Deputies responded to a call Monday reporting a possible explosive device on Jolon Road, three miles south of King City.
A state work crew cleaning the road shoulder found a three-inch long PVC pipe with end caps and a thick wire protruding from one end.
The bomb squad deployed its new robot, affectionately known as “Boomer,” and reported that the package was “blown to pieces.”
It was then that officers discovered the item was actually a “hidden treasure” planted in the oak tree by a geocaching club.
The clubs, growing in popularity around the world, use Global Positioning System instruments to find hidden items after reading clues and GPS coordinates.
Check with geocaching.com for some helpful advice about leaving odd packages out in the wilds:
Please use common sense when choosing a location for your cache. Do not place your cache in any location where it might be confused with something more dangerous.
Whatever the container, make sure to mark your cache so that someone who doesn’t play can figure out what it is. Most folks mark the container with Geocaching.com, the name of the cache, and any contact information they feel is necessary. More info is better than less.
