Don't know about you, but I know that I have been cooped up in my house WAY too long by now! Talk about cabin fever! I have finally been able to get back out and enjoy walking in this gorgeous countryside around my home and am lovin it! Last week I ran into my nephew who was changing out the logs in some of his very popular geocaches nearby and learned that he and his family have been doing quite a bit of caching lately. Doesn't really surprise me - it has been so mild this winter, and the weather is turning absolutely glorious!

Yesterday I met a couple of women out walking their dogs on the hiking path near my farm and got into a conversation with them. Seems they not only had their dogs, they had the coordinates plugged into their handheld GPS and were in search of a geocache set out by my nephew near here on that hiking trail. How fun is that? It really is a very small world we live in. They had the perfect day for a nearly perfect hike and were having a wonderful time. They made me wish I had even more time to get out wandering 'cause they seemed to be having so much fun. Made me want to join them on their adventure.

I keep seeing folks on FaceBook mentioning how many states they had been to that day or that weekend, again out geocaching. What a fun family activity, and the kids and dogs enjoy it, too! Well, that's just a bonus in my book. I guess it is high time to break out the handheld GPS device and join in the fun!

School’s out, the kids are home, and it's nice outside. I wonder if I can use my GPS unit to get away from the kids and find myself? Well, maybe I should use it to find adventure with the kids, in so doing perhaps to help us find each other? We can grab the handheld GPS device and take off on foot exploring the trails nearby. I like to pack a picnic and head out after work and do just that. Or we could do a day trip and take off exploring in the car using the automotive GPS unit to do that. Actually, now that I think of it I probably really don’t need to leave those kids behind to find myself after all. There are some great spots here in the Adirondacks for hiking and boating or just sightseeing, even to sit beside the lake and read while the kids splash around in the water. See ya later – its a pretty day – time for me to go pack that picnic lunch and get outdoors wandering with the kids…

Can money buy you happiness? Someone posed the age-old question.  Well, let’s consider.  First, money purchased my hiking shoes, not a lot mind you, but money all the same.  And it took money to purchase my inexpensive handheld GPS unit for geocaching.  I rode my bike down a really pretty country road to where I wanted to look for that geocache which is only a couple miles from my house.  My bike originally cost me money, but I have had it for quite a while and gotten quite a bit of use out of it, so cost per use would be pretty low by now.  Of course, I could have walked the entire way – that would have been free.  It did take some money for that GPS bike mount for my handheld GPS device, but not bad compared to the hands free convenience, as I feel the right GPS mounts can make all the difference in using your handheld GPS systems.  Hmm, also the sun on my face and the breeze in my hair were free.  The sound of the birds in the trees and the rustle of the leaves was not only refreshing, but free.  Well, I am thinking money purchased some conveniences and my GPS navigation device, but certainly the happiness of the day was certainly FREE, as was my soaring spirit that day.  Now get out there and enjoy your life!