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Treasures of our Town
Embark on an exhilarating voyage through the heart of America's captivating towns and cities with the enthralling travel podcast, "Treasures of our Town." Join your experienced hosts, Craig (Seemyshell) and Joshua (Geocaching Vlogger), as they unveil the hidden gems and extraordinary treasures that lie beyond the surface.
Delve into a world of cultural exploration as our hosts guide you through historical sites, natural splendours, and extraordinary local experiences. All their travels are guided by their love of outdoor games like Geocaching and Munzee. Whether you're a seasoned globetrotter or a curious beginner, our captivating city tours and off-the-beaten-path destinations will ignite your wanderlust and leave you inspired.
Are you ready for an unforgettable adventure? Tune in now and prepare to immerse yourself in the allure of "Treasures of our Town." Let us ignite your curiosity, fuel your desire for exploration, and set your spirit free as we unravel the secrets that make each town a true treasure trove.
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Website - www.treasuresofourtown.buzzsprout.com
Email - treasuresofourtownpodcast@gmail.com
Treasures of our Town
Navigating West Bend's Cache Bash
West Bend Cache Bash stands apart from typical geocaching mega events because it's organized by the town's Chamber of Commerce, highlighting how this Wisconsin community has embraced geocaching as a tourism draw while offering $1,000 in cash prizes to participants. We discover what makes this event special through our experiences finding creative and high-quality geocaches.
• West Bend Cache Bash features 66 brand-new caches designed specifically for the event
• Josh reaches his 10,000th geocache milestone with a Back to the Future themed multi-cache
• Creative cache designs include a pirate-themed "X marks the spot" distance puzzle
• A car wash themed cache requiring players to push toy cars through tubes to reveal codes
• Severe weather creates challenges but doesn't dampen the geocaching community's spirit
• Local Wisconsin culture experienced through cheese curds, local restaurants and a retro arcade bar
• The event attracts families with kid-friendly caches like the popular "Pull My Finger" monkey cache
• West Bend proudly calls itself the "Geocaching Capital of the Midwest" with thousands of caches in the area
If you've enjoyed this episode, please consider supporting us on Patreon at patreon.com/treasuresofourtown - your support helps us continue creating fun and informative content about unique destinations across America.
I know we slept close together. It was very much a surprise. Come on, you were. Do you love to travel? You love road trips? Do you love finding hidden treasures in towns all over the USA? Hi, I'm Joshua and I'm Craig.
Speaker 2:Welcome to Treasures of Our Town. It's the podcast that explores unique and charming towns scattered throughout the United States.
Speaker 1:Guided by our love for location-based games like geocaching, join us as we venture to some of the country's most intriguing destinations, uncovering hidden gems and local secrets along the way.
Speaker 2:On today's episode. Josh, we went to West Bend, cash Bash, slash, cash Splash. Wow, in Wisconsin it was wet like I'm talking wet, wet, wet it made the news, craig it. It made international and international. It made uh national news, I do believe as well the area where we were staying, craig menominee falls.
Speaker 1:That actual town made news. That was the word, the place where they got the most water. So we water. So we were right there in the thick of it, craig.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and we've said that before. Well, I've been there before. When I was on the geocaching podcast, remember I stayed at Menominee, menominee.
Speaker 1:Menominee.
Speaker 2:The Muppets.
Speaker 1:Anyway, we're rabbit holing already 've got our inner scott burke's going on already and we're talking about the weather.
Speaker 2:What a poor, poor start to this it's okay and I will say josh, I will say this, I preempt this all the time it's okay for us to talk about the weather if it's related to our adventure, you see, in other words, this rain, it rained, predominantly rain, so it actually it changed our experience of the location because of the weather, so it's okay to talk about it. We're not talking about the weather, what it is like here today in my yes, for instance okay, we're talking about our experience fully acceptable to talk about the weather.
Speaker 1:It adds to. It's a part of the story, the story that we're going to tell because this is an exciting episode, because we are going to relive our weekend, because craig and I spent time together and I know we slept close together. It was a very much a surprise come on you were.
Speaker 2:I was in my van and you were not in my van, so we weren't that close in a hotel room next to my bag.
Speaker 1:That was a teaser. Now you know, now I was gonna, we should have waited, because then you know they're intrigued like, oh, they slept in the van together. That's interesting. But now you gave it away.
Speaker 2:No, I didn't want. No, I didn't want to give that away straight away. I didn't want people thought it minds to go that direction at all. Anyway, that might probably be the intro. To be honest with you, mate, what's been happening. We're going to talk about all about West Bend, whereabouts is it, et cetera. It's in Wisconsin. We're going to dive deep into West Bend and also what it's like there every single year. Who puts on the event, what the event is actually like, what the event's about? Because it's very different event to any other block party slash mega geocaching event that I've been to so far. This year too. So we're gonna dive right in josh, but before uh-huh, before uh-huh, we've got to dive into something else.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, we've got to dive into upgrades and delays yes, we should have like a little intro sound or something for leading into our upgrades and delays, like some sort of like airplane or, like you know, the ding you know the ding that they do Well, no, the ding in the airplane. You know when they're like ding ding ding, when you can get out of your seat, when the seatbelt lights off.
Speaker 2:That's just the one ding. When the seatbelt lights off, that's just one ding. Now I was thinking about, actually, when you're inside the airport waiting to board the flight and you hear the ding, ding, ding like the mumble sound, you know when someone else is boarding in another gate.
Speaker 1:Or else the flight people that say first class may now come first, because that's an upgrade.
Speaker 2:This is true. Anyway, we're having the um, we're having a board meeting, josh, before during the episode.
Speaker 1:Again, you know that it's a great board meeting. People don't know how exciting our board meetings are. Let's talk about our delays and upgrades and delays exactly you start you can me start?
Speaker 2:you want me to start? Well, speaking of the weather, of the weather, my delay is a real-life delay, josh. This actually happened to me and it is a delay. I got my very first flat tire in the van. It was on a Tuesday. In the van, she got a flat as I was leaving West Bend. I was on the highway, it was pouring down rain, oh no, literally, as I went past the overpass, I couldn't even get off the exit ramp. I heard the blah blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
Speaker 2:Safety, safety idea for people. You must pull off the road as far as you possibly can. I saw myself. I went a little bit further and I'm not talking about a little bit further, I'm talking a couple hundred feet because I saw a guardrail, josh, and it was the end of the guardrail. So I managed to sort of sink Tuesday behind the guardrail of some sort of barrier. That's smart. So I didn't sort of yes, yeah, and that's what I thought too. You see, so guardrails are used more than just for deer caching hides. I'll give you that tip right there. They actually use it for safety mechanisms as well. So I did that. I pulled behind this sort of guardrail area so I gave a bit of a safety thing and then I spent the next I'm going to say 45 minutes changing my tire.
Speaker 1:You changed it yourself. I'm proud of you. What a real man. You must have a beard and you're a real man who doesn't change their tire.
Speaker 1:Well, I get a little bit nervous about the jack situation. You know if, yeah, I do. Now you're a former police officer so you have probably helped many a people with flat tires. But like sometimes you're like where you know where exactly do I put the jack? And like sometimes the jacks are like transformers and you have to like fold them out. You're like did am I doing this right? So this is, you know I I can change a tire.
Speaker 2:Craig, I have a beard but well, josh, I will say this, even people without beards can change tires. So I know this is just a callback. This is just a callback from the previous episode, because the Well, josh, I will say this, even people without beards can change ties.
Speaker 1:I know this is just a callback from the previous episode, because the last episode you told me I was a real man because I have a beard.
Speaker 2:And I'll let you know now, Josh, the percentages At the end of the show. I'll let everyone know the percentages on the patron. As to you, ask the patron should you keep it or not. So stick around, Josh, for the percentages.
Speaker 1:Okay, I haven't even looked recently, so we'll see. I know, I know, we'll see. That's a literal delay. Craig, that's such a bummer.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's exactly a literal delay, but I got it changed. As I said, I managed to now again, because that was my very first tire, flat tire, tuesday. Tuesday is a big van, oh, she's a big girl. Is she's a big girl? The spare tire is up her backside, you know what I mean? Like it's up and under somewhere.
