When I retired from working for the Army, my co-workers took up a collection to buy me a farewell gift. Now, somehow the word had gotten out that I was a geocacher. (Could it have been the geocaching excursions during my TDY trips? The occasional absences from the office when new caches were published nearby? The big sign in my cubicle that read: "I'd Rather Be CACHING!"?) For whatever reason, the word was out.
So at my retirement luncheon, while some people get gold watches, or medals, I got a geocache! - and not just a geocache, but a GEO CACHE! It's a 30mm ammo box, and came stocked with really nice swag, including toys, flashlights, key chains, insect repellent, spare batteries, magnets, hats, etc. I promised that I would place it somewhere in the vicinity of Fort Leonard Wood, where I worked for most of my Army civilian career.
So, FINALLY, here it is! It took me awhile to find a good place for it. I was denied permission for my first choice of location, but then I discovered this conservation area called the Fort Leonard Wood Tower site. It's just behind the old fire tower. (The cache is placed under a Special Use Permit from the Missouri Department of Conservation.) By the way, the tower itself is a benchmark (PID HD1028). When I logged it, I quickly calculated that I had driven past it approximately 12,700 times on my way to and from work. So now there's a good reason to stop from time to time...
There's a trail through the pine woods that will take you pretty close to the cache. You can find the trailhead at N37° 49.356 W092° 06.944. After a few years I decided to turn this into a kids cache. Kids are welcome to take an item without leaving anything in exchange. They can still leave something, but they don't have to. Please note in your log if the swag is depleted. Also, please make sure that the lid is properly seated and clamped back onto the ammo box.
Happy CACHING!