Hey noodle what did you do today?

Well I set my alarm for 9:30ish, but didn't get up until about 10:40ish. I headed out and about and went to Arby's, where I got 3 Buffalo Chicken sliders and 3 normie chicken sliders with a large conke. I ate the buffalo chicken sammiches, then drove to LBL for some caching.

I still felt pretty glum most of the day, but geocaching is my 'happy place'. You know that scene in the big Lebowski where The Dude and Walter just dumped Donny's ashes, and Walter comforts the Dude by saying “Fuck it dude, let's go bowling.”? Geocaching is my bowling. When school got too tough, when life gets too stressful, when sad events occur or I just want to get out of the house for a few hours...”Fuck it dude, let's go geocaching.” It truly is zen.

On this day I took a smol shovel and some buckets, since mum and dad wanted some daffodils. I saw a bunch at many of the cache sites, but many of them were too close to a main road and so I only grabbed them near one of the caches.

The first cache was called 'Little Chicago' and was a new cache behind a metal slat. I found it and signed, and discovered it was part of a geocaching series released by LBL in commemoration of Black History Month! Collect the tree-tags from all 7 caches and take the to the Woodland Station for a limited-edition geocoin! Eeeee!

I was super excite and grabbed the tag, but I had to poob really bad so I drove to the nearby North Welcome Station. I used the bathroom while plotting my path, then when I finished I headed to the next cache, which was 'Andrew Jackson Smith' and tho the coords were a bit off, logs were able to help me locate the container. Two down!

I planned to only find the LBL Heritage caches, but when I got to the third cache (Henderson Chapel School) I read the caches closer, and saw that the geocoins had all been given out by the 22nd. Oh well! I still wanted to find all the caches since LBL was only gonna keep them out for a little while longer. I found the cache in a little fireplace base, then I dug up some daffodils for mum and dad.

Since there wasn't a geocoin on the line, I decided to find some nearby caches, one of which was called 'Quest for the Holy Grail'. This one was a mystery cache, and took me to a container that gave me a choice between 2 coordinates...One contained a container with a fake grail, and the other had the real grail! I went to the coordinates that were closer to the smol road's entrance, logically thinking that if it was the real one, I'd find it without having the backtrack. Well I got there and found the tree that it was supposed to be in...And it was the fake grail! Agh! I took a photo and headed to the other coords, which took me to an old broken furnace...And this one had the real grail! Yeee!

The next cache was the 4th in the LBL Heritage Series (Eddy Bend), and was located at an old homestead. I parked and walked around a gravel beach, eventually getting to a massive tangle of roots that contained a cache! I signed the log, grabbed a tag, and headed to my next adventure!

This took me to a spot on the banks of Barkley Lake, overlooking a castle on the opposite shore. It was a multi, and though it did not have any swag, it's always fun to find these types. Alas, while looking I thought a lot about Skyder...Castles go well with dragons, and he was one of the best!

The next one was a cache I've wanted to visit for a while, and is called 'Homer's Garage'. This one was a need-to-visit because it was located near an old school bus inna woods. I walked there and found the cache, then after cresting a nearby hill found the school bus! It was old and rounded and looked really neat! I took a few photos and headed back to the car.

While driving back out to the Trace I stopped at a cache I failed to find long ago called “Bethlehem Cemetery”, and guess what? This time I found it! It was in a hollowed out log inna woods.

The next caches were on the opposite side of the Trace, and would include two of the seven LBL Heritage caches. The first was called 'John Young Property' and was on the banks of Kentucky Lake. I drove out to a spot near that cache, and though the page recommended people park at a trailhead and hike there, I parked at the camping spots and walked around the lake. I had to cross atop a fallen log that spanned a swampy inlet, then navigate over a few more swampy areas and climb atop a hill in order to get there. I found the cache under some debris at the base of a tree...Ye! There were a lot of daffodils at the old homestead's site, and again, I had thoughts of my fallen friend...I found it very unfair that he had to die and I was still alive, but I guess that's just survivor's guilt, huh?

I tried not to think about it. I walked back to the car, past a really lorge tree, and headed to the Trace again. Once there I took another road to the South, which was a fairly well kept gravel affair. I stopped halfway to the 6th cache in the series because I wanted to score a pair of caches...One was an 'LBL North South Trail' cache, and the other was called 'It's Still There' and was hidden because a still had allegedly once been there. I found both, tho the latter had me walk into the woods a bit for it. From there I drove to the end of the road to a place that once had a bustling African American community. This cache was called 'Young's Grove Community', and was easily found near the spot of an old school.

By the time I found it and headed back to my car it was starting to get dark, but I wanted all 7, so I drove toward Hematite Lake and parked beside the trail. I remember hiking this trail long ago with Austin Bray, but we had to call it quits early due to his asthma. This cache was located just a little ways in, and while walking it was soooo cool and there was sooo much tall grass and there were soooo many deer near where I parked. I braved some swampy conditions and found the cache on a hillside on a spot that didn't necessitate the aforementioned swamp-miring! All seven caches get!

It was pretty dark at this point, and while walking back to the car mum called and asked if I was okay...I said I was, though I'm unsure if it's the truth. I suppose it is...Or rather, it will be.

My tank had less than 100 miles until empty, so it was good the journey was over. I left LBL in darkness, then headed to Draffenville. I got a 6 piece of their new Tangy chicken basket, and also got a medium Reese's Blizzard. I ate them in the nearby gym parking lot, then headed to Fast Eddy's for gas. I was happy when I pulled in, 'cause the arsehole riding me the whole way home was able to go past me. When I got home I told mum and dad about the daffodils, then headed downstairs and watched some tubes while typing. I grabbed a shower and logged my geocaching finds, then stayed up watching Starkid's new musical “Black Friday” and some Etho vids. Eventually I went to bed a little after 3.

I hope everyone has a geocoin seeking day! <333