Bike'N'Bench Loop Multi-cache
ILReviewer: Since I haven't heard from the owner I'm reluctantly archiving this cache. If the owner wishes to reactivate this cache in the next couple of months, please e-mail me at IllinoisGeocacher@yahoo.com and I'll unarchive it as soon as I can.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This is a 9-mile loop Multi - quite the opposite from a quick cache'n'dash!
Recently a series of brand new benches were put up along the Poplar Creek Bike Trail - a fact that deserves to be celebrated! See tskyrocket's log entry for a newpaper article about how they came to be. Thanks to Cory and all his helpers for providing these benches for us!!
The bike trail is a 8.9 mile loop. The eight new benches are spread out somewhat evenly along the trail (see overview picture). Parking is available at the posted coordinates and various other places along the loop.
This cache is fully intended to be a biking cache - you will have to visit all 8 new benches on the 8.9 mile loop in order to find the coordinates for the final cache. The coords for the benches are listed below.
I'm giving the cache an difficulty 3/3 rating just because of the distance and time involved, not because of sneaky hides (at least they didn't feel sneaky to me when placing them) or rough terrain.
There is one micro hidden within 15 feet of each bench. Bench5 is an exception, see Waypoint notes below! The micros are camo'd containers of different (small) sizes and shapes. As you will find, there aren't really that many hiding places right around the benches. The Waypoint notes below may help, if not, check the Hints.
Each micro holds a logbook (no pen) with part of the coords for the final cache. Bring your own pen & paper for writing down the coords!
The final cache is a camo'd quart sized plastic container in an area that offers several nice natural seating opportunities rather than man-made ones.
It is stocked with a goodie bag for grown-ups and one for kids.
You can start the loop anywhere and ride either direction, but I recommend riding clockwise from the suggested parking at the posted coordinates.
Have a great ride and enjoy the breaks at your rest stops!
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If you are reluctant to attempt this cache, because you think you may not be able to complete this cache if one of the micros is missing or you can't find it - please contact me before heading out there and I will give you a "phone-a-friend" option.
Also, if you find one or more clues without completing the whole loop, and want to come back to this later, I can email you the clues for the micros that you already logged on-site (that's the reason for the logbooks in the micros).
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This cache is dedicated to some of my coworkers: My lunchtime biking buddies, who ride this loop with me at least once a week, and my lunchtime caching companion j2_miller, who claims he can't find micros ;)
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Congrats to maleki for FTF (in a 3 hour ride)!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Bench 4:] Abg va gur snyyra ybt.
[Bench 5:] Gerr jvgu svir gehaxf. Snveyl ybj.
[Bench 7:] Qvssrerag guna gur bguref.
[All micros] Abg ba gur tebhaq.