Speaker 2:And so literally, josh youtube, yes, youtube, I'll try to look to find it how I could actually get, no, how I could get the spare tire out. Oh, wow. And because I thought to myself I'm gonna have to empty the her garage, you know, because I thought there might have been a winder, you know, from the from the top down. But no, I could leave the whole thing intact. The winder is up and under the side of tuesday. So I just literally stuck it up under her backside and wound it around and down. She came, so I managed to change the tire out. That way got, got filthy, dirty, I got so wet. Now, josh, you remember, because we were doing some cashing in the rain, et cetera, on the Sunday before we parted ways, do you remember what I said to you? I said to you oh well, these shoes I want to keep dry. I want to keep these shoes dry.
Speaker 2:The day before we were soaking wet. I want to keep these shoes dry. Blah, blah, blah I Before we're soaking wet.
Speaker 1:I want to keep these shoes dry.
Speaker 2:Blah, blah blah, I jinxed myself, Josh because it was pouring rain. And I was up and underneath the van at some point in time. I was wet, I was gravelly, I was dirty, I was filthy and the shoes got saturated. So yeah, so we could have found some caches in the rain.
Speaker 1:So, how far did you drive on the spare? How far did you drive on the?
Speaker 2:spare. So the spare in Tuesday is exactly the same as any other on Tuesday. So the spare is in a donut there's no donut here.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's nice. So you were able to go pretty darn far, that's great.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I made it all. Yeah, I spent the rest of the day driving itself and I managed to get it changed the next day in Des Moines, iowa, driving itself, and I managed to get it changed the next day in des moines, iowa. Oh, perfect, so yeah, so it was a perfect time. So I stopped in des moines, iowa and got her, got her fixed, got her. Uh, it was just and it ended up being a hole. So it might have been a nail or something, but it must have sort of flicked out or something oh, you got it fixed.
Speaker 1:You didn't have to get a new tire.
Speaker 2:That's nice no, no, no, it's got a plugged because so she, so she got it plugged and she's back on now.
Speaker 1:Those tires cannot be cheap either, I'm guessing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, they're a couple hundred bucks each, but anyway, so that was my delay. Look at this time frame. We're already through with my delay. Josh, do you want to start with your delay or do you want to go straight into my upgrade?
Speaker 1:My delay is coming up this weekend. I had a great weekend last weekend at the West Bend Cash Bash my son, hayden congratulations. Hayden sent him off to college this last weekend and it was like a rush. It was a surprise. We didn't realize he had to go this weekend. So I had to get him a plane ticket really quickly. And because I had to give him a plane ticket and because it's Kentucky, all his stuff, his clothes and his computer and like all the stuff you need to have to move into a dorm room he just left behind.
Speaker 1:So guess who has to drive all the way to Bowling Green, kentucky, this weekend and deliver, deliver everything. It is me and that drive is. It's about 12 hours if I don't stop. So it's going to be a long Friday of driving. I I can, if I'm, yeah, if I really kick it, I could probably make it in 14 hours, but that is a long damn driving. So I have that ahead of me. However, potentially this I'm gonna go right into my upgrade. Potentially, if I leave early enough, craig, I can stop at the place I wanted to stop for my 10,000th geocache and that is the world's biggest bowl of paint, which was the world record which was the winner of the very first roadside attraction, march Madness.
Speaker 1:I have to visit it, craig, it's the, it's the, it's the winner of the first I have to go. So it's kind of, I'll say, craig, it's outside of Indianapolis, it's kind of on the way, it's a little out of the way. I go to Indiana, but I don't go into Indiana that far. So if I leave early enough, craig, I could go to the world's largest ball of paint. So stay tuned, it could happen.
Speaker 2:So you're turning a delay into an upgrade.
Speaker 1:You know what Yep Lemons and lemonades Lemons and lemonade. Yep, yep, that's right. Good job, good job, thank you.
Speaker 2:Try to be positive, that's right. That's right. Well, my upgrade, mate, my upgrade, it also includes travel as well. So I've made it to Denver, Colorado right now as we speak, and it is on Tuesday. So it only took me two and a half days, including the flat tire, including doing my laundry in Des Moines as well, doing the whole lot. Yeah, it only took me the two and a half days to get to Denver Colorado, so happy with that. Meanwhile, at the same time, another upgrade of mine, which is kind of I'm going to go upgrade to delay a bit, and that is I stopped, Josh.
Speaker 1:I stopped at Iowa, Iowa I-80, the world's largest truck stop Also featured on our March Bandits roadside attractions. Correct, the world's largest truck stop. It turns into a delay Because it's not that great. It's not that great. It's not that great.
Speaker 2:I'll be honest, people have raved about it, but I believe the people who raved about it haven't been to Bucky's.
Speaker 1:This is true? There's no.
Speaker 2:Bucky's up here yet.
Speaker 2:No, no, I mean, it is Josh, it is huge, it is big, it's a town, it's like a little town, almost it is, it is, but it is very and look, it is what it is and that is, it's a truck stop. So it is very much pivoted towards truckers, you know, and so good luck to them as well. We need them on our roads and we need them in our communities and everything else as well. Without trucks we wouldn't eat most of the time. So, yeah, so we need truckers, so it is pivoted towards trucks. Um, they've got a big area where it's literally all truck you can get. I mean, they've got an entire truck, including the trailer, inside the building. Like it is big.
Speaker 2:You know, upstairs, upstairs, when they talk about the uh, the dentist and the movie theater and you know all the things. That's all upstairs, you see, and upstairs is that like a trucker's paradise, because that's where they all go. You see, yeah, to, to unwind a little bit, I mean there's even a chiropractor up there, for instance. You know, I never, I never believed in chiropractors, josh, but I went to one once, and now I stand corrected anyway, but, um, but yes, I mean, as I said, I was a little bit underwhelmed with it. I was. I was expecting a lot more, josh.
Speaker 2:I was expecting a lot, lot more, but it's more geared towards the truckers than it is towards car people, civilians, even to the point where it's civilians, even to the point where the BP is the main brand of the gas station. The gas pumps there's 10 gas pumps out there. Yeah, you know, you go to Bucky's, there's 120 plus gas pumps. Yes, to buck, you go to bucky's, there's 120 plus gas pumps. Yes, you know. Uh, so I believe bucky's is the one that's that's really targeted towards, you know, the everyday car driver and right, whereas the truck stop is really geared towards the truckers. So, hey, I still got, I still got myself a sticker, I still got myself some snacks and I hit the road again after that it makes sense, because it is not.
Speaker 1:Is not marketed as the world's largest rest stop. It not marketed as the world's largest rest stop. It's marketed as the world's largest truck stop.
Speaker 2:Heavy on the truck.
Speaker 1:So that makes a lot of sense.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so it does when you look at it that way. But as I said, josh, after my research and after our episode, et cetera, I was kind of expecting more. But you know, it just wasn't to be. It's more of a probably. You know, back in the day when it was first put, that thing would have been absolutely magnificent. It's got the LED light not LEDs, but it's got the rim lights. It's got all that sort of stuff too. But it's just. To me it's looking a little bit drab.
Speaker 1:You know it's agey. Yeah, it makes sense. And let me tell you, buc-ee's has raised the bar. It really has. And it's funny because we're talking about Wisconsin. We're getting a Buc-ee's in Wisconsin. It's going to be the farthest north Buc-ee's ever. Sooner or later it's going to be up here in Minnesota. Buc-ee's is going to take over the world. I'm convinced of it.
Speaker 2:Well, at least the USA, At least the USA, at least the USA, because I don't know about the world.
Speaker 1:Wait, the USA isn't the whole world. Wow, some people it is, but anyway.
Speaker 2:Anyway, George, that was my upgrade. What was your upgrade?
Speaker 1:I told you what it was. I'm going to go see the ball of paint knock on wood. That wasn't your upgrade.
