Big Things, Moonburgers, and a Geodog at MOGA 2022

April 23, 2022 · Moonshine, Casey, and Marshall, Illinois

Cache beside the big horseshoe on our MOGA day trip.Photo: Steven Pierson

MOGA 2022 was Cache_the_GeoDog’s first Mega. We had three things in mind for the day. Get a Moonshine burger, see the big things in Casey, and find a few of the Illinois counties we still needed. bapierson and Cache were along for the ride. By the time we got home, we’d put more than 550 miles on the car. So much for a quick Saturday outing.

A burger worth getting off the highway for

Our first big stop was in Moonshine. It’s a little crossroads southeast of Casey, with an old country store and a grill. There were already people waiting outside when we took our photos. When you’re going that far for a burger, a geocache with a name like OnthewaytoaMoonburger? (GC1A40G) feels like a good sign.

The line outside the Moonshine Store on April 23, 2022.Photo: Steven Pierson

We found Moonshine Micro (GC86DE) and got our burgers. In her log, bapierson called them “great burgers.” That was one item we could cross off the list before we got to the big stuff.

Casey makes a geodog look small

In Casey, a wind chime, a rocking chair, and a mailbox are all big enough to plan a walk around. Local builder Jim Bolin started the project with the wind chime. By the time we got there, the town had a whole collection of things built on a scale that makes you stop and get the camera out.

Cache takes a break with Casey’s oversized rocking chair in the distance.Photo: Steven Pierson

The Big Things Small Towns GeoTour gave us a way to see some of them while caching. We logged BTSTGT - Windchime (GC9R0CM), BTSTGT - Rocking Chair (GC9R0CQ), and BTSTGT - Mailbox (GC9R0CW), among others. The mailbox is big enough to climb into. That’s a little different from the sort of thing I usually mean when I say I’m looking for a cache near a mailbox.

MOGA and one very large gavel

We were in the area for MOGA 2022 Big Things Small Towns (GC9BX4C), the Midwest Open Geocaching Adventure Mega. We also made it to the GPS Maze at Marshall IL Public Library (GC9D94A), a traveling exhibit about GPS and geocaching. Marshall had its own big thing at the courthouse. We logged BTSTGT - Gavel (GC9R0D1) and took a photo of Cache on the steps beside the giant gavel.

Cache at the giant gavel outside the Clark County Courthouse in Marshall.Photo: Steven Pierson

We picked up the counties we’d come for and found more things to look at along the way. By the last photo of the day, Cache was asleep in the back seat. I can’t blame him. He’d put in a full day of posing next to things much bigger than he was.

The last photo of the day. Cache was ready for a nap.Photo: Steven Pierson

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Field Notes

• Trip: April 23, 2022, more than 550 miles
• Companions: bapierson and Cache_the_GeoDog
• Locations: Moonshine, Casey, and Marshall, Illinois
• Main event: MOGA 2022 Big Things Small Towns (GC9BX4C)
• Burger stop: Moonshine Micro (GC86DE)