"TELL ME, O MUSE, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy." So begins The Odyssey.
You are Odysseus, wily master of landways and seaways, king of the island state of Ithaca, husband of Penelope, and father of your son Telemachus whom you have never seen.
10 long years ago, you sailed with twelve ships to fight in the long Trojan Wars on the sands before the walls of the City of Troy. And finally it was you, O wily Odysseus, who masterminded the fall of Troy with the clever ruse of the Gift of the Trojan Horse and led the final assault!
Now you set sail for Ithaca. But the Greek gods and goddesses have other plans for you, and before you return to the arms of Penelope, you must endure many more adventures.
O clever Odysseus, will you ever return to your kingdom?
Only the Fates know for sure.
And the Fates are not telling!
Scylla or Charybdis
O brave Odysseus, having escaped the Sirens, you must choose between another set of perils that Circe has forewarned you of. You must sail through a very narrow strait that is closely guarded by Scylla on the one hand and Charybdis on the other.
Will you choose to sail nearby the island of the monster Scylla, an immortal six-headed dragon that could very well devour you and all of your crew, six at a time?
Or will you sail past Charybdis, the giant mouth that creates a giant whirlpool three times a day, sucking down the surrounding waters and swallowing everything thereupon, risking you, your crew and your ship?
O brave Odysseus, what choice shall you make? And is it your fate to survive your terrible choice?
This cache contains one of the clues needed to find the puzzle cache Tales of Odysseus: The Return of the King. The clue is at the back of the log book. In The Return of the King series this cache follows The Sirens and precedes Helios, Bringer of the Sun.
The story of Scylla and Charybdis is told in Book XII of The Odyssey.
Enjoy! And happy caching!
O wily 50sumtin!
And now the tale's end ...
You choose to keep the knowledge of your choice from your men and order your men to to row hard and to hug the fog-shrouded cliffs to the left of the strait.
Without warning six monstrous heads suddenly strike out of the mists, each head striking and carrying away one of the ship's crew while you encourage the rest of the crew to row harder.
Six men are lost. But you and the rest of your men row safely away ...
Cache owner's note:
For some months I have toyed with the idea of placing a series of caches along the scenic Pacific coast north of Santa Cruz, each of which would be in a scenic location near the ocean and would also contain a clue for an overall connecting puzzle cache. And while walking the coast at Wilder Ranch one day and taking in the breath-taking scenic views, the Muses inspired me to make the connecting theme for the series the adventures of Odysseus as told in The Odyssey, as so much if not all of his homeward voyage adventures occurred along coastal settings.
As of April 15, 2007, all of the caches associated with the Tales of Odysseus series (including the puzzle cache) have been placed.
I hope that you will find the series entertaining and enjoyable, but if not at least scenic.
This particular cache will treat you to scenic views of Three Mile Beach at Wilder Ranch. While there are cliffs nearby, the cache is sufficiently away from them as to pose little danger while seeking in good visibility. Still, I do not recommend seeking this cache during periods of dense coastal fog.
And may you see whales!