672. Ozark, Christian County (MO019)

Now, this is a pretty good way to start off the morning.  Nice and stately without being too ostentatious.  That said, a theory just occurred to me as I marveled at this place.  I noticed some towns in Missouri seem to have these epic courthouses that are like living castles, while others tend to be more laid back.  I’m wondering if those giant-courthouse towns were trying to vie with each other for dominance in their areas, trying to impress those around them.  Maybe the smaller ones were either towns that knew they couldn’t afford much more or towns that were already important enough that they didn’t feel the need for much more.  That would probably require a lot of research on individual areas that I’m not really ready or willing to delve into at the moment.  Maybe when I get that research intern …

Looking at the list, I noticed that the county’s most favorited cache was about a mile from the courthouse.  Sounded like a good target, so I went down the road a little bit to a cycle shop (whether it was motorcycle or bicycle wasn’t immediately apparent) and then pulled into the pea-gravel parking lot behind it (leading me to lean motorcycle).  With a cache named “Excalibur,” I soon found what I expected …

… a “sword” in a stone.  You hear and read about caches like this, but you rarely get to see one in action.  I gently pulled while turning it left and right, the cold of the hilt biting into my palm.  A twist, another elevation, another twist, another elevation … 

And when it was all done, look at the treasure to be found!  I was legitimately impressed.  Part of me wondered if the hole for it was already there, and they put something in it, or if they were the ones who poured the concrete and everything.  Considering the sword was welded cast iron, I assume it was made from scratch.  I happily signed the log, returned the bison tube, and then sent the sword back down to its rest.  As you all know, I am not easily impressed, but this one easily earned one of my stingily hoarded favorite points.  This is a perfect example of those awesome caches you hope you get a chance to see when you go traveling away from home.  At least, it was for me.  It was an excellent morning indeed as I returned to the road.  I was descending towards home, but I would still have a couple more counties on the way.  My penultimate stop of the trip, after wrangling with more winding mountain roads, would be …