Salutations!
"Salutations!" said the voice.
Wilbur jumped to his feet. "Salu-what?" he cried.
"Salutations!" repeated the voice.
"What are they, and where are you?" screamed Wilbur. "Please, please, tell me where you are. And what are salutations?"
"Salutations are greetings," said the voice. "When I say 'salutations,' it's just my fancy way of saying hello or good morning. Actually, it's a silly expression, and I am surprised that I used it at all. As for my whereabouts, that's easy. Look up here in the corner..."
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This geocache is a tribute to E. B. White (1899-1985), author of beloved children's books such as Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, and Trumpet of the Swan. For the best experience, arrive after sunset and bring your own pen, tweezers, and a flashlight. However, please respect park hours (6 AM to 10 PM). Shine the flashlight up to find the telltale sign, then shine the flashlight down to find the hidden container.
This cache is placed with kind permission from the City of Pasco. Visitors assume all risks associated with finding and retrieving the cache. Do not deface or destroy park property. Instead, we hope this hide inspires you to spread a bit of love to someone special today!
But why hide this cache here, of all places? Keep reading:
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Back in 1922, the young E. B. White was driving across the country to start a new position as a junior reporter for the Seattle Times. His short story "Farewell, My Lovely" (well worth a read) is itself a tribute to the Model T that brought him there. "When you bought a Ford," he writes, "you figured you had a start -- a vibrant, spirited framework to which could be screwed on almost limitless assortment of decorative and functional hardware... Persons of a suspicious or pugnacious turn of mind bought a rear-view mirror; but most Model T owners weren't worried by what was coming from behind because they would soon enough see it out in front."
After enduring many challenges, the automobile finally broke down just as White tried to accelerate up a ramp onto a ferry. "Something snapped; the car slid backward into the mud. It seemed to me like the end of the trail." After considering the situation for a moment, the captain of the ferry helped push the remnants onto the deck. "All that day I plied between the towns of Pasco and Kennewick," White recalls, "while the skipper (who had once worked in a Ford garage) directed the amazing work of resetting the bones of my car."
Kennewick to Pasco ferry, 1921 (digitalarchives.wa.gov)
That infamous ferry landing was located reasonably close to this location. Ironically, had White's start date been postponed a little longer, the Green Bridge would open later in 1922, obviating the need for the ferry. That narrow structure had its own perils, however, as a generation of shellshocked drivers can attest. The present Cable Bridge was completed in 1978.
Congrats to vbhunter for FTF!