It seems that these days, this type of message is becoming too commonplace, all for different reasons. A decision was made recently, that was very long in coming, and very tough in deciding. On June 1st, my home went on the market. My family and I are moving to Big Sky Country, Billings, Montana.

Last summer was the first vacation my family and I had ever been able to take as a family since being married (8 years this August). Instantly I fell in love with the place, the weather, just the overall environment. But I was very set against considering a move because I had finally found my niche in law enforcement, and had my foot in the door to test for officer. I simply didn't want to leave a sure thing. My Grandpa's death in mid-February changed that. He had always told me that if I moved up north, he'd be right behind me. Now, he is unable to do so, but will be there in spirit. My plan was for someday to move back to the mountains, originally somewhere in Colorado. But the thought came to me one day, and I agonized over it for 3 months before finally deciding I just needed to follow my heart, thanks to some wonderful advice I was given. Oddly enough, I was driving to my first cache find when I called him from my cellphone to give him my first impressions of the place.

Things are moving quickly now, because the plan was to be out of the house and on the road August 1st. No sooner than the sign is put up (Saturday morning), a neighbor comes to us (who is moving out) and tells us they want to buy the house. Tuesday we were given a formal offer. Thanks to a substantial inheritance, a home that was out of reach for them is now well inside the ballpark. If there aren't any financing problems, closing will be July 16th, at which time my road-trip will start and a new life will begin. We already have someone coming to show the house in the morning, so a quick sale is imminent.

Some of you might wonder what I've meant in some logs about my soon-to-be-replaced cachemobile. On Monday, my Dad and I are trading vehicles, as he wants a/c, and wants me to have a 4x4 for the mountains. My Jeep envy is now quelled, as I am going to be the owner of a 1994 Jeep Wrangler YJ (all the more reason to find one of those Jeep TBs). Thanks to an outstanding realtor, our contract will give us quite a bit more out of the home sale, and I get to start tweaking. Initially, I'm looking at a Dick Cepek 3.5" Suspension Lift, Eagle 15x8s, 33" BFG ATs, and a cat back exhaust for just a little more juice. Of course, there are more mods planned, but over time and as money permits. :) This will get me started for off-roading in the mountains, and the trail rides I can't wait to join.

In all honesty, the abundant caching, and more importantly the Arizona Geocaching community were a huge tug on my mind when considering this decision. I am having a very tough time leaving everyone, because I've met some of the greatest people through a sport I found by accident after hearing a news story on Channel 10 back in August 2001. One of the things I'll miss most this year is the planning and execution of the second Halloween Radioactive event. It was so much work the first time (Tamo can attest to this), but the rewards were so great when so many people attended, and the event caches for all went so well. For those who are curious, the ratio of caches in Montana vs. Arizona is 1:5.05 (as of 0038 on 6/2/04). Sure, there are far fewer caches, but in one respect it will be a much greater experience finding each and every one of them. While driving to a cache yesterday, I came up with an idea for a multi that will bring that ratio down to 1:5. =) I've already joined 2 Geocaching groups in Montana, and hope to foster a strong Geocaching community in Billings, but it will never reach the level of Arizona or many other states, due to a statewide population of under 1 million. Billings rests comfortably at ~130,000, and is the largest city in the state.

With my wife's family living there and in Sheridan, WY, we'll be taken care of in the emotional support department, and something I've wanted for awhile will finally be reality...time to ourselves. :) There is a family cabin south of Fishtail, MT that sits a mere 75' from the banks of the Stillwater River, literally around the corner from a ranch owned by Mel Gibson (Beartooth Ranch). While researching lift kits, I showed my wife some pictures of some trail runs, and hard-core offroading. She was so excited she couldn't contain herself. I see a Jeep Jamboree in our future, and lots of mountain mud running down the driveway. :) A cache in this vicinity is a distinct possibility as well as some future event caches.

The most important issue to deal with is transferring of the Adopt-A-Highway torch. This was already well in motion before I began to consider moving, and support was so strong I went for it. Now, I need someone who is willing to be point for ADOT, which consists of little more than calling the coordinator and informing them of a clean-up date, picking up vests/trash bags and organizing the clean-up. It truly wasn't a difficult task, and required more time driving back/forth to make sure everyone had bags and water than it did to actually plan the event itself. The requirements are that 4 cleanups per year are performed, but if they are done each quarter, the cleanup time will diminish if the participation stays the same. With this, I will also pass on ownership of the CITO Always cache. The signs are already up, and our first cleanup was very successful, even though we didn't get the southbound side completely clean. It would be a shame for ADOT to have to remove those signs in favor of another group, because visibility is so outstanding.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'll have time to complete my final Matrix cache in Arizona. It will only exist in SE Montana, or perhaps NE Wyoming. At this point, anyone wishing to find either Matrix cache has until 7/1, unless someone wants to adopt them. At that time, they will otherwise be archived and removed (this applies to any un-adopted caches I'm not keeping).