The Jaycees Dog Park is located on River Road, which can be accessed off of Highway 54, underneath the Highway 45 overpass.
This two stage multicache should be pretty short and sweet. The terrain is relatively flat but there are many toppled trees and thick brush, so I tried to contain the cache in some open areas of the woods, but you might have to loop around a bit in places to find a path through. You could go straight through the brush/trees, but I wouldn't recommend it.
The note that I found in the nearby parking lot:
As night descended and Roland had not returned, I was overcome with worry as to what might have befallen my friend. I decided to pay a visit to the last known sighting of Roland in the hopes that I could perhaps determine what had become of him. This note was the only clue I found and as you can see, it seems that Roland has struck off into the great unknown, chasing down his destiny: The Dark Tower. As it was very late and the night was very dark, I marked the spot where I found the note and made plans to return when daylight was abundant and hopefully follow the trail my friend has left behind and catch up to him.
Roland often talked about the strange and wonderful journey he was undertaking and many a moon had passed over us while he regaled me with tales of creatures that spoke in strange tongues, of forests that came alive, of spirits from the netherworld, of a train that had a fancy for riddles and finally, of the meaning to all existance: The Dark Tower.
If I understood Roland correctly, the path to the Dark Tower is one that must remain secret, as those who do not understand the Tower are apt to destroy it. The trail that Roland left behind is of no doubt a concealed one but the clues can be had. Roland was a solitary individual and was apt to traverse the country alone, unaided by modern conveniences. His was a simpler life, borne from a simpler time.
If you should happen to find Roland during your search, would you be kind enough to let me know how he has fared. I hope all is well with him.
Anyone who has read the Dark Tower series by Stephen King will no doubt recognize some of the names and settings that I've "borrowed" for this listing. Honestly, the only similarity with this cache to those books was going to be the title itself, as it is an apt description of the final container. As I was scouting out the area the cache is placed, however, more and more coincidences kept cropping up. There are some defunct railroad tracks not far from the park that Blaine the Mono might have traveled along. There used to be an old saw mill on the property but that was torn down and now the surrounding area looks quite alot like a neglected wasteland, with piles of rubble scattered about. A nearby river could stand in place of the sea where mutant lobsters emerged to lighten Roland's hands of two of his fingers.
Please try not to disturb Roland at WP1. He has earned his peace. Check his satchel if you still wish to hunt down the Tower.
The first stage could get buried (or perhaps should?!?) in snow...if we get enough. The Tower should be absolutely no issue at all to find unless we get feet and feet of snow. Also, please note that when you reach the Tower, you'll find the logbook in the "rose", which would also be a good place to drop trackables into. Please make sure to re-lock the Tower to keep the door from opening accidentally. Above all, enjoy your journey into Mid-World! (Or is this End-World?)
Keep an eye out for nettles as it might be present at some of the waypoints. I haven't seen any poison ivy while placing/visiting this cache but that is always a possibility when entering the woods.
Thank you to Chad Hoerth, Director of New London's Park & Recreation, for permission to place this cache.