Step three (with 2 stages) in the SE "QUADRANTS" series.
If you haven't conquered
"QUADRANTS - A place to start" and
QUADRANTS - A Sense of Albuquerque - SE Suburban" yet, please
do so before starting this one - they will help you to find your
way!
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Please see the write-up of Methods and Generalities for the
"QUADRANTS" series in the prior step (2) - "QUADRANTS - A sense of
Albuquerque - Suburban", if you don't know what this is all about
or why we did this!
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Each of these "Urban" QUADRANT caches is located in an area that
will give you minimal privacy for what you'll have to do to solve
them - so be sneaky, as we're sure all good geocachers are!
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QUADRANTS - "A Sense of Albuquerque" - SE Urban -
SMELL
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Have you seen enough of Albuquerque yet? We didn't think so. So
we're going to provide you with the means to see much more of it!
We're going to save you money (for parking) and were going to make
you think about public transportation in Albuquerque (Yikes)! We're
going to do something that few Albuquerqueans do (but probably
should)! This step of the "QUADRANTS" series is going to put you
and your fellow geocachers on the bus! If your junior cachers are
anything like ours, they're going to love this part!
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"A sense of Albuquerque - SE Urban" cache is NOT where the
above coordinates point to!
To solve this cache you'll need:
1. A working GPSr unit (to get you to a place where you can
safely park your car, at least).
2. Coordinates for the actual cache location - as indicated by
solving the problems below at Stage I.
3. A Pen/Pencil and a "take no B.S." attitude while walking in,
around and underground at downtown.
4. A bus token or $1.00 for adults & $0.35 for kids - EXACT
CHANGE/EACH WAY.
5. A current bus schedule - which you can download from the link
below.
6. Your LOG sheet to keep track of all the numbers you'll need
for each QUADRANT.
7. Some time and some good timing - unless you want to be stuck
downtown.
8. A short step ladder if you are not six feet tall.
9. A sense of Urban Adventure!
The above coordinates will put you at the "end of the line" for
the appropriate bus (16/18) that will take you downtown to the
Alvarado Transit Center - Park at the above coordinates.
First though, a disclaimer:
YOU ARE GOING DOWNTOWN. IF YOU'VE BEEN "DOWNTOWN" IN A LARGE
CITY BEFORE, YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. IF YOU HAVEN'T, EXPECT AND
SUSPECT EVERYTHING! BE AWARE, WATCH IT WHEN YOU CROSS THE STREETS,
WATCH IT WHEN YOU DONT! THE CACHE IS NOT LOCATED IN THE MIDDLE OF A
BUSY STREET!
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STAGE I:
To solve the location of "A sense of Albuquerque - SE Urban -
SMELL", you will need to figure out the following problems:
1. At the prior Cache (step 2) you hopefully took a bearing from
where the whistle is tied to the Actual cache location as
instructed. Use that bearing, save the 1st number of it and replace
the rest of the numbers with the numbers listed at "A" under the
lid of that actual cache container. This number is the bearing (in
true north format) to THIS Cache from step 2's actual cache
location.
2. At the prior cache (step 2) you found a number listed at "B"
- This number is the distance (in Miles), as the crow flies, to
THIS Cache from step 2's actual cache location.
3. At the prior cache (step 2) you found a number listed at "C"
- This number should be used to refine your latitude calculation
and make it exact. IE, this number is the final 3 numbers after the
decimal point when using the format NXXd XX.____m.
4. At the prior cache (step 2) you found a number listed at "D"
- This number should be used to refine your longitude calculation
and make it exact. IE, this number is the final 3 numbers after the
decimal point when using the format WXXd XX.____m.
5. PLEASE! Write down the BEARING that you've calculated above
(in item #1) for future use at the next step of this quadrant!
Based on this information (and possibly a good short term
memory) you will know with relative accuracy where this cache is.
Now all you have to do is get there - And "getting there" in a
unique way, is the whole point of this step!
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A brief guide for the bus ride!
To Download the current Bus Schedules, go here for the
Albuquerque Transit web page.
Upon parking at the main listed coordinates for this cache, you
may want to stop in at JR's Oyster bar Restaurant - or, maybe not,
because you'll be taking a bus ride..
The bus route is fairly direct, so here are some things to look
out for while you're enjoying the ride and letting someone else
worry about traffic:
1. Your are very near the entrance to Kirtland Air force base -
home of the 377th Air base wing and of the New Mexico National
Guard "Tacos" - "F-16" pilots extraodinaire.
2. While heading west on Gibson Blvd. you will pass the Lovelace
Health Clinic (on the south) which was utilized to medically
"prepare" the Mercury 7 astronauts back in the 1960s. See the
movie, "The Right stuff".
