Team GravelShot Geocaching: Beating Out The Rain

We almost got rained out this weekend, but we were able to find a little bit of dry time on Sunday afternoon. We went to Niceville to hit a few "treasure" spots.

It was a family effort, Me, Trale, Holli and the baby made our first stop at a cemetary just south of the city limits. Holli led the way with GPSr in hand, keeping an eye on muggles who were browsing headstones. Holli brought us to a tree with a hole about 6 feet up, so I dug around and found a little pill bottle sitting in some water inside the tree. Come to find out it had coordinates to the real treasure box... we had found a multi-cache. After punching the new numbers into my GPSr we made about a 100 hike to the location. I thought I found the right path, but Holli took off on another track and found it right behind the tree! We swapped trinkets and took a really cool Jeep Travel Bug.

Down the road we go to a geocache called "Wasted Waterfront." Story reads that a strip mall took up land that would easily go for millions. We drive within 20 feet of it, jump out of the car for a peek at what the next cache holds for us. I walked right past it (as usual). Holli says, "What's this?" Kicked a pipe sticking in the ground and found it... it was the PVC pipe! She's 2 for 2 today. Indeed some good land taken up by a furniture store.

Up a little ways, we were going to visit the "Rich People" cache. I got the joke as soon as we pulled in to Po'Folks Restaurant. This one was right behind the restaurant under a light pole cover. The workers were changing shifts, so we had to wait for the Po-Muggles left.

Time for an ice cream pit stop at our favorite restaurant in Niceville, Dairy Queen. To the delight of our oldest, Trale, of course! I enjoyed a treat I haven't in many years...a butterscotch dipped ice cream cone. They went away for a long time... maybe it's making a comeback.

Our last one of the day was a tricky one, just because getting to it was a little tricky. I found a little road near the highway that went back to a water treatment plant, but that was the best way to get in I found out. The cache was located near a little bridge over a creek. It was a very calming place; very quiet, kinda swampy. This cache was an ammo can right under the bridge. There was a crane on the other side of the bridge getting a nap. Trale was able to walk right up to it. The bird was used to the passersby or just enjoying a lazy Sunday.

I'm on my way to Memphis this weekend to visit St. Jude Children's Hospital for a radio station conference. I plan to carve out some time to do some geocaching! Lots of micros! I hope to find the microcache right in front on Graceland when we stop by. Watch this space next week for an update! I'm scoping out a location for my first cache now as I type. I'm also working on a website for Team GravelShot that will include this blog and other fun stuff coming soon.