Speaker 2:There was some other upgrade.
Speaker 1:I know We'll talk about it in the episode. There was some other upgrade. I know We'll talk about it in the episode.
Speaker 2:Oh, look at you slithering in what could it?
Speaker 1:be, what could it be?
Speaker 2:You look like a real podcast.
Speaker 1:I know A real teaser.
Speaker 2:I'm a tease. I'm a tease, I know you are. You are Mate. All right, let's get into it. West Bend, wisconsin first and foremost, Without the geocaching side as well. Let us know, Josh, where is it? What's the distance between different locations, et cetera, et cetera, in your mind?
Speaker 1:It's about a half hour north of Milwaukee, wisconsin, a little northwest of Milwaukee, wisconsin. So you and I stayed in Menominee Falls, which is about 20 miles south of West bend and really very close to the outskirts of milwaukee, wisconsin. And I do have a regret already. I cannot believe we did not have time, craig, to visit the miller high life brewery. Not brewery, yeah, brewery, uh. Brewery. Yes, it's a big big brewery. It's um, because that's where miller high real factory. It's a factory brewery. It's a big big brewery. It's um, because that's where miller highland real factory. It's a factory brewery it's both.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there we go.
Speaker 1:There's a tasting room, so it is a brewery. Um, so, you guys, we were correct, we were so close, but you had to get to your next geocaching event and get your flat tire and you had to drive home and it was pouring rain, it was you know.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so it wouldn't have been too fun either way. So yeah, exactly, but anyway.
Speaker 1:So, craig I've been to west bend many and many, and many a times. I just spent a lot of time in west bend because the thousand dollar west bend cash bash it's one of those mega events, geocaching mega events that is in the same location every single year and so it gets you to really visit that town. It is an event run by the city's Chamber of Commerce and they do a great job organizing it but then also very, very supported by the geocaching community, particularly, I'd say, a handful of seven to eight really great hiders, and that is what makes this event, I think, so awesome. And we'll get to that a little bit. This episode just warning, warning, warning, warning is going to be pretty geocaching focused, but but that's okay. But you know what? We went to west bend a location, yes, because of geocaching, and that's what this is about.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and we're going to talk about what we did other than geocaching as well, Josh.
Speaker 2:We did a few things outside of geocaching itself too. That's really cool. But yeah, I will say, josh, I have been to West Bend once before, but I never stopped. I literally drove through the center of West Bend. This is going back. Oh, when was this after you? And I went to, uh, gilby to do our filming? Oh, I drove through the center of west bend after coming through green bay and all that sort of area. Uh, because of the munsies that are in the area. Yes, so munsie really was in the magnet for me back before this event, to go through west bend, and I literally just go, went through west bend and just blasted the heck out of it for muns months, you know. So I went from there, I got as many points as I possibly could and then moved on, knowing that I'd be back anyway. So, yes, so yeah, that was the first time I went.
Speaker 2:So this was the second time I'd been but, the first time I'd actually really, truly been and actually spent some time there. I spent almost a week there as well, because I was there a few days before you, josh, yes, so that was cool as well. I stayed, obviously, in my van Tuesday she's good to me because it's free to stay in my van and I was at the Cracker Barrel just south, just south of West Bend itself. Now, josh, you messaged me and you said you know I've arrived. Do you want to meet up for breakfast in the morning? I said yeah, absolutely sounds good. And I said well, I'm staying at the cracker barrel. Do you want to be a breakfast at the cracker barrel for the next morning? You said that sounds really good. I've got a cracker barrel next to me. I'm like what? There's only one cracker barrel anywhere near west bend. I'm like can you see my van? And you're like oh yeah, you are. You're like flash your lights twice.
Speaker 1:I seriously looked out my window and I could see your van. That was wild. We didn't even plan that, no, no. And I had decided to go to this event at the last minute because I thought I was going to have to take Hayden to college this last weekend but I didn't. So I was like, all right, I get to go to West bed. So I just made a quick. I made a quick reservation. I didn't even do a lot of research. I did the research like I. I oh, I know Craig's going to be in our cracker barrel. I better stay close to a cracker barrel increases my chances of being close to Craig. No, I just booked a random hotel, not even in West bed, which is wild, because I could have booked one at west bend. I booked it randomly 20 miles south because you know the price is price is right and sure enough, we are staying right.
Speaker 2:Next, to each other. That was, that was funny. That was very serendipitous, it really was. It really was, and of course. So the first day when we met up, you walked across the parking lot into the cracker barrel yeah, and you were taking a nap on those chairs already well, that's because okay.
Speaker 2:So if anyone knows josh, then uh, then everyone knows josh. There's eight o'clock, let's meet at eight o'clock. I said, yep, no worry. So I was at the front waiting at two minutes to eight. Uh, now remember, josh is sleeping right next door, and so josh then starts walking across the parking lot at 10 past eight.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I might add joshua the geocaching vlogger starts walking across the parking lot at 10 past eight. Yeah, and I might add Joshua the geocaching vlogger is walking across. Yeah, what's the difference? Well, just because you knew I'd be holding a camera. That's usually usually, when I greet you, craig, I'm holding a camera. I need to get your real reaction of how much you've missed me.
Speaker 2:Oh really, you're one of those. You're like one of those needy girlfriends. Yes, no, that's fine. We had a beautiful breakfast, as always at a Cracker Barrel. They're pretty, it's solid. I'm a fan of Cracker Barrel bacon. Yeah, it's solid. Cracker Barrel Bacon. Yeah, it's solid. Cracker Barrel Bacon it's legit, that's decent. But we don't have bacon like that in Australia. Our Australian bacon is very much like Canadian bacon.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that's different. Yeah, it's not the. We call the bacon that you have here in the US streaky bacon. Streaky we call it streaky bacon, not strips.
Speaker 1:Not strips, but streaky.
Speaker 2:Not strips streaky bacon, and you can only buy streaky bacon when I was still in Australia from Aldi. Really, yeah, that's another one.
Speaker 1:So it's like cheap bacon to you, but you like it. Yeah, but you like it. It's the best bacon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the best bacon. I used to buy it all the time when I was in Australia, before I even came to America for the very first time. I changed my bacon eating habits to streaky bacon. See, it was serendipitous, josh, that I actually should be in the USA.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you like the streaky bacon. I like streaky bacon only in America and at Aldi.
Speaker 2:So then after breakfast, josh, you said to me look, let's leave Tuesday to rest for the day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, give her a break.
Speaker 2:Give her a break. And then, Josh, you gave me a number. What was your number that you gave me?
Speaker 1:9,997.
Speaker 2:Correct.
Speaker 1:Yes, what is that number? What's that number? I 997 or 9,900. That was how many geocaching finds I'd had at that moment. And I was about to enter the thousand dollar westbend cash bash where I knew I'd be finding lots of geocaches. And I looked at craig and I was like craig, it's time, it's time for me to find my ten thousandth geocache. Craig, I haven't cashed much this summer. You know I was getting close in at geo woodstock. I was, I was, I was like I can't go over at geo woodstock. So you knew I was getting close. So I I have not been cashing a whole lot. So I've been just waiting and waiting for the best moment. And I don't know if this was the best moment, but it had to be the moment because, as I said before, I wanted to get the world's largest ball of paint for my 10 000, but it just didn't work, didn't work out that way. So, as I craig, if we gotta, we gotta.
Speaker 2:Now's the time exactly, and if you're new to geocaching, what josh is referring to is milestones. So, as geocachers, we love collecting things, we love milestones, and they start off very small, like one, two, five, ten, and then they go 20, 30, 40, up to 100, and then they go in the hundreds up to a thousand, and then they go in the thousands one thousand, two thousand, three thousand and up to ten thousand, and then, after you get $10,000, they go $10,000 after this. So the next milestone for you, josh, is $20,000. Right, so you've got to double. You're at net.
Speaker 1:And I've been geocaching for 16 years. I'm going to be an old man at this rate Another 16 years, Josh.
Speaker 2:You're going to be in like a normal geocacher by that age.
