PLEASE USE STEALTH when searching for and logging this geocache! This cache was placed with permission. If it becomes disruptive to regular library business and/or non-geocaching patrons I may be requested to archive it. PLEASE DO NOT ask any of the library staff for assistance! They are aware of the cache and excited to have their branch house a geocache, but they also have work to do and disruptions from geocachers could lead to the cache being archived. If there are problems or questions with this geocache, please use the "Message this owner" link to notify me. Thank you!
This cache is only available during the following hours (https://www.spl.org/hours-and-locations/ballard-branch):
Monday - Thursday 10am-8pm, Friday - Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 1-5pm
STAGE 1: This is a relatively straightforward multi-cache. The listed coordinates are for the first stage. You should find a large box for submitting ballots. On the east-facing side of the box (you will be facing west) in the bottom left corner is a phone number. Proceed to WP2 based on the phone number you see.
- Fiction if the number is 206-206-8683.
- Non-fiction if the number is 206-206-8080.
- Periodicals if the number is 206-296-8083.
- Reference if the number is 206-296-8683.
On the south-facing side of this box (you will be facing north) there are several lines of text. The first line simply reads "vote!" in large letters. Ignoring that as a line of text, start with "Get social with us" as line 1 of the text and solve the following to find where to go for STAGE 2.
- ___ is the 2nd letter in the 5th line
- ___ is the 6th letter in the 4th line
- ___ is the 1st letter in the 5th line
- ___ is the 1st letter in the 3rd line
- ___ is the 2nd letter in the 2nd line
- ___ is the 6th letter in the 3rd line
- ___ is the 1st letter in the 6th line
- ___ is the 2nd letter in the 1st line
- ___ is the 3rd letter in the 4th line
- ___ is the 2nd letter in the 6th line
- ___ is the 5th letter in the 2nd line
- ___ is the 7th letter in the 5th line
- ___ is the 4th letter in the 4th line
- ___ is the 1st letter in the 4th line
- ___ is the 3rd letter in the 2nd line
- ___ is the 7th letter in the 5th line
STAGE 2: [This stage edited 11/25/19 due to a change in the library's circulation, but if you solved with the old values the final location hasn't changed.] Go to the place STAGE 1 indicated and find a book titled "Images of America, Norwegian Seattle".
- Turn to page 28. At the bottom of the page find a photo captioned, "________ at Woodland Park, 1898." Let the first letter of the missing word be A.
- Turn to page 21. At the top of the page find a photo captioned, "________ Halibut Fishing Boats, 1908, 1912." Let the first letter of the missing word be B.
- Turn to page 10. At the bottom of the page find a photo captioned, "________ Nets, c.1909." Let the first letter of the missing word be C.
Next find a book in the reference section titled "Voices of Ballard and Beyond". It should be very close to the first book you used.
- Turn to page 1 and find, "More than 85% of the 900,000 Norwegian immigrants to the US came between 18D5 and 1930." Let D be the missing digit of the year indicated.
- Turn to page 61 and find, "Frode immigrated about 1906 when he was ________ ...." Let the missing digits of his age be EF.
- Turn to page 82 and find, "The trip took us ________ days, and we more-or-less had the free run of the ship ...." Let the missing number be G.
- Add 1 to G and let the sum be H.
Now use ABCDEF.GH to find the cache.
STAGE 3, FINAL: Once you solve for the final coordinates, please be sure to sign the log. There is room for smaller trade items and TBs, but this branch of the library is often very busy and items may get muggled. I do periodically check the logs in my caches and no physical log entry = no cache found.
Unrelated to the multi-cache find:
I grew up in the 80's and 90's so thought it would be fun to name any caches I hide after movies, songs, etc. from that era. The NeverEnding Story is a 1984 film based on a German novel from 1979. It tells the story of a young boy who escapes his troubles in the real world through a fantasy world he discovers in a book. It is definitely one of the most memorable movies from my youth, plus it seemed an appropriate name for this cache.