Cachers find keys to new mini cooper

[+The finch farmers]

From the Oelwein Iowa Daily Register

 

Couple finds key to free Cooper

 

Rick and Karla Thompson (left) of Independence pore over a brochure to select options for the new Mini Cooper they won in Our Iowa’s “Iowa Treasure Huntâ€.

Published:

Friday, October 3, 2008 2:00 PM CDT

INDEPENDENCE - The first-ever “Iowa Treasure Hunt” drew to a close when Rick and Karla Thompson discovered a packet attached to the bottom of a picnic table in a public park in Independence.

 

Inside was a key and a note, stating: “You Found It! You’ve just won a free Mini Cooper car in Our Iowa magazine’s statewide Treasure Hunt!”

 

Ironically, the Thompsons weren’t searching for the key at the time. It was a Sunday afternoon, and they were involved in the increasingly popular geo-caching . The game involves following given coordinates to different locations, then finding new coordinates and moving on.

 

“We were just searching under the picnic table for our next set of coordinates when we found the plastic packet held down by thumb tacks,” says Rick. “When we found the key and learned we’d won a new car, we stopped looking for the geo-cache in that park right then!”

 

The search for the key had gone on for more than a year, and excitement grew as the search area got smaller and smaller.

 

The Our Iowa staff announced the contest in its Premiere Issue in September, 2007. Then, they gradually squeezed down the search area by eliminating 10 counties each issue where the key wasn’t hidden.

 

Half of Counties Remained

 

A map of Iowa was printed in each bi-monthly issue, each time blanking out 10 additional “it’s-not-hidden-there” counties. By the current issue, only 49 of Iowa’s 99 counties were still in the running.

 

Editors gave several reasons for the contest. “We wanted to draw attention and traffic to Iowa’s public park system, and we urged folks to take along a garbage bag and pick up litter while searching,” says Editor Jerry Wiebel.

 

“And, okay, we’ll admit it. When launching a new magazine, getting folks to talk about it is, well, ‘golden’. And this contest quickly became the talk in coffee shops all across the state.”

 

For the Thompsons, the finding and the timing couldn’t have been better. Rick drives 60 miles from Independence to Dubuque to work at a computer software company--in a 1999 Lumina with 305,000 miles on it.

 

“So we were more than ready for a new car,” says Rick, “and driving this cute little Cooper should be fun. We still can’t believe how all this happened and how lucky we are. Sometimes good things just happen.”

 

The Thompsons are now picking out the color and features of the car, and expect delivery of their free Mini Cooper as soon as the dealer can get that model on hand.

 

We just completed our SE Iowa event and I though I would start looking for this. Late as usual

[+Rev Mike]

Spectacular...

[+TotemLake]

 

We just completed our SE Iowa event and I though I would start looking for this. Late as usual

[+WRASTRO]

Another fine example of why we should all be looking under every picnic table and park bench we see!

[+Sioneva]

Yes... but did they ever complete the cache?

[+sseegars]

THAT IS AWESOME! It actually made me laugh out loud!

[+skisidedown]

Yes... but did they ever complete the cache?

And if they did, what sort of trade did they leave?

Skisidedown

[+Flatouts]

That is way to cool. I think they should get a personalized plate for their new Geo car that reads:

 

FTF - TFTC

[+crockett3663]

Not to put a damper on the Thompson's good fortunes, but I surely wouldn't feel too safe having to traverse Iowa's snow and ice covered highways in a little Mini Cooper!!

[+Parabola]

Not to put a damper on the Thompson's good fortunes, but I surely wouldn't feel too safe having to traverse Iowa's snow and ice covered highways in a little Mini Cooper!!

 

Really my boss has 6 of them but I don't think he drives them to offten when there is deep snow. The ice for him, he's say's isn't a problem.

[+GrateBear]

So, they took something, and they left??????HA HA HA! What swag!!!!

[+Kohavis]

“When we found the key and learned we’d won a new car, we stopped looking for the geo-cache in that park right then!”

 

I woulda still snagged the nearest caches

[John E Cache]

Not to put a damper on the Thompson's good fortunes, but I surely wouldn't feel too safe having to traverse Iowa's snow and ice covered highways in a little Mini Cooper!!

I own a Mini. I had heard about Mini's long before the new BMW ones. They used to race them on the ice tracks during Minnesota winters. The center of gravity is so low they do not roll over... ever. Your big high center of gravity, "safe" SUVs can be rolled very very easily. Edited October 19, 2008 by John E Cache

[+WatchDog2020]

Yes... but did they ever complete the cache?

 

I'd proudly log the DNF

[4wheelin_fool]

Muggled by geocachers? How is that possible?

[+TotemLake]

Not to put a damper on the Thompson's good fortunes, but I surely wouldn't feel too safe having to traverse Iowa's snow and ice covered highways in a little Mini Cooper!!

I own a Mini. I had heard about Mini's long before the new BMW ones. They used to race them on the ice tracks during Minnesota winters. The center of gravity is so low they do not roll over... ever. Your big high center of gravity, "safe" SUVs can be rolled very very easily.

Only if you try to drive it like a little car. I've taken SUVs for a ride and they don't tip over nearly as easily as all the urban myths purport. Even the Suzuki that Consumer's Guide purported to be easily rolled a few years back was forced into the roll by wreckless driving that no sane person would do. What I do know is an SUV can turn a little BMW into a VW.

[+KD7MXI]

podcacher just did a podcast about them - episode 190

[children_in_need]

we stopped looking for the geo-cache in that park right then!”

What sort of true geocachers would let a brand new car stop them hunting for the cache?!!

[benji55545]

Even the Suzuki that Consumer's Guide purported to be easily rolled a few years back was forced into the roll by wreckless driving that no sane person would do.

 

Well, I think the idea is that sometimes wreckless driving is out of your control... Like avoiding a deer or something on the highway. One of my friend's SUV rolled over when he got in (what should have been) a minor car wreck. So yeah... SUVs definitely roll over easier than cars. It probably isn't a big deal if you're a careful driver, but the center of gravity IS higher.

[+Okiebryan]

Frankly, I'm appalled that a thread about cachers accidentally finding a "cache" where FTF prize is a new Mini Cooper...

 

...has degraded into a threadjack about SUVs vs. small cars. In amateur radio, one who did that would be referred to as a "lid".