Speaker 1:I know be in like a normal geocacher by that age, I know in the 70s, yeah anyway. So anyway, 10 000 is a bit, maybe arguably the biggest milestone that most geocachers I think, because, yeah, there are people that reach. There are very few that reach like a hundred thousand.
Speaker 2:It's very few, that's a lot, a lot, that's a lot, that's very few but there are some.
Speaker 1:But so this is a. This was the big one and all my milestones, craig, I've done something pretty special. Usually involves some sort of trip and craig was like you should just make the event your 10 000, and for me, it was like, I was like uh I don't.
Speaker 1:I don't know if I want to do that. I go to a lot of events. Oh hum, so we found, we found two or three caches that were semi run-of-the-mill, and then I was like, oh it, now I'm at 9999, what do I do? What do I do now? I was like I got, I don't know, I gotta find a good one, search the favorite points. And craig is searching, cashly, his favorite points or whatever, and he goes. He looks at me, josh, he goes josh, let's go back. You said, josh, let's go back, and I was like what she goes, josh, let's go back. What craig josh, you're like let's go. Did you leave something in the van? You're like, no, yeah, exactly. I said what are you talking about? He goes Josh, let's go back to the future.
Speaker 2:Two. Yeah, not one, but two, let's go. What you're referring to, josh, is it was a nearby geocache. It was a multicache as well, which they don't get as much love as what they should in some cases, but multicaches, in my mind, sometimes are more memorable.
Speaker 1:So this was a multicache with quite a good percentage of favorite points on it as well.
Speaker 2:67 favorites, that's pretty good. Favorite points yeah, it's pretty good. And uh, yeah, back to the future. Two related. Now it was two waypoints, then a final as well. We didn't know about the two way points in the final until after the second waypoint, but anyway, that was so fun for your video.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was so fun to discover it, though, because I thought it was just gonna be one stage and then the net final. Yeah, that's it. Yeah, that would have been fine, because the first stage was really cute and backing up a second, let's go back. Craig backing up if you don't haven't heard this before, the reason this is such a big deal is back to the future, is my all-time favorite movie, all time. So that's why, when craig saw it, he was like, oh Josh, this, I think this might be it, and it was so. It was a really good cash. I was smiling ear to ear. Stage two especially oh yeah, stage two was so good I'm and I don't want to I'm not going to spoil it on this podcast, I'm going to spoil it on my video exactly go and watch the video, all we'll say is that, uh, yes, there was a delorean involved.
Speaker 2:Yes, an almanac involved. There was other things involved from the movie as well. So, yeah, it was all it was all happening, um, and it was really well themed yes, you know, exceptionally well themed too. So I really I really enjoy. I love good themed caches. Yeah, it was a great thing. I really liked it too. So it was perfect for you. It was perfect for your video. Perfect you for your 10 000 miles. That's perfect memory for you. You're never gonna forget that one now no, not at all.
Speaker 1:So well done and it was really nice to share it with somebody. Craig, you know, I could have done. I could have done the ball of paint. I would have been probably by myself, and, and the man you gotta, and the man that you would painted it, started it you would have had a certificate saying it's a world record as well. Well, I'm still going to make it. I'm still going to make it there. Knock on wood. Can you hear that? Did you hear that that?
Speaker 1:was wood it was knocking on I just made Goliath perk his ears up when I did that Exactly yes. So maybe, maybe, just maybe I will make it to the paint this weekend.
Speaker 2:Maybe. Well, good luck, Good luck, Good luck with that. So that was the 10,000th cache. So we got your 10,000. We did Well. You put your camera away well, your actual video camera away anyway from there. Still had your phone out for TikTok.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then the phone came out.
Speaker 2:And then the phone came out and then we started the West Bend Cash Bash. Now, if you're a geocacher yourself and you've been to a few different mega events et cetera, you haven't been to West Bend Cash Bash. What they do differently compared to any other mega event, and that is this, is had run by the actual Chamber of Commerce yes, the actual council tourism board, whatever you want to call it. West Bend hosts this event themselves. It's not a geocaching group that hosts it like every other mega, every other mega. You've got people like Ryan Simmeljosh, who's just a volunteer geocacher, involved, putting in hard yards, hard work, hours and hours and frustrating. This is done all by the Chamber of Commerce at West Bend. So that's what I think runs really, really well. They put some money behind it as well.
Speaker 2:It is a $1,000 West Bend cash bash and it's $1,000. That's made up of four different prizes. You've got a $500 prize, a $250 prize, two $100 prizes, then a $50 prize as well. So it makes up $1,000. And all you need to do and again, very different to any other mega in the US is you just register for free. That's right. So you go to their booth and it's always at the same location.
Speaker 2:You go to their booth the day before when it opens up and they're there. There's food trucks there ready to go as well. You can actually sit around have a geo chat as well. But most people register. They get a free bag inside their bag of some coupons etc and also a map and they get the downloadable code for all the brand new 66 geocaches that are all brand new and those 66. You can go around and grab all 66 and they've got stamps in them etc to prove that you were there and depending how many stamps you get, depending on how many raffle tickets you get to into the prizes, so but just the actual, for being there and registering, you get one ticket and that one ticket goes into the draw for the $1,000 West Bend cash back. How's that for a roundup, josh?
Speaker 1:That was fantastic, that was good, and a little bit of history too. Fantastic, that was good and a little bit of history too. Originally, when the West Bend Cash Bash started many, many years ago, the president of the Chamber of Commerce at that time discovered geocaching and he was so amazed by it and he declared this is how it usually works. He declared West Bend is now going to be the capital of geocaching of the Midwest. They're like this is going to be a destination for geocachers and, sure enough, after year after year after year of hiding caches there are thousands of caches in the area and a lot of them are just. They carry over for years. A lot of them stay, stick around the 66, stick around at least the good ones, and so you have a high concentration of not just geocaches in the area but really high quality geocaches in the area. That's right.
Speaker 2:And I think that's what we found as well, Josh, especially with the 66. You said to me very first, before we even started finding them, you said Craig, these are made up of either A really cool gadget style caches where you have to do something in order to get the log and the stamp out, or B very cute looking caches, well-painted, good style of caches as well. So you were ready with your phone, ready for all the TikToks that you're going to create, which will come out slowly, over, progressively, over the next six months, I'd guess.
Speaker 1:Probably when it gets real cold and I can't get outside.
Speaker 2:But, josh, I do believe, yeah, we did find quite a good amount. I think we found 19 of the 66 in the one day, which isn't too bad.
Speaker 1:It was hot, that was slowing us down.
Speaker 2:The heat was slowing us down, the TikToks were slowing us down, my weight was slowing us down when it comes to those hills, but you know. So all those things. But there were people that did get all 66 done. Some people turn around and go. You know what. I'm happy with that for the amount of time and I'll get the ones next year when I come back, yeah, and they do that as well.
Speaker 1:For our geocaching listeners and those that are curious about geocaching, let's describe a couple of the ones that really stuck out in our mind. A couple of the geocaches, um. So if you've watched any of my videos of gilby, um, there's one that is like a snake game, that's if you've ever seen the show survivor. It's like a ball and then there's a snake and then you have to hold the ropes and and pull the ball up to the top and but this, but if you fall off the snake you have to do it over again. Um, they had one very similar to that. I can't remember.
Speaker 2:It was at the piggly wiggly wiggly and what it was, josh, it was actually again, well themed though to the piggly wiggly because it was a butcher, and the the, the snake down where you're supposed to put the ball, was actually sausage links all the way down. So, yeah, and the reason why I remember it was sausage links because I thought it looks like intestines. But but, yeah, that was a cool one too. I love the cute ones out there and the very inventive ones. Now, there was very much one particular one that was extremely inventive.
Speaker 2:When I say inventive, josh, you and I we found a lot of caches. Between the two of us, we found a lot of different styles. You, sir, would be the one I know found a lot of caches. Between the two of us, we found a lot of different styles. You, sir, you, sir, would be the the one I know the highest percentage point, uh, average, yeah, on your, yes, your favorite point, a favorite point average on all your cash finds in total. Yes, so you found high quality caches and you pride yourself on that. There was one that we both saw, josh and you're like I haven't never seen one like this before which one was it?
