A Family Geocaching Weekend

Pic: We failed to figure out the Escape Room, and because we were trying to get away with a heist (stealing the Mona Lisa), we got busted.

By Allan Olson

By all accounts, the last few months have been busy for everyone in our family – my wife and I with work, and the kids with school and sports, so we felt like it was time for another little family getaway. 

Last year we took a spur of the moment trip all the way to Ohio, but this year what we did was nothing of the sort. It was just a little spur of the moment again, but to a different location. Our destination: Grand Forks, ND. Some might wonder “why Grand Forks?” and on most days I might agree, but their lodging is decently priced in comparison to most, it’s not very far away, and they had plenty of what we were really targeting – geocaches.

Again, it’s a worldwide game, so we could’ve gone somewhere else with a lot more per square mile than Grand Forks, but they have something nowhere else in Minnesota and possibly even North Dakota has – a plethora of high-quality, mind- bending geocaches. We discussed our plans with the kids and even included them in the decision-making process. The choices included staying home and doing things nearby (including possibly going fishing), going to Fargo, going on a whirlwind tour of several counties of Minnesota to work on a geocaching challenge I’m trying to complete, or going back to Gilby (west of Grand Forks) to target some specific quality geocaches. The kids ultimately chose quality over quantity. I was fine with either option, and my wife really prefers quality, too, so it worked out well for everyone.

We left home at about 7 a.m. on Saturday with our route at least somewhat planned. Our first stop was at Crookston for a very difficult cache – one that we didn’t have any luck finding, like so many others before us. We continued west on Highway 2, not even stopping in Grand Forks, where we were to rest our heads that evening. Our destination was Cavalier, ND. 

There the caching was to begin, but the monotony of the road got to me and I had to consult my map to ask the family if we could stop in a town before Cavalier – there were four geocaches in it and I wanted to get them all – so we did. This feat was accomplished by splitting into two groups on two stops. Since they were in the vicinity, it was easy for a couple of kids to set off on their own while the rest of us searched in another location for a different one in the same park.  

Next we drove to the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS) at the Cavailier Air Force Station. Yes, it had to do with geocaching, and no, they wouldn’t let us through the gate (of course, we didn’t even bother to ask). From there we found a park in a town about 20 miles away, found a geocache, the kids played for a bit while my wife and I toured an old hardware store filled with everyday essentials and some other neat items.

We continued our tour of the backroads of North Dakota, found some very muddy roads that had me a little concerned about the abilities of my small SUV, but it managed just fine, although it just is still carrying a few extra pounds of mud, even after a car wash. We found supper on the go at a diner in Larimore, and then got back on the road after more geocaches. Finally we turned our vehicle back toward Grand Forks, but strategically left a string of caches in one area to make it easy to return for the next day. We checked into the hotel at 9:30 p.m. and by 9:45 p.m. the kids and I were in the pool. The next morning, while the kids and wife were still sleeping, I headed out for a walk. There were two caches within a half mile round trip for me to find. It was an easy walk, and those caches were easy to find as well. I met the family for breakfast, and we headed back out for a shorter day on the road. That afternoon we were back at the hotel, and the kids went swimming by themselves, while I went for another walk. This time the trip was about a mile round trip, but I picked up two more caches.

Back at the hotel, I cleaned up and we all headed out for our next adventure – an Escape room. Unfortunately we didn’t pull off the “Bank Heist” and the cops (had it been real) would have had six new guests in their cells that night. That was fun, although I wasn’t of much use… I did what I do best and took photos of the process so we will have great memories to look back on.  

We had dinner after our failed escape, and then found a few more geocaches before heading back to the pool. The pool was too cool for my liking, but the hot tub felt great both nights. A hotel room was more expensive than camping, but it was also a whole lot dryer and warmer, and I’m tired of freezing and getting rained out every time we go camping.

I was up before the rest of the group again on Monday morning and left in search of a couple more geocaches. I returned to the hotel and met the family for breakfast, and Liv and Marcus and I went out for a few more geocaches after they took a dip in the pool while I read my book. Then we packed up, checked out, and headed out for yet a few more geocaches. To top things off, we also found the one in Crookston that we couldn’t find earlier (thanks to some help from one of the few previous finders).

This trip, while certainly due, was also taken (because of future schedule conflicts) to celebrate my birthday next month. I had a milestone birthday last year, so no big party this year, but my wife and at least two of my kids will be gone on my birthday, so we decided to do something early. 

This summer is already looking busy, and it’s not even officially here yet. Perhaps this weekend I’ll get the boat ready (if it warms up) and we can try our hand at fishing. Maybe we’ll even use the canoes.

To all the teachers and coaches at Cass Lake-Bena, thanks for putting up with my kids this year, and I hope you all have a great summer with family and friends.