[b]My First Find Ever![/b]
It was Presidents' Day and I took my daughter, Megan (nine years old at the time) out to find this cache. It was an unusually warm winter that year, so we didn't worry too much about the cold. The cache was HUGE, a big locking plastic container. It reminded me of a case that power tools come in.

Unfortunately the cache disappeared within a year of my find. There was a death on the bridge it was under and I suspect it was taken when the police did the investigation. That's a shame. I had always hoped to revisit.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=4588a611-f19c-4b7d-85ea-3d21dfb4eca9][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00001 - Big Pyle of Cache

Big Pyle of Cache

[b]My 100th Find![/b]

I found this one exactly one year after my first find. That may not sound like a lot of caches, but back then it really was an accomplishment.

The weather was a lot different. We had a snowstorm the day before and then it warmed up a bit. At night the wind blew and the ground was covered with "snow rollers," big hollow tubes of crusted snow that had rolled up in the wind. It was really cool.

I took Megan with me on this one too. We had a good time. There's no one else I would have rather celebrated my 100th find with.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=d5770e37-ef59-4705-9294-c4c06da12dd5][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00100 - Crawford County FWA

Crawford County FWA

[b]My 200th Find![/b]

I was one day short of 1 and a half years since my first find. I remember I [i]had[/i] to get out! Earlier that week I had buried two good friends, both of whom died of cancer. It had been a long week and I needed to go caching.

I also bought my eTrex Legend on this day, but didn't use it until the next caching trip. I just didn't feel right about breaking it out until after I had logged my 200th.

Megan came with me on this one too. We had a good time that day, but it was really hot out and the mosquitoes were nasty.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=bfca0be8-1731-4f51-a1c4-8839d761dfeb][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00200 - I love the smell of hydraulic fluid in the Morning

I love the smell of hydraulic fluid in the Morning

[b]My 300th Find![/b]

The cache is archived now, so I'll blow the surprise. It was a lamp post hide! Ugh. I think it was my first ever, though.

If anything made this one special it was that I had all three kids with me. It was the day after Thanksgiving and my wife had gone shopping with some relatives and left the kids at home with me. Several caches had popped up in Clinton and I decided to go for them.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=240ede50-bf4a-42f4-86b6-fb5bbe09d1a1][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00300 - Got a Light, Patch?

Got a Light, Patch?

[b]My 400th Find![/b]

This one was just a few blocks from where I used to live in Oakland, Illinois. When I saw it pop up I knew I had to go out and nab it. 

It was a quick and easy find and in itself probably not the sort of thing you look for in a milestone, but being back home in Oakland made it pretty special.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=23a2a3ae-6cb5-43b6-84c2-ca5f65097015][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00400 - Oakland Water Tower

Oakland Water Tower

[b]My 500th Find![/b]

Five hundred finds was quite a difficult number to reach back in those days (at least around here). Several of my caching friends had been asking about what cache I was going to do for that milestone. [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=21a9e093-0782-4dd4-923a-26bd18fac749][b]RiverExplorer[/b][/url] and [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=f22eed8e-bd2b-4b20-a2a6-44d41baf8c9a][b]Grateful Mike[/b][/url] had both suggested this one, so I knew it had to be good.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=ca9a82d3-0f61-46e5-9e97-b36a3ef22034][b]Strohem[/b][/url] agreed to accompany me on the trip and made the day extra special with a few birthday gifts. When we reached the cache...well...you can read about it in my log. It was a very special birthday made all the more special by some very thoughtful cachers. Thanks!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=1b44f5f5-c61e-4ec5-a47d-74419644033a][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00500 - Lucifer's Spine

Lucifer's Spine

[b]My 600th Find![/b]

When this cache first popped up I knew I had to go get it and I had to make it special. Number 600 was coming and this was looking like a good candidate. [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=ca9a82d3-0f61-46e5-9e97-b36a3ef22034][b]Strohem[/b][/url] was aiming for 300, so we decided to hit this one together.

It was a great day with perfect weather. I seem to recall an Arni's burger being thrown into the mix later too!

