Aztec King Krusade: Day 1

It started off with a plan – my plan, a brilliant plan.  We’d head up north on Friday, then have Saturday and Sunday to cache in that area, then to top it off make our way to The Aztec King on Sunday to cap off the trip.

Didn’t quite happen that way unfortunately.  The HandsomeMan had the short people until Sunday, so there went half the weekend.  So I came up with an alternate plan – not as brilliant a plan, but an alternate plan nonetheless.  I’d go north late Friday with the female slave, cache my little paws off until Sunday, then meet the HandsomeMan in Devonport, after which we could make our way to Ellie’s place, and hit The Aztec King the next day!  Not bad considering the constraints that were being imposed upon me!

Didn’t quite happen that way unfortunately.  The female slave was feeling a bit ill, the sissy, so I compromised and said she could have one more evening in the comforts of home, but she had to head off first thing on Saturday.  See how tolerant I can be?  How reasonable?

Didn’t quite happen that way unfortunately.  She wasn’t moving very quickly, and with first her need for coffee – strong coffee – and then wanting to say good-bye to the HandsomeMan – good grief, it’s only one night – we didn’t leave Hobart until about 11am.  E-lev-en!!!!  At least we were moving though.   Bet you were beginning to worry we’d never get under way, eh?  Bit worried you were just going to read 101 slave excuses for not going on a caching trip, eh?  SHUSH!  I’m telling this tale!

Before I was so rudely interrupted, I was just getting to my first cache hunt – finally!  This was robtas’s SWINGING FREE.  Fantastic little spot – some great construction, and lots of muggles having a swim (away from GZ, so we weren’t interrupted!).  It was quick find, then quick photo shoot whilst I admired the structure, then onwards!

Next on the agenda was Red Ochre Hill.  I was more than ready for more of a walk, and this promised to be a lovely spot.  We hit the trail between lots of muggles, and really enjoyed the stroll.  The coast was clear as we approached GZ, so we decided to hunt the cache before getting to the ultimate goal of the walk.  I had a fairly strong signal, so thought the cache would soon be mind.  Sniff sniff – not there.  Sniff sniff – ugh, muggle sent.  Some friendly muggles came by and enquired what we were doing.  The female slave said something about a ball I had lost (?!?!?), and the silly muggles stopped and helped us look!  Blimey.   Not long after, we made our excuses and continued on to the lookout.  WOW.  Magnificent views!  Stunning geology!  There were even great signs along the way to explain the aboriginal history of the area.  Great stuff!  After taking it all in, we headed back to GZ.  Looking, looking – when who should happen by but a whole troupe of wallabies!  YUM!  I was STARVING, so kept trying to encourage the female slave to go hunting with me.  Well, she makes a better anchor than a running mate, so we admitted DNF and headed back to the cacheMobile.

It was time to hit a Cached cache, The Magic Cave (#9).  Pets and firearms are not allowed near GZ (always knew my body was a weapon), so I barked instructions while the female slave headed off and quickly founds the cache.
Onwards!  I was feeling great by this time.  Really convinced I was in the zone – a real cache machine.  Unfortunately, the female slave wasn’t quite in the same state.  We headed for White Water, where I leapt from the cacheMobile and immediately found the cache.  I started off down the track the follows the river – and found the other end of my lead was not following my lead but was instead running at great speed towards the public conveniences.  Oh dear. 

When the female slave finished, I very kindly made her immediately head off to The Humerus Cascade.  Honestly – I thought the fresh air and walk would do her some good!  And I think it did.  We headed off on a lovely track with fantastic flowers and such.  Came upon a large group of teenage muggles, who were completely and totally absorbed in splashing and making noise nowhere near GZ.  Then we veered off to GZ only to find less and less satellite coverage as we went.  And then this great thing happened:  in the ONLY wet, slippery spot on the entire track, the female slave did this huge great fall and completely muddied her bottom.  She was cross and rather flustered so went off the track to have sit and a scream – and there was the cache!  The BEST conditions for it I say!

 

 Next, we put our newly acquired Traks4Australia maps to good use and made our way through some truly stunning countryside to Home of the Range.  The cacheMobile probably wouldn’t have had any trouble with the final track to this cache, but me being me I wanted to walk it, so walk it we did.  Even with a sick slave it’s a quick trip, and well worth seeing at walking speed rather than driving.  I quickly found the cache, acquired something related to another cache, then we made our way back our vehicle. 

It wasn’t terribly late at this point, however my female slave really wasn’t doing well.  She was considering phoning the HandsomeMan and telling him not to come north the next day, so I compromised yet again – what a generous heart I have – and told her we’d make camp early so she could have a long sleep.  We hoped down by the band 2 would be the go – it was close, and it would let us score a find.  But alas, there were already muggles there with roaring camp fires, so on we pushed. We considered camping at our spot near Duck Filled Fatty Pus, but on a whim checked out Come for a Walk Stoodley.  This would do nicely.  The female slave made preparations, got me fed and comfortable, sent a text message to the HandsomeMan to let him know where we were camped, fed herself, then attempted to phone home.  Grumph.  Enough coverage in this area for a text message, not enough for a phone call.  So we headed into Railton to check in with home, then back to our spot. 

I was settled down in my bed and the female slave was doing a bit a reading, when out of the corner of her eye the fs saw something black scurrying – and it wasn’t me.  She looked up and saw on the metal ceiling edge a truly enormous huntsman.  Ugh.  She knows it won’t harm her, however the idea of it crawling over her face in the middle of the night soon had her poised near it in a threatening manner, shoe in hand, when it suddenly did a crazy dance as if electrocuted and disappeared!  Darn pigs!  Mrs Cheesy Pig had chosen that moment to send an SMS from their caching trip in Sydney; my phone was in the metal ceiling edge on the opposite side of the van from The Spider, however those vibrations travel!

Female slave tried to concentrate on her book again, but one eye was always on the lookout – and she was soon rewarded.  I won’t say what happened next, but some gooshing did take place.  And for everyone who is appalled and thinks the female slave deserves to be punished, I’ll just let you know that in the middle of the night I decided to play a little prank on her.  I got into her bed, made my way to her pillow, and let’s just say something black and furry DID run across her face in the middle of the night!  And scored both her pillows in the process.  🙂