Calling all Jim's Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

isht kinta: Since the cache owner has not responded to my reviewer log requesting the geocache be maintained, the geocache has been archived.

isht kinta
Geocaching Volunteer Reviewer

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Hidden : 1/2/2010
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


It was one of those days, if your name was Jim and SMARKY had your phone number on speed dial. First of all, I am not a Geocacher. Not unlike Bill Clinton, I tried it, I didn’t inhale and I didn’t like it. But I can understand the attraction for those people who might enjoy it. But even the most die-hard cachers would have been having second thoughts after this day.

As I was sitting down to my Saturday lunch, a little later than usual, my land line rings. Nobody calls me on Saturday; they know I don’t talk on the phone on weekends. But the caller id showed that it was Smarky and if she called at all it must be important. So of course I answered. Mistake number one.

“Yeah sure I can come get you and BetaMan unstuck, where are you?” Now for those of you like BetaMan and Smarky who geocache so much that it has become not second but first nature to you let me give you one piece of advice: If you are giving your location to a non-cacher (Muggle I believe you call us) the coordinates are of no use whatsoever.

“How about a road name or number? Turn right in Columbiana, ok.” There are seven right turns available between the Columbiana city limit signs if you count only the paved roads. “At the McDonalds” No. “At the Courthouse?” Yes. “Ok when the road splits which fork do I take?” I was not leaving the house without being better equipped to find them than the old Yogi Berra quote, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

“We are right near the electrical substation.” There are four electrical substations in Columbiana, two, at least on right turns out of downtown Columbiana. Don’t ask me how I know this.

When they finally told me the correct road, by landmark of course not name they said they would be at the road waiting for me. It would have helped if they had said they were closer to Shelby than to Columbiana but perhaps that would have been asking too much.

When I arrived they were indeed at the road and acting like they were having a big ol’ time. I parked the car they said it was a short way up the power line. Once again different definitions between Muggles and Cachers. Where they were stuck was only a hundred yards or so from the road and the cache they were after was another couple of hundred yards beyond that. You could have walked; you could have crawled and it would have been easier then trying to get that Jeep out of the small river they had tried to cross.

Axel deep and spinning free were the wheels. If you plan to take your four-wheel drive vehicle off the road you should at least make sure there is tread on all four tires. We dug with the shovel I had brought, we bounced the back end of the Jeep but we had no luck. After a good portion of my Saturday that I will never get back we gave up and Smarky tried to call for help from Jrou111 (someone also named Jim) with a four wheel drive vehicle. No luck, at first.

The decision was made that BetaMan would stay, (it was his vehicle after all) and I would take Smarky to meet her husband, only a few miles past my house but in for a dime in for a dollar I always say.

Now this is where I pass off Smarky and it is the end of my portion of the tale. But I found out later that Jrou111 with the four wheel drive pulled BetaMan out fairly easily. But you don’t think I would be telling you this if it ended there do you?

Then they talked themselves into going after the original cache but did they walk? Did they learn anything from the experiences of the day? Jrou111's truck got stuck in just about the same spot as Beatman’s. They got it out, did they go home? No they were determined to get that cache. Did they look for another way out? No they had not been stuck enough for one day apparently so they tried to come back the same way they went in. Does proximity to a GPS for extended time have a negative effect on all people’s thinking or just these guys? Let’s just say they now have lots of practice in extracting vehicles from the exquisitely slippery South Shelby County mud.

And although I am still not a cacher and have no plans to become one it seems to me my involvement in this fiasco should at least elevate me from Muggle to Mudblood.

This cache has been placed so everyone can take a lesson from Smarky and Betaman’s adventure. It comes equipped with its own shovel so if you get stuck…….

DON’T CALL ME!!!!

Jim

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