Gadget Caching

On Saturday, I took the boys to Angleton, Texas, to do some of the much vaunted "gadget caches" of VossX2. I'd heard of them at events and again when seeking suggestions for a special cache for my #1000, so I'd been wanting to check them out for a while. I knew the boys would love something special too. Gadget caches are typically easy to find but then require some problem-solving actions to get to the actual log and cache container. Most are built into birdhouses. I knew some special tools would be needed so I made sure I packed a gallon of water, a bicycle air pump, and jumper cables (just in case).

Our drive to Angleton took longer than it should have. One delay was a construction detour that wasn't well marked. I missed the turn and had to go a mile the wrong way to get back on track. Then, there was "I need to go to the bathroom" and "I'm hungry." A single stop at Whataburger solved both problems. Then there was traffic. And a funeral procession. And this. And that. I almost gave up but curiosity won out.

The first cache required us to figure out how to use a handful of provided marbles to determine the code to a 3-digit combination lock. I tried them all at once; they got wedged in the chute. After some poking, prodding, and percussive maintenance, I finally got them loose. We were all frustrated and I began wondering again if this excursion had been in vain. Finally, we learned what was required, saw what we needed to see, and gained access to the cache. The log was signed, the swag was traded, and Oohs! and Ahhs! were shared around.

We ended up finding six more caches and signing five more logs (one of them was missing). We used the aforementioned water and air pump to access two of them (unfortunately, the jumper cables stayed in the car). We also saw caches that made use of pulleys and gravity, magnets, and user-generated electricity. It started getting dark and we started getting cranky, so I called it a day. On the way home, we stopped for a pizza and a chat about our day. We had a blast! I recommend gadget caches to anyone. There are some in Angleton that we didn't find; I'm certain we'll be back that way again.