At the end of the day we headed to Terre Haute and met up with [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=96e25bca-2085-496a-8111-6805802ad5e2][b]smtycolt[/b][/url] to watch the movie [url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0364751/][b]"Without a Paddle."[/b][/url] Now [i]that's[/i] a geocaching movie if I ever saw one!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=057c93e6-bd7f-48e5-89ad-5a3e41b38e89][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00600 - Underwater Wls

Underwater Wls

[b]My 700th Find![/b]

I had come down with some kind of flu the week before and was just starting to get back in the mood to get out. [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=96e25bca-2085-496a-8111-6805802ad5e2][b]Smtycolt[/b][/url] agreed to take me out caching and try for my 700th. As we were heading back into Olney this was my closest unfound. It seemed perfect for 700...which is surely a lucky number. [;)]

This cache had caused a bit of drama back in the spring when I dnf'ed it. Thankfully we were successful on this trip and got the smiley!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=d1219575-0243-42f5-92db-b71f9f3f1c35][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00700 - NOT TOO STRAIGHT, or NOT STRAIGHT 2

NOT TOO STRAIGHT, or NOT STRAIGHT 2

[b]My 800th Find![/b]

New Year's Eve, 2004! What a year for milestones! I decided that I needed to end the year with a nice round number, so I shot for 800. To make it even better, I decided to do one of [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=96e25bca-2085-496a-8111-6805802ad5e2][b]smtycolt's[/b][/url] caches! 

This one was pretty special as you can see from the log. I got stuck and had to have the cache owner meet me there. Shortly after finding the cache I was off as fast as possible to meet [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=a30a285e-6697-4676-a9cc-e53105ba844a][b]Markwell[/b][/url] in Arcola, Illinois. It was the first time we had ever met.

Only time, actually! Gee, you think the guy would come around more often! [:D]

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=78cb9574-c230-4b32-a1a6-307e5394db83][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00800 - Ste. Marie 1

Ste. Marie 1

[b]My 900th Find![/b]

Wow! I didn't realize that this milestone was on a cache owned by people who would later claim me as their adopted son! thanks [b]Mom and Dad![/b]

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=a7076884-3cbb-4d55-b042-16df07483272][b]2Golfers[/b][/url] have made caching around here a lot of fun. We always have a blast when we're together...even if some of their other kids are a little annoying. [:P] 

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=99b9b9de-47cf-4532-b108-8b126b1474eb][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

00900 - Déja Vu

Déja Vu

[b]My 1000th Find![/b]

There are some things more important than numbers. Friendship is one of them.

Ok, the reality is I actually hit my 1000th cache on April 18th at the [url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=abe0c88b-bd5d-4e63-af67-5becd594748e][b]William Henry Harrison Mansion.[/b][/url] I've never admitted that before. However, friendship means more to me than 1000 smiley faces, so I deleted one of my finds and called that one 999[i]b[/i]. And I did that for 17 more caches. Why?

It was more important to me to find my 1000th cache with my best friends than to simply find 1000 caches. I had to wait until a day the three of us could be together before I logged the official milestone. I fudged the numbers but it was worth it.

I had to edit my log several times to make it fit. I think it speaks for itself.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=a463677e-e681-45f6-9f2f-abe6eec9cc14][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01000 - Mission 12: Blind Canal

Mission 12: Blind Canal

[b]My 1100th Find[/b]

Honestly, after 1000, I sorta lost the desire to keep track of my milestones. As I recall I realized that this was my 1100th after I posted my initial log. It just didn't seem like that big of a deal.

This was a fun cache though. I managed to get a little reflective in the log. Seeing that Zebco reel brought back some memories of my brother. I still don't know if he would have loved or hated this game. His son sure loves to go with me, though.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=2bbdd8f2-22b0-4388-9c8a-f78c27c2fafd][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01100 - Hagerman Cemetery Cache

Hagerman Cemetery Cache

[b]My 1200th Find![/b]

I think it's kind of cool that I hit a milestone on a cache that was placed in memory of Steve Martin's trip to Terre Haute. He was always a hero of mine when I was a kid.

Terre Haute's always been a fun place to cache. You can find everything from tough physical challenges, to tough mental challenges, to easy drive-by caches.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=320377d5-3be7-40c7-bd8c-f928323a978e][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01200 - Nowhere USA Tour Stop #3

Nowhere USA Tour Stop #3

[b]My 1300th Find![/b]

Thirteen hundred finds. I've been on mountains, I've been on islands, I've been out in the bitter cold and the blazing heat. And now I've cached in a spot where a dog once peed.

There's a joke in here somewhere and it's on me.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=753ab423-a3c4-4c1b-9363-3004a31150f5][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01300 - Liquid Trail,  Wait, Bark!

Liquid Trail,  Wait, Bark!

[b]My 1400th Find![/b]

Sometime earlier this spring, Stefanie from [url=http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?guid=4a4462cf-e885-459e-9386-afb24889483b][b]Team MZFD[/b][/url] and I decided that we were going to celebrate our mutual birthday with a caching trip to the Turkey Run area. I wanted to return to Lucifer's Spine (now a virtual cache) for my 1500th and she was getting very close to her 1000th.

