The Strawberry Cascade

"The Strawberry Cascade" Geocache ICGP
          ( Iron Chef Waypoint G-NX-001) (Geocaching.com Waypoint GC9C7 )

    Geocache Location:  multi-cache puzzle hunt (WGS-84)
                                    Santa Cruz, California, United States of America

    Difficulty:  3.5 of 5  /  Terrain:  1.5 of 5

    Short Description:
    A multi-cache that may prove to be fun for the whole family. The ultimate goal is a small round Tupperware container with a white lid. The way that this cache works is that you go to the various sites listed in the long description to try to figure out the location of the real cache. So essentially, it's a cache within a cache. Some people refer to this type of multi-cache as an offset cache, but I like to think of it as more of a puzzle cache. Good hunting!

    Long Description:

    The location that the geocache is marked as being at is just one of the "puzzle locations." Do not go to this location and expect the cache to be there. I put in too much work to slip up like that. ;~)

    The Premise:
    N ??° ??.???' W ??° ??.???' elevation = ?????
    This was the basis for the puzzle. For each axis of measurement there are three puzzles and then one for the elevation. The three puzzles for the N coords are broken up logically 11° 22.333'. If you complete the 333 part of N for example and the answer that you got was 70 then you should assume 070 is the answer for that part of the coordinate. When looking at the part of the puzzle you are solving, assume that you are solving for X in all cases. In some cases the puzzle cache location is a starting place for following other hints. Also, these puzzle caches don't have to be done in any specific order. You may want to have a calculator and some scrap paper handy for notes and such. Also please note that the actual cache size is very small. So what ever you bring must be tiny (a small package of Altoids barely fits). So be prepared for that if you plan on leaving something. Also there are no plastic bags there either, so if someone could bring a ziplock baggie for the log book that would be great. Thanks in advance.

    The Puzzle Caches:
    N XX° ??.???' - Puzzle Cache at N 36° 58.8825' W 122° 02.104'
    Find the wife of Bender by following the Glory Path to the heart of stone. She will help you to find that on her fateful day she remembered that ????-37=??XX [Info: Can be seen from the walkway.]
    N ??° XX.???' - Puzzle Cache at N 36° 58.608' W 122° 01.608'
    Number of pedestals surrounding the City of Santa Cruz's official compass. Enjoy the Florentine Renaissance style building next to it that was inspired by the famous Brunelleschi.
    N ??° ??.XXX' - Puzzle Cache at N/A
    Which map datum kicks butt? (It's the one you should be using for all these coords I'm giving you, yeah I know it's lame, but I couldn't think of anything. Only use the numbers.)
    W XXX° ??.???' - Puzzle Cache at N 36° 58.669' W 122° 03.263'
    When drawing lots, this number means you have quite a walk to main campus.
    W ???° XX.???' - Puzzle Cache at N 37° 03.806' W 122° 04.877'
    When will you find me? Next to a book. The first two of four.
    [Info: Do Not go to this cache M-F 7am-4pm, every other time is cool]
    W ???° ??.XXX' - Puzzle Cache at N 37° 01.864' W 122° 06.189'
    Rock and roll baby! "No. 74-???-PQA". Math time ???-415=XXX
    Elevation: XXXXX feet - Puzzle Cache at N 37° 00.356' W 122° 11.147'
    I'm here when you need me and I wear my ID number with pride. SZ-001-XX3.

    The Final Cache:
    Near where the rhythm of nature is constant and yet dynamic lies The Strawberry Cascade. Visit between 8 am and sunset. The parking and fresh air are both free and usually aplenty. Find a nice spot and write a poem or something if it suits you, I get a lot of inspiration for writing when I come to this place.

    For this type of a cache it's hard to give hints. I don't think that it is all that difficult to complete the cache, I only gave it 3.5 stars for difficulty because it could possible take up several hours of searching and driving around Santa Cruz county to get all the info that you need to go for the prize. Also feel free to e-mail the final coords that you come up with if you want me to check them for you before you head to the final destination. The hint/spoiler below is only for the Final Cache.

    Update 21 May 2001:
    After thinking about it a bit I realized that people could get a very wrong number for N ??° XX.???' so I changed the hint a bit. This is the only part of the puzzle cache series that I think had any potential problems.

    Update 24 May 2001:
    Thanks to fellow Santa Cruz Metro Area geocachers Coralgeo and Raygun_88 for helping me "proofread" this cache since I apparently missed putting in how to solve one of the clues.  They pointed it out and "The first two of four" was then immediately added to the W ???° XX.???' clue.  It looks like the cache is complete now.  Thanks again to Coralgeo and Raygun_88 to helping me out!  A multi-cache is a lot harder to get to work than just a single one, soooo many more things that can go wrong (and of course one always does).  Needless to say, these two geocachers were the first to find the cache and even with one of the clues missing!  You guys rock!

    Also thanks to everyone for helping "The Strawberry Cascade" become Santa Cruz's first successful multi-cache!

    Check out the website for this cache at geocaching.com to get more information and to see what other geocachers have said after finding the The Strawberry Cascade geocache.

     

Central Median

Geocache Important Dates:
Site Search: 21 April 2001
Surveyed: 12 May 2001
Placed: 19 May 2001
Posted: 19 May 2001
Approved: 20 May 2001
Maintenance: 13 July 2001
Maintenance: 29 September 2001
Maintenance: December 2001 (planned)

Geocaching.com Website for this Geocache:
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=2503
 

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