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Difficulty:
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Finders of this cache can now receive a GOTL-Limited Edition Pathtag ..... Update.... As of 06-15-2015, all the pathtags are gone... sorry.....
The Three Gentlemen Campers:
In the Early 1900's, three rather distinguished gentlemen embarked on a series of annual treks into he wilds and wilderness of America's North Coast. According to onlookers, it was a rare sight, indeed, as servants scurried about laying campfires and pitching tents so that John D. Rockefeller, Harvey Firestone and Henry Ford could get down to the business of camping, fishing, and just having fun in, of all places, Geneva-on the-Lake, Ohio. It wasn't too long after Moses Cleaveland began mapping out the Western Reserve that industry started up on the shoreline of Lake Erie. Lumber mills, ships works and limestone ovens were bustling with activity by the Early 1800's and, perhaps, would have expanded further had The Spencer family not settled in the area. At the turn of the Century, they opened "Sturgeon Point House", a lakefront lodging for tradesmen and travelers. Fifty years later, Cullen Spencer and another young man, Edwin Pratt, took a look around at the sunny beaches, the abundant fish, the glorious Lake sunsets and refreshing clean air and decided that the area could serve as more than just a way-station for transients. So, four years after the close of the American Civil War, Spencer Pratt cleared a bluff overlooking Lake Erie and, on July 4th, 1869, opened a public picnic grounds. As the Spencers had a true appreciation of the monsters who thrashed, fought and spawned just off their beaches, The named this park "Sturgeon Point." A few years later, Spencer Pratt added a jerry-built, horse-powered carousel to the picnic grounds and Geneva-on-the-Lake's colorful tradition as Lake Erie's "Playground." was born.
The Gentry Come Apackin':
By 1905, over fifty cottages and twenty-some boarding houses filled to the rafters each summer as the well-to-do in Cleveland, Youngstown and Pittsburgh sent their families packing to Geneva-on-the-Lake. They came for the healthful environment and the curative powers of taking to the waters, but, they stayed on for the fun. By the 20's, these genteel vacationers enjoyed daily sightseeing and fishing excursions aboard modern motorlaunches such as the "Red Wing". They enjoyed sets of tennis on the clay courts at Ramsey's "Idle-A-While". They picnicked and partied on the beaches of Chestnut Grove Park, they played whist and bridge on the lawn of the Colonial Hotel, they dined on succulent dinners of "milk-fed" chicken at the New Inn and, in the evenings, after they strolled along the Shady Beach hillside enjoying a dazzling sunset they dashed off for an evening full of roller skating, miniature golf, carousel rides or dancing at the Casino, Pergola or the newly constructed Pier Dance hall. Big Bands, Big Beaches & Beautiful Women: The advent of the 40's saw Geneva-on-the-Lakes's mile long entertainment "Strip" lined with the Fords, Oldsmobiles & Packards of clerks and shopkeepers, bakers and firemen. With wheels, young men and women from throughout the Tri-State region would flock to the area's beaches by day and stay on to dance to the music of Glen Miller, Tommy Dorsey or Duke Ellington by night.This was the heyday of Big Bands, Big Beaches & for those who were there, beautiful women.
Why A Duck?
During the Postwar Years families flocked to the Lake.They were everywhere. Riding the waves. Riding the rides. Sharing hot dogs and donuts on the street or picnic baskets in the Township Park. On Saturday evenings, families lined up on the "Strip" as the "Duck," an amphibious unit from World War II led a battalion of beauties who vied for the coveted title of Miss Geneva-on-the-Lake. And, on July 4th, the families would converge onto the beaches to cluster on blankets as fireworks, launched from "The Duck", exploded into the night sky. There was, indeed, something for everyone at Geneva-on-the-Lake. Toddlers rode on the self-propelled land cars, while their older siblings soared above on the "Scooters" whose name was modernized after the War to"The Flying Jets". While teenagers sipped sodas at Pete's Grill or danced to the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" on the Front Porch, college students (who weren't waiting the tables at restaurants, or running the rides at the amusement parks) cruised the Strip as "Night Train" blared from the organ in The Barn. The Swallows and the Cocktail Lounge served as the cabaret for the sophisticated. Shops lined the streets, featuring Jantzen bathing suits and souvenir stuffed crocodiles, who unlike the sturgeon, thankfully, did not spawn in the local waters. Charter captains however, did find other "Big Ones" for boatloads of sport fishermen. Speed boaters & sail boaters took to the water along with slews of inner tubing bathers. The arcades and the midways offered challenging games of ski-ball and pin-ball and Shoot-Til-You-Win. But, perhaps the biggest challenge for most youth were the claw machines which held the ultimate prize: naughty playing cards. Priceless moments and affordable pleasures. That's what Geneva-on-the-Lake is about and has always been about. From Rockefeller, Firestone & Ford, through generations of tourists and vacationers, Geneva-on-the-Lake has proved to be a great spot to experience for over 128 years.
