THE AMAZING RACE!
ROUTE MARKER: All teams competing in The Amazing Race start their journey at the San Jose International Airport. Teams, park as close as possible to the coordinates given; there is a gas station conveniently nearby. At the coordinates is a work of art with a tiled background. While the Carmine Catello Family likely paid a fair sum of money to have the monument erected, there are several flaws in the geometry of the design. For instance, if you study it long enough you will notice that of the 4,123 small tiles a single tile is an incorrect color. If the tile had been originally placed correctly there would be a certain number of that color tile in the row. Multiply that number by two to get AA. Calculate the total number of existing tiles that match the color the previously mentioned errant tile SHOULD be. To make sure you did your calculation correctly, this number is a prime number. Subtract from that the number of yards south mentioned on the nearby stone monument. Take 55 away from that to get BB. Take AA, multiply it by six, and subtract BB, to get CC. This ROUTE MARKER is rated D3/T1, and is suitable for bicycles and strollers.
FAST FORWARD!
This leg has one FAST FORWARD, which allows the team who wins it to proceed directly to the next PIT STOP without having to do any further tasks on the way. The trick is that only the first team to find the FAST FORWARD on this leg may use it. On this first leg of the race, any team who finds the FAST FORWARD must remove it from the microcache. The FAST FORWARD is frequently replaced so there is a reasonably good chance that it will be available. However, any subsequent team who arrives at the FAST FORWARD after it has been removed will have wasted their time and must go back and complete the tasks they would otherwise have skipped. In addition, a team may only claim one FAST FORWARD during the entire race, so they must choose to take the FAST FORWARD when they feel it is most advantageous to do so.
To claim the FAST FORWARD on this leg, go to N 37º 15.3CC W 121º 52.8CC and follow the instructions in the microcache, if any! This FAST FORWARD is rated D2/T1, and is suitable for bicycles and strollers.
ROADBLOCK!
A ROADBLOCK is a task the team has to perform before it can continue. On this ROADBLOCK, the team must travel from San Jose, California to County Kerry, Ireland to attend the 45th Annual Rose of Tralee Festival (OK, not really, but work with me here!). Proceed to N 37º 19.9CC W 121º 55.7AA. This ROADBLOCK is rated D1/T1, and is suitable for bicycles and strollers. There are many beautiful, budding lasses here, but one nearby section of them represents a famous movie musical. If that movie was...
- A Star is Born, then DD = 25
- All That Jazz, then DD = 45
- Singin' in the Rain, then DD = 65
- The Music Man, then DD = 85
DETOUR!
A DETOUR is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this DETOUR, the team will have to choose between "Under" and "Through". This DETOUR is rated D1/T1, and is suitable for bicycles and strollers.
- In "Under", the team will locate a nearby arbor and determine its length by walking underneath it. It is a short journey from the previous spot, but may take longer to determine and some simple math is involved. Count the number of G's in the first paragraph of these instructions, then multiply that number by ten. Subtract from the total the length of the arbor, in feet. That is EE.
- In "Through", the team will walk through a nearby structure. It is a slightly longer walk than is required to complete Under, but no math is necessary. Walk to N 37º 19.896 W 121º 55.DD1 to find out the last two digits of the year the structure was built. That is EE.
Whichever of the DETOURS you choose, add together AA and CC to get FF. Add AA, DD, and EE together, and divide the total by 2 to get GG.
PIT STOP!
The team must now proceed to the first PIT STOP (rated D2/T2 and suitable for mountain bikes), which is located on Kobyla Mountain in Russia's Bezymyannyi mountain ridge, near the Black Sea coast and home of the $3 billion Blue Stream natural gas pipeline. Proceed to N 37º 12.FF8 W 121º GG.1DD, and step on the mat. There, you will receive your next set of instructions. Continue on until you win the race, or are eliminated!
NOTICE: The instructions you receive at the first PIT STOP refer to a number of some object that exists in an area. There are two areas mentioned and therefore two possible answers, one of which gives you a strange result in a mathematical calculation later. Don't use that answer; use the other one.
NOTICE #2: When faced with a choice between the High and Low DETOURS, choose High until I have a chance to check on Low and the resulting destination.
In order to log the find, you must locate the green ammo case found at the last leg of the race and sign your name to the logbook. Please post your interesting stories, difficulties, successes, and frustrations -- without giving away any secrets! Also include in the log how long it took you to complete this cache, both in terms of time and distance. Try to keep the money theme of the cache alive, and keep the quality of the contents at an appropriate level as it took me a LONG time to create this cache! Thanks, and enjoy The Amazing Race!
The original cache contents included:
- Two sets of play money, $720 each
- A 1999 Washington State Quarters coin book
- An Andy Warhol money refrigerator magnet, titled "$ (Quadrant), 1982"
- A set of acid-free money stickers
- A $100 keychain
- A set of miniature paper collectibles with $1 bills
- A photocopy of the ID badge Robert Frisbee took with him when he and Brennan won the first Amazing Race on CBS
- A single, not-too-crisp $1 bill
- Instructions for geomuggles
- An official Geocaching logbook
The members of GeoROCKS! are avid supporters of the Cache In, Trash Out program. If you see any trash while hiding or seeking a cache, whether you are in the woods or in a residential neighborhood, please take it with you! Thanks for supporting this terrific ecological program!