On July 5th,
2011 Gracie Lou suffered her second back injury. No one knows what
she did to her back to cause this injury. She had surgery 3 years
before and had fully recovered. After surgery we had been very
careful to keep her from jumping too much. This injury was more
severe. She was taken to the vet who felt that surgery would be
very iffy and recommended we try acupuncture as an alternative. The
vet had treated multiple dogs with good success for similar
injuries. Gracie had two treatments and the day after the second
treatment she seemed to be responding, however the next morning she
became lethargic and declined all day long. That night we came
together as a family and felt it was best to take her to the vet
and let her go to end her suffering. Of all the pets that I have
had over the years she was by far the hardest of any to see
go.
This cache
will be a tribute to her. Her legs were too short to allow her to
go on too many outings with us but she did love to ride in the Jeep
and did a few caches with us. Hopefully this cache will last as
long as her memories in our hearts will!
The VanFleet Trail is designated as part of Florida’s
Statewide System of Greenways and Trails. It runs through the Green
Swamp, the headwaters for some of Florida’s most canoed
rivers, the Withlacoochee, Hillsborough, and Peace. Landscapes
include the natural environments associated with the Green Swamp,
former citrus lands and cattle ranches. With only one curve in its
29.2 miles, you can choose to go slow and view the wildlife or
enjoy it at a brisk pace. This cache will be best attempted via
bike. Be sure to bring plenty of water, sunscreen and a pen.
Project 365 is a year long project during 2011 to create 365 new
caches in the Central Florida area. My goal during 2010 was to find
at least one cache every day to complete my 365 grid. Since I
completed that with the help of a lot of local cachers I wanted to
return the favor and place some new caches in my normal caching
area.
Since I started caching, not a day goes by when I don't pass an
area and think "That's a good spot for a cache." Now let's see if I
can remember them all!
There will be a variety of caches ranging from park and grabs to
difficult. Some will be power runs, some may make you take a long
hike or bike ride, while others may require a boat or kayak. Let's
see how many you can find over the next year.
This cache was placed by a member of the
Florida
Geocaching Association
Placed with permission of senior manager of Van Fleet State
Trail.
Congrats to TeamSumter for the FTF and that is exactly who she was
named after!!