eagleyes and the bird dog

Hi every one- we have been caching since 2001, but didn't join as proper members until 2002. We first started as team eagleyes and then hubby decided he wanted his own name- so became bird dog. We still log under the original name- and yes, I know it should be two words, but I eliminated 1 e because it is more creative.

We started geocaching when an article appeared in a local newspaper extolling the virtues of this new activity. Hubby had been an orienteering coach, and we both enjoy getting out of the house. He does anything that has to do with the GPS outdoors and I do all the computer work and thinking up the caches we put out. It works for us.

Our retirement started in spring of 2003, after both of us had high school teaching careers. We spend 7 months of the year at our cabin/home in Ely,MN which is on the edge of the Boundary Water/Quetico Wilderness Area. We don't do much caching when we are here as we are too busy doing other things, mostly volunteering, but have a large social circle too. Out biggest job is the work we do volunteering for the USFS- Kawishiwi Ranger Dist. We clean campsites, and clear portages and do general trail work. We spent 3 years GPSing all the campsites, trails and portages in the district.

The rest of the year is spent between our other Minnesota home and traveling. We cache nowadays when we are traveling throughout the world. Our most memorable caching was in Mexico- trying to find caches in the pyramid sites avoiding the critters, and the beautiful cache located in Premantura, Croatia looking out to the sea from the hill.

Caching has taken us to places we never knew existed. When we are traveling now, we skip the tourist literature and go right to the cache page. We have learned that cachers know the hidden jewels of their town that are not on the regular tourist brochure. We are not into the cache number game- could care less how many caches we or others have found. We are caching to learn historical, scientific and educational things as well as see the beauty of an area.

Look up our cache hides @ ZIP 55731 and 55045. If you are ever in the Ely, MN area in April through October, email us and come and say hi.

Here is our OBW cache: GC1BRFD or OBW-MINNESOTA CONNECTION