I Need What I’ve Been Missing

A couple of days ago, I picked up the first little library cache I’ve seen in a long time. It’s not that they’re especially rare or anything. It’s just that they’re usually pretty simple and I’ve picked up pretty much all the low hanging fruit around here. Ironically, there’s a series here of pole hides in trees that are sorted by whether they’re low hanging (needing a regular pole) or high flying (needing a crazy uber pole that only three people in the area even have), but that’s neither here nor there. What I feel I really need is a day out caching away from home, alone with myself and the world. Lately, probably the last few months now, I haven’t been in the greatest frame of mind. I felt pretty good after getting back from Colorado but, besides being a bit bummed at skipping the Colorado County Challenge, I still kinda wished I had gone somewhere else for counties because I would have gotten a lot more counties done on that trip (I’d probably be finishing up daily county entries right about now if I had). Any good feelings I had from finishing Colorado (that was still an accomplishment to be lauded) were wiped away the day after my return because of the hit and run that has had my car in and out of commission. It’s cost me the price of two road trips to get it back to a reasonable state. During the time it’s been unavailable to me, I’ve had an over-reliance on challenges. Bus caching wasn’t going to cut it because, as mentioned previously, I’ve gotten all the low hanging fruit in the Austin area and caching by Uber or similar wasn’t an expense I was willing to entertain, even if it was really possible at all. I’m beyond most of these issues now, but they still feel like weights dragging my shoulders down.

What I think I need is the freedom of caching the open road. There’s something about the solitude of the back road that takes all those cares away. Of course, I can’t just take to the highways and go to another state: all the money that would make that happen replaced my radiator and my front bumper among other things. But Texas has a few back roads of its own and I think I can find one or two to drive. It won’t be true forward progress on anything that matters (I’ve got all the counties, I’m not working on the Two Step without my older daughter, and it won’t get me closer to publishing the book I’ve been talking about forever of the book I’ve begun working on), but maybe some open air, new caches, and the feeling of freedom might remove the ennui. There are worse ways to go than to jump out every 528 feet or quarter mile and get the dopamine hit that comes with finding one.

I also know me. I recently remembered back when I found the Texas Star. Realistically, it should take a good day of caching to get them all, about six to eight hours I think. But I had to do it in two trips. When I’m alone, I tend to run out of caching steam more quickly than I like to admit. Sure, when I’m out doing counties, I can got for days straight because I have a real goal. Even when doing the Star, I managed it in only two because I was really motivated. But I think laser focus is the opposite of what I need. I just need to meander from cache to cache, something I usually don’t do. I just need to let the wind and the road take me wherever feels right.

So I guess I have an assignment for the weekend. Let’s see how far I get. Or don’t get.