Speaker 1:which one it was? Was it the pirate one?
Speaker 2:yes, it was yes, exactly that. Yes, yes, yes. What was the part one like?
Speaker 1:so you walk up to it it was a pirate theme thing and you walk up and it look, it looks like a birdhouse, but the birdhouse is like the face of a pirate and it was really well constructed as far as, like, the woodwork on it was amazing. You open it up and there was a x like, a wooden x like, and craig went right away. He knew exactly. He's like josh x marks the spot. I was like, oh, and there was a rope attached to the x, and so you undid the rope and you realize, okay, this is attached to the cache. And then you have to move around the circumference of where the cache is in a circle and wherever that stretched, you could go all the way around a circle. Somewhere in that circle of where it stretched out I hope I'm describing this well is where the cache is located On the perimeter.
Speaker 2:The perimeter, yes, the perimeter.
Speaker 1:Thank you.
Speaker 2:The perimeter of that radius that you're talking about too. So that only gave you that X and the rope only gave you the exact distance you are from the actual container itself to sign the logbook and also get the stamp. Yeah, that was extremely inventive. I haven't seen one done like that before, josh. I'll say that Others that were a good little play on on different ones, I mean josh, there was one fun one there as well, because, again, some caches are very cute and all you need to do is to figure out the actual uh codes for the padlocks etc. There was one, josh, that had us do-si-do-ing around a tree, if you remember, and it was a noah's ark.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes inside the tree there was, uh, there was two, two by two, everything in noah's ark. Oh yeah, inside the tree there was, uh, there was two, two by everything in noah's ark's two by two. Yes, there's two lions somewhere in the tree, but they were separated from each other. There was two, uh, two giraffes and two zebras, and so on. Those uh two. There was a number on each and a letter on each, and so you had to work it out, what it was, and then open up the lock from there, things like that that. I think that was quite fun. I quite enjoyed that, you know, even if it was so hot, but yeah, that was a fun one too. So they're very much inventive, very, very much inventive.
Speaker 1:One more, one more. Oh, maybe your favorite, maybe our favorite's the same, maybe it's the same.
Speaker 2:Maybe it's the same the same.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's the same.
Speaker 2:Maybe it's the same ready let's say at the same time ready, ready, one, one, two three, two car wash pull my finger.
Speaker 2:Oh, okay, not the same one. Okay, I'll do my my. Pull my finger first. It was called pull my finger. That was exactly the same. Exactly what it was. It was a nice, brand new, painted, beautiful box, uh, up against the tree as well. You opened up the box and here is this big plastic monkey in there, um, and there was a lock code, a lot of little lock box next to it, and so you had to find the lock code and, sure enough, you literally had to pull this monkey's finger. It didn't make the sound, but I kind of made it for us, um, like literally, uh, so as you pull the finger, uh, the code pops out on his little bicep. So I thought that was really cute, really clever, and I love it. I'm just a really dad joke by heart, you know. So pull my finger for me, but you you still were the dad.
Speaker 1:Well, first, on that one, we asked a lot of kids like what their favorite one was. When we were back at the event and a lot of the kids surprise the kids and craig like the fart joke one that well, I'm young and hot, I'm young and hot you're what's your car wash this one.
Speaker 1:This one really sticks out in my mind. There were so many good ones, but this one was at a far fleet and farm and the right outside where the cash was, there was a car wash. It was like the exit of the car wash. So you go over to it and there's like a big box there right and you open, um, and there's a little tube. Uh, one outside of the tube says enter. The other side of the tube of the geocache says exit, and and you push these little matchbox cars and, oh, the cache is locked up. You push the cars through and you keep on. Uh, on the bottom of the cars that you know, you pull one out of the exit.
Speaker 1:It says just swag. And then, and then you feed that car into the front and you keep feeding it. It says just swag, just swags. And then finally, one of the cars usually it's the one in the middle had the padlock code and then, once you got the padlock open and opened up the cache, there were like all these chamois, so it looked like a car wash inside. Once you got it open, you're like, oh, it's the innards of the car wash. So it was executed really well. I've seen versions of that. But usually it's like with a marble, where you're trying to find the bison tube, when you're feeding marbles in. But I never thought of feeding matchbox cars through a car wash.
Speaker 2:That was really clever and well themed big favorite place and well themed, well themed for that one too. And the chamois you're talking about they're the ones that you see that you normally wash your car with. They'll cut in half and put on top of the uh, on top the box, like inside the top of the box. So when you open it up, it looked like those little fingers were playing with the cash as you opened it up too. So that was really cool.
Speaker 1:It was great.
Speaker 2:Very, very cool indeed. So, yes, we did 19 of those sort of types and more and more of those. Josh, will all be on your Instagram Eventually, tiktok slash, youtube slash, wherever else as well, all the social medias. That's where they're going to be Eventually, you'll know. I think people will know Josh, because you've got two hands free.
Speaker 1:I know I've got somebody filming me, craig, that's another reason I really appreciate Craig's good at the filming and he's good at the zooming in and zooming out, and there's one I did. Oh my gosh there was one I did where I was recording. It was like it was between the storm and literally I walk up. I was like hey, it's joshua the geocaching vlogger or whatever. And all of a sudden it's like there's like a huge thunder crack yeah, and we captured it yeah we captured it on film.
Speaker 1:You'll get to see that as well. So, before we move on, I just want to say, if there are any of the hiders that hid for the west bend cash bash, I wanted to just say every single cash we we found was not a just a run-of-the-mill cash. A lot of creativity, a lot of effort were put into all of them and I just want to thank them, uh, for that, because they are. Yes, the chamber runs the organization of it. Yes, but this thing does not happen to such a successful, in such a successful way, without the people that are out there probably spending the whole year because it's some of the same people, oh, yeah, the whole year making these geocaches for this event.
Speaker 2:Yep, exactly right. Yeah, big thank you to those hiders out there as well. And even to the point when, josh, you and I, we got back to the event itself on the Saturday afternoon and this is after we'd done our 19. We enjoyed ourselves and we thought, well, we better get back. You know, because you have to log in between 2.30 and 4.00, or 2.30 and 4.30, you have to log in to get your tickets, et cetera, as well. So you thought, oh well, let's get back by 3 o'clock, and you were going to do a live on YouTube as well, live across YouTube. We got out of the car, josh, and we started sort of mucking around. Again, technology didn't play with us too well in regards to YouTube stuff, but there was a reason for that. There was there was a reason that happened, josh, and that is that all of a sudden, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, the drips of rain started falling down. I said, josh, we better get undercover here now if you haven't been to west bend.
Speaker 1:This park, beautiful, beautiful, great park, regner park, regner park, it's called regner park great park, regner Park, regner Park, it's called Regner Park Great park.
Speaker 2:It has not one, two, but three total big pavilions, and two out of the three pavilions, or sorry, three out of the four pavilions, are all joined up together as well. And so we sort of started running and started running heavier and heavier and under the big pavilion. Now, josh, everyone started coming under that big pavilion. Now, josh, everyone started coming under that big pavilion.
Speaker 1:Now we're talking.
Speaker 2:We're talking a mega event here. Mega event anywhere between 500 and a thousand geocaches in total. And so, yeah, every single geocacher came in and was under that pavilion, so it accommodated that many people. And, uh, so we started talking. We thought, no, we're not gonna do live, wait till it finishes. It was cracks of thunder, then there was torrential rain oh my gosh torrential right yeah, it was not like a shower.
Speaker 1:No, it was a major storm system that kept on happening all night, like all like. We'll get to that, but I didn't. I didn't even have power in my hotel that night.
Speaker 2:It was it was, I know I know, but flooded it was crazy.
Speaker 2:You think about it too. I mean, here we are under this big pavilion and stuff as well, the cracks of thunder like they were close josh, oh yes, I have got a photo of a geocacher veteran tributes his name is. He found one of the trees that got struck by lightning and took a photo of it as well. So it looks really like amazing how the it looks like a big bear had been basically taken to this tree and the lightning strike on the tree which is literally around the corner from where the pavilion was.
