I picked up another Mystery Cache off the list a couple of days ago from an out-of-the-way (for me) park I had visited before. Normally, I’m totally fine with getting to some out-of-the-way places to grab a cache (though I’ve noticed a marked tendency to go any direction other than south because I don’t want to drive through the center of Austin if I can avoid it), but this trip was a bit of a drag. This is going to sound funny, but I feel like a lot of things are beginning to get in the way of my caching lately.
First of all, work is starting to get in the way big-time! I usually get in a little early so I can slip out a little early. Getting out and finding a cache is much nicer before rush hour than after. That doesn’t remove the possibility of finding one in the evening once traffic has died down, but I do less late caching when I’m not on the road. It may become a bit more attractive when it’s summer and the sun is going down at 8:30, but right now I’m feeling that I want to get home, and I don’t want to leave once I get there without a really good reason. And while grabbing a cache is a good reason, that doesn’t discount the fact that I’m sometimes lazy after a long day of work. Lately, I’ve been working on more urgent projects involving other time zones, so leaving early is inconvenient. Why can’t I be independently wealthy so work wouldn’t get in the way of my caching? (This would be a great time to mention that I have a Patreon, so if you want to help support the site, you can!)
Second, as I’ve mentioned before, caching continues to take a toll on my wardrobe. I often don’t look like a cacher because I don’t usually dress like a cacher. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself dapper, most cachers don’t go out in slacks and cardigans. Sure, I have stuff more oriented to caching, and that gets use when I go out on more serious caching runs with friends or on caching trips. But I often grab a cache on the way home from work or occasionally at lunch, and discovering later that a thorn has pulled a hole in nice pants gets annoying. Sure, there’s nobody but myself to blame, but you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do, right?
Finally, I drive a lot because of caching. Going between work and home isn’t that far, but going out to the edges of the city or surrounding counties on random days racks up some miles. I can’t exactly skimp on car maintenance, either. While I can work remotely if I have to, I often drive between Austin and Longview or points in between to see or pick up the girls. Sitting on the edge of taking my car to the shop, I wonder where I will cache while it gets worked on. I’ve got better (read: more important) things to spend money on at the moment than a rental. Most of the caches close to home have long been claimed, and the few remaining involve puzzles that I haven’t solved or haven’t been provided to me, so I’ll have to figure something out for that.
It’s a good thing I love caching because I sure wouldn’t put up with all this if I didn’t!
Geocaching While Black 