While some state parks and all national parks in the United States prohibit the sport of geocaching within their boundaries, Utah State Parks not only allow it, they totally embrace it. They understand the importance of getting children and their parents out on public lands doing something enjoyable as a family. If you’ve never been on a geocache adventure, give it a try at one of the participating Utah State Parks. Bring your own GPS or use one available from the state park. All participating parks offer free rental of a Magellan GPS unit to anyone who wants to play. Not only does Utah State Parks hide the geocache container, fill it with goodies, log it online and supply rental GPS receivers at no charge, but they offer some extra valuable swag as part of their Geocache Adventure celebration. On a recent outing in Kodachrome Basin State Park we located a geocache on a hike to a natural arch. In the cache was a note congratulating us on the find. On the note was a “secret code” and an email address. Instructions on the note informed us to email the code to the address given for a special gift. Days later when we had access to email, we sent the code off to the address given. That evening we had a response again congratulating us for making the find and asking for an address to send our gift. We supplied our daughters mailing address as the gift would most likely beat us home to the Pacific Northwest. Upon arriving home we found a sizable package waiting for us. In the package was a nice travel blanket suitable for car or RV and a large medallion commemorating the 50th anniversary of Utah State Parks and their Geocaching Adventure. What a nice surprise, thank you Utah State Parks!
On your next RVing adventure through Utah, be sure to include a Utah State Park or two on your itinerary. The State Parks are a treat in themselves, the opportunity to try out geocaching and finding some valuable loot will make your stay that much sweeter.
For a list of State Parks that are participating in the Utah Geocaching Adventure, visit:
http://stateparks.utah.gov/geocaching
The official geocaching site can be found at: http://www.geocaching.com/
To learn about incorporating geocaching into the RV lifestyle visit:
http://www.rvlife-digital.com/rvlife/200805?pg=42#pg42
Official Utah State Park geocache container
Blanket with medallion on top
Obverse of medallion – penny for scale
Reverse of medallion
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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