Brazos Valley Geocachers Lunch #4

Barbecue, detours, catching up with old friends, and thankfully, nobody ending up on the menu.

Event: GCBTTX3 — Brazos Valley Geocachers Lunch #4

Hosted by: PittPack

When: August 24, 2026

Where: Rudy's Bar-B-Q, College Station, Texas

Sometimes all you need is barbecue and a table full of geocachers.

The Brazos Valley Geocachers gathered once again on August 24 for Brazos Valley Geocachers Lunch #4, hosted by PittPack at Rudy's Bar-B-Q in College Station.

Joining the lunch were PittPack, dealfarms1, Nov64, StevenNJessica, and AggieBirds. It was a small group this time around, but judging by the logs, there was no shortage of good conversation and good company.

The plan was simple: grab some lunch, catch up with friends, trade or discover a few trackables, and, naturally, talk all things geocaching.

And there was barbecue.

Back in the Land of Barbecue

For PittPack, the lunch came with an added benefit.

After spending three weeks in Colorado, there was something important waiting back home in Texas:

Barbecue.

Three Weeks Without Barbecue

“And it was really nice to have some barbecue after being in Colorado for three weeks and no barbecue!”

— PittPack

Three weeks.

No barbecue.

We'll just leave everyone to contemplate that hardship for themselves.

More importantly, PittPack said it was a great opportunity to catch up and see some faces that hadn't been around in a while.

Nobody Was on the Menu

Then came the report from dealfarms1.

According to their log:

Good News from the Lunch Table

“The whole crew had a great time. Some members were especially excited about not being on the menu, today.”

— dealfarms1

There is no additional explanation.

Although the photographic evidence may provide a clue.

Whatever transpired over lunch, the entire dealfarms1 crew apparently survived the experience and reported having a great time.

Who Takes the Direct Route Anyway?

The award for longest lunch commute may have belonged to Nov64.

Nov64 had been wanting to attend one of the Brazos Valley events for a while. There was just one minor complication:

They were headed to Georgia.

For most people, that might be a reason to miss lunch in College Station.

For a geocacher?

Apparently it is a reason to take a detour.

The Geocacher's Route

“Been wanting to come out to one of these events so since I was heading to Georgia, I thought I would take the detour and attend the event besides what GeoCacher take the direct route anyway 🤔😅”

— Nov64

Fair point.

After all, taking the most efficient route from Point A to Point B would eliminate countless opportunities to say, “There's a cache only five minutes out of the way.”

Which inevitably becomes twenty.

A Day Off at the Right Time

StevenNJessica was also able to make the gathering, thanks to some fortunate timing.

“It was great seeing folks for lunch! I’m glad I was off and able to make it.”

— StevenNJessica

And sometimes that's really all an event needs to be.

No elaborate adventure. No giant milestone. No expedition into the woods.

Just an hour set aside in the middle of the day to sit down with other geocachers, eat some barbecue, and catch up.

Until Lunch #5

Not everybody was able to make this one. PirateKate was stuck at the courthouse for jury selection and missed the gathering, although there was at least some good news:

She wasn't selected.

And she's already hoping to make the next lunch.

That seems to be the common theme running through the logs from Lunch #4. PittPack is looking forward to next month. dealfarms1 is looking forward to next time. PirateKate plans to try again.

A small group.

Some Texas barbecue.

And another good excuse to get geocachers around the same table.

A small group gathered around a table at Rudy's, some familiar faces got a chance to catch up, one geocacher made a detour on the way to Georgia, and everyone apparently managed to avoid becoming lunch themselves.

Sounds like a successful Brazos Valley Geocachers lunch to us.

Happy caching!

Brazos Valley Geocachers Celebrate ooDreamCrafter Joining the Comma Club

ooDreamCrafter Joins the Comma Club

1,000 caches, VERY yummy kupkakes, a group FTF, and a gathering of geocachers to celebrate.

The family of kesleyk, _KellMell_, and ooDreamCrafter have been geocaching off and on since August 15, 2020. After almost 6 years, ooDreamCrafter found his 1,000th cache, and geocachers from the area joined together in celebrating that accomplishment. When kesleyk put out the call for fellow celebrants, he thought he'd get a few locals, but to his surprise, they travelled from several counties away to make the event special.

VERY Yummy Kupkakes and a Group FTF

With the promise of VERY yummy kupkakes baked by _KellMell_, and group FTF of a new Mystery Cache crafted by kesleyk, the geocaching celebrants arrived and did their best imitation of upstanding members of the community once a representative of the CSPD arrived. Kpip1066 and Team_Red_J were evidently traumatized from previous geocaching excursions in the big city when the black and white arrived, because they instantly tried to find an excuse why they parked in that location (even though it was perfectly alright!). Turns out, StevenNJessica had a chance to join us in our congratulatory meetup. OOrah!

Kpip1066 and Team_Red_J were evidently traumatized from previous geocaching excursions in the big city when the black and white arrived

Shortly thereafter, the rest of the dozen arrived, to include the dealfarms1 duo, the PittPack twopack, and navystud and kidprincess. Then, the time had come for the supporting Mystery cache to publish, and the group rushed to solve the puzzle and find the cache. It didn't take very long before the puzzling was complete, and the hunt was on. It took even less time to find the clever hide (their words, not mine!) and lucky for the group, kesleyk had brought a specific TOTT to make getting to the cache a simpler activity than it might otherwise have been. (Although, without the TOTT, it may have been much more entertaining!)

Stories, Swag, and Trackables

There were a few not in attendance that were missed, but the group didn't let that dampen the spirit, and their absence was limited to an observation (and perhaps a dig or two at their full schedule). Swag was traded, logs were signed, stories were told (some of which may even have been true), trackables were discovered, and the rest of the day's plans were made. Although the event was scheduled for 30 minutes, the group ended up disbanding 75 minutes after start, a tribute to the great comradery and fellowship everyone experienced.

Although the event was scheduled for 30 minutes, the group ended up disbanding 75 minutes after start, a tribute to the great comradery and fellowship everyone experienced.

All Good Things, End They Must

But, as always is the way, all things, even good things, end they must. Kpip1066 and Team_Red_J had planned on grabbing some of 2xrCody's shareables nearby. They were joined by navystud and kidprincess, who had planned on going to Taco Casa afterward for some delicious tacos! kesleyk, _KellMell_, and ooDreamCrafter had planned on finally tackling 2xrCody's Tank You For Your Service, which had legitimately nearly broken them by this point. They were joined by the dealfarms1 duo for a successful hunt. And the PittPack twopack were off to take care of non-geocaching duties (oh the horror!). And StevenNJessica headed out to continue his duties of citywide protection and service. They all left with full hearts, and a smile, knowing one day, some day, somewhere, they would cross paths again. And on that day, this day they will remember what was shared and accomplished. ooDreamCrafter joined the comma club, and they were there to see it.

Guest Author

kesleyk

This story was written and submitted by kesleyk, a member of the BVGC community.

A Note from KesleyK: No AI was consulted for the contents of this entry. Any and all errors, mis-statements, and poor grammar are mine alone, and should be considered flavor for your perusing enjoyment. Even if they weren't intended. :D