The big day had arrived: Wild Rose Homecoming 2025 Block Party in Olds.
The night at my Airbnb wasn’t exactly peaceful – thin walls meant I heard conversations and every step in the flat. Not ideal.
By 7 a.m., Kyle and his girlfriend Doruntina picked me up. I’d had a quick standing breakfast with the fluffy rolls I bought yesterday, and Kyle showed up with a coffee for me – perfect start!
We drove straight to the exhibition grounds I had already checked out the day before, this time for the pancake breakfast event. The local scout troop served free pancakes and sausages, and I happily signed the logbook. Even though I hadn’t logged a “will attend,” it wasn’t an issue. For registration I just got a sticker – those who had ordered the luxury package showed off real name tags. Pfff 😄.
The vendor booths were already tempting, especially since I was on the hunt for a Canadian Geocoin for my collection. They told me they had one but weren’t allowed to sell before the official opening, so I had to come back later.
After signing the event logbook, taking photos, and enduring the “inspiring” speeches by local politicians (NOT 🤣), it was finally time to hit the caches. Karen couldn’t join for the whole day, so Linda came along with us. That made us four in Kyle’s car – Team Moose (TMMO), fittingly to my logo.
I had prepared a trail of 89 caches I wanted to try, and everyone was in. The route included letterbox hybrids, reverse wherigos, multis, mysteries, and traditionals. We quickly established a system: grab only the caches on the right side of the road for safety, and take turns hopping out to sign. The coordinates were spot on, the caches easy, and of course we weren’t the only ones out there 😄.
The only hiccup came from a grumpy pair of landowners who shouted at us about private property, insisting the cache had been moved. We joked about possible “revenge” ideas: a BBQ geocaching event in their driveway (my idea) or scheduling a surprise visit from Jehovah’s Witnesses (Kyle’s). 🤣
Back at the event grounds, we grabbed food, drinks, and yes – the vendor had held back a 150 Years Canada Geocoin just for me. At CAD 7.50, an absolute steal. I also tried a game of Pathtag dice. I lost, but I swapped and gifted a few tags – that’s what I brought them for.
We bumped into Robin, another cacher I’d met and cached with before, and she joined us for the rest of the day. Funny how these connections grow – people often ask how I know so many here. The answer traces back to a caching event I hosted in Marrakesh in 2017, where I met Karen. One meeting turned into friendships that stretch across continents. No regrets.
We stayed for the raffle at the closing ceremony. Linda won a baseball cap, and I scored three 3D-printed cache containers with magnets and logs – a really nice prize. Muffins were handed out, and then everyone gathered outside for a drone picture.
Caching wasn’t over yet. With Karen’s borrowed pole, we tackled a few higher hides, and I crossed the 5,000 finds milestone – a big one!
Robin suggested a detour to Didsbury. At the museum, we grabbed a quick Virtual and then found a brilliantly creepy Saw-themed cache. A box of syringes (thankfully without needles), where you had to plunge your hand in to pull out the one containing the logbook. My luck held – I found it.
One last traditional with lots of favorite points followed, right in a cacher’s front yard. Clearly a cachers meeting spot today,
On the way back to Calgary, it was getting dark – but news of a fresh cache near Karen’s place, still unfound, changed our plans. Headlamps on, mosquitoes (a.k.a. the Royal Canadian Air Force) swarming us, and 45 minutes of searching later, Kyle secured the FTF. Linda’s first overall, and my second in Canada. Great success (cue Borat voice^^).
We dropped Linda off, grabbed a shawarma at Kyle’s recommended spot (delicious after such a day), and then I finally made it back to my Airbnb at 23:30. Of course, I still had to log all 111 caches of the day. Finished at 0:40. Exhausted, but satisfied.
The event was over, and I had one more day left in Calgary.