Klikaklu - Another LBG

I was SO excited to head out to the Livonia event last night - we've been snowed in for so long, and I couldn't wait to hang out with my LTG geo-buddies.  This group meets at one of three Livonia-area restaurants (first Wednesday of each month).  We have dinner, enjoy a raffle and normally go out as a group for some caching.  As we are in the middle of Winter (and it's about 5 degrees F), we normally limit the caches to one, but, in warmer weather, we will cruise to 4-6 of them.  Older Cachers get to spend time with their best mates and newer Cachers will learn alot!

Mibbs, our hostess, is fabulous.  She normally makes cookies and is great about circulating around the attendees. Everyone feels welcome!  And she's also great about pulling out some type of game or exercise that really breaks the ice.

Last night's attendance was low due to weather, but, I must admit, it was probably one of my favorite meets!  After the group photo in the Laurel Park Mall's food court, Mibbs announced that the event cache was in the form of a scavenger hunt created by Commander Overloard!  What is it about scavenger hunts?  It evokes images of children laughing and sunny days and great explorations.  Everyone loves a good scavenger hunt.  And, although geocaching is a type of scavenger hunt, this was a nice change of pace.

So, all iPhone users were asked scan a QR code and download an app from the App Store called Klikaklu (pronounced "Click-a-Clue").  I'd never heard of it, but I soon realized upon opening it that it was a a modern-day scavenger hunt very similar to Sighter.

Using this app, you had to navigate to 10 stops.  At each stop, you had to locate an item, "capture" it using the camera on your phone, and, once verified, you were given the clue to the next site.

To capture it, you would click a button and your camera would open. You had to align the object's edges with white lines that appeared on your screen. Once you aligned it, you would get a MATCHED message.

We had a blast - as only some of us had iPhones, the others had to walk with us.  It was fun roaming the mall en masse.  We would look for items, capture the image, read the clue and take off to the next location.  A 10-stop scavenger hunt, mostly indoors, on such a brutally cold night!  Passerbys looked at us strangely and many approached to ask us what we were doing (I think our adventuresome spirit was contagious!)

As we navigated through the mall, I think each of us had a problem at one time or another.  My app crashed, but, when I re-opened the app, all my saved locations were intact.  Some people had a difficult time capturing one site - but the app allowed you to override and move onto the next stage.  It was really easy to navigate, and it seemed to have no problems tracking us inside the mall.

So, how did it end?  At the final stage, we received a message "now it's time to sign the log".  Too funny!  I think it took us so long to find the cache because there were so many of us looking for it we kept overlooking it!  And, not only was the scavenger hunt the "event cache", it was also a LAB cache!  Frito Bandito won the raffle and will be able to claim a find on this LAB cache.  Brilliant!

Just a few minutes ago, the event cache actually published.  It's called Can you follow my lead GC4XTAC.  You can use the Klikaklu app to locate the cache or, as it's a traditional, you can just go to the posted coordinates.  I know which method I'd choose again!

Favorite point for Commaner Overlord!