Gruff - The Green Dragon Traditional Cache
The Seanachai: While we feel that Geocaching.com should hold the location for you for a reasonable amount of time, we cannot do so indefinitely. In light of the lack of communication regarding this cache it has been archived to free up the area for new placements. If you haven’t done so already, please pick up this cache or any remaining bits as soon as possible. Please note that geocaches archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance are not eligible for unarchival.
I want to thank you for the time that you have taken to contribute in the past and I look forward to your continued contributions to the sport of Geocaching.
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Gruff - the Green Dragon tickled my funnybone when I saw him
Yes, Gruff - the Green Dragon in all his whimsy is a distant cousin of the famous Puff - the Magic Dragon, who lived by the sea in 1963 when Peter, Paul and Mary sang about him.
Parking is very close to the cache, which as of January 2019 is a small metal box painted in camouflage colors. There's room only for the log.
Don't forget to say "Hi" to Gruff when you're there.
This is more fun to find when the leaves are gone because Gruff is hidden by foliage in the summer months.
Gruff is really a whimsical reminder of a wonderful time in Greeneville's history, that the owner of the cache did not know until May 22, 2010, when GPS_Cache_Hounds explained Gruff in a way the hider of the cache could not.
His post:
This is a very special cache for me. We made a special trip to Greeneville to find it. Gruff the Dragon, as you now call him, was built by my dad and other people who worked at what is now the abandoned building that is for sale. This was once the board shop where circuit boards were made for Magnavox (aka Philips CEC) and related brand televisions. It was known as Building 4 among those who worked at Magnavox. The dragon and the flagpole were put up by a committee of employees who were trying to improve the look of the area. My dad was a machinist and cut out the pieces that make up the eyes, teeth, etc. and helped to install them. He used to cut out toys for me from the same plastic the eyes are made from when I was a kid. I had the coolest plastic knives, swords, shields and the like of any kid on earth. As I got older he made me real knives as well that are truly works of art. The board shop moved to a new building and this was abandoned. Now that almost all of Magnavox's operation has moved to Mexico (casualty of NAFTA), the new plant is abandoned as well. My dad passed away at a fairly young age from lung cancer, and we miss him very much. It makes me and my family extremely happy that people are still noticing this silly creation and getting a laugh. It gave us a little giggle and me personally a wonderful memory. Thank you to cricket5_24 for placing this cache and bringing people in to see Gruff.
When this cache was placed in 2009, I wrote: "If you come to see Gruff in the Spring and Summer, he is probably hiding in the bushes and looking a little shabbier each year."
In 2019, this is no longer true, as I rehid a new container, I realized Gruff has a new coat of green paint. Please take time to hunt him out as well as the cache -- they are not exactly together.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ng syntcbyr
Treasures
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