Speaker 2:Yeah it was so absolutely amazing, we were drenched. We talked for a little while. We weren't were drenched. Yeah, we talked for a little while. We weren't that drenched, until until josh you said to me you go, all right, let's just do the live let's just do it.
Speaker 2:Wherever we need to do it, let's just do it. I said, okay, let's do it, and you know, everyone knows me is behind the camera, you in front. And so we started the live. Youtube video links for the live will be in the description as well, if you didn't see it. Um, and yeah, we started in line. We got our tickets, uh, for the raffles, etc. And then you're like, oh, we've got to go across the big open air area to the other pavilion to hand in our tickets.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was in a different pavilion so I was, I was, I didn't have an umbrella, so I was using like a big, big bit of cardboard over your phone. And then josh, being josh, decides to go dancing in the rain, in the puddles. What?
Speaker 1:was that song you were singing? It was like from the movie splash dance and it was like I'm a maniac, maniac on the floor and I'm dancing like I've never danced before and I'm running really fast and splashing water up. If you've ever seen tommy, it's in. It's featured in Tommy boy too. He does that.
Speaker 2:Uh, and it's called. It's called flash dance, not splash dance you made, I say splash dance.
Speaker 1:You said splash. I thought it said flash dance. I thought I said flash dance. Okay, splash. You said splash dance. Everybody rewind, rewind and see what.
Speaker 2:I actually. And then we got up there and we, we, we. I'll be honest, josh, I really enjoyed. I really enjoyed the live. You know I really did. Whether I got wet or not, it doesn't matter, you know it was. It was a lot of fun. We spoke to a lot of different geocaches there. We got different opinions on the actual cash types, josh, we had. You were interviewing people asking what their favorite cash was. I don't think there was one person that said one that we actually found I know there were more.
Speaker 1:There were several more that we didn't find many more. I, yeah, I really enjoy gosh. I'd say my best life. That was a good live. I think my best life was at geowoodstock because we went for a whole hour and there was not a not a dull moment in that.
Speaker 1:But the fun thing about going live at events is that it gives you an excuse to just walk up and start talking to people. There was a girl I should say, not girl anymore there's a woman named Lila that I met at the West cash bash 10 years ago when she and she's now like she's like 23. So at the time she was like 13 years old, which is kind of crazy. And it was just fun to get reacquainted because you know, a lot of people that come to this event are from wisconsin and they're there. It's kind of like the only mega event that they go to because it's close to home. There. A lot of people that don't are not like us craig, that just like go around and just like hit especially you hit mega events all over. A lot of people are like okay, I go to my local one and that's what I go to. So it was fun to touch base with people. It's we're in hailmeister land too. Hailmeister doesn't live too far from.
Speaker 1:There so we had a conversation with him, um, but, but talking to the, here's another thing about this event more than I think, most events, there's a lot of families that that cash in and spend the day cashing, so that it was fun to talk to a lot of the kids, especially some of the kids that actually watch my videos, which is really cool a lot of parents parents come up to me and they're like no, we, we.
Speaker 1:Um, I had a several that came up to me and just said, oh, I got my son. I was excited about geocaching, but I got my son excited about it by by showing them your videos. So, because kids love youtube, so they're like, oh, somebody on youtube does it. It must be quote, cool. So that was really fun. We had both of us had some great connections, uh, with people. Um, so that's that's really rewarding to us youtubers is when you people come up to us and say, hey, thanks for making videos, or just say your videos inspired me or you encouraged me, like that's the reason we do it. So it's the big payoff for us when we put out, put content out into the world. The same with podcasts as well. It's like we don't always get the direct thank yous, so that was really fun, that's right.
Speaker 2:The only downfall, I do say, josh, in regards to this event, was the fact that, yes, it did start storming, and storm heavily. All the vendors, josh, all the vendors. They all packed up and they all kind of left, except for these two young guys. Yes, now, Josh, do you remember what their business name was? Now, these two young guys, I will say this I walked in the day before and I did speak to both of them prior to and they do geocaching stickers and they do like different small geocaching hides you know, there was like a bison tube with a leaf wrap around it and some other things as well Geocaching pins, they do. So all these different things. They are kind of local-ish to Wisconsin, I do believe.
Speaker 2:So I spoke to them the day before the actual event itself and I told them that you're going to be there. So we, we, they stayed around because they wanted to see you, josh, as well. So, uh, they, they come up to you and they said you know, oh, we, we love your content, etc. They even said things like you know, or look, can we sort of do some collaboration stuff? You know, blah, blah, blah and try to get their, promote, their, their sort of vendership out there and uh, and they gave you some stuff as well, josh yes, they did they.
Speaker 1:They put together some real, really, um awesome stickers that I loved and, honestly, I don't, craig, I don't want to mess it up, do you? Oh, I want, I want to get. Oh, I got it, I got it, I think I got it. I don't want to mess it up, craig I don't want to get.
Speaker 2:Oh, I got it, I got it, I think I got it, you got it.
Speaker 1:I don't want to mess it up, craig, I don't want to say it somebody else. Go on, go on. Is it Big B's cash supplies big. Shout out to big bees cash supply. I have a sweet like magnetic cash. I got, uh, I got a pin. I got some excellent stickers. So shout out to those guys big bees cash supplies, check it out, google it out. Link in the description, link in the description.
Speaker 2:I'll put the link in the description. Yeah, absolutely, absolutely, yeah, nice, really nice kids too. So, and there was one other kid as we left josh as well for the afternoon before before we uh went for dinner, etc. There was one other kid as we left josh as well for the afternoon before before we uh went for dinner, etc. There was one other kid that came up to you. Do you remember that?
Speaker 1:and you said to me.
Speaker 2:You said to me that there is the reason why I just drove all the way from minnesota. And yeah, is for that one, that one, literally two minute, three minute interaction, yeah, yeah yeah, there was a young man that came up to me.
Speaker 1:He just said he thanked me for the videos, which was just awesome, and then he shared with me. A couple years ago he was sick, like sick in the hospital for two years, and he shared that his video, my videos, were an encouragement to him, um, while he was sick, um in the hospital, and so, true, it was like, oh my gosh, I well, I walked away. We just walked away from the bed. I was like that's it, that my, I was like my weekend's made, uh, that's the reason, that's the reason I was here to be able to, to hear, hear that.
Speaker 2:So that was, that was really cool because you think about it, josh, as well. And it is true, you get outside this game of ours. Let's get outside, we outside. We're in sunshine, fresh air, enjoying the world in which we live. And there are people out there like that who literally can't go outside, josh. They are sick, they're ill, there's other issues as well, and so for them to live through some other people's adventures on YouTube, et cetera as well, then that's an absolute testament to you, mate. So well done. Every single week, you have a long form video for the last almost 14 years it is true.
Speaker 2:It is true anyway, anyway, let's get back to west bend. Uh, we went out for dinner, josh.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, we consulted our dear friend, uh chat gbt, which my chat gbt. Her name is uh solace um so and she told us to go, and I've been to many restaurants but I hadn't been to this one. She told me to go to doolies, a restaurant right right downtown, and it was. It was great. It was good beer, good local beers. I had an excellent burger. It was very tasty, unique and excellent and you had a really unique the special. It was really good it looked good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I love it Whenever I go. So you've heard it before. Josh says that all the time. Whenever you go to eat somewhere, whatever, you always ask the staff what's the most common thing here, what do people enjoy eating here? Because normally that's going to be their best product. I also enjoy the specials too, Josh. That's another little go too, because their specials they're pushing it for a reason. The specials they had, Josh, was a cheeseburger without the bun, so bunless cheeseburger on a flatbread.
