Please DO NOT park on Riverdale Road for this cache. There is no safe parking on Riverdale Road. Please park in the Mayfield neighborhood and walk to the cache, it's only about a three minute walk. Parking is noted in the cache info.
As we placed this cache, I gazed across the street and was and was reminded of The Shire, with it gentle hills and farms. (Hobbits love to grow things!) So this cache is placed with the Shire in mind.
The Shire was settled by hobbits in the year TA 1601 (Year 1 in Shire-reckoning). The hobbits (who originally lived in the Vales of Anduin) had migrated west over the Misty Mountains in the centuries before, and lived in Dunland and parts of the depopulated Arnor splinter-realms Cardolan and Rhudaur before coming to the Shire. It has been speculated that the hobbits had originally moved west to escape the evils of Mirkwood, and the shadow of Dol Guldur.
The Shire's history was mostly peaceful, but as Sauron's return neared evil began to return to Eriador. In TA 2747 a band of Orcs led by Golfimbul invaded the Shire and were met and defeated by Bandobras Took at the Battle of Greenfields. In TA 2912 White Wolves attacked Eriador during a terrible winter, leading to famine and the death of many Hobbits.
Perhaps most interestingly, what you don't see in the movies, is that the Shire was significantly affected by the fallout of the events in the movies. In the books, Saruman, the White Wizard, was not killed atop his tower as is portrayed in the movies. He actually left his tower and relocated to the Shire, where he installed himself as leader and wreaked havoc on its people. Eventually he was killed by Grima there and his evil ended.
This cache is full of fun little things for little kids, so should be a good one for the family. It'll likely be inaccesible if there is snow on the ground. Happy Caching!