Musings about Geocaching: Tecate Peak is conquered again

Friday night I got an email from Auld Pro, who had been out of touch since our backpacking trip. He said he and "lostguy" were going east and invited me to join them. I emailed right back suggesting we meet at 8:15 at the Hollenbeck staging area.

At 8:20 in the morning, I called him and got his voice mail. Then I called "lostguy" and got his voice mail. I continued sitting there, listening to all the news on the radio about Hurricane Ike and the destruction it was bringing to Galveston and Houston, and watching the Otay Lake intersection in my rear-view mirror. Finally, I saw a vehicle that looked like Auld Pro's. It stopped and I got out and looked that way. Finally, the vehicle made the left turn and came my direction.

The guys didn't think I was coming because my email got lost in Cyberspace . . .

Next time I'll confirm with a phone call.

So, I put all my stuff in the back seat of the Jeep and off we went, stopping for a few caches I had already found on my several trips out this way with 3cd's, dillweed, and Chuy!

The only caches I still had to find were up near the top of the peak. When kwvers! were out here, they "Found a Spot" three times. As we worked our way towards the peak, we stopped for several caches. Sometimes my, and "lostguy"'s navigation wasn't the best. We teased each other, something that happens frequently between the three of us, and had lots of laughs, like when Auld Pro was able to get one container without even getting completely out of his Jeep.

From "FATTBOY's Crazy Drive" cache, it was only Auld Pro and me in the Jeep. "lostguy" decided to walk back down the hill instead of riding in the Jeep on that narrow road with steep dropoffs.

At the lower elevations, it was hazy, but at higher elevations the air was much clearer, offering views of distant mountain peaks that looked like islands.

The fire last October roared over this mountain, scorching it thoroughly with flames pushed by 80-mile-an-hour winds.

In places, there are huge boulders on Tecate Peak. These framed the towns of Tecate, CA and Tecate, Mexico.

High above the haze level and looking to the west, we could see Lyons Peak, as well as Skunk Hollow Peak, Madre Grande, Elena Mountain, Barber Mountain, and Gaskill Peak. In the valley below, Highway 94 bisects it before heading up the steep grade towards Tecate.

Before getting back to Highway 94 by taking a shortcut, Auld Pro stopped to place three new caches. Here the guys are discussing what the cache should be named.

Once those tasks were completed, we headed for a W9JIM cache hidden in the carcass of an old Pontiac way down the steep embankment.

Where's the car?

Oh, there's the car

Auld Pro climbed inside the wreck to find the cache.

I wish I could have found the Indian from the hood of the car, but it was long gone. I had to settle for this picture of the Pontiac logo.

We made our way back up the steep, steep embankment and enjoyed the air conditioning of the Jeep as we headed back down Highway 94. We stopped for a few more caches I had already found and then got to one I had not found yet. It was one placed by Night Hunter and highlights this old "sign" painted on the rock. This is the setting.

And a closeup.

The last cache of the day was another one of Night Hunter's "Stone Ruination" caches near where my friend Rita lives and not very far from my house, as the crow flies.

A couple of incredible rock walls remain, although most everything else on the property succumbed to the fire last October . . .

After investigating the area, we walked back to the Jeep and then Auld Pro returned me to my vehicle. It was a really fun day and I was grateful to be able to join the guys on their caching adventure.

On my way home, I stopped at my friend's house, where a couple of hours later, we saw the nearly-full moon come up behind the rocks on the right-hand side of this picture taken at the Stone Ruination location.