Robn’s Hood Reads (book cache) Traditional Cache
Massquerade: I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from nor action by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note. The cache owner should retrieve any remaining cache contents at their earliest convenience.
Robn’s Hood Reads (book cache)
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(regular)
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This is our first Ipswich cache, and it is our first “ammo can” container. This cache was inspired by GCQ90Y “Long Hill Book Cache” by Danvers Duo, three towns south from here (and one of our personal favorites). If your used hardcover or paperback book will fit in a container that is 10.5”x5.5”x6.5” (cache interior), then it will be welcome here.
Robn’s Hood Reads is meant to simultaneously evoke the fictional Sherwood Forest adventurer and the social networking web site for avid readers, Goodreads. This cache is dedicated to my spouse, who is an avid reader. Whether you bring a folding chair or not: this is a quick and easy walk, an easy find, and a lovely place to read a book. This cache is being launched to honor Robn for Mother’s Day!
Hood Pond measures 68 acres and shares its northern border with Willowdale State Park, which offers trail-use opportunities on 40 miles of trails and fishing and boating. There are no developed recreational facilities at the State Forest which exists as two separate parcels divided by Route 1. The trails are wide, well-maintained, and dog-friendly. To quote the previous owner of a cache near here: “Hood Pond is a great little place to relax and swim in the summertime. Bring a canoe or kayak and do some paddling, or a pole to do some fishing. This location is less known than other spots on this pond so there shouldn’t be many muggles.” The Related Web Site link above takes you to the relevant part of the DCR web site. Nearby trails are part of the larger Bay Circuit Trail (visit link) .
This particular spot evokes Warm Lake, Idaho, which is two hours north of Boise and a family favorite summer haunt. If you’re ever out west caching north of Boise, check out GCG7TM and the other nearby caches. We owe a nod to GC1N4ND Hoods Hideaway, the cache that first brought us here and was archived in 2010 by Squirrel & Co. There is also World Turtle Day X-ing GC2H4XC by the boat launch. Nearby we own another cache, GC2H53G King of the Hill, that we recommend you do before this one: because once you see how pretty the view is here, you’ll want to stay a while.
As this is a book cache, please be prepared to swap a used book. Most of the books with which we’ve started the cache are kid-friendly; however we threw in one book for older readers. Please try to swap out similarly age-targeted books, thanks in advance. The starters:
1. “A to Z” by Sandra Boynton. This is one of those children’s board books that seem indestructible until your kid actually munches through the spine with their brand new teeth.
2. “What Was I Scared Of?” from “The Sneetches and Other Stories” by Dr. Suess. Beware the spooky pale green pants with nobody inside…!
3. “Ordinary Jack” by Helen Cresswell. This is the beginning of “The Bagthorpe Saga,” worthy of the demographic that enjoys Judy Blume and Encyclopedia Brown.
4. “The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 3: The Crab with the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn” (3 Volumes in 1) by Hergé. My first was “The Black Island.” Robn’s favorite is “Tintin in Tibet.” However, if your child is going to prepare themselves for the Steven Spielberg / Peter Jackson film collaboration, this is a great place to start. We hope these filmmakers hit a home run on the order of their Indiana Jones / Lord Of The Rings successes, because Tintin fans worldwide deserve no less.
5. “Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West” by Stephen Ambrose. You will feel more “American” after having digested this account of how The West began to be won! And finally…
6. “The Adventures of Robin Hood” by Howard Pyle. The titular inspiration for this cache. For more about Robin Hood, check Wikipedia: (visit link)
There are also some fun mini swappable items for the not-yet literate.
First-To-Find prize is an American coin rarer than our usual leave, a Liberty Walking half dollar from 1944, which is .900 silver in a deluxe viewing box! Our country was in the thick action of WWII at this time. This coin design is considered to be one of the USA’s most beautiful, by Adolph A. Weinman (who also designed the “Mercury” dime). He was a German immigrant who worked with the illustrious sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens. For more interesting coin lore involving Weiman’s mentor, please consult “Double Eagle: The Epic Story of the World’s Most Valuable Coin” by Alison Frankel. FTF goes to HostaHead (LasaCana), Froedo Bagginz, WolfTamer! and WINDWAKER1 – well done!
So how much do you really know about ammo boxes, so ubiquitously used as cache containers? This one is a .50 caliber ammo box and more about this historically significant ammunition is here: (visit link) As the .50 cal was so important in WWII, we are leaving some 1940s coins as regular swap items: a 1942 silver nickel and a 1943-S zinc penny in viewing boxes. For more WWII lore, please check out the write up for our cache one town over, GC2FQ34 Patton Park.
We’re starting this cache off with a bunch of relevant trackables: a squirrel (like Squirrel Nutkin from Beatrix Potter), a frog (like Frog and Toad are Friends from Arnold Lobel), a pair of eyeballs (my spouse used to harvest eyes for a tissue transplant bank), and a Liberty Walking Half Dollar replica (per the FTF prize).
This cache isn’t very snow-friendly, beyond 1-2 inches (3-5cm) of powder that you might fling aside with an ice scraper’s brush. Please don’t go at this cache with a snow shovel, or you’ll ruin the hiding spot.
We’ve added several waypoints to encourage and enhance your enjoyment of the area, all of which are on the Ipswich side of the town line. The DCR map (Relevant Web Site link above) will show you where these go. Please note the distinct parking waypoint from its neighboring cache. Enjoy!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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