BoB 99 Traditional Geocache
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Size: 
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99 Bottles of Beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer; take one down and pass it around...
NOTE: this was once only one of a series of 99 absolutely identical caches. The others are gone, but BoB 99 has been preserved as a memorial to the unorthodox concept that even caches which are designed to be as easy to find as possible can be lot's of fun to hunt.
See the description for this cache to read about the history and statistics for the world famous "BoB's".
Make sure that you cache with a pen in your hand,
there's no need to stray off of public land!
Keep your wits sharp as you search for what's hidden,
and remember that railroad tracks are forbidden.
Be wary, or you'll find your hunting cut short
by Muggles who catch you and ruin our sport.
And if you are short, you might wish to be tall
as you hunt for my Bottles of Beer on the Wall.
- BoB (the Idiot Savant)
The Legend of BoB
(the Village Idiot Savant and his 99 Bottles of Beer)
Once upon a time in a tiny village in old Deutschland, there lived a simple man named BoB. He wasn't very smart, and his foolish ways and ungainly manners kept him from holding a steady job. Although his good nature made him plenty of friends, he was still known as the village Idiot.
When the sun set over the mountain and evening arrived, BoB was to be found in the local rathskeller, where the villagers would sing, dance and make merry, and the beer would flow. BoB seldom had enough money to buy even a single stein, but the kindly townfolk would see that he never went thirsty. For that, BoB was especially grateful, and often wished he could do something to repay his debt to his neighbors.
Each Fall, the entire village looked forward to Oktoberfest, the traditional harvest time celebration. The local innkeeper and barkeeper were especially happy, as they could raise their prices (and water their beer) without hearing complaint. During the celebration, they would also host games of chance which (using clever, sly and conniving subterfuge) often left the poorer folk without any money. As a result, most of the good citizens returned home thirsty, long before Oktoberfest itself concluded.
In the weeks beforehand, all were busy with preparations as wagonloads of foodstuffs arrived from surrounding hamlets to fuel the festivities. Late one stormy evening, as a heavily laden cart was making its way down the bumpy street, a clap of thunder startled the horse, and it bolted. The driver never noticed when a large, wooden case bounced off the back of the cart and landed in the gutter near BoB's humble shack.
“Ach du lieber! Vas ist das?” exclaimed BoB, opening his shabby door to discover that an entire crate of 100 large bottles of beer had been delivered to his doorstep. Quickly pulling the crate inside, the Village Idiot popped the first bottle open, and tried to decide what should be done while he swilled the refreshing beverage.
“At last! I can treat all mine gut Freunds to a bottle of beer! But how to give it away fairly, so eins or zwei do not drink it all?" he asked himself, for he wanted to share his good fortune with everyone, not just a few.
While BoB may have indeed been the Village Idiot, there was one thing (and one thing only) that he could do better than anyone else. "Ya. I hide each bottle real gut" he chuckled. "I hide 'em all over town - then all my gut, gut Freunds can find them one by one! No one vill go mitout der beer on this Oktoberfest!"
So, that very evening, BoB went out to hide the bottles. Idiot though he was, he instantly figured out an excellent hiding spot for the first bottle - for that was his unique talent. He wasn't very smart, sly, or clever, but in this instance, his stash was nothing less than the work of a genius. It took most of the night, but by morning, he'd distributed his bounty all over the village, and returned home to rest from his weary labors.
As the morning of Oktoberfest dawned, the townsfolk assembled in the park to begin their celebrations. Expecting a boring speech by the Burgermeister, all were surprised when BoB, the Village Idiot, climbed up onto an empty crate with an announcement of his gift to them all... 99 Bottles of Beer! Wasting no time, the merry townsfolk were soon touring the lovely village in search of the hidden bottles, and although the Idiot Savant's hiding technique proved brilliant indeed, the villagers soon discovered they were not to be denied all the bottles they cared to drink.
However, fearing that sales would suffer, the shrewd merchants were shocked and upset by the Village Idiot's plan. "Das is madness. Vat kind of fool vould yust give avay gut beer to everyvone? You should have to pay vor it, at least!" Never-the-less, their distain didn't prevent them from greedily joining with the others in the fool's errand, and their complaints quickly fell silent when the weary townsfolk returned to take pleasure in their clever games of chance with even greater relish than in prior years.
That evening, all gathered at the Rathskeller to enjoy a meal, and to raise their bottles in toast of the Village Idiot. Although that was many years ago, the legend of BoB was kept alive in story and song, reminding the villagers of the "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" and their best Oktoberfest ever. An Okoberfest where simple-minded generosity proved as esteemed as cleverness and wit, and everyone shared in joyful celebration of the bounties of the harvest.
Under no circumstances should cache hunters sign anything except for the actual cache log sheet. Signatures or stickers found on anything other than an actual cache log sheet may result in online "Found it" log deletions for the entire series.
Please submit maintenance requests directly to Idiot Savant via the cache placer's profile.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)