I have been finding local caches for years. At this point, I have found pretty much all the non-Mysteries around greater Austin that are not less than a year old or especially difficult. (Cliff Cache, I’ll get you one day when I possess a longer ladder and a boat.) Until recently, one Traditional placed in the middle of town challenged that statement. It sat in the middle of the map, taunting me. Twice a year or so, I would go out and search for it. At first, I assumed that I wasn’t searching thoroughly enough because of all the muggles. (It’s on a popular pedestrian bridge.) I tried a couple of late-night searches but still couldn’t get it. Later, I began to think it was an experience thing, but it wasn’t even placed until I had finished the Texas County Challenge, so it couldn’t be that. Besides, people with barely any finds were getting it easily. What was I missing? Eventually, I just chalked it up to fate. It’s not the first time I’ve had a simple cache constantly elude me for a long time (though, in that previous case, it turned out to be a technological issue).
A couple of days ago, I left work a few minutes early and took my biyearly shot at it again. This time, it was as if scales had fallen from my eyes. There were bits of ornamentation on the railings that were perfect for hiding something magnetic, and three were within easy reach of the dedication plaque at ground zero. I went to the first one, reached under it, and there was the key box that had been eluding me for so long. Muggles both loitered and moved to and fro as I cracked it open and signed the log. As I have said before, sometimes it’s amazing how much people don’t pay attention to the things going on around them. As easily as I found the cache, I put it back in place with none of the madding crowd (enjoying one of the last cool days before summer cranks up) being any the wiser. I sauntered back to the car and logged my victory, and it was sweet. The late afternoon traffic on the drive home, less so.
Geocaching While Black 