2 September 2015 Wells County Indiana

We've been more active hunting caches in new counties this year. The days were getting shorter so I took advantage of a trip to Indiana to make the journey to Wells County and Quabache State Park. Most Indiana State Parks appear to be off-limits to caches now, but for some reason Quabache seems to have avoided the list for archives. The park's caches include a number of older caches including a 2001 and 2004 I was able to find this evening.

No visit to an Indiana State Park is complete without attacks from swarms of mosquitoes. I actually made my way to the first cache and signed the log before getting attacked on the way back. From that moment on they were with me for the rest of the evening. Maybe they can smell fear. ;) This evening's trip had the added adventure of a buzzing insect that was clearly disturbed by one of my cache hunts. It followed me persistently along the trail with an angry buzz. I was surprised it didn't just sting me. I eventually found safety in the geomobile.

Even through all the mosquitoes and one crazy potentially sting insect there was beauty in the park's wildflowers. I was here too late to see any spikes, but it was interesting to see multiple orchids in the woods.

It took me a long time to locate the small herd of buffalo at the park. I had almost given up when I spotted the enclosure. It was interesting seeing on of these massive animals rolling in the dirt.

I was disappointed to see the fire tower was closed to visitors while repairs were being completed. I was hoping for a chance to climb this big tower and enjoy the views. Bluffton's a relatively long after-work drive from Fort Wayne, but the thought of returning to climb the tower is tempting.