Figuring out the courthouse in St. Charles was a bit of a nightmare. Two buildings showed up on the map as the courthouse, both across from one another and St. Charles City Hall, which was the county clerk works from. However, I ended up choosing a third building on the final corner because it had the drop box for ballots. It also was next door to a gorgeous old courthouse (that, in hindsight, I neglected to photograph) on a great hill overlooking the town. All I could be sure of was that I was on the right street corner for whatever building I needed so my courthouse requirements were in my opinion fulfilled. If it’s actually another building on that corner, we’re good and the matter is closed. Probably.
Anyway, I had to be really careful approaching the cache. St. Charles was in the middle of some kind of Day of the Dead festival, and the streets were absolutely swimming in muggles. My daughter and I decided on a Virtual but ended up aborting it because all the muggles. We adjusted to another Virtual, but it was in a similar situation. Anything close and convenient would be swamped by people. It was here that I roped my innocent daughter into turpitude. The second Virtual seemed the best choice so my first thought was to have her drop me off, circle the block a couple of times, and then pick me up after I snagged it. Instead, I just parked in a 15-minute loading zone and had her guard the car. That may or may not have been mildly questionable but we all know that I am, as I have demonstrated from time to time, a bad influence as a parent.
The cobblestoned main street of St. Charles was charming in the French way (if you find that charming, that is). Indeed, it had been known for that throughout its entire history. However, it was annoying that the Virtual was in the middle of those cobblestoned streets. All I knew was that I was supposed to get information off a map, but where was the map? I asked a shopkeeper who suggested that it might be across the street in the building that I thought might be some kind of stable or clearing house. He told me that it was, in fact, Missouri’s first Capitol building. I took that moment to take a closer look at the Virtual and realized that I would have to go inside the old Capitol and basically tour the place. That would take far too long (and he place was closed). I should really read the cache descriptions… However, there was a Traditional there as well! There were a lot of people around, too. Could I do a search and not draw too much attention?
As fate would have it, the answer was YES. It was an easy find once my geosenses kicked in. I might have mistaken it for a mailbox if there weren’t conveniently places logos in the corners to let me know I found my quarry. Within lay a bag with a log, some swag, and a trackable. I considered picking up and moving the trackable, but I’m out of that game for the most part. Besides, with the completion of the Halloween play across the street, a parade had just begun and the last thing I needed to was to dally. I signed the log both for myself and my waiting accomplice and then shadowed the performers as they strolled down the street. I followed them as far as the car and then, when the moment presented, we slipped away from the hubbub and excitement of the old town, into the more drab reality of the modern city, towards the highway leading to…
