A Life of Adventure

CRAdventures asked:

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Art Gib asked:


Corporate life is often compared to a big game. It’s a game of wits, dedication and of course the use of all of your assets put together, in a fine well-oiled machine. Often, corporate execs and staff feel that to consolidate team leadership and ownership of responsibilities, an exercise of minds between workers in a new environment in a team building element is called for. Scavenger hunting is being used for such an occasion as this type of event has proven pretty interesting for a number or blue chip corporations.

The team building in Chicago experience uses scavenger hunting as a means provides a tone of modern scenic and historic material to anchor questions around. But before some examples of what Chicago landmarks the game can be played against, I’ll provide a little overview on the game itself.

Scavenger Details

So you may remember as a child playing a scavenger hunt going to each clue and reading the riddle to find the next clue and the next, so on and so forth. It’s not unlike that, except the scale is much larger and the questions are going to be more difficult. And unlike a traditional scavenger hunt, where questions refer to items that are to be retrieved, simply using each member’s wits to find the answers to cryptic questions is all that is needed.

Most corporate team building scavenger events begin by having an M.C. pump up the crowd, playing the role of a jester or someone being witty enough to pique everyone’s interest for the task on hand. The Hunt questions do not center on a specific task where one person may be better. For instance, someone who is good at history of Chicago will not necessarily have an advantage or scene steal from the rest. The questions are varied enough to touch on many different skill sets. One could be trivia based, another could include a hidden anagram or a word may allude to a dual meaning that unlocks to reveal the answer, something tongue and cheek so to speak.

In Chicago

Chicago is a cultural canvass for a scavenger hunt trip. For instance, many of the big corporations have the financial clout to budget in a motorized scavenger hunt. It’s not uncommon to have a Limo drive hunt, whenever the budget fits. This is good for a full city-wide hunt that can take one from the Union Station to Millennium Park then to Wrigley Field and end in the famous Art institute of Chicago.

Chicago has a colossal business sector, so the scavenger team building in Chicago has caught on well. Scavenger hunting was made popular in Chicago specifically because of the infamous University of Chicago scavenger hunts.

The University, often noted for its Nobel Laureate past graduates, is also noted for being quite goofy at times. They host an annual scavenger hunt that pits teams to find treasures, or to perform unusual feats in two days time (think people dressed in chicken suits and riding around in wheel barrows). It’s reached a proportion where many universities from around the world are aware of the bar they set. For instance, to retrieve a picture of a group member and an Ontario police officer is an example of such levels that their students face.

Mister E asked:


Have you ever imagined finding precious gemstones or treasure? Do you have an interest in Gemology? I recently watched a program called “Cash and Treasures” on the Travel Channel. Basically, the hostess goes around to different locations in search of treasure. The episode that sparked my interest was when the hostess when to the Himalaya Mine to look for precious gemstones. With a name like Himalaya Mine, I expected it to be in some remote location in Asia. Instead, I learned the Himalaya Mine is right in my backyard. I live in San Diego County and as it turns out the Himalaya Mine is just a short drive from my house. The mine has an interesting history that is a bit too long to go into much detail here but it’s claim to fame is that is was the largest producer of pink tourmalines for the last empress of China.

What I learned from the show was that for a small fee you could go and dig through the “tailings” from the mine. Tailings are more or less what is left over when they blast or dig in a mine. The mine owner(s) typically look through the material they blast or dig out of the mine once or twice to find any obvious gemstones, then they put everything else into a big pile. That big pile or piles is what is known as the tailings. The hostess of the “Cash and Treasures” show was lucky enough to find a large pink tourmaline while digging through some of those tailings. She later had that pink tourmaline cut into a very nice gemstone and set in a piece of jewelry. The finished product appraised for thousands of dollars according to the show.

I have been around long enough to know you don’t get something for nothing but I love Gemology and the thought of digging through a bit of dirt to find a gemstone sounded like a lot of fun to me. So, I did a little google search to get the details for the Himalaya Mine and headed off to try my luck. I drove up to Lake Henshaw located in North San Diego County. They bring the tailings down from the mine and deposit them in a campground behind a little country store by the lake. I asked for directions from the girl behind the counter at the country store and after following a small road into the campground I arrived at my destination.

What I found was not all that impressive at first blush. There were a number of troughs surrounding what looked to be a shallow lawyer of rocks in the dirt. I was greeted by a young man in charge of the operations. He informed me that they had not yet received their tailings for the day and that the tailings should be along shortly. I was there bright and early not wanting to miss any moment of my gem hunting adventure and the new tailings showed up within and hour or so after my arrival. The price for trying your luck was $75. I did not remember to bring any cash with me but was able to pay with a charge card.

All the necessary gem hunting equipment was provided on location. After a short education on how to sift through the material I was on my way hunting for gems. First you start out by using a shovel to place the tailings into a large painters bucket. You then take that bucket to your trough. Shovel a bit of the tailings into a square box screen, give it a few shakes to get the loose dirt off and then place the screen into the trough to get the remaining dirt off the stones. After a few shakes in the water trough you lift your screen to look for your gemstones. If anything is there you will probably see it quickly. The tourmalines really stand out from everything else. Mostly I found pink tourmaline, but also green and occasionally blue tourmalines. Along with the tourmalines I found plenty of quartz crystals, many with small tourmalines embedded in them.

We wrapped up sometime around three of four in the afternoon. By that time I was ready to call it a day. Hunting for gemstones is a lot of fun but definitely hard work. In the end I did not find a priceless stone or even a pricey one but I did find a number of less valuable stones. I could probably sell them for the amount or a bit more than it cost to find them. I’ve decided to keep them however. My next step is to learn how to cut stones. I am fortunate enough to have a willing tutor. So with any luck I will soon have some nicely cut gemstones that I found myself! Not bad for $75 and a little hard work.