Speaker 2:Cheeseburger flatbread yeah, cheeseburger flatbread, and I'll tell you now that flatbread crispy, like really the crunch, you know. Next level crispiness was on that flatbread too, so you can even hear it clicking through the teeth. Delicious the cheeseburger on top with the actual the cheeseburger type sauce and the we call it mince. You call it chopped meat on top too. Oh man, that, just that just hit the spot, and for me, looks are deceiving. I don't eat that much, so it was just enough for me, uh, to satisfy me, and I was done without too much, without any leftovers either either too. So you were hungry, josh, you smashed down your burger I hadn't eaten since since the cracker barrel.
Speaker 1:That was hours before, and we did a lot of walking too. I smashed that burger and you know, in this burger you knew this place was going to be good because it was full, there were a lot of locals there and it was very clear that the locals really loved this. And you know why the locals really loved it Because they were proud of their town, and that's a damn rare thing these days.
Speaker 2:Wow, I didn't even have to like. Good work, josh, good work. But you said before that you hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and I disagree, josh. We stopped in at that one gadget cash with the little cheese. We had to get a little cheese, magnetic cheese, out of this tubing, of this tubing, etc. And it was right out the front of a cheese factory. Now, wisconsin are known for their cheese and they're known for their cheese curd. Oh, that was good, josh, explain to people, because anyway, outside of wisconsin, what are cheese curds?
Speaker 1:that's a good question, it's a certain kind of cheese.
Speaker 1:I don't know how I think I'm going to. I should ask AI because I'm not sure I think what they do. They put the cheese into like little curds and I think, craig, they boil it. I think they boil the cheese. So it's like a firmer cheese but it's like a cheese glob. And if a cheese curd is fresh, these ones that we made were made probably days before, so they weren't fresh. If you ever have I don't know if you've ever had a fresh cheese curd that's made that day when you eat them, they squeak. They squeak. Squeaky cheese. They squeak in your teeth, squeaky cheese. Yeah, they squeak. Yeah, but this place had several different flavors, flavors Of cheese curds.
Speaker 2:There's like original. The one we had was a cheddar cheese curd.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it was a beer flavored beer favorite flavored cheddar, there was there was like um uh, bloody mary cheese curd. Yes, I knew you remember that one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there was a pizza one as well. There was also like jalapeno, like the spicy cheese curds too. So there was all different flavors, and plus they had the jerky there as well. So if ever you're in Wisconsin, you must I'm telling you now, you must find yourself a place to have or buy cheese curds, because it's just an experience. I love experiencing local, slash, state sort of cuisines, et cetera.
Speaker 1:Yes, and this cheese shop was called helds. I believe h-e-l-d. Apostrophe l's helds and there has been, there has been, there's been caches there several times when I have visited the west bend cash bash. Then there was used to be the classic gigantic, you know mouse trap that people could like. Oh yes, that used to be out front, so it's perfect that makes sense, so that makes sense doolies.
Speaker 1:And then we're walking downtown and I see a glorious thing. I see a sign, and the sign is of a gigantic 8-bit nintendo controller. This is, you know, craig, this is our, this is our era. The 8, 8-bit Nintendo controller speaks to us. And then, right above the controller, the sign said game over, and it was a bar. And I was like, oh my gosh, that's Craig, that's got to be a retro.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:A retro bar and it's like we're going to have to get another drink.
Speaker 2:we're gonna have to another b, if you know why?
Speaker 1:because we have we know where it's a travel podcast. We got to talk about more on the podcast, so we got to drink more beer and go more places exactly exactly.
Speaker 2:So we had to for the podcast and we went there and yes, we got a beer.
Speaker 1:We got a summer shandy. That's not typically the kind of beer that craig gots, but craig gets. But he he decided you know what I'll do the summer shandy why not line and google summer shandy? And if you don't know summer, do people know which summer shandies are? Is this common knowledge? It's kind of like a yes, it's kind of like a lemonade beer heavier on the beer, light on the lemonade. Um, but yes, we went and sure enough, there were pinball machines. There were old school video games the pinball.
Speaker 2:I played toy story 4 that was it was two dollars for one game you were, you were like, I was like what the?
Speaker 1:heck, there was a wedding reception going on next door. That was kind of weird, um, and then we're like. I looked at Craig, I was like we got to play something cheaper, so I walked you right over to 1942. Was this the first time you've ever played 1942?
Speaker 2:Yes, it is. I didn't know what it was Basically, for those who don't know, you come in first and I come in second of the overall leaderboard. Basically it is a um, I'm gonna say like a, an old school air, yeah, air sort of version of um space invaders, no, so yes that's what it's like world war ii themed like an air force yeah, world war ii.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're shooting planes down. Yeah, just shooting planes down like crazy, and I got very american top score, top score for the day. You got second place and we both got to put our names in the in this, uh, the top score. That probably lasted like two hours till they closed and unplugged it, so exactly for that, exactly so that's all right.
Speaker 2:That's all right. I'll go two hours on second to you. Yeah, for a game I hadn't played before. Yeah, and then craig we retired, we were tired. We were bushed, yeah, yeah, we were beat. That was a big day. It was a big day, yeah, and it was still raining. It was still raining all the time it was still raining.
Speaker 1:So much rain. So I check into my hotel. Craig goes to his van and at 1 in the morning you hear a crack, of lightning slash, thunder and everything.
Speaker 2:the power out for you. True, for you and for me. Yeah, you had a generator, I have, I have my, I have my own solar, I have my own electricity in this van. Um, just just a side note as well, josh, and that is if ever you've actually stayed in a van of sorts, or even in your car and you tried to sort of, or or even in a bungalow, for instance, where there's a tin roof and it rains on the tin roof. Yeah, oh man, it is a good night's sleep. I got a, apart from that, one wake-up call with a crack, um, with a big thunder. I had a glorious night's sleep in the van.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Luckily your van didn't float away.
Speaker 2:No, this is true, I woke up, josh. I woke up the next morning and I went to go into the Cracker Barrel to use the bathroom and it was all closed up. I thought, oh, I'll go to McDonald's, and McDonald's was closed up. And then I realized, oh, all the lights are out. All the street lights are out, all the lights are out, all the traffic lights are out. I'm like, oh, there's a big blackout. Then I thought to myself, is josh even gonna wake up?
Speaker 1:with his, my, my, thankfully my my phone was charged well, so that was. That was not enough, but it is a serious inconvenience. I mean there was no hot water because the hot water heater was turned off. It's very it's. The whole hotel room is dark. So you're walking around with your flashlight like it was not. You know it was not convenient. It like first world problem, but like this was not. You know this, it was an inconvenience.
Speaker 1:I was ready to get up and start our day and we started our day and I was like the night before I was like craig um and oh my gosh, this is so, this is so serendipitous too, because we could have just, it would have been convenient, just like, okay, we'll just go to the cracker barrel again. But then I was like this was before the power went out. I was like I was like we gotta go somewhere local.
Speaker 1:So I so I asked solace again. Not solace, solace, it's solace, solace, I don't know. Solace, solace, it's not solace, it's solace, solace, I don't know. Solace, solace, it's not solace, it's solace solace sounds horrible like even solace sounds like you have no soul, although ai probably doesn't have a soul anyway. So I asked great breakfast, locally owned breakfast places, and one of the places that came up was the main street cafe and so I said craig, I'll meet you at 8 30 at the main street cafe and we pull up to a, a strip mall.
Speaker 1:Isn't it funny how, like breweries, the same way you're like oh it's gonna be this and you see the reviews, oh it's really good food, and then all great beers, oh great ambiance. And then you pull up and you're like wait a minute, it's a strip mall. There's a lot of strip malls in our country, yeah, but like a lot of strip malls, you go in there and you're like it's like going back in time. It felt like, okay, we're back in 1980s. It felt like this restaurant had been there for quite some time and you said, I think it was a Chinese restaurant at one point 100%.
Speaker 2:It would have been a Chinese restaurant prior to being this diner cafe, because it still had that red bar in the middle where you can go and get your drinks, where they would have hung up those Remember the gold cats they have, Joshua the poor that moves up and down. That would have been on the bench, I can guarantee you. There would have been dragons on the wall. They had bamboo. Still on the wall was bamboo sticks still that's the wall so clear.
