Second on the Rightby Elizabeth Los
Adult Fantasy
Paperback, 506 Pages
May 9 2014
James Benedict is a just man haunted by evil. Pushed to the edge, everything stripped from him, a new man arises . . . a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it: "Captain Hook".
Eileen Davis was a timid woman. Through a fateful cruise she finds herself in the company of the Captain of the Mistral Thief. With his guidance, and the meddling of the local barista, she eventually finds her inner strength.
Will the two of them unite through time to fulfill the promise of their ancestors or will tempers ignite leading all to failure?
True love's magic is not to avoid changes,
But to navigate them successfully.
Real Life Piratey Adventure (geocaching)
Geocaching is defined as the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website, i.e. modern day treasure hunting. Honestly, the definition doesn’t begin to describe the fun and excitement involved.
Prior to vacationing in Lake Arrowhead, I wrote out a list of “things to do” while we were there. I wanted to take full advantage and enjoy every moment of the area. I searched for ideas and found some really clever ones on Pinterest, such as using an empty egg carton as a scavenger hunt. And of course, there were several hiking trails I wanted to try as well. But the one thing that caught my eye was the term “geocaching”. I’d heard about it before, but really never bothered trying it. I was determined to give it a shot this time. I printed out a list from one of several sites listing the coordinates of each cache, along with some clues, difficulty level and the sometimes noted size (i.e. micro, small or regular).
We arrived late in the afternoon on a Friday, hungry and ready to explore. Just our luck, there was a geocache site nearby. Uh...but it was in the parking lot…and it was marked on the map as “micro”.
Sadly, our firsts attempt ended in failure. I thought perhaps this wasn’t an activity that would be of much success for us, until it was as if we were sent back in time…
***
Me hearty pirates were ready ta go and with that, I was encouraged ta lead!
Me crew and I left the small village and headed due West. Keepin’ to tha road, the next site appeared on me map.
“Arrgh! There be treasure nearby,” I said.
“Arrgh!” Me crew replied.
We continued on. The cook (me youngest crewman) complained that her legs were ‘bout ta give out due to the rising of the road, but we were close. And then we were far. We turn around and headed back. We were close! And then we were far. Me first mate yelled in frustration. I called for me navigator, who joined us as we surrounded around tha map. At last, the navigator instructed tha crew ta follow. I gave a nod and we set out ta find our fortune. Readin’ a clue about tha treasure, it was me first mate what found the spot.
“Avast!” I ordered.
Me first mate cautiously approached and uncovered the spot. I couldn’t believe me eyes. There before us was a small, green box. Me first mate’s fingers fumbled as he furiously opened the box. As the lid fell back, me eyes widened and I heard a collective gasp from me crew. It was a sight to behold. Treasure, as promised, filled the box. Coins...jewels...it was amazin’.
In the excitement, tha Cook reached in ta take a piece o’ treasure. I stopped her cold. “Ye give for each ye take,” I instructed.
She nodded, took a jeweled necklace and dropped in her piratey coin. Me first mate took longer, perusing through the loot, carefully decided which to take. Eventually, he made his choice. After tha exchange, he buried the treasure box.
“To Tha Odyssey!” I ordered. We boarded our vessel and set off to the next spot marked on tha map.
***
Surrounding by evergreen trees, able to breath in crisp, clean air, this was a time for relaxation. So you’d think that wandering around, trying to locate “buried treasure” that really only contained cheap toys would be a waste of time and energy. Nope! I loved it just as much as my kids. Our second attempt at locating a geocaching spot involved climbing up and down hills filled with fallen trees and broken branches. Definitely a fun form of exercise!
***
Go On Your Own Adventure
Now to give you, the reader, an idea of where to start on your own adventure in geocaching.
1) Device: Obtain a device that will help locate the coordinates, such as a GPS unit or smartphone. I had a droid on my adventure, so I used two apps.
2) Apps: Geocaching apps are available for smartphones including both droids and iphones. Pick two or three and experiment to see which one is the best fit for you. Some are free while others are a “trial” that eventually require a subscription.
3) Take out/Put In Rule: If you remove an item from the cache, be sure to replace it with an item of your own. This is part of the fun. You gain a treasure to keep as a souvenir of the activity and at the same time help maintain the cache for future visitors. There’s nothing so disappointing as a poorly maintained cache. Trust me.
***
Create Your Own Geocache
1) Research the location.
Before setting up your geocache, you’ll want to know exactly where you plan to place it. Be sure to review the requirements (https://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx).
-Accessibility: One obvious point is that it needs to be accessible. Making it difficult means limiting the number of visitors.
-Permission: If it is private property, permission will need to be obtained first.
2) Prepare the cache. All geocaches should contain a logbook/strip of paper and a writing instrument (pencil is usually recommended as it can withstand extreme temperatures). Some have recommended disposable cameras so visitors can take pictures that can be later developed and placed online. Another good idea is to add small toys and trinkets. Do not place food in a cache as it could attract animals that might destroy the container in trying to get to the food.
3) Place the cache. After hiding the cache, you’ll need to obtain the most accurate GPS coordinates possible. Lots of trees or bad weather could affect this. Waypoints are helpful in this case.
4) List the cache. Review the guidelines for listing your cache (https://www.geocaching.com/about/guidelines.aspx). List clues, GPS coordinates and helpful hints/tips for visitors to find your cache.
5) Maintain the cache. There are times when the take out/put in rule doesn’t work and the cache is thinned. It’s important to check on your cache when possible to replenish, replace, and revive the cache for new visitors. Sometimes the best caches are visited often several times by the same people.
Overall, keep it fun and safe for all ages.
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About Elizabeth Los
Tour-Wide Giveaway
- $20 Amazon gift card and an ebook of Second on the Right (INT)
- Signed print copy of Second on the Right (US Only)
- Ends August 3rd
FOLLOW THE JULY TOUR SCHEDULE:
14 - Launch
15 - Kelly P's Blog
16 - Sarah's StoryLines
17 - Mary Terrani.com
18 - All That's Written
21 - Bookish Outsider
23 - Bookworm Lisa
27 - Grand Finale
I am not sure if we have geocaching here or not but I have a friend i Washington who got into it after moving there and their family does it all the time. It sounds like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteWe have it here, but I've never actually done it. It does seem like fun, though.
DeleteThis one sounds really interesting, I hadn't even heard of it before this. Thanks for the giveaway too :)
ReplyDeleteIt does! Thanks for stopping by!
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