There is an event coming up for our Nebraskache Group on June 19 and Vic and I talk about it before our spring break trip but don't really come to a decision.  Well, with about 3 weeks to go we decide that we will attend and I ask to take that Friday off of work. Vic should be able to get off after serving breakfast at summer school, so we should have plenty of time for the roughly 6 hour drive and get there before the 7 pm meet and greet at a restaurant in Valentine Ne.

   In the few weeks prior to the event, my favorite past president of Nebraskache and donut aficionado, Sioneva, was emailing me about finally adding a photo to one of my EarthCaches. I noticed that this was her third found EarthCache, but that all of them were in Nebraska. I started to tell her she needed to find one in another state so that she could get her bronze masters pin. Of course, I knew the perfect one, it was not far from where I live and I would personally guide her to it. Meeting at the site, which is in a part of Iowa that is surrounded by Nebraska, she gathers her logging requirements for the oxbow lake and we talk for awhile about EarthCaches and the masters program. The little grasshopper has set foot upon the path to mastery.

   Queries won't be a problem this trip, as I'll be running some of them I had written for the Postponed Panhandle run. About a week before the event, Vic finds out that she will have to work till 1:00 pm on Friday, so I will have to do the packing and getting ready in the morning and we will have to drive straight up without any cache stops along the way. I also find out from the forums that the bronze and silver EarthCache masters pins will no longer be awarded after August 1^st. Dashing off a quick email to Sioneva about that unfortunate turn of events, I tell her I have a plan, the silver is still in reach!!  And the Cache and Splash this weekend will be the perfect place! It would become her Mission......and ours should we choose to accept.

   This event was going to be a big one for several reasons. Good timing, good weather and legendary caches placed by a legendary man, James Bridger. Just as his namesake was an explorer and guide who contributed greatly to the opening of the west, our James Bridger takes us on gps guided adventures through the zodiac, makes us face our phobias, visit the departed, helps us to cross over, embrace our sweethearts, and tempt the Fates, all with a James Bond panache. We were quite eager to experience some of his caches and at some future point we would like to complete all of them but that would take us at least a week dedicated to caching around Cherry county NE and some more time in Kansas too. Mr. Bridger is not only a very talented cache hider he is a prolific one as well. In fact, there would be I believe, 26 new permanent caches placed by him for this event,

   Finally, Vic gets home and we can get on the road. We grab some fast food and set out on the highway with Lucy pointing the way. The ride is pretty uneventful and we're making good time. We briefly discuss stopping at the Happy New Year cache we had 2 dnf's on, but decide to press on without claiming it. In retrospect, we should have stopped both at the cache and at another spot along the way to take a pic for the building mural Photo Assignment in the magazine. Neither one would have taken very long and we wouldn't be returning along this route. Not stopping can be blamed on me; I have a compulsion to be early to anything with a scheduled starting time. It's taken years of work, but I'm now ok with being just 10 minutes early, Vic has learned to live with it and knows the signs of my turning into a "March Hare" (do my whiskers really wiggle?) usually before I'm even consciously aware of it, so we kept going. I do regret not taking the time though.

  As we approach our destination, the land begins to transform, becoming more rolling and dune like in nature. We were entering the Sandhills, the largest area of sand dunes in the western hemisphere. Stabilized by grasses and native plants this is truly a unique area in the world. In spots, along wavelike hilltops there are rough outcroppings of the Niobrara chalk and the blowouts where the sandy soil is exposed like seafoam just below the green rolling crests, reminding us that this was not only once an inland sea, it also conceals an underground sea, the Oglala Aquifer. Cattle roam and graze in little groups near the windmills that pump life sustaining water for them. Amongst the vast rolling hills, ranch homes are seldom seen. Cherry County has an average human population density of less than 1 person per square mile, there are slightly more cows though.

   This seemed to be the perfect time to slip into thoughts of how my life would have been if I was either a cowboy or a frontier soldier in this area 120 years ago. The life of a frontier soldier was generally boring, with the only break in daily routines being visits to town, the occasional escort duty and patrols in search of Indians who've gone off reservation. The last time I had passed this way, 20 some years ago, enroute to the Black Hills, where for several weeks; I had become one of those horse soldiers at a frontier post. The days were generally boring with only the camaraderie of soldier extras to pass the time before "Roll film.. and ..Action!" and after "Cut.. back to one!"  during the filming of "Dances With Wolves." In my opinion this movie did a good job of portraying the life of a common soldier whose time served probably had just enough excitement to be able to romanticize it and that more for the benefit of eager listeners than their own memories . I should know, and I always play up the boredom and long hot days before going in to the romances of being a small bit extra in a big movie and telling people what they want to hear.

