Welcome to Kiwanis Park, in Brookfield, Illinois. Park at N41
49.479 W87 50.439 -----but not in assigned commuter parking, or the
bus stop. Yes, public transportation will get you to this spot. The
331 to Cumberland begins it's route here. The park is open at dawn,
and closes at sunset. No alchohol (unless you have rented the
pavillion and have a permit). Dogs not allowed in park. Please
abide by the rules. Noncompliance could result in the archiving of
this cache. Watch for muggles, even when you get away from the
heavy use areas. There are occasional walkers in and around the
woods, many are of the young and curious type.
It is the
spring of
2007. In northern Illinois we have all anxiously been awaiting
(some in anticipation, some in dread) the grand emergenge of the
cicadas. Brood XIII has been underground, sucking sap from tree
roots since 1990. They will emerge, climb trees, become adults,
form singing groups, fly around, mate, lay eggs, and die. The eggs
will hatch, and the new cicadas will fall to the ground and dig in
for the next 17 years.
I am placing this cache to coincide with the emergence of these
amazing arthropods. There are a number of excellent websites you
can go to to learn all about them. There are awesome videos,
audios, and lots of good recipes. If you click on the link in the
previous paragraph, you can easily navigate to everything you ever
wanted to know about cicadas
I have made this a multicache because of another emergence that
just took place in this park. The
Brookfield Conservation Commission, which administers the north
half of this park as an Oak Savanna restoration project, has just
put up interpretive signs along the main pathways, showing the
native flora and fauna of this dwindling ecosystem. You will need
to take a tour of the area, getting information from some of the
signs, in order to find the final cache. The only numbers you will
need are the fraction of minutes to the thousandths. The whole
minutes will not change. (N49.xxx", W50.xxx") The simple code you
will use to substitute numbers from letters is: a=0 b=1 c=2 ....
j=9 k=0 l=1 m=2 n=3 etc...... x=3 y=4 z=5.
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You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.
Stage 1: At the listed coordinates you will see a sign. Welcome
to the Brookfield Oak Savanna. NOTE: Please respect the ground
cover of native plants and flowers in their seasons by staying on
well established trails, be they crushed stone, wood chips, or
dirt. These will eventually get you to within a few feet of the
cache site. Tread lightly there also, as there may be some native
plants there, (including poison ivy).
Stage 2: Proceed north along the trail, enjoying nature and
reading about the Oak Savanna. You will soon see what plants are
native to the area. Take the first letter of the plant shown at the
bottom left corner of the sign, and convert to a number, and call
the number A. North=41 49.Axx"
Stage 3: Keep going and find the butterfly with seven letters.
Convert each letter to a number. Add the seven digits together to
get a two digit number. Divide it by 5. Then multiply by 4. Call it
BC. North=41 49.xBC"
Stage 4: Continue your walk around the path, and soon your
senses will come alive if you let them. What do you hear? Note the
second creature of the "unique chorus" (use the singular, not the
plural!) and convert the letters into digits. Add all the
individual digits together, and you have a 2 digit number. Reverse
the 2 digits. Multiply that number by 10. Subtract the Brood number
of our 17 year periodical cicadas. Call this number DEF. West=087
50.DEF"
Stage 5 - final : N=41 49.ABC" W=087 50.DEF"
Now relax, go to the next sign, and do the math. Do NOT make a
beeline to the cache. At the next junction a small sign will remind
you of one of the reasons for this. (The other reason is that you
must stay on established trails at all times in the restoration
area.)Read the rest of the signs as you complete your tour. Follow
the path towards the creek, and you will soon see the way to the
cache. Be discreet at cache site, and put back as secure and hidden
as you found it. Please take an origami cicada from the cache. This
is a temporary container. When the cicadas are gone it will be
replaced. There will be room for some small items and a travel bug
or two.
NOTE- JUNE 21, 2007: I have replaced the original container with
a 2"x 5" pill bottle. Always watch for muggles. There is a popular
spot just to the southwest where kids like to "hangout". Be
discreet while retrieving and replacing the cache. When putting it
back just remember, "Out of sight, and lean it to the right" I have
placed a new travelbug
"Summer
the Cicada" in the cache. Someone please take it and start it
on a journey. Cache also contains a few cicada milkcaps and origami
cicadas, while supplies last. I also modified the final coordinates
slightly, (two simple math functions added to Stage 3) since
several hunters seemed to be overshooting the mark a bit. Bring a
pen or pencil, none in the cache. You will need one anyway to do
the math.
If for some reason you have trouble finding this cache, just "BE
the cicada!" Where would you go?
This cache has been hidden with the permission and approval of
the Brookfield Conservation Commission. Please write on the web log
any comments you may have about the Brookfield Oak Savanna.
There are also some good summer events at the other end of the
park. On some selected Friday evenings there is a free Concert In
The Park series at the outdoor stage south of the pavillion. Around
mid-June there is a "Meet The Creek" event. Area conservation
groups have information booths and exhibits. Overholt Field is home
to the Brookfield Little League, and some great post season
tournaments. On weekdays get information at Village Hall, the
building at the entrance to this lot.
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Note: Sept 22, 2008 - I checked the cache after all the flood
waters went down, and it was gone. I replaced it with a new one in
the same hiding spot. When you replace the cache in its hidey hole
don't stick it in too far, but enough to completely conceal it from
view to anyone walking by. After insertion you might need to lie it
on its side to keep it from falling out.