Learn More
I had a solid eight hours sleep and was up at six o’clock. This was going to be another busy day with a few ”must do’s.” I must find at least eight different icons in Lincs for a challenge. I must find a 4.5/5 challenge cache near Sleaford to complete my 81 grid for the second time. I must get to the Mega.
The first cache on the agenda was the CM Burton ~ St Vincent’s Wherigo cache in Burton-by-Lincoln. There were no problems here and I picked up the nearby WM multi for good measure. I spent the next couple of hours hurtling around the villages collecting trad and multi CMs, WMs and FP caches until it was time to head back for the hotel for breakfast. There was a trad by the hotel which quickly got found before I settled down for my second full English in two days.😀
As I was preparing to leave the hotel, I met up with TurnerT, an Essex cacher who I hadn’t met before. It was a fleeting conversation but I knew that he was hosting an event in Ingatestone, a few miles from home in a week or so, and we could chat for longer then.🙂
I parked up at the Mega and walked down to the venue with Beastmarsta and Boxteddies. After a brief look around the stalls, pausing to gather up a dozen or so TBs which would help me move or discover 1000 TBs (for a challenge 🙁) I started to look for people that I knew. I soon found a huddle of South East Essex cachers, the Mathsnuts, BTL101092, Martin and Jeff Harvey, izybuzyfingers and gregstermonkey. I knew that I would meet more as the day went on. The main chat here was about the AdLabs so I made my excuses and went looking for them.
I found two of the series but got waylaid by the Teddy Bears Picnic series and followed this one to the end of the ten bases. I was wearing my Lincoln Mega shirt with my Geocaching name and a TB number on it and a lady came up,and said hello. It was Hanoosh, one of the Eastern England reviewers that I'd met at an event near Ely, a year or so ago. She said that it was handy when cachers were wearing their identifiers.
On the way back to the venue, I bumped into nathanjhunt who was there with neilnjen. I took them into the hall to meet up the other locals and Nathan said “look, there a picture of Signal the Frog.“ I wasn’t too bothered until he said that if you have your photo taken with Signal you can claim the Locationless cache GC8FR0G. I was more than happy to have my photo taken with a frog as this meant that I would have another icon that I hadn’t considered.😀
It got to noon and it was time to split the scene, baby as I had to be home as the clock struck six and I still had a lot to do. I said my goodbyes and set off down the road. I had a route planned which would take me down to Peterborough where I hoped to find some more challenge caches.
At 1232, I found the CM Waddington trad and then set off for Harmston where there was an Earthcache and an RST. I found the RST first and realised that I was also at one of the bases for the Earthcach ~ Lincolnshire Edge. It is amazing how Nature has sculpted the area. I soon had all the info for the cache and after finding the nearby CM trad, I was on my way.
I was after a Letterbox cache next which took me down to Scopwick for Scop me - Scop me - Scop me - 13. I eventually added this one to the list and picked up a trad #1 of the series on the way back. After a quick find of the local VHs trad, I was heading south again.
Virtual caches are few and far between outside the city of Lincoln but I had found one in Digby so that was next. However when I parked up next to The Village Lock Up, I found that that there wasn’t a phone signal here.🥴 I knew enough about the requirements to get a selfie here and headed out of town. When I had some signal, I noted the hints for the CM and the RST trads and bravely went back in for a successful mission.
Now I was heading for the biggie, the 4.5/5 Challenge. Oops! I’ve Missed One. 365 Days Filled.😀 When I got out to the search area, I soon spotted the cache and was so pleased when the 2x grid Congratulations message hit the screen. It was now 1444 so it was time to make tracks down to Peterborough.
I needed petrol and was planning to stop in Bourne for some but as I reached the outskirts of town, I spotted an icon that I didn’t want to see - the Orange engine warning icon on the dashboard.🤬🤬🤬 I knew that this was only an advisory warning but I still had two hundred miles to go. I had to stop for petrol and luckily the car started again so I nursed it home making sure that I didn’t go above sixty mph.
I had only had the car fully serviced a fortnight ago so wondered what the problem could be. The Diagnostic Testing technician told me that the catalytic converter was operating at less than threshold so I had to get it sorted. £650 including VAT.🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
1 Earthcache 1 Letterbox 1 Locationless 1 Mega 1 Virtual 1 Wherigo 3 Multi 1 Mystery 12 AdLabs 17 Traditional
#13336