   In less time than it took you to read the previous paragraph, I had decided the life of a cowboy was more appealing at the moment probably because I only had an audience side view of cowboy movies, and began picturing myself as a self reliant, hard working, high moraled man, spending weeks afield in "God's Country" sleeping on this rough ground near the herd I was protecting, with only a saddle for a pillow and the star filled night sky for a blanket. Waking the next morning to hours of work in a blazing sun, mending fences with only coffee and jerked meat to keep me going till late afternoon when I would finish my circuit ride. My pony shuffling along as tired as I am, we ride into town to pick up supplies, feeling dusty, sweat crusted and muscle sore, I'm moving slow down the dirt mainstreet dully focusing on the heat shimmer at the far end of town, shoulders slumped..."Hey Cowboy, y'all need some comfort?"

   Turning toward the dulcet voice, my eyes unglazed and I see we've entered the parking lot of our Comfort Inn with Vic saying "The Cowboy Comfort cache should be just over there." Checking in and taking our luggage to the room, the hot tub is making a siren call to the cowboy in me, but that would probably make us late for the meet and greet and the Geocachers Guide to the Galaxy that was to follow. Gotta work on beating that compulsion some more!

  Going to the restaurant after settling in, there were a fair number of cachers already there 10 minutes before the hour.  There were sheets of icebreaker questions to be asked, entries made for prizes, a cd of the new event caches to be downloaded and the event coin was for sale also. We sat down at the end of the long table, across from a couple from South Dakota. When the seats began filling in, a cacher from Minnesota sat next to us and we knew there were people from Kansas and Iowa as well, this was going to be a well attended event. Shortly after giving our dinner order to the overworked waiter, Sioneva sat down at the head of the table and we began making plans to mine for silver this weekend. Following dinner and an agreement on when we would meet tomorrow, we parted our ways while she was following us to the evening's next event. This would be the Geocachers Guide to the Galaxy at Merritt Reservoir, 30 winding miles south of town. Weaving through yucca covered sand mounds we spot 3 does followed by an unusual looking (to us) buck. It quickly dawned on me as we rounded out of view that we had just seen a small herd of pronghorn antelope. A few miles later wild turkey were strutting along the roadside.  Arriving at the coordinates, we don't see anyone there yet even though we knew some cachers were supposed to be camped nearby, so we drove to the parking coordinates and back a few times, just to drive the nuvi nuts, (make a U turn as soon as possible!) until we saw the event sponsor pulling into the area with his mirror telescope. We returned to the parking area which was some distance away so that the headlights of cars coming in wouldn't ruin the nightvision of the attendees. Leaving ours gps units in the van, spraying a double dose of deet, then carrying chairs and the required towel, we settle back at the event site to await dusk and the illumination of celestial bodies.

    There was a new permanent cache placed for this event as well and we located it without the gps. Not bad, we had the First To Attend, the First To Find on a cache and for a little while we thought Vic had made the FTF on Saturn in the night sky also. The event sponsor explained that at dusk with few pinpoints to reference, it is difficult to be sure what you are looking for. He thought he had the right one picked out and when Vic pointed out another point of light, he set up the telescope on that one. It turns out his first choice was correct and in short time we were rewarded with a thin view of Saturn's rings and two of its moons and it wasn't even full dark yet, there was still a luminous glow beyond the rollercoaster horizon.

About that time we made our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel, we just didn't have the stamina to wait out Jupiter's appearance in the darker hours, besides,  I was plum tuckered from my cowboy daydream earlier. I was in need of comfort and a shower!

  At some point on the way back, Vic started calling the Nuvi Sheila, I think it was because it said we were in the middle of a field and Vic said "She lied!" I told her if she was going to call it Sheila, we would have to download an Australian voice and I would start playing my didgeridoo on cache trips.

Saturday morning, starting later than normal but feeling refreshed, we start by making our rounds of caches in town. Down at the bank there is a stunning 2 tone, brick mural of longhorn cattle, a locomotive, bison and other images of the west. Just past that was a sweetheart garden hiding an Altoids tin and further down, a war memorial with a doughboy statue, ankles tangled in barb wire. Crossing the street and a short walk took us to a historical boarding house and a little further was a pleasant park where the cache stumped us because I had confused the terrain description as a clue.

  Spying the post office, Vic decides to send our granddaughters cards from Valentine so we pop in and they don't have any suitable cards. The post mistress sends us to the Pamida and warns us the post office closes in 15 minutes.  Down the street, turn the corner and select some tourist cards (where are the hearts and romance?) and return to the post office to select suitable stamps (King and Queen of Hearts!) and post our June "Valentines" to our granddaughters.

After the walking tour, we get back in the van and go off in search of ecological playgrounds and the Candy Man himself, Willy Wonka, before hitting the end of the road. The Willy Wonka's were in appropriate Oompa Loompa sized containers and there were cards to lead you to a bonus mystery cache in each of them. We missed one of them and so didn't go for the bonus either.

    I attempted to face Cancer on my own as Vic turned the van around. There is a great reluctance to grasp what is seen here. Set against a healthy blue sky among green and growing hillsides there lies a pocket of devastation.  Parched sandy soil, blackened by the results of fire and smoke, vegetation, once thriving, now crumbles in the wind. Sturdy trees became cracked stalks of flaking charcoal and in spots the chalk bones of the land lay exposed in stark contrast. Stepping carefully, my feet nonetheless kick up dusty, black spore like clouds, trying to convince me it is harder to breathe than it is, as I descend ever lower until I see the trail that I cannot get to from here and realize that is the trail I should have been on. In that moment it finally sinks in...The way back is labored, with heaving lungs and burning muscles for I now bear the burden of the analogy. 30 years I was a smoker before finally quitting and with effort, remain smoke free although I still crave it every day. I didn't find the cache and hope that I'm not meant to. If I ever face Cancer, it will be from the path, with Vic by my side.

      Another  stop was at 88 inches of Red Thread which was definitely over our heads (though I don't believe physically, over our heads) and after a game try we move on to the end of the road, where we find a family searching for the container and join them. The description was pretty clear where the container would be found and after I climbed to double check a possible spot, we talked with the mom of the group and found out the park cache we dnf'd was there and that they hadn't been to 88 inches yet. Walking back to the van to go after the cache in the park, we were entertained by a small lizard skittering out of our way, darting one way then the other trying to avoid our big feet.

   The day wasn't hot but a bit humid and we had warmed up a bit, just enough that we could easily justify stopping back at the hotel for either a dip in the pool or a nap instead of taking to the highways for more caching. Vic is big on naps and since she is the driver I didn't put up too big a fuss, in fact I was out before she even got in bed. Waking a half hour before the alarm, we checked email and got ready to go out again.

 Stopping at the Casey's for coffee, Pepsi and a peanut butter frosted, chocolate drizzled fluffy cake donut that looked so delicious sitting there waiting for some thoughtful cacher to come along and buy it for  another appreciative donut fan. When I returned to the van, Vic asked what was in the bag and I said "Who are we meeting??" " Ahh donuts!!"

Driving out, we visit some graveyards before hitting Rock Bottom and going on to our first falls of the day; yeah I tripped, walking onto the bridge near Berry Falls on the Niobrara River. It wouldn't be the last either, there are about 230 falls along this river which is one of the reasons it had been designated a National Scenic River. Over the bridge and up the hill and around the dunes and down the valleys about 10 miles, we figure out we made a wrong turn, but a scenic one. Retracing our path, we visit another graveyard before pulling into Smith Falls State Park and who do we park right next to? "Sioneva!  You''re early!" Walking toward the ranger station, I stop and have to return to the van for a forgotten item. "Donut!! mmm" and we walked over bridge and along the boardwalk to the tallest waterfall in the state and Sioneva's EarthCache silver mine

.

