great geocache stories

[+Firespinner]

Here's a good one....

 

We were on our way back (just a couple days ago) to Ohio from the Ozarks. We had been camping for 8 days and were exhausted, sweaty, dirty and wanted to get home.

 

But of course, I wanted to stop for some geocaching along the way. My husband reluctantly agreed and we got off the highway. We went to a cemetery in the middle of nowhere. Literally, there were wheat fields to all sides of the cemetery. So I found the micro geocache. It was next to a headstone of a cacher who had passed. A touching tribute, I thought.

 

So I tied a flower lei around the flower hook also next to the stone and headed back to my husband who was in the truck not looking pleased.

 

He tried to start the truck and it just cranks and cranks with no catching. After checking on things, it became pretty obvious that the fuel pump went out. SOOO...why is this a great story? I'm sure many vehicles break down in the boonies while caching.....it gets better.....keep reading.

 

So we call a tow company. No one is familiar with the area and so this tow company was the closest. (60 miles away). So he askes what street the cemetery is on. I have no clue. I tell him I can give him long/lat of my location and he says that won't help. He asks how we got there (ie what turns we made off the highway) and I can't really help there either since we had been doing the geocache bee dance for another cache prior to landing in the cemetery. So I tell him what exit we got off and which way we turned off the exit and promised to call him back with the nearest intersection name.

 

So I set off in the blazing sun to hike to the next intersection. I get there and the street signs had numbers but no names. I call him back and tell him the numbers. No help. He says he'll call me when he gets off the exit and we'll figure it out from there.

 

About an hour later he calls and asks if we passed a section where the road was closed. I told him no, but I did see a small detour sign. He turns around. Then he asks me if we went over railroad tracks. I said no, but that I had heard a train off to my left about 10 minutes ago. I tell him what I'm wearing and he told me what color truck he has. I stood in the road in front of the cemetery until we finally find each other.

 

So truck loaded and we're in the tow rig heading back to the highway. He asks me what the heck we were doing out in the middle of nowhere....I told him we were geocaching and he asked what it was ....so I explain. Then he stops for gas and I, being curious, look at my gps. There is a geocache across the intersection next to the highway. I jokingly told my husband just to get his reaction. The tow truck driver gets back in and hears the joke. NExt thing I know, he says "heck, you've had a bad day....go for it" and he pulled in to the Cracker Barrel so I coudl get the geocache before we headed with my truck to the garage!

 

heeheeheee. He was the coolest truck driver EVER!!!!

 

so lets hear some more great geocache stories!

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Cool story, thanks for posting it!

 

Along with the stories you'll find posted here you can read more at http://www.onlinegeocacher.com.

 

If you want your stories published in The Online Geocacher email them to TheAlabamaRambler@gmail.com.

[+steve p]

That is a great story. Thanks for sharing it.

 

Since you had a GPS with you, couldn't it have shown you a map of where you were and presumably the names of nearby streets to tell the tow truck driver?

 

I'll have to check out AlabamaRambler's Online Geocacher. Sounds interesting.

Edited June 24, 2009 by steve p

[+Firespinner]

That is a great story. Thanks for sharing it.

 

Since you had a GPS with you, couldn't it have shown you a map of where you were and presumably the names of nearby streets to tell the tow truck driver?

 

I'll have to check out AlabamaRambler's Online Geocacher. Sounds interesting.

 

My GPS doesn't show streets. It has only major interstates. I didn't buy the additional road-map upgrade of that area. I'll have to check out that website too. looks like entertaining reading.

[JM Chicago]

Well here is my evolution and how it would have left me in slightly better conditions (but only until recently since I have had just purchased a cell phone only a few months before my GPS).

My involvement in Cacheing was an outgrowth of a sport called Orienteering.

This sport gave me access to one of my deep interests, maps. The basis of Orienteering is working from maps using compass skills and large scale topographic maps so when I encountered a pastime that gave me MAPS just for participating in an excuse to wander around in the woods for a couple of hours it was like cream filling in a Twinkie.

Also as part of my interest in maps I discovered map books called Gazateers which are bound collections of topograhic maps of a complete state. So a part of any trip I make includes the purchase of both a general road map and a Gazateer of each state I pass thru.

So in the unfortunate circumstance you related of being lost in the backcountry with a dead car I could have figgered out exactly where I was at....

However as I mentioned up until quite recently I would have been still stuck since I would not have had a cell phone....

It was a good tale with a wonderful positive twist, thanks for posting and now ya got a reason to carry a map that has at least rudimentary lat/long markings in the future...

Jeff

The Chicagoan

AKA

JM Chicago