Smile Ammo Can In The Woods

Day 113: I don't geocache much these days, but when this one came to my attention via a friend, I wrote down the coordinates on my "Next" list, and there they sat for a month or more. All last week, I kept trying to find a convenient time to make the two-hour drive to the site, but was hampered by weather, obligations and simple inertia. Yesterday morning, I learned that the woman who had created it had just passed away. That was enough to spur me into action. I left immediately after a visual review of Google maps, something I should have perused more carefully.

The first inaccuracy appeared when one road came to a T and changed name. No longer on the "right" road, I still hoped to find the cross-street which was to be the next turn. After twenty minutes of winding up, over, and around a number of hills, I was ready to give it up as a lost cause when I suddenly came to a turn which seemed to point directly toward the cache. Up another hill I went, and came to a dead-end among driveways. At that point, I realized I should have reviewed the description of the cache since it was obviously in a residential area. I checked my phone and called another cacher in the area. He comfirmed that I was in the right place, and only then did I realize that the cache must have been at her home. It was an awkward situation. I had driven two hours to get there, but I also didn't want to disturb the family. I went down the long driveway and scouted the territory from below. Fortunately, the cache was well away from the house, so I came up from behind it and I doubt anyone even knew I was there.

Cachers in western Washington (and visitors from elsewhere) will remember bearsandme's hides as funny and innovative, and often quite surprising. We will remember our caching friend as a valuable and welcoming member of our community. Her creativity and kindness will be greatly missed.