from a baby bottle or Tupperware bowl with a lid, to ammo boxes or 35mm film canisters.
It’s a hobby Nick and Jill would never have heard or thought about before they became Airstream owners. And Nick credits joining the tight-knit group of Airstreamers he met on Facebook and at various events with his discovery of geocaching.
“People on the Facebook group of Airstreamers talked about it, talked about the things they’d find and all these travel bugs,” he said. “So we started looking into it.” It’s not a sport exclusive to Airstream owners, but a lot of Airstream owners are passionate about geocaching. It’s just one more part of the active Airstream lifestyle the Iversons like.
Nick, who works for the government, and Jill, a teacher, have three dogs that travel with them. One of the dogs, Zona, has her own blog, http://zonaspawprints.blogspot.com/ and Nick has just started his own, http://poppedrivets.com, to start documenting their Airstream travels. They’re joining hundreds of other Airstream bloggers, but hope the focus on geocaching will attract other Airstream geocachers.
The couple just bought their 1979 Airstream Argosy last year. (It has been stripped of its original beige paint and polished.) Being from Virginia, in the Hampton Roads area, the couple said they’re in the perfect place to take advantage of all their Airstream offers. “There are just so many great parks in Virginia and Pennsylvania and so many places to go,” he said, “We can go someplace different every time we go.” The geocaching is something that’s helped them meet other Airstream owners. It’s something they can share and talk about, and it’s something that brings them together at get-togethers and rallies. Being surprised every time they find a cache is just a bonus, but the real fun is sharing their finds with other Airstreamer owners who also participate in the sport.
All the gear you need fits in a jacket pocket, and is perfect for anyone in an RV. The sport gets you outside, can be done alone or with family members and children of all ages, and is different every time you go out. “With millions of geocaches around the world, there’s always a cache no matter where you go,” Nick said.
“It’s perfect for Airstream rallies or get-togethers too,” Nick said. “While you’re waiting for a rally or dinner or something to begin you can go out and find a cache, or you can stop over somewhere on your way to a rally to take a break and find a cache.”