3/1/08 Edited to reflect some changes in Town... A WALKABOUT TOWN 11/7/13 Edited again to reflect the changes in the last clue (again)!
This is a multicache that depends on using clues from each of the sites to move onto the next site. In other words you can’t just add up the differential Lat/Longs and go straight to the cache! The stops on your walk will take you through the downtown historic district of Leesburg, VA and finally to a nice park tucked away in a corner of the town. NOTE: the coordinates listed on the cache page are NOT the actual cache, but an obvious starting point! At some of the sites you will find a year on a marker. This is part of your clue to the next site. You will be asked to use two or all of the digits in the year. Add up the individual numbers in the year to make a two digit number. Then multiply this number by the amount shown on the directions and add or subtract to the decimal part of the minutes of Latitude/Longitude accordingly. IE if the date on at the site was 1944 you would add 1+9+4+4 to get 18. If the multiplier was 4 you would add or subtract .072 from Lat or Long accordingly. Obviously a small calculator is handy. Don’t be discouraged by the length of this page. This is a nice walk and if you have small children you can always drive.
PLEASE NOTE: DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS ARITHMATIC SOME OF YOU WITH A VERY ACCURATE GPS WILL NOT BE “EXACTLY” ON EACH SITE, BUT WILL BE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT BY READING THE CLUES YOU WILL NOT GET LOST.
You begin your quest by driving to downtown Leesburg; a good place to park is at 3906.874/7733.953 . You now have two free hours. I suggest parking here so you can enjoy a leisurely walk to the first site. Take time to note the old houses and architecture. Maybe stop and have something to eat/drink along the way.
1. First stop is at 3907.031/7733.915 and look for a big red door. Near the door you will see a cornerstone with a date on it. After calculating the number, multiply by 4 and subtract this from the Latitude. Then multiply by 2 and subtract from Longitude. This is your next site.
2. Now that you are in the center of things, you will find a very unusual business for Leesburg, but it’s been here since the 60’s! Look for a red and blue neon sign in the window with some sage advice. IGNORE the advice and go THERE. On your way you will find a tall, green man with a gun. Check for the date, once again use the formula and apply to your current coords. After doing the math, multiply by 7 and subtract from Latitude, then multiply by 12 and subtract from Longitude. This is your next site.
3. Here you will find an historical marker with a letter and a two digit number. (If the house is open take time to take the tour.) While reading this sign pay close attention to the date of a nobel idea. At this marker use only the last two digits to make your next clue. Multiply by 8 and add for Lat., multiply by 48 and add for Long.
4. This last clue is nothing special and you will find it on a small brass plaque on a stone building. By now you’ve probably worked up an appetite, next door is a nice place to eat. On the brass plaque is a date. Using the last two digits add them together to make another two digit number. Multiply this by 47 and subtract for Lat., multiply by 15 and add for longitude.
Now take a leisurely stroll back to your car for a 3 minute drive to the last location.
5. When you’re getting close you may notice a "hungry animal"; go the other way. You should end up just outside the olde park entrance and there you will find a brightly colored, conspicuous object. Well, as one GCer noted, it's not so bright anymore! About 6 feet south of this object is a tree. Line up the object and tree and in a line up the hill about 30 feet from this object is a single tree. Behind it you will find the cache set down into the ground covered with leaves.
Cache is a small, round Tupperware container set into the ground with just the lid exposed, but covered with debris. A small logbook and pencils are in it. For the first 10 cachers to find this take ONE of the small, older pieces of sticky paper in the plastic baggie. Good luck and please remember to rehide the cache well. 8/28/04 I HAVE REACTIVATED THIS CACHE. THE CACHE IS SMALL FOR A REASON! A PREVIOUS CACHER REPLACED MY ORIGINAL CONTAINER W/ A LARGER ONE WHICH PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED TO IT'S LOSS!!! PLEASE USE THE CACHE AS IS AND ONLY LEAVE SMALL ITEMS! THANK YOU.