Moga 2005: Event Was Tops, Park Was Not.

[+Firefishe]

<NOTE--This was originally intended for the MOGA 2005 Cache Page. It is posted here as it exceeds the 4000 character maximum>. --Firefishe

 

Hi all, Firefishe here, Caching In On The Journey.

 

I'm finally getting around to logging this Event Cache, known to those participating as MOGA 2005. I have to say I can't say I've ever worked harder than this for an event that was supposed to be fun.

 

I guess fun and grueling are sometimes on the same agenda, at least it was for me...this time.

 

I attribute being grossly out of shape as being the primary cause of the two days of recovery and rest that I and my fiancée had to endure after the event was over. Other than this, we had a reasonably pleasant time, although there were a couple of instances when I wish I had stayed at a local hotel and left the motorhome back at my pad in Columbia, where I reside in it, as well.

 

I will separate this entry into two sections, one for the event, itself, and the other pertaining to the park, itself.

 

I'll start with the event: MOGA 2005, to me, was a success! I thoroughly enjoyed the "B" course, even though I taxed myself physically beyond anything I've ever accomplished. The fact that I finished is, to me, a "statement of personal best."

 

I did feel that some of the finds "being on the ground, itself, under a rock or log" were a bit problematic, and did a bit to undermine, in my eyes, what should have been a bit more of a straightforward type of cache finding, like being in a hole in a tree or some other more or less "obvious" place.

 

What I mean to say is, there were a ton of logs and such, and I didn't find it very fair to say the least, let alone challenging. It was, in my honest opinion, Just Plain Too dadgum Hard! ;-)

 

Other than that minor complaint, I do feel that the course was challenging--in the extreme!

 

I would also like to thank Bass Pro Shops for contributing some of the drawing prize giveaways, one of which we won. The Midland GMRS/FRS Radios with their dual charger and rechargeable batteries will be a lot of fun for future geocaching. I just want to say that I appreciate the gifts and that I also appreciate Lady Luck for her part, as well :-).

 

Everybody worked very hard and it was evident in the organization that went into planning this event.

 

Okay, now for the park, itself: Meramec State Park is a jewel of a place, but the last two days of our stay have colored my view of the place a bit, like through a glass, darkly.

 

My finance and I were extremely fatigued following this event, and I would have hoped for a bit more sympathy from the staff of the park handling the money at the gate.

 

We were beset with a "have to obey the rules, regardless" type of attitude from an elderly matron and a person I assumed to be her husband, pretty much from the moment we got settled into our site, #47. The 'infraction?' Simply having failed to put the tag into our campsite post. I felt like I was being grilled by a Second Grade school marm from hell. "The rules are still the rules" were what were told to me, as though I were some type of school child.

 

A simple "you need to put your tag in your post" would've sufficed, preferably given with an air of gratitude for visiting the park. My fiancée also observed this woman kicking my motorhome's tires and otherwise searching in and around my campsite for the all-important campsite tag; this was observed out of my view, as I was talking with the gentleman driving the mini-truck when they first pulled up. The woman had gotten out of the truck and walked up to the motorhome as I was talking. My fiancée gave me this account, and I was a bit miffed afterward, but it was very late after the fact. Had I seen it, I would've spoken to the park superintendent about her behavior.

 

Monday evening was also marred by this couple's attitude and behavior. Granted, we had not paid for any more stay time after Monday by six o'clock Monday night, and I understand the "just doing my job" type of thing in that case. Fact is, I tried to pay for more nights on Sunday, but the gatehouse wasn't equipped to take credit or debit cards, and that prevented me from handling the matter on Sunday, instead of Monday. I found the lack of a telephone system in the gatehouse disturbing, as well, as the gatehouse was being 'manned' by three giggly teenage girls when we arrived, all three of whom seemed more interested in themselves than running the gatehouse. Still, not having a phone there bothered me as regards the safety of teenagers, regardless of whether or not they were eighteen or older. They seemed more like sixteen.

 

With no way to take my plastic, I was forced to go up to the local Wal-Mart and get cache (pun intended) out of the ATM there. No problem, that. But I get ahead of myself.

 

Even by six o'clock on Monday, my fiancée and I were still in bed, sore, tired, and just plain exhausted! The elderly man and woman drove up in their mini-truck, with the woman knocking on my door. She inquired as to whether we were staying or not, and I responded in the affirmative, said I was sorry for not taking care of it earlier, and said I would be up before they closed at nine.

 

This seemed to satisfy her, but I was wrong. I was just getting up awake again as she pounded on my door two hours later. I had been experiencing rather severe pain and cramping, and had fallen back asleep almost as soon as I hit the mattress. I was essentially 'chewed out' and told it would be better if I went right away and paid "so my girl can close her books before nine." I then proceeded to tell of our ordeal, our status as event participants, the reason for our fatigue, and why we'd just like to be left alone for a while to rest.

 

This was met with an air of arrogance and indifference. She also threatened to "call the ranger." I intimated that I could also do the same thing, words were exchanged, and she stormed off. No vulgarity was uttered by either I or the woman, but my attitude toward the somewhat "lesser" of the park staff made my desire to stay and explore a little longer melt away into a palpable black void.

 

So I dug my tired, sore, and stiff arse out of bed, drove my truck down to the gatehouse, and explained my situation to the elderly man who was sitting at a table reading a newspaper. He was also less than sympathetic. I asked him if he even cared about the event and its participants. He seemed miffed by "the people who were on <highway> 185" during the contest. I am unaware of anyone who was on the highway during the event, although there may have been some who got turned around a bit, I suppose. I paid for two more nights at any rate, and merely went mechanical for lack of energy to express any more emotion regarding the matter.

 

My final movements were largely autonomous and my voice a dull monotone. I also did this to avoid furthering this man's ire. He was just a cantankerous, cranky old man, as I saw it, and the aspect of 'feeding a fool more juice' just didn't seem appropriate to me.

 

My fiancée and I stayed until Wednesday. During that time, we picked ticks off of each other, visited the emergency room once for a swollen bite, possibly a tick, possibly another type of insect bite. Thank heaven erythromycin isn't that expensive and that, as the Doctor at Baptist Medical stated, "the good thing about this stuff, is that it not only covers tick bites, it also covers everything else." I'm just glad it wasn't that serious.

 

Between the attitude of the staff-in-question, the matter of a state park--read 'funded by taxpayers' dollars--being gated and needing a pass code to get in after dark, and all the other nuisances of the visit-after, I can say truthfully that I am probably not going back to Meramec State Park anytime soon, not even for geocaching.

 

I'm fine with the idea that there are other, more engaging parks that don't have the "lock 'em in at dusk" type of mentality and the 'bill collector' attitude that certain members of the staff possess that Meramec State Park seems to have.

 

Final Analysis and Summary: The Event Was Tops, the park was not.

 

Warm yet reserved regards from,

 

Firefishe

Caching In On The Journey

Edited April 19, 2005 by Firefishe