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The "tour" of the GOTL strip will bring you to many of the places that made GOTL what it is today and also throws in some new ones.
In order to get the coordinates for the final, you need to take a tour of the GOTL “Strip”. You are basically looking for information from signs or street addresses along the way. The Coordinates for the stages are approximate but close enough that the answers should be apparent. If you have any problems just let me know.Thanks and enjoy your "tour".
The Final is located at: N 41° AB.CDE W 080° FG.HIJ Be careful of muggles in the summertime as this can be a very busy place. Please return the cache just as you found it and let me know if anything is amiss.
Start your journey at the listed coordinates. They take you to a small park located right on the lake. Enjoy the view. They are replacing the fence that had a sign that told you the park rules and that it is open from May to September. The park is officially open from 9am until dusk for several months during the year. A = the number of months the park is open. ...... UPDATE 06-2015...... The sign is no longer there.... It used to say the Park was open from May through September.....
Next stop, head west toward the “Strip”. You will come to an establishment at N 41° 51.683 W 080° 56.656 that boasts of having seating “so close to the Lake, you might fall in!”. B = all the numbers in the street address added together and then divided by 14. ...... UPDATE 06-2015...... They are renovating this place and the street address has been removed from the building..... If you Google the old establishment you will see the street address as 5243 Lake Rd.
Continue west to N 41° 51.653 W 080° 56.837. Here you will find Geneva-On-The-Lake's oldest rock nightclub. In the past, this club featured the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Three Dog Night, James Brown, Chubby Checker, The Coasters, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Steppenwolf, The Temptations, The James Gang and many others. It looks today the same as it did back then! Check out the mural on the side of the building! C = the number of letters in the whole name of the nightclub minus 2.
Keep heading west to N 41° 51.648 W 080° 56.948. Established in 1950, this unique establishment is a tradition to many folks from the Pittsburgh and Youngstown area and announces the opening of the "Strip" every Mothers Day. D = the number of letters in the whole name of the restaurant minus 2. (Punctuation doesn’t count)
Cross the street and keep heading west. There’s a shop at N 41° 51.626 W 080° 57.055 that dates back to Y93Z. E =Z-Y.
Further west at N 41° 51.619 W 080° 57.115 is the oldest miniature golf course in the United States in continuous play, these 18 holes have been entertaining thousands of visitors since 1924. F = the number of letters in the name minus 3.
Cross the street again and at N 41° 51.622 W 080° 57.151 is a unique old building from the 1920's. G = the number of shutters on the front 2nd floor minus 1.
Back across the street again and at N 41° 51.591 W 080° 57.319 is a Village Park that features tennis, basketball, baseball and has swings and a jungle gym for relaxing amid the hustle of the "Strip". H = the number of dots in the name at the top of the sign.
Now keep heading west around the bend in the road and at N 41° 51.502 W 080° 57.551 is a sign for an Historic Inn. I = the number of 7’s in the telephone number.
And your final stop is at N 41° 51.491 W 080° 57.620 is a sign for a Museum. The museum is located in an 1823 farmhouse on the Lake Erie shore and is the headquarters for the Ashtabula County Historical Society. The museum is decorated to reflect the 19th century way of life and features family rooms furnished in the late Victorian style and special exhibits on Ashtabula County history. J = the number of J’s in the person’s name that is on the sign.
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If you walk the entire tour it will be a little over a 1.5 miles to the final. Overall it will be 2.25 back to your starting point. You could do this in a car but it will be much more fun to walk and see the sights. Have fun with this one and enjoy the area. The Visitors Bureau is close by and during the summer months when they are open, they can be very helpful giving you more information about the area.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe gur Trbpnpuvat flzoby.