----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 1:21
AM
Subject: [Az-Geocaching] Big Sky
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.
On to the formalities...
As with TeamBlunder, I too am looking at cache
adoption. This will not occur until the middle of next month, but may
not officially change ownership until I arrive in Montana and have internet
access setup at my in-laws.
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.
Caches I need to turn over:
CITO Always (should really go with the
Adopt-A-Highway Program)
Fzzzt! (considering archival+simple
maintenance)
Directionally Challenged (most likely archiving,
unless someone really wants it)
Rest Your Mind (simple maintenance)
Horseshoe View
Lime Creek Cache (not likely I'll be getting back
up there before the move)
Caches I may turn over (or simply archive and
recreate there):
It...Has You
Fundamental Flaw
Both of these caches may be difficult to
understand, with only It...Has You requiring maintenance on intermediate
steps.
I'm keeping the following:
Fallen Heroes (virtual)
A Fallen Hero (virtual)
Journey to the Center of the State
(AZcachemeister has graciously offered to maintain)
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).
I apologize for the long e-mail, but I'm just
that way sometimes.
Brian
Team A.I.
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