If you are interested in learning more about gemology you can visit the Gemology Forum . They have a lot of information including sections on colored stones and gemstone identification.

 

Glady Reign asked:


Just two weeks remain for pirates and treasure hunters to find Volvo’s sunken treasure lying at the oceans’ bosom. The Volvo Car Corporation’s The Hunt is giving away a treasure chest full of gold doubloons and a key to a brand new Volvo XC90.

The new-generation global treasure hunting made famous by the Swedish automaker has lured more than 11,000 pirates and treasure hunters. Over the past two weeks, ‘pirates’ in Volvo’s online search have ‘visited’ Cuba, the Cape of Good Hope, Ceylon, Singapore and nine other global hot spots. Individuals nationwide have less than two weeks to join The Hunt. The latter is part of the automaker’s promotional tie-in with Disney’s upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. The movie opens in U.S. theaters May 25.

“There’s still time to join the 11,000 people already navigating their way through The Hunt,” said Linda Gangeri, the national advertising manager for Volvo Cars of North America. “Clever pirates can catch up with The Hunt and test their online game skills right up until the puzzles close May 29. There might even be some helpful hints floating around the Internet for ambitious newcomers.”

To join The Hunt, participants 18 years old and older must visit a Volvo retailer to pick up a special pirate chart then register at the company’s Web site any time between now and May 29. Winners will only be eligible if they can produce the original pirate chart upon conclusion of The Hunt. Once registered online, pirates could set sail on a virtual high seas adventure, sojourning exotic locations around the world and collecting clues that point to the treasure chest’s location. The participants have to solve a series of challenging and cool online puzzles to get the elusive treasure.

As the online search progresses, the puzzles will become increasingly difficult to solve. On the second day of June, the first person from each of the 22 participating markets to finish the online hunt will compete against one another in one final exciting online challenge. The first of those 22 individuals to solve the final puzzle will be named the winner and will be given a trip to the burial location to retrieve the chest filled with Volvo’s treasure.

In addition to the United States, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom also are taking part in The Hunt.

Earlier, the Swedish automaker has given ten spots where it did not sink its treasure. The spots include the Dead Sea, Red Sea, Sea of Love, Sea of Tranquility, Caspian Sea, Treasure Island, Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, Sea World and Watergate.

“Three-quarters of the earth’s surface is under water, so finding a sunken treasure chest is not going to be easy,” said Linda Gangeri, the national advertising manager for Volvo Cars of North America. “We want our hunt to be challenging, but we don’t want participants to become discouraged, so we thought we’d help narrow the playing field by revealing ten places where ‘X’ doesn’t mark the spot.”

“Okay, okay. Maybe it is a stretch to call The Hunt one of the greatest mysteries of the deep, but it certainly has got a lot of people flummoxed,” added Gangeri. “We thought some of our more prodigious participants might enjoy pitting their wit and skill against some age-old mysteries… but even if they solve them, the only way to get your hands on Volvo’s treasure is by joining our Hunt!”

The thrill of finding Volvo’s treasure chest is dramatically building up. And like Volvo pressure plates, the thrill is pressing harder and harder to intensify the escapade a bit farther. Who is going to be the lucky XC90 owner? We all will find out soon…

Joshua Argall asked:


We’ve all heard from our parents or grandparents about how things used to be when they were younger. Sometimes I wonder how accurately the person recalling the story remembers the facts. Because I am an outdoorsman and come from a family of outdoorsmen, I’ve heard a lot of stories about hunting back in a simpler day. Apparently there were a lot less regulations and a whole lot more wild game out there. Memories of sacks full of harvested ducks, countless pheasant, and deer everywhere are common talk among the elders in my family. You could walk from property to property for miles without having to worry about being denied permission, if in fact you even had to ask for permission at all. I can’t even count how many times I’ve heard that all these new types of camouflage clothing, blinds, ammunition and other gear are just new ways for companies to keep making money. Often times I wonder if my Dad refuses to use some of the tools I swear make my hunts easier or more comfortable just to seem tough or maybe he just refuses to change. After all, why wear broken white camouflage clothing while goose hunting in the snow when you could just throw a white sheet over yourself! I suppose some people will always refuse to change and will continue in their old ways. It’s hard to convince someone to change something they have been doing for years especially if they’ve been successful. It’s sort of the idea of, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Never the less, I’d give up all the new comforts of today’s hunting for a day in the field with my old man.

A day outdoors with an experienced hunter especially a family member or friend is a great time for all involved. My father has provided the basis for all my hunting knowledge. Of course, I am more open to change and certainly not afraid of trying anything that will make me a more successful hunter. Because of this, I learn something new every time I go out hunting with a companion. Who better to learn from than some who’s got experience in the situation? I think that’s what successful hunting is based on: traditional ideas and experiences passed on through generations and adapted to the changing environment and social conditions. Our hunting tradition and culture relies on this so please remember to take someone hunting. There’s a lot other hunters can learn from you, whether you realize it or not.

Regardless of whether or not the hunting times before us were simpler or more bountiful, today’s hunting experiences can be as much fun and as successful. If we continue to hunt ethically and share our knowledge and experiences with others, future generations will be able to enjoy the outdoors and hunting as we have. Soon enough we may be telling stories about the past and our memories of our times out in the wilderness. Simple, fulfilling times before may never have left. Don’t lose an appreciation for what or sport provides. It’s not only the game taken but also the shared memories. Keep your hunting experiences treasured or you just may miss out on the “harvest”.