As always, in these matters of
Headless Chickens, the coordinates above do not reflect the
position of the cache.
The cache is located at;
N 36 47.7AB
W 121 40.CDE
Life Magazine
In an issue of Life Magazine published over fifty years ago
(when a magazine was made of paper and cost a dime) it was
reported that a Wyandotte chicken belonging to Lloyd Olsen of
Fruita, Colorado, USA, had its head chopped off, but went on to
survive for several months. For reasons unknown, the owner named
the hapless and headless chicken, Mike. Mike's owner fed and
watered the headless chicken directly into his gullet using an
eyedropper.
Sceptical Scientists
Sceptical scientists thought it was a hoax, so one week into
Mike-the-headless-chicken’s physically-altered life, farmer Lloyd
Olsen packed Mike up and took him on a cross-country tour from
Fruita, Colorado to the University Of Utah in Salt Lake City. The
axe blade, scientists discovered, had missed the five-and-a-half
month old Wyandotte rooster’s jugular vein, and a clot had saved
the chicken from bleeding to death.
Because Lloyd had aimed the axe so high, most of the brain stem
was left at the top of the spine. One ear had also survived. Mike,
it seemed, had lost the power to see and to cluck, but could still
hear and think. Mike was also growing, weighing 1.1 kg. (2.5 lb.)
when he first lost his head, and developing to a respectable 3.6
kg. (8 lb.) by the time he passed away.
Celebrity Status
Celebrity status was guaranteed when a manager took the chicken
on a national tour, and his story was reported in well-respected
news magazines Life and Time. Like many legendary celebrities,
Mike’s life ended in a hotel room. Mike began to choke and Lloyd
was unable to find the eyedropper to clear Mike’s esophagus. It was
the end of the road for Mighty Mike. Gone but certainly not
forgotten, Mike’s life is celebrated each year by Fruita residents,
who simply remember him as, “a big, fat chicken who didn’t know he
didn’t have a head”.
About the Cache
The container, officially listed as small, is actually much
larger. It is a container within a container. The larger container
will be immediately recognized by the geocacher as it is unusual
(to say the least) and is not camouflaged and does not fit into its
environment. The encapsulated inner container is actually a Beaver
Brand Hot Horseradish jar that contains a log and a few trade
items. The container is a few feet off an established interior
trail at Manzanita Park. Remember to bring a pen.
The Puzzle
AB = Mike's headless lifespan in months.
CDE = The last three digits of the year of Mike's birth... ahhh...
errr... hatch.
CONGRATULATIONS!!! to... ArborDuo FTF!
Find #208-FTF #75!
"I wanted to steal the cache
container, but thought that might be frowned upon."
CCGC Logo by RayGun88
Chicken Checker - You can check your answers for this
puzzle on
Geochecker.com.