A cache for Squinch:)

Just two gals and a cache

 When I started Geocaching it was with my daughters and grandkids.  One daughter showed me my first one.  (Read past posts to learn about our Blair Witch cache).  Then I quickly got my other daughters interested, and it went from there. We would cache all the time. But we all have that thing called life.  And it gets in the way of the fun stuff sometimes.  For me, that life is our business.  We bought a bar in 2011, and for the past 3 years we have had zero employees.  So it's just my muggle and I, 6 days a week from open till close.  And on that seventh day?  Well, we shop for the bar, we clean the bar, and maybe have time at home to wash the underwear and pet the new puppy (who already has his own "log-the-dog" tag).  The point is, those fun afternoons caching with daughters and grandkids are few and far between these days. Enter Squinch:).  Don't get me wrong, I still love

"I got it!"  "No I got it!"

 grabbing an afternoon with a 'DDCA', 'Clairum and the bean', 'MammaMissa', "han~geo", well you get the picture. Those afternoons take some planning now.   But for those impromptu quick "let's go grab a cache?" days? Squinch:) is the one I call.  We've done day trips.  We've just ran and grabbed one.  We work on challenges together. Just last month we took a road trip to N. Bonneville, Washington to do the "Bonneville Bigfoots Geotour" (blog post coming soon.) We cached on the way, and we cached on the way back! She is my geo-buddy for sure.  We've had some DNF's, and we've also, while looking for a cache that was part of a series on Mullan Road in the Idaho mountains, called out "Got it!" at the same time.  Yep, two caches at that location.  We LOOK  for chances to grab a cache!   So, imagine our frustration when we discovered that we were both going to be vacationing in Lincoln Beach, Oregon, but a week apart!  Yep, I was going first, and I'd be able to wave at her when we passed each other while I was on my way home and she was on her way there.  I mean, c'mon.  It's not like I wasn't going to be able to geocache while I was there.  That's not it at all.  I wasn't sure SHE would be able to geocache while She was there.  Her muggle at the time, yeah, different than my muggle.  So, that's when I came up with a plan.

The perfect place to put this....

I took a plastic chocolate covered almond jug from Costco (everyone has thought of using one of those for a cache container, right?), and every time I saw something that I thought she would like, I stuck it in there.  Just little mementos to make her smile.  A keychain.  Some candy.  A magnet I think.  I don't know,  Just stuff.  And then I waited.  One of the parks we were caching at was proving difficult.  The cache was supposed to be by an old picnic table all overgrown in the weeds.  We looked and looked,  and then decided we had to log a DNF.  Discouraged, as we started to leave, I was like, no WAIT!!  This is perfect!  So, I wrote a note. 

...right here!

"If you're not Becky, then this isn't the cache!  Keep

looking!  Please put this one back, it's for Becky!"  I tucked it nice and snug down in the thick bushes, covered it with some branches and pinecones, and hoped for the best. I got out my phone, and checked the coordinates, and then I checked them twice.  That all done, I sent my friend a text, told her I hid a surprise for her and to go HERE!  I did give her the name of the Park, I mean she needed a clue at least. I also warned her about the other side of the park, and knew she'd be thankful that I didn't decide to hide this cache for her over there.  We also logged that one as a DNF because of the bees.  We did not know it was well guarded until it was too late, and they sent us running for cover.   Decided the little buggers could just have it. The rest of our vacation week flew by fast, because that's what vacations do.   So, we pack up.  Make the drive home, and even though I did look for their car, to wave, yeah, that didn't happen lol.  I remember hoping that if someone DID find it, they would be honest and put it back for her.  I also hoped that the coordinates were right, because we both know what a wild goose chase that could have been.  We been there before!

Mission accomplished!

I got a text from her a few days later.  It took a couple days for her to make it to the park.  She found it, and LOVED it.  I was so happy that I could make this lady smile like that!    And I learned something.  You don't have to physically be with your geo-buddy to cache with them.  All you have to do is use your imagination. Well, and eat all those chocolate covered almonds, buy silly little trinket crap that doesn't cost much, trek through some bees and bushes, check your latitude and longitude, write a sappy note, send a quick text and then let nature take it's course.   Easy Peasy!

*July 2018*