The Lost Art Traditional Cache
Maczealot: It was muggled. The second cache I've had muggled in this same park. I'm going to find a new place for it.
Related Web Page
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
For all of human history, communication has been an art form. In this day of technology filling every nook and cranny of our lives, letter writing has become known as a lost art. This geocache is a metaphor for this lost style of expression. It is a cache of pens, nothing but pens. (But you can put something else in there too if you want.)
In the past, when you communicated with someone over distance, it wasn't simply a message fired off quickly. It took time to get there so back and forth communication was done much more rarely. Therefore you had to write a monologue of what had happened in your life in the intervening time to catch up your friend, lover, family member or colleague. A letter was a snippet of your personal diary.
Much more thought and creative expression went into it and words were chosen carefully because there was no backspace button. The paper you chose, the pen and ink you used, your handwriting on that particular day, all said something about who you were and where you were coming from. People even used to have a personal seal they would press into wax where the envelope closed. Sometimes people put pictures or small items in there to send with it. The people who carried the letters to their destination were brave outdoorsmen who served an important function that helped build our country. Now the Postal Service is obsolete and correspondence is mostly a utility to fill the gap between phone calls, and it's usually 162 characters or less with no artistic value.
None of the pens I put into this cache are what you would think of in terms of fine letter writing. They are all disposable ballpoints. Put something nice in there, not just a Bic out of a box. Doesn't have to be fancy, just something you would consider carrying in your pocket or purse. Trade out a pen and leave a story here of your day searching for it, what you did while at this park, or maybe a story about a letter you wrote or received. Write about anything you want, but write something.
What you're looking for is an empty energy drink metal bottle wrapped in red duct tape. You may confuse it for trash at first glance. Inside is an assortment of free pens we've accumulated from various places. Some are cutesy, some are somewhat nice, some are just functional. Bring the pens you stole from the doctor's office, or the bank, or that special event you went to. You know the pens that look nice or write nice and they're extra cool because they were free. You can of course buy some nice pens too but I wouldn't suggest putting anything fancy in there because you never know if the cache will get stolen again.
Bring your kids because there's a playground here, a short paved trail to ride their bike on, a soccer field, a big empty field for kites or whatever. You might also want to bring some bread to feed the ducks. They're not there all year round.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg'f abg yvggre.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures