Today I escaped the entrapments of a soccer family that spends Monday through Friday at the park, and I went Geocaching by myself.  My girls are only good for about 2-3 geocache searches before they start complaining about the heat, being bored, lack of bathrooms, and a myriad of other nasty complaints. I usually find a lot more caches by myself because I can devote my full energy to the addiction that I can't explain logically to my non-geocaching friends without seeming silly.

I really get into it. Lately, for the urban caches, I've started donning a reflective orange vest. When I wear it, I just become the generic landscaper, city worker, or whatever people think of people who work for a living, and have to wear one. I am literally invisible to everyone. Although, on a recent geocache hunt, some guy walked up to me and started complaining about the water pressure at his business. I told him to make sure to ask for a manager at the water company the next time he calls. Then, there was the guy who asked me whether I worked for the state while I was searching for a nano underneath a park bench. I told that guy that I was just making sure that all the bolts were tight because someone was suing the county for falling off a bench that had loose bolts. I always have a good chuckle in my demented mind after one of these encounters.

My favorite geocaches are hidden in the woods. I really love being in the woods! But, Southern California is home to a desert landscape that is called chaparral. So, unless I am at the top of one of the local mountains, you'll most likely find me bushwhacking through some dense chaparral, not that I mind it.  I love scrambling up hills, and rocks, and making my way through the brush. It makes me feel young. Kind of like when I was a U.S. Army Scout in my youth. I feel invincible in this kind of environment. Unfortunately, this is when my family complains the most. So, they don't usually join me for these searches. When I come home after one of these little adventures, I am grinning from ear to ear. I usually don't shut up for a while and talk endlessly about these trips. Heaven forbid that I bring back a travel bug that has been to Europe, or some other far-off destination because I will get my maps out and start giving my kids geography lessons. Geocaching is what brings me to these places, and it really brings pleasure to my well-being.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about my geocaching adventure today. I was planning on finding 20 geocaches for the day because my family wasn't going to slow me down. I went geocaching near Temecula, California. I was going through some dense brush when I encountered a large rattle snake. I was about 1 1/2 feet from stepping on it when it rattled. In that instant, a million thoughts crossed my mind, and one of these was to take a picture of it (bad idea when you are so close). So, I did what any MACHO man should do after thinking a million thoughts in an instant.... I jumped 10 feet in the air, and screamed like a little girl. By the way, that was my last geocache search for the day, #10. Is there a moral to this story?

By JeepDelFuego

  I am a substitute teacher at this time. I aspire to teach mathematics in the middle-school, or high school setting in the near future.  I have been married to the same great lady for 15 years. We have three girls who are 13, 9, & 7. I found my first geocache on December 24th, 2008, and I have been hooked ever since. My geocaching goals are to reach 10,000 finds before my oldest girl finishes college,and search for geocaches in Latin America and Europe.