Official Stuff
This cache is located in Sandy Creek Park. As of 5/1/21, there is current a $2/person fee to enter the park. Please obey posted park hours (They vary by season and are available online or posted at the gate). DO NOT HUNT OUTSIDE OF POSTED HOURS. Additionally, please make sure we follow all park rules, including:
- Please respect the property and Leave No Trace.
- Park only in designated areas. Do NOT park on the sides of roads or in non-designated parking.
- Please do not park on the dam.
- Please do not enter the water at the dam.
- Please don’t climb on the rocks at the bottom of the dam or enter dangerous areas.
- Please do not dig in the park as no caches are buried.
- Please respect the property and Leave No Trace (Yes-- we said this twice).
Thank you for being respectful of this beautiful park.
The Series
Do you love mystery caches? Do you love D/T (Difficulty/Terrain) ratings? if so, we have a GREAT series for you!!!
The Jackson County Agritourism Geo-Trail 81 series (JCAT-81) has been placed for YOU! We do have to fess up that the series isn’t actually in Jackson County, but it’s a stone’s throw away and an awesome set of caches. If you complete all 81, you will have completed an entire D/T grid. Total fizzy awesomeness!
The majority of the caches are hidden in Sandy Creek Park. There is an entrance fee of $2 per person to enter. Current park hours are Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, closed on Mondays. (Note: Hours can change-- please check with the park before making your trip plans)
The caches are hidden in a variety of containers and styles. The puzzles will help build your puzzle-solving skills. Be on the lookout for some JCAT-81 Puzzle-Solving events where we will help you solve some of the tougher ones.
This series is a collaborative effort of “The Puzzle Posse”! The Puzzle Posse consists of Bragger407, GeoMonkeyTiger!, LaFavorite Cacher, and poeanne.
This Cache
This cache is rated a 5.0/4.5. The puzzle will definitely challenge you. The physical find won't be too hard, but it will be a pretty good hike to get there. You will follow the white-blazed trail around the lake. Be sure to bring water, bug spray, and possibly a snack! Note that you may see some fences marking private property. Please respect the fence lines as the cache is on the park side of the fences...
This Puzzle
(This puzzle brought to you by GeoMonkeyTiger!)
The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates!
It’s Bob MacDonald’s birthday, and it’s time for a party on the farm!! EVERYONE was invited, and I happily made my way to the festivities!! And while no one would call him “Old”, he definitely wasn’t young!
I was enjoying my time. The whole town showed up and we were all excited to wish Mac (That’s what we called him) a great birthday. I caught up with him at one point and we had the most interesting conversation…
Me: Happy birthday!
Farmer McDonalds (FM): Thank you!! It’s been a great day! Maybe the “Best Day Ever”!!
Me: That’s awesome! It’s such a great crowd. There are so many people here.
FM: The only birthday that’s even come close was my 21st birthday. It was a real turn-around point for me…
Me: What do you mean?
FM: When I was younger, I was a real trouble-maker. I was on a perilous path for sure.
Me: Wow! So, I imagine you were having quite the party on that birthday?
FM: No. It was not like that at all. I actually spent most of the day running the vegetable stand. It was hard because I kept getting distracted by all the noises. It seemed everywhere I looked, there was “quack quack” here or an “oink oink” there or what not! And I was mad that I had to work on my birthday!
Me: This isn’t sounding like a great birthday??
FM: It wasn’t, but a few minutes before we closed, a pair of gentlemen walked up. Their car was dusty, and it was clear that they had been on a long journey. I introduced myself and we started talking. They were friendly and we wound up talking for quite a bit. They told me the most curious of things…
Me: Oh?
FM: They told me that they were avid geocachers and they had traveled the entire country, looking for special caches. They spent a lot of time thinking about the incredible journey they took and realized it was speaking to them. They looked at the message and decided to hide a “special” cache for others to find.
Me: Nice! What are the coords?
FM: Sadly, I have never been able to figure it out. They said that only those with the greatest of fortitude will unlock the secret. I have been unable to crack the code.
Me: How long have you been working on it?
FM: For years now.
Me: Whoa!! What did they tell you?
FM: Before they left, the handed me this slip of paper. I have spent hundreds of hours staring at this, but I can’t make any sense out of it (He hands me this piece of paper)
Me: Whoa! Do you remember anything else? Their names? Further instructions?
FM: It’s been so long, I don’t remember too much. I remember one of them was named Oliver---
Me: (Laughing Uncontrollably) Isn’t “Oliver” what they call babies in Virginia?
FM: Ha! Sometimes! But his name was Oliver. He mentioned something about being in the Marines before going into government. He said he enjoyed government work, but after he got wrapped up in some scandal involving the Middle East and Central America, he had to leave.
Me: Hmmm…that sounds familiar. What about the other guy?
FM: He as quite a character. His name was Adam and he told me he had been the lead in a TV show in the sixties. Some kind of detective or something like that? He was a huge fan of onomatopoeia.
Me: Wow! That’s crazy! Do you remember anything else?
FM: I remember Oliver was a fan of caches that dealt with barns or farms. I remember that Adam loved caches that involved cows or chickens. Other than that, I don’t remember anything.
Me: That’s quite a story!
FM: I’ve not been able to crack the code, but maybe I wasn’t meant to be the one to do it. Why don’t you take a look and see if you can do it?
Me: I’m ready!!
That was three days ago. I’ve spent some time looking, and I do think I have some ideas…
Solution Checker
You can validate your solution with the Certitude checker below!