Speaker 2:100. That would have been a chinese shop before this uh, main street cafe took over. But again, good food, josh, good it was it was solid.
Speaker 1:It was solid, it was very much like local home cooked, like. You know what I mean it was it was good nothing was heated up, it was all. Everything was made from scratch.
Speaker 2:It was clear so that was great, absolutely.
Speaker 1:And then craig yeah it was still raining, still raining, it's rain, rain ready it's the cash splash uh, but we had a very important event to go to later that morning before before the event, though we still had some time we actually went around and did a couple of double, a couple of caches, whereby the caches themselves were in parking lots, so we didn't get our feet wet. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 2:And there was this one place we pulled into. It looked like a Home Depot.
Speaker 1:It was a grocery store. It was a grocery store. It was a grocery store parking lot.
Speaker 2:And as you pulled into the grocery store parking lot, out of the corner of my eye I see this car driving through flood water. And then the car just went and dipped down its nose straight into the ditch, like a ditch. That was down there and I was like what.
Speaker 1:And the water went over the bottom of the car and I'm like completely underwater the whole front of it underwater, the whole front of the car is underwater.
Speaker 2:So I looked up and I got out of the car and I walked over without going into the flood water myself, because you never, ever, walk in flood waters. Um, as I looked over and I got the guy's attention as a young guy too, josh, you would have been like teenager, yeah, teenager. And I said, and he went and I said, are you okay? And he's like, yeah, I'm calling someone. I said okay, as long as you're okay, and he just he stayed in the car, yeah as water was probably filling up.
Speaker 1:He was probably filling up the front.
Speaker 2:There's no way it wasn't absolutely, it would have been on in his feet. His feet would be in the water. Anyway, we're okay.
Speaker 1:So we then went and walked over to the cache that was in the dry path and then and uh, yeah, oh yes, we were doing the cache or whatever, and the rain was really coming down and you know I'm kind of I was getting a little nervous, craig. I was looking over at a car that was like in, like submerged, and I saw the parking lot. It was quick, you know the flat, it was a flash flood warning, it was filling up and I was like we looked at each other, we're like if we don't get out of this parking lot, we're going to get carried away, we're not going to be able to leave.
Speaker 2:Exactly. But I will say, josh being Josh, yes, there will be a TikTok in it too, because, yes, he still did film with Tessa. Yes, I did.
Speaker 1:Yes, I did, I have priorities.
Speaker 2:Then we went over Josh after that and we went to the Munzee event. Munzee were hosting an event in a separate park area and this park, though, josh, even though it was a park and it had a lake in the park and stuff as well, this park was not underwater. This park was surprisingly high and dry. To a certain degree it was still wet underfoot but yeah, there was no flood water in that park, which surprised me a lot. But again, nice park area with a nice pavilion sort of place where we stood under there and we had a bit of a Munzee chat etc. Did a few of the Munzee pins. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, josh, you've been doing the Munzee all morning you were capping away.
Speaker 1:This is the day before.
Speaker 2:Sorry, the day before.
Speaker 1:The notes are a little messed up, but that's okay.
Speaker 2:That's okay. The day before you were capping away, but in saying that you were then congratulated at the Munzee event, yes, I was, Because the day before the day before you were the number one player in the world.
Speaker 1:Dun, dun dun dun.
Speaker 1:This has happened two times in the last week. Wow, yeah, because I was number one in the world last weekend too, which that was a little easier because it was between clan wars, but anyway, it still was number one. So I was number one. I just realized this, craig. I was number one two Saturdays in a row. Saturday is the prime day for Munzee play and our dear friend Minnesota boy, minnesota boy, minnesota boy, he has been ahead of me. He was ahead of me by seven million points at one time. Guess what's happening? I'm like 2 million points away from Minnesota boy. Wow, the suspense, I don't know. Is he shaking in his boots? Is he nervous?
Speaker 1:He should be, he should be, he should be he should be, because you know what, craig, I am not a casual player, I am a….
Speaker 2:Not anymore, not anymore. And I know that feeling Honestly, josh, I know that feeling. It was only a few weeks ago now where I was behind Rob, the president of Munzee, and there was a big thing about me climbing up towards Rob as well. So I remember being 8 million points behind, 6 million points behind, 4 million points behind. Right now, josh, I'm 10 million points ahead now, rob. So, anyway, I'm digressing, I'm going different. If you want more munzee chat as well, don't forget the official munzee podcast. Uh is also out there every single week where I speak to rob the president of munzee. We had him on the show too, josh, the other week too. So that was really cool. So that's more of the Munzee stuff. And then, josh, we parted ways.
Speaker 1:Oh. Yeah, I know All good things must come to an end, but I had to get home.
Speaker 1:I had to get home. You had to get to Colorado because you were about to attend another mega event this weekend which will be, I'm sure be, fantastic. Anyway, west bend, a great place, the capital of geocaching in the midwest, self self-proclaimed, but it lives. It lives up to his name. Um, there's a lot more. I mean, we just craig, we just scratched the surface with the amount of geocaching that is available there. Um, beautiful, beautiful parks. That park where we had the munzee event because there was so much rain, we had like a surprise waterfall. There was a creek there and there was a waterfall, and I'm sure that usually isn't a waterfall, but that day it was. It was beautiful.
Speaker 2:It was a waterfall because the water was actually coming from the park over the road and into the creek area, so that's not normally a waterfall there. But, yes, that park was totally flooded and they did cancel the Sunday breakfast event as well. But, josh, you were around Speaking of the mega event as well. I still remember you were walking around and you had your brand-new flash tags that you got as well. Now, flash tags are like these little silver tokens, like silver quarters, if you like, and they've got your actual emblem on them as well. So they look really cool, and so you were handing them around as well. And, josh, you normally hand yours around to patrons as well. So if someone wants to be a patron of this show, for instance, do you like that?
Speaker 1:Nice segue. How can they be a patron of this show? No, all the patrons are going to be asking for my flash tags, which I'll just tell you, people, I do not have enough. I only have 88 of them and most of them are gone.
Speaker 2:The treasures of our town might be getting some flash tags. We haven't discussed that yet, but yeah, it's a possibility, it's a possibility.
Speaker 1:It's a possibility. Uh, yes, if you've been enjoying our podcast, this is a listener supported podcast. By supporting us, you're helping us continue to create fun, entertaining content, informative content. So you know, you want to know what west bend's all about before you go there. Yeah, and yeah, you know, cliffhanger, what you know what will I find the biggest ball of paint this weekend? Who knows? We don't know, but you will find out. Who made you know. You know what? Maybe I'll make a really quick video if I go there and I'll put it up for the patrons this weekend and they'll get this maybe they'll get to see it before this.
Speaker 1:This podcast is even released, because we're in the future, right now, who knows? Anyway, if you'd like to support us, consider joining us at Patreon, at patreoncom. Backslash treasures of our town.
Speaker 2:Josh, of course. Well, you did do the Back to the Future for your 10,000th cash, fine, anyway. So that was the spoiler. That was the thing that we had to talk about, wasn't it? Your 10,000th, fine.
Speaker 1:Yeah, didn't we talk about that already? Oh, we did yes, we did yes, we did. All right, then, about that already.
Speaker 2:Oh, we did, yes, we did, we did yes, we did. All right, then. All right, well, how can people contact us then, if they want to contact us? It's getting hot in this van. It's getting hot, my brain's getting fired. How can people contact us?
Speaker 1:Feel free to reach out to us at treasuresofourtownpodcast at gmailcom, where you can follow. Just simply search Treasures of Our Town in Google.
Speaker 2:That's pretty cool. So that's it for our show today.
Speaker 1:Please subscribe, rate and review on your favorite podcast and, as always, Josh, may our travels always lead you to the most unexpected and amazing hidden gems around the world, even if they're wet Like the cash splash. Cash splash. West Bend cash splash. See you next time, everybody, bye. I can't believe the boys forgot Joshua's beard.
Speaker 2:Keep loose. Percentage is at 55% to keep. Let them know your thoughts.
