I have been enjoying visits
to Saint John New Brunswick for several years and decided to honour
this fair Canadian city with a cache. As Canada’s oldest
incorporated city, Saint John is rich with historical sites and is
also full of fun geocaching opportunities. In 2010 I had the
pleasure of meeting some of the local cachers and got to experience
some of their hides. In particular I want to shout out to the fine
folks of the Maritime Geocaching Association. The MGA, led by
Dragoon and company does a fantastic job of keeping the geocaching
community informed of local activities and organizes events
throughout the area. And I’ll never forget the warm welcome I
received by the members at kfdcanada’s “Breakfast at
Kay’s” event and will look forward to my future
visits.
OK so this was going to be a simple cache in the Stouffville area
to honour my friends on the coast but at the last minute I decided
to add a bit of a twist. The puzzle is simple enough but
you’ll have to learn few things about “The Loyalist
City”.
Just as you thought, the cache
is not at the posted coordinates but is within
1km.
The cache is located at the
following coordinates:
N 43° AB.CDE
W 079°
FG.HIJ
A.)
Saint
John is the largest population centre sitting on a bay that boasts
the highest tides in the world.
A
= Number of
letters in the name of the bay.
B.)
Saint
John was home to one of New Brunswick's most influential
politicians, Sir Samuel Leonard Tilley. Tilley crafted the
province's entry into Confederation and played an important role in
the development of Canada's political system. This “Father of
Confederation” rests in Saint John’s Fernhill
cemetery.
B
= The third digit
of the year of Sir Samuel Tilley’s death.
C.)
Saint
John’s coat of arms features some recognizable Canadian
wildlife.
C
= The number of
beavers on the crest minus the number of moose.
D.)
Late in
the 19th century Saint John's largest fire breaks out in Portland,
and quickly engulfs most of the South End of the city. For 9 long
hours the fire rages on - leaving 13,000 people homeless,
destroying over 1,600 buildings, and consuming most of the
commercial district. When it was over, the fire had destroyed over
80 hectares (200 hundred acres) and 1612 structures including eight
churches, six banks, fourteen hotels, eleven schooners and four
woodboats in just over a nine hour period. Nearly all the public
buildings, the principal retail establishments, lawyers' offices
and all but two printing firms were burned in the
inferno.
D
= Add the digits
of the year of the “great fire” then add the digits of
your total.
E.)
From
1993 to 2003 Saint John was home to AHL hockey team the Saint John
Flames. During this time the Flames went to the Calder Cup final
twice. In 1998 they
lost to the Philadelphia Phantoms but on their next cup run they
won on home ice at Harbour Station against the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the farm team of the Pittsburgh
Penguins. The Flames won the series four games to two with a final
score of 1–0
E
= The last digit
of the year the SJ Flames won the Calder Cup.
F.)
Saint
John was one of the world's leading shipbuilding centers, so it is
no surprise that the roof of the City Market resembles the inverted
keel of a ship. Hand-hewn timbers and dove-tailed joints that have
stood fast for more than century attest to the skill and experience
of the builders. Saint John’s City Market was built prior to
the great fire. The building survived the fire and is still open
for business today. The ringing of the Market Bell every morning
and evening, a tradition at the City Market, signals opening and
closing of the day's business. Today the keeper of that tradition
is the Deputy Market Clerk who oversees day to day
affairs.
F
= The year of the
great fire minus the year the City Market building
opened.
G.)
G =
The number of oars showing on the flag of New Brunswick.
H.)
Actor
Donald Sutherland, one of New Brunswick’s favourite sons was
born in Saint John in 1935.
H
= Month of Donald
Sutherland’s birth.
I.)
Canadian icon, Stompin’
Tom Connors was born in Saint John in 1936.
I
= The day of the
month on which Connors was born.
J.)
During
their 10 years the Saint John Flames produced some NHL’s
greats including Martin St. Louis. St. Louis wears his jersey
number in tribute to his childhood hero, diminutive former Montreal
Canadiens star Mats Näslund.
J
= Sum of the
digits of St. Louis or Nasland’s number.
I hope you enjoy your journey
and remember...
Not all those
who wander are lost…