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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(large)
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in our disclaimer.
The cache IS NOT at posted coordinates.
The cache IS NOT at posted coordinates. These coordinates will, however, take you to a pavillion near the Wabash River. Carefully analyzing the story below will yield the coordinates to the cache. The cache was originally a multi and the second stage has since been split into a second puzzle cache, Delta. These two caches are still connected and solving this cache will provide clues to completing Delta. The First Finder’s prize was a new, not-yet-activated travel bug, and was swiped by Deputy Dawg.
The terrain rating varies depending on recent weather. On a good day the rating is about 1.5, on a bad day it is closer to a 5. If the Wabash River stage at Hutsonville is about 18 feet the terrain rating will begin to climb!
The cache is near public property, yet located on private property. The cache is placed with permission and there are not any NO TRESPASSING signs nearby. If you find yourself checking coordinates and need to pass a NO TRESPASSING sign, you are in the wrong place!
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Go North three, not nine, not zero, and certainly not six degrees! Going North three degrees made enough sense, but why explicitly state four other directions to avoid? The two geocachers, we will call them Kyle and Dan, pondered. Both had a pretty good idea of where cache could be found, but this new puzzle presented a real problem. They had studied for what seemed like days and were exactly where they had started, right at the beginning. Was there even enough information to solve this puzzle? This was puzzle one of three. How many cachers would beat them? Seven, nine, twelve, maybe twenty? Zero cachers would have been suited them just fine, but who knew? It was getting too late.
Kyle asked, "How long has the cache been published?"
"Four hours", replied Dan.
It was nearly six and Dan would have to leave for work soon.
"Let's meet at nine tomorrow evening and we will figure this out", said Kyle.
Dan replied, "Fine, but if we can't get it then, I'm calling weaverc."
"What did it say about going West?" asked Kyle, starting the next evening's conversation.
"It said eight something" Dan answered, "but I am sure that East or South would be more important than West."
This was not the puzzle they thought they would be solving. In fact they both thought they had a line on the puzzle number three. Kyle thought it would be something with ten light switches one push button; Dan thought that some wooden square with burnt engravings that held the key. In the end, the two would learn they were both right. The final puzzle had practically been held right before their eyes, but in such a way neither had an advantage over any other cachers. This especially held true now. The puzzle that weaverc had been dreaming about and working on for nearly eight weeks had finally come to fruition. That puzzle would be blocked by this one. There was another puzzle locked between the two, but in comparison would pale to the work and brainpower required for the first and last. Spending seven more hours working towards the solution seemed inevitable.
Dan asked, "The first number referred to in the puzzle was three, could that be significant?"
"Sure, but I count eight, nine, ten, ...more than twenty numbers up to this point." Kyle replied, "Are there any numbers that have been left out?"
"Well, I haven't seen the number five yet, but just mentioning it at this point includes it, right?" Dan was now growing frustrated.
But the wounds from Meserve Bridge, Fairly Well Hidden, and most recently Bird's Eye View, were still very fresh in weaverc's mind. Not only those, but the crossed eyes from The Journal and It's Not in a Tree had driven him. He would exact his revenge now, even before directing his efforts towards working other difficult caches in the area. Having played many a video game and loving the puzzles in games such as Resident Evil, and trying to escape from Blue, Viridian, and White Rooms on the internet had given him vision. And why stop at one, let's create a couple of fairly difficult puzzles and test the merit of East Central Illinois cachers! But more importantly weaverc was more determined to stump those who had stumped him. That would specifically mean someone who only goes by three initials starting at the end, back to number two, then somewhere in the middle.
"So where are we at now?" asked Kyle.
"Actually, we are nowhere." Dan said.
"Any ideas?"
"Well, weaverc did mention something that could apply, but I don't know how."
"What was it?"
"He said something about math"
"Math?" Kyle asked, now confused, "This is a story, not some math problem."
"I know, but he did mention he would create a cache that didn't require much mathematical computation, but would require some knowledge of math."
"If this is it, I don't see the connection."
"Neither do I" said Dan.
It had been another five hours of studying a story that made very little sense. Both decided to call it a day and work on it two or three days from today. That would mean that others would have a lead of about four days on them towards a solution. Both wanted to be first to find, but knew four eyes would work faster than two (or even three, but worse than six).
The following two days they walked around wondering how this story led them to finding coordinates four a cache. There was no rhyme, no reason, no pretty little pictures to help them figure things out. This wasn't a micro in a woods. It was at least nine times harder than that. Two of them and four days and zero solutions. They were about to give in.
Dan then called Kyle, "I figured it out!"
"You did!?" answered Kyle, obviously surprised.
"No, but I am ready to call weaverc and see if I can get a hint."
"Very funny, go ahead and call him, I'm on my way over to your house."
Dan then dialed up weaverc's number. Problem was he was calling around noon. weaverc would still be sound asleep. Anyone that knows weaverc knows that calling when he is asleep is a really bad idea. At best he would be as grouchy as a hibernating bear, at worst whatever he said would make absolutely no sense at all. Dan would get the later.
"Well, what did he say?" asked Kyle.
"He was asleep and babbling. He said, 'you guys need a hint huh, how about this: a man, a plan, a canal, panama.' He then hung the phone up on me laughing." Dan replied.
"Nice, let me call him, maybe he will be awake now."
Kyle then tried his luck at waking the delirious man from his sleep.
After hanging up the phone Kyle shook his head.
"What did he say?" Dan insisted.
"More babble, he said 'Maybe YOU should get plenty of sleep. The clue I gave Dan is nearly sufficient, after I hang up the phone you should be in your prime'"
"And…?" Dan said.
"And that was it; he hung up on me laughing feverishly." Kyle replied, obviously missing the hint.
They both had the best hints they could get. And now you have them too, good luck!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)