    The canyon here was cool as breezes flowed over spring water. It was at least fifteen degrees cooler than at the beginning of the boardwalk.  A little further, past aspens and birch thriving in this micro clime although native to regions much further north, and we reached the falls. Vic had prepared for this moment by wearing her swimsuit under her clothes and Sioneva slipped off shoes and rolled up pantlegs to wade into the plungepool and take the temperature of the water. I was the designated electronics holder and photographer so I stayed back just a bit while Vic and Sioneva ......

Frolicked in the falling mist..

 And soothed their tired feet ..

The falls, it roared like dragons ..

And drenched some little boys..

And our dear Sioneva ..

Had found her EarthCache joys!

Smith Falls is now an EarthCache..

That you must go to see..

To stand there in the falling mist..

In the valley of birch trees.

The water tumbles over ..

And down the face of stone..

 How will you take the photo ..

If you Earthcache alone?

   After almost an hour of splashing, we returned along the boardwalk to the ranger station to see if they had any hat pins. I collect them for my event hat.  The park volunteers working behind the counter had some good info for us and as we sat down to enter that into the palm, a man in green, wearing a Smokey the Bear hat walked past.  Uh oh!! I had forgotten to stress the importance of having Permission and a contact for that permission. What kind of an EarthCache mentor had I been? Sioneva got his attention and not only was he the proper person to ask, he had heard of geocaching and was thrilled with having an EarthCache here. Whew! Saved!

   Even though we were early, we head towards the event site for this evening with Sioneva behind us all the way this time. When we park, I take off to get some pics of a rock outcropping on a large hill and when I get back Vic is heading towards the facilities to change out of her bathing suit into her special event clothes (I have a hat, Vic has a t-shirt) and Sioneva is staring at a wooden truss bridge over the creek. There's a cache here, I'm told as I approach. Ok and after a lucky glance I spot it, but wait for other cachers to come along before signing the log. It seemed easier that way, at least for me and Sioneva. Vic was still changing and there were other close by caches, down the tremulous way, past the fearful waters and into the forest primeval, the satellites led the way.

  Returning to the shelter we chatted with other early arrivals. The family we had met at the end of the road sat down by us and read Vic's special event shirt. "If a fat girl falls in the forest and no one sees her, do the trees still laugh?" this of course started a conversation about caching clumsiness and more falls than you could shake a river at, well maybe not this river.

  After the potluck dinner, we had ceremonial golden ammo cans for 1000 finds; I believe there were four of those although not all were present. Geo-cheivement coins for 2000 finds, 2 of those and the Delorme Challenge official log book would be signed by three. Former Madam President Sioneva was called upon to make the presentations for the finds and when the Delorme log was brought out, she signed having completed her last page for the challenge on the way up this weekend. It had been a good weekend for her! EarthCaches and Delormes and donuts! Oh my!!

      Sunday morning! Since we had driven straight up Friday, today we would wind along and catch up counties. McDonalds for breakfast, fill that thermos, top off the tank, lock in those satellites, we're on the road again! Sheila led us to a few, others we rerouted against her protestations "recalculating, recalculating!"using Streets and Trips. We're also using this trip to fine tune our technique for our upcoming Postponed Panhandle run. The biggest thing we learn is that you can't depend upon radio reception and isn't that what we have a cd player for?? Ok lesson learned and in fact a suitably large collection of cd's are already in the van, in preparation for the trip. The other big lesson will be knowing what we want to see and do and to do it. We passed by, because of the time it would add to an already long day, 2 places I wanted to check out for possible L&C Earthcaches. At some point we will revisit those spots but it would be a long time between revisits if we miss something in the western part of the state.

Three more weeks, we better start getting ready soon.

 

 

By catsnfish

A couple of empty-nesters who caught the caching bug not realizing it was incurable. So if we’re found in the woods waltzing with Garmins, lifting lampskirts while tying our shoe or looking for “gum” underneath benches, be sure to stay away... it’s contagious and the only temporary relief can be found in finding bison’s, ammo’s, nano’s, or passing coins and spreading travel bugs!

Publisher's Note: Catsnfish write the periodic column The Adventures of Catsnfish. Subscribe (free) to The Online Geocacher to get an email alert when a new article is published.

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Comments(2):

1. Stories

   Your stories just keep getting better! Great work with your stories and you are doing excellent things with the magazine as well. Thanks!

   Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Ed

2. I LOOVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it :-)

   Thursday, July 02, 2009 anne