If you're old
enough you'll remember the original version of this song, 'Big
Yellow Taxi' by Joni Mitchell, if you're younger you'll know the
version by Counting Crows. Either way the lyrics are the
same:
"They paved paradise
and put up a parking lot,
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swinging hot spot.
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."
(Joni Mitchell - album "Ladies Of The
Canyon," May 1970)
Joni might have
written these lyrics about Hawaii but it applies equally well in
Central Texas. But - hey! - we can make use of these areas for
Geocaching.
I've been looking
for a suitable 'Paved Paradise' for this puzzle for a while - it
needed to have a set of light poles in a neat, regular grid
arrangement. Well - I found one!
The coordinates
above get you to a light pole in this large paved paradise. However
you don't have to 'lift its skirt' to find a micro; instead you'll
find some letters and numbers on the pole. These are directions to
the next pole expressed as a direction (N, S, E or W) and a number
which tells you how many poles to go in that direction. For example
N3, W2 would mean go 3 poles North and 2 poles West.
Each pole after the
first one also has another digit or two which form part of the
final cache coordinates in order. For example, and I'm giving
nothing away with this, the next pole you find will have 'N30' on
it giving you the first part of the latitude.
Off you go, weaving
around the paved paradise collecting numbers. Once you've got them
all and in the RIGHT order you'll have a full set of coordinates
for the final cache, you'll know when you've reached the end. Don't
worry if it sounds complicated - it isn't and you'll soon work it
out once you see the light poles.
To help a little
here's a rough sketch map of this particular paradise. Note that
I've taken some liberty with 'Puzzle North' - treat 'North' as
parallel to Brodie Lane and it will all work out nicely.
This map is also available as a pdf file which you can print
out:
Click HERE for pdf of
map
"Don't it always
seem to go
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot... "
This paradise is a
real parking lot with real cars and trucks so don't let the kids
run off on their own and please take care as you stagger around
it!
Congratulations to
the FTF: Inspector Gadget!
Good
luck!
Hope you enjoy the
cache!