Off the Beaten Trail Geocaching 

Thanks to the Our Journey museum tour, Front Range residents now know much more about Colorado’s central plains. “But the museums are only open in the summertime,” points out Jo Downey, administrator for the Prairie Development Corporation, “and a lot weren’t open on a daily basis. So we decided if we’re really going to promote our history and stimulate the economy one meal at a time, we needed something that they could do or see or hunt that they could do at any time, and in pieces.”

They needed something like geocaching. That’s the inspiration behind the Off the Beaten Trail game — which you can play with or without a GPS.

“We picked eight kind of obscure sites,” explains Downey. The GPS coordinates are online; following them will take participants to a treasure box with a log book where they can sign their names and pick up a small collectible souvenir. “There are these large, very well-done interpretive signs with historic photos and text talking about the site and its history and importance to the area,” Downey adds.

To play, pick up an Off the Beaten Trail treasure guide packet (and get directions to the sites if you don’t have a GPS) at www.ourjourney.info or 1-800-825-0208. Happy hunting! — By Amber Taufen

Website: http://www.ourjourney.info

Price: Free