The Grinch stole the gifts
and now it's your goal
to find them again
and make Cachemas whole!
Seek out each of the How the Grinch Stole Cachemas "gifts" and collect the clue from each one. Once you've collected all of them, use the clues to solve the final puzzle and find the Finale! We won't reveal how many HtGSC caches there will be (the Grinch is sneaky you see), but when the final is published, if you've found all the Cachemas gifts, you'll have everything you need.
The clue will be clearly marked in the logbook of each HtGSC cache. Make sure you don't leave without it!
In Search of Roast Beast
We all know what happened. We've all read the book.
All the stuff down in Who-ville, the Grinch went and took.
He got the Who's gifts, from greatest to least.
All the stuff for the holiday, including roast beast!
As for roast beast, it might be a camel.
Or a whale. Or a muskrat. Or some fish or mammal.
But since we don't know, and we must have an answer,
We'll say boneless prime rib (and hope it's not Prancer.)
Now how down in Who-ville would we cook such a meal?
Let's ask Betty Crocker, she knows a great deal.
Assume a five pounder (use kilos in France)
Cooking this beast? Not left to chance.
What's the right temperature? I'm sure Betty knows.
It's writ in big letters in one of her rows.
And how long to cook it? Good question there.
Use Medium done our beast we'll prepare.
Use decimal hours, that should be a breeze [1].
We now have two numbers. Pass the beer if you please.
Examine the coords at the top of this page.
Use the last three of each. (This wisdom is sage).
Take one new number, subtract it from north.
Divide west by the other [2], a new site will spring forth.
'Tis the site of Roast Beast, the meal we have hid.
And you will quick solve with the steps I have said.
Away down in Who-ville the voices we hear.
A slow rising chorus, finally reaching the ear.
"This puzzle is bogus, the CO's a fail.[3]
There's two different answers." says Cindy-Lou's wail.
Says the CO, "It's true, but it works in a pinch.
How should I say it? We shall mess with the Grinch.
Of the answers you get, one will hold sway.
Use the one that ends up INSIDE the Beltway.[4]"
So get off your geo-buns. The hide is not wily.
The Grinch can rob Who-ville, but he can't steal your smiley.
[1] If there is a range, use the largest number. If there is not, you are not on the correct page.
[2] Round to the closest number if the math does not come out as nicely as we might like.
[3] The CO's flakiness is a known fact. Learn to live with it.
[4] In this case that would be East of I-495.
There is parking to the east of your solved coords. You should be less than 200 yards from the cache. Probably not wheelchair accessible, but I could have easily done it on my crutches, so remember that if the terrain gets to be more than the two stars shown above. The geo-pups have been there without incident. Mini-cachers should not have a problem either.
Once again, if you already have one or more FTFs please wait 24 hours from the date of publication, and we might be able to share the FTF wealth. Of course, once the log is written into the first time or after 24 hours are up, all bets are off. I cannot enforce that request but I will ask nicely. And if it weren't my cache, I would have to wait too.
I left some geo-pup related swag for the FFTF (First Few to Find). No need to trade anything for it. By the same token, if the spousal unit will get after you for bringing home something you don't need lying around, feel free to just leave it.
And since this is a Northern Virginia cache, the usual warnings apply: Heed all signs, bring plenty of snacks and beverages for a day-long caching trip, and stop annoying your sister.
And the obligatory Geochecker.
Congratulations to SP4Fun for the FTF!