I had to work pretty hard in order to hit 1500th by June 29th. I logged a lot of caches in that last month. This one marked the final milestone to cross before that big number. I had hoped to hit it with Stefanie and her family earlier that day, but it didn't happen.

As luck would have it, I hit it with my wife on our way out for dinner in Terre Haute. Not a bad way to celebrate a milestone!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=b4296132-2d86-48d7-9118-25b15251a2f6][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01400 - Not another micro!

Not another micro!

[b]My 1500th Find![/b]

After over a year of resting on my 1000 find laurels, I decided to make this one special!

I had been here two years earlier for my 500th find. It seemed like the perfect spot to return one thousand finds later. On top of that, I couldn't have picked anyone better than my birthday buddy [url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ae34f66e-2de3-4444-a11d-7df7fce0afd1][b]Stefanie[/b][/url] to share the milestone with. She made the day an absolute blast!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ae34f66e-2de3-4444-a11d-7df7fce0afd1][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01500 - Lucifer's Spine 2

Lucifer's Spine 2

[b]My 1600th Find![/b]

I've had the pleasure of logging a lot of caches with some really neat ladies, but none as special as this one. [:)]

I needed to finally get off my butt and hit 1600. It had been staring me in the face for a couple weeks. So I grabbed Gracie one Sunday afternoon and headed out to log some caches. We placed a few green jeep travel bugs along the way and had a really good time.

Gracie really loves geocaching (or maybe she just loves her daddy). She's five years old and looks at the world with the kind of wide-eyed wonder that you only get to do until you're five...maybe six if you're lucky.

Geocaching is something magical to her. You find a box in the woods, open it and there's a treasure inside! Taking her along keeps it magical for me too.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=31cdcf23-1c3a-4550-8419-5ac1c8302cae][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01600 - DIETERICH travel bug cache

DIETERICH travel bug cache

[b]My 1623rd Find![/b]

Ok, so what's the deal, right?

Well, there are some people you meet that you just seem to instantly hit it off with. Koneko and I had known each other through online chat for a few months and had really had a blast just talking. It turned out that she had some friends in the area and came to visit, so I played Good Samaritan and picked her up from the airport. Well...sure...there was a lot of caching done on the way back home...and some general goofiness.

She managed to hit her 2800th find at this cache. I, however, was not to be outdone, so I proclaimed this my 1623rd! A milestone of epic proportions with a log to boot.

The really cool thing is, koneko and I have been able to hit several other milestones together since this one. Hopefully we'll get a chance to do a few more.

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=1f21b728-c126-425b-995d-9a3b96022591][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01623 - Big Walnut Micro Cache

Big Walnut Micro Cache

[b]My 1700th Find![/b]

Sometimes what makes a milestone special is the quality of the cache. Other times it's the quality of the cachers you find it with.

I spent the day in Nashville caching with smtycolt, koneko and ODragon. We started early and hit several milestones. Smtycolt found his 1000th and koneko her 3000th. Quite a day!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=dbaa616c-09b0-4423-b9f1-bd9a4d71fa36][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01700 - Smyrna Park and Find

Smyrna Park and Find

[b]My 1800th Find![/b]

I celebrated my 1700th find about 10 days ago (I think that's right). Koneko was along for the ride on that one too. It was really great of her to make plans to come to Terre Haute today and help me celebrate this milestone too!

Two Thousand isn't looking all that impossible at this point. I still have no idea what cache I'd like to do for that one. There have been a few suggestions, but I'm not sure how excited I am about any of them. Chances are we're looking at somewhere in December for that milestone! Could be a little cold by then!

[url=http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?LUID=ceb50867-ff95-459a-9b3d-2ef121458a3a&IID=65e3a3a2-e0a5-448d-8cfe-36ab9dceef8f][b]My Log.[/b][/url]

01800 - Fowler Park Wilderness Stash

Fowler Park Wilderness Stash

The best thing about my milestones is that I've gotten to share so many of them with great caching friends. There have also been some really cool caches along the way.

I have to admit though, I play a little fast n' loose with my milestones. I've been known to delete caches just to make the milestones fall right. I've also deleted caches later so the numbers don't always jive. It's not always the number itself that's important, it's the experience and the people I get to cache with.

To those of you whose caches appear on this list, thank you!

CYBret's Milestone Caches.list-details-1wr9x6v{text-transform:uppercase;font-size:12px;}@media screen and (min-width: 600px){.list-details-1wr9x6v{font-size:1.25rem;}}.list-details-1wr9x6v.shareable{color:#87705a;}.list-details-1wr9x6v.public{color:#00b265;}Public

CYBret's Milestone CachesPublic