I lamented that the Girls and I were not able to make it to Hutchinson this past weekend, especially since it was only nine hours away and I doubted that the next GeoWoodstock would be as close. Apparently I was wrong because the next one is going to be in Baton Rouge, a mere six hours away from Austin. So, fancy plans and pants to match? The older daughter should be back from college so we’re gonna make this happen (I hope)!
At some point Sunday afternoon, we went out and got a cache. I have to admit that I intended to use the skills of my younger daughter as a climber to get one that would involve tree climbing, but we ended up passing on that one: the cache was hard to find and the day was hotter than expected so we all decided to let it go for an easier one in the same park. A short drive away, we stopped again for an easier one near a playground. I don’t like going near playgrounds at the best of times, but it was just far enough away that I wouldn’t have been too worried. Besides, when you have kids with you, that allays some suspicions. We first spotted a clutch of deer (or, as I call them, white-tailed rats) and then the older daughter spotted the cache. No climbing was required. When we cracked it open, we found a troll doll with the wildest hair and a more-than-damp log. We had some time on our hands so we tended to both of those situations. the younger daughter, with help from a little water, braided the troll’s hair. The older daughter and I placed the log on a granite block and let it sit under the sun for a while to help dry it out. When enough time had passed and it was merely lightly damp, I took my trusty clipboard, ripped off a page from it, and used it to absorb the last of the moisture, leaving us a dry (enough) sheet to sign. We all put our signatures on it and, with that, I had a cache of the day and they had one more to add to their numbers. I know my older daughter logs hers, but I can never be sure if my younger one does. She doesn’t always because she doesn’t really care that much.
On the way home, we made a quick stop. I’ve been wanting to make a hide so I can get the Blue Switch Hider souvenir but I hadn’t been able to do what I really wanted nor had I seen a good place to hide it anyway. Well, I remembered something: a cache I remembered from a familiar cemetery had been archived a while back and that opened up a possible hide location so I stopped there to check it out. It’s so familiar because my grandparents and several great-grandparents are buried there so I knew it well long before I started caching. The spot I had been thinking of was a no-go because it was about 150 feet from another cache in the cemetery. I didn’t remember that one even though I was FTF on it four years ago until I got close to GZ and then it all came back to me. I was however about to find a couple of places in the cemetery that was far enough from the existing caches to make a hide there myself. I have the feeling that might happen in the next few days. I have ammo cans sitting in my trunk that aren’t going to hide themselves. With some luck, I might be able to switch the hide up just enough to be clever, but we shall see. Perhaps I will report back on it once it happens, but probably not. If you want to see what I do, go find it yourself!
Geocaching While Black 