I’m excited to begin a new year of “geo-trekking” through Oregon!

Last year was great fun exploring new places in addition to old familiar ones while hunting down those elusive geocaches.

Here is a short list of areas I plan to geocache and tour:

Winter on the Oregon Coast rarely yields a classic “White Christmas” but one consistent performer on our Holiday Season stage is the brilliant light display at Shores Acres State Park. My wife and I visit more than once each season and today a new geocache in the vicinity draws us out for one more look.

I love how geocaching enhances any outdoor activity. Hiking a trail I might not otherwise have taken – paddling to a cove previously unknown – driving to a scenic vista slightly out of my way. This was reinforced recently during a family camping trip to Mt. Hood National Forest’s Timothy Lake.

I look forward each year to my family reunion in Boardman, OR along the shore of the Columbia River. Beside the obvious “reconnect-time”, it’s a welcome break from the summer wind and fog of the coast. Several parks and trails to explore. And, of course, there are usually new geocaches to hunt. This year didn’t disappoint!

Preconceived Notion – an opinion formed before having all the facts. I had a preconceived notion about Oregon’s coastal dunes – boring! I did NOT have all the facts! If not for geocaching, I would likely have never set foot in this beautiful and complex environment.

Who needs a travel agent? Get involved in geocaching and simply head out the door with your GPS! Follow along as a fellow geocacher and I discover the sites of central and southern Oregon hunting geocaches.

Portland has an extensive array of parks and natural areas ranging in size from the 5100 acre Forest Park to the world’s smallest park, the 20 inch by 20 inch Mill Ends Park in downtown. Today I hunt geocaches in Forest Park and nearby Sauvie Island.