GC18WE3 MnGCA Gooseberry Falls: Caching Then and Now (Event Cache) in Minnesota, United States created by MnGCA

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MnGCA: Thanks for attending, everyone!

GC18WE3 ▼

A cache by MnGCA Message this owner

Hidden : Saturday, May 31, 2008

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Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of ALL ages. It is with great anticipation that we present to you the 2008 MnGCA Spring event, "Gooseberry Falls...Then and now."

With the 150th birthday of our great state, and the "Geocaching History Challenge", cachers could come to the event and get a bunch of State park caches all in the same weekend! There are eight state parks along the north shore. For more information, check out the MnGCA page here.

The caching "then and now" theme is explained this way: The wilderness in this part of the state has changed very little over the last 150 years. That’s the "then". The technology we use in our "sport" is the "now".

We invite everyone to come dressed in 1850s attire. This is not mandatory or necessary, but if you have a little bit of Lumber Jack, Miner, Fur Trader or anything else from that era in you, we would love to see it! We will have a prize for the most authentic outfit.

We’ll have a singles-only competition. The competition will be from 9:00 AM until Noon. You will be able to start any time during that time, and you are racing the clock. Each person will start, and their time will be recorded. No two people will start at the same time. There will be a minimum of 2 minutes between each start. You will have 2 hours to get as many finds as you can. You must be back to the starting point in 2 hours or less! If you return at two hours and 1 second, you lose a find. Every 5 minutes after that, you will lose one more. If you are not back in 2 hours and 20 minutes, we will assume that you are laying in the woods somewhere, and Search and Rescue will be sent out to find you! All the details will be explained to you before you start.

dmnrec has worked on a puzzle cache in which you can work out the first half before the event!
Here is the longitude coordinate for the Gooseberry Puzzle Cache:

iwsaawhsinkihzebiwsiniwsaawhsinnidyawig

If you believe you have solved this half of the puzzle, please email dmnrec your solution. Here's the first encrypted hint on the puzzle: Jung vf gur gurzr?

Solve the puzzle and bring your answer to the event. The second half will be done when you arrive at the Falls; you will receive a different type of puzzle for the latitude coordinate.

We will also be holding a Travel Bug Race. The Race will last one year (or until the next spring event). The actual bugs will be provided by TheCollector. The Travel Bug (TB) tag can either be provided by the contestant or can be reserved at the price of around $4.50 per tag (if more then 8 people buy the tags through him). The item that will be attached to the tag will (most likely) be a simple matchbox car. Again the attached item will be provided. All contestants must be registered a week before the event (see below) so that we have an ample amount of time to get the number of tags and attachments ready.

The Rules of the race are as follows:

1. Only one TB per geocacher and one per geocaching team
2. You may not move your own TB more then 15 miles and may not move your TB more then twice
3. If a TB goes missing it can't be re-released until the end of the race
4. "Dipping" (dropping then picking back up out of the same cache) of bugs is frowned upon but I know its out of your control. * Any Miles or caches gained from a cacher repeatedly "dipping" a bug will be subtracted from the TBs final "score"
5. No sabotaging of other racers. If a cacher is found to be doing this they will automatically be DQed from the race
6. All TBs will start out at the event and must be taken up by someone other then the owner.
7. There is no limit to where the bugs can go
8. Any questions can be directed to the race coordinator (TheCollector)
9. Updates will be located on the MnGCA.org Forums under the Travel Bug section
10. Additional rules will be added as I think of them.

Three prizes will be given out. Prizes will be given to the Bug that logs the most miles, the Bug that visits the most caches, and the first Bug to go missing. Prizes are still to be determined and will be posted on the cache page when chosen. If you would like to register for the race or have any questions please email at TravelBugRace@gmail.com

Please fill out the form below:
Geocaching Handle:
Real Name:
Do You Need a TB Tag?
Questions/Comments:

There will also be a big game hunt. You will be hunting Deer, Bear and other critters that roam around in the northern woods. Your weapon? A GPS. The competition? You against the clock--how many can you find in 2 hours? In the end, whoever has the most finds wins. If there is a tie on finds, the fastest time wins.

For those who just want to check out the scenery, we will be hiding numerous temporary caches (from simple to not-so simple) throughout the park. As usual, be sure to bring your coins, TBs, and pathtags for trading, discovery or just moving them along!

Tentative Schedule of Events:

• 8:00 AM - Meet and greet
• 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM - Singles competition
• 12:30 PM - Lunch (see below)
• 2:00 PM - MnGCA Meeting
• 3:00 PM - Awards and Door Prizes
• 5:30 PM - Wrap it up!

(Anyone that has anything to donate for door prizes please contact the MnGCA Board here.)

Lunch:

Lunch will be provided, free of charge, to those of you that are interested. If you're up for free food, please add how many will be in your party when you mark "Will Attend" on the cache page.

Please note, we need to have an *exact* number by 5/23/2008 in order to have time to purchase the food. If you are not a brat fan, bring your own. Cooky will grill up whatever you bring.

Tentative Menu:

• Oneied Cooky's world-famous smoked brats and potato salad
• Fixings for the brats

Please bring chips and a dessert to share and let us know what you're bringing!

Gooseberry Falls is the gateway to the North Shore. It is known for its spectacular waterfalls, river gorge, Lake Superior shoreline, log and stone structures, and north woods wildlife. Listen to the thunderous roar of the Upper, Middle and Lower Falls of the Gooseberry River as it plummets through a rocky gorge. Watch for waves, ships, or the moon rise on Lake Superior from an ancient lava flow known as the Picnic Flow.

Don't forget to stop by the Visitor's Center where you can find park information, interpretive displays, a park video, Nature Store, and more. Or visit the Gateway Plaza for outdoor interpretive signs on area resources and history.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)