“This’ll be the day… you cache Clear Lake!”

BY: RACHEL WUMKES

Clear Lake Tourism is excited to announce our nomination of the People’s Choice Awards by the Iowa Geocachers Organization.  They will host this fun awards ceremony at the Lakeview Room in Clear Lake on April 30, 2023.  This event is a fun way to recognize the incredible caches in and around Iowa.

But what exactly IS geocaching, anyway?

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity where participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device to hide and seek containers.  These geocaches or “caches” remain hidden at specific locations marked by coordinates all over the world.

The family-friendly game became a popular endeavor in the early 2000s.  While some caches are the traditional “stop and grab,” others are mystery caches where hiders provide online clues for seekers.

The rules for geocaching are very simple:
  • Take something from the cache.
  • Leave something in the cache.
  • Write about it in the logbook.

In a nutshell, geocaching is like playing the ultimate game of hide and seek.

Bet you never thought a toddler game would still be popular as an adult, did you?

Well, it is – and we want YOU to join in the fun!

Clear Lake Tourism entered the realm of geocaching in 2022 with a doozy of a mystery cache right here in town!  “Welcome to Lake Life” features a beautifully designed custom postcard that cachers can take as a memento.

Our People’s Choice Awards nomination “This’ll be the day… you cache Clear Lake!” went live last year.

It’s been a popular one with the masses as it is associated with the three fallen stars.

Hmmm… three fallen stars.

Have we piqued your interest?

Here’s the clue:

The site of a former gas station, this land was purchased and transformed by the City to commemorate Clear Lake’s place in the history of American music. Be sure to use the interactive feature for the full experience. Once you’ve found the cache, spin the lock back in time to the year that is commemorated as “the day the music died.”  When you close the lock be sure to spin the numbers, so it is ready for the next cacher.

You can also go to www.geocaching.org to obtain the exact coordinates of the location.

We’ve been working on our next addition to the Clear Lake geocache collection.  With the timing of the annual awards and our nomination for “This’ll be the day… you cache Clear Lake!” it’s simply perfection!

Hooray!

Keep your eyes peeled for the new cache coming to town sometime during the week of April 24th.  As geocachers from across the state attend the awards ceremony at the Lakeview Room, they’ll have the chance to find our newest addition!  Members of the Iowa Geocachers Organization are encouraged to vote at https://www.iowageocachers.org/peoples-choice-awards.

To join in the fun on this modern-day treasure hunt, go to https://www.geocaching.com/play and sign up.  It will send you on some amazing treks across Iowa – especially right here in North Iowa!  In fact, there are over 900 caches located in and around the area.  It’s a fun hobby for families to play across the globe.  Even when you’re traveling!

Plus, it’s inexpensive and keeps you active. Sounds like a win/win in my book!

So, get out there and “cache” your next adventure at the Lake!