3. Just beyond the Hospital at the corner of San Mateo (on the
North) is the "infamous" Chevy on a Stick sculpture - our tax
dollars at work.
4. At Carlisle Blvd. The bus will head north into one of the
original "heights" neighborhoods of the early days of Albuquerque.
Notice the similar architecture of the houses and the differences
from the type of houses we now build.
5. At the bottom of Carlisle, you'll be approaching Central
Avenue and the Nob Hill area where you'll turn West on old Route 66
(Central Avenue) - this is a great area of town.
6. Before getting to the University of New Mexico you will turn
south on Girard and head into the area known as the "UNM slums" -
it's not a slum neighborhood at all, but there are a lot of
students who rent homes here because of its proximity to the
University.
7. Once back up on Gibson Blvd. and heading west you will be
able to see the old entrance to Albuquerque's main airport - The
Sunport (on the south).
8. Turning once again north towards the University area, on
University Blvd. you will pass the main sports arenas of
Albuquerque, first you will see University Stadium, home to the UNM
"Lobo" football team (on the east), at the same time you'll see the
famous UNM "Pit" (on the west) home of the "Lobo" basketball team
and countless graduation ceremonies over the years. Just a bit
further (on the east) you'll see the recently renovated - Dukes
(err, the Isotopes) baseball stadium.
9. Continuing down University Blvd. you will pass Technical
Vocational Institute (on the east) and then the west side of UNM
(on the east), the Maxwell museum of Anthropology is here and a bit
farther, the local PBS broadcaster "KNME" (on the east).
10. After turning west, the bus will take you underneath
Interstate 25 and passed the "New" Albuquerque High school and the
Main Post office on Mountain road. On your return trip you will
have the opportunity to see the "Old" Albuquerque High school, now
being remodeled into lofts and retail areas after many years of
neglect.
11. A turn south onto 3rd street will get you close to
downtown.
12. The bus will then take you on a short tour of Downtown,
watch carefully for all of the landmarks which are posted with
signs on the streets and are noted on the bus schedule.
13. The stop at the Alvarado transit center is where you'll need
to get off the bus - it continues down to south Broadway and you
don't want to go down there just yet. Once at the Alvarado transit
center you might want to purchase a bus token to replenish the one
you "borrowed" from step 2 in this cache series and possibly pick
up 2 new bus schedules (weekday and weekend).
12. Take a walk around the "new" Alvarado transit center and see
how well the city planners & architects have re-created the
"old" Alvarado hotel site!
13. You've now accomplished something that most locals have
NEVER done, you've ridden the bus from the suburbs to downtown!
Please watch the time and plan for your timely return to East
Gibson - via the same bus route - reversed!
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In searching for this cache, you might consider a few
things:
1. You really won't need to use your GPSr unit for this hunt if
you have conquered step 1: "QUADRANTS - A place to start". But
you'll need it to locate the parking area!
2. The cache container is located due south, within 10 feet of
the SE marker that you located in step 1 of "QUADRANTS" - no, we're
not going to tell you what color that marker is or where it is
located - you should know that already.
3. The cache container is a Camo'd Altoids tin.
4. It is in an easily accessible, yet fairly "dirty" area -
Cache in/Trash out?
5. Plan your trip to coincide with the arrival of Amtrak's
Southwest Chief (around 4:45pm - daily) heading to Los Angeles -
this is a great place to watch the train(s).
6. The cache is hidden along the walkway right above Central.
Look at the wall away from the glass artwork. Check the steel and
concrete cubbies just over six feet high.
7. This stage (I) is a log only cache - please take nothing and
leave nothing but DO enjoy the various odors your nose is giving
you.
8. You will find answers in this cache to conquer stage II -
write them down or you'll have to come back again!
9. Use your binoculars (you didn't forget them on the bus, did
you?) or really good eyesight for stage II when you "see" the need
to.
10. Please make sure the cache is returned to the same place and
remains well hidden!
11. See directions directly below for the requirements for Stage
II of this cache!
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Stage II
To get credit for this stage; "The Heart of Albuquerque - SE -
Remember Me", you will need to E-mail the answers to the following
2 questions:
1. What color is the "Heart of Albuquerque"?
2. What are the initials of the Railroad company that put
Albuquerque on the map?
Please don't post the answers on this page - encrypted or not.
We'll get back to you as quickly as possible. So that we know
you've found BOTH stages of this multi-cache, please do not log
your find of stage I (the Micro cache) until you've received a
return e-mail acknowledgement of the correct answers for stage II
(the above 2 questions)!
That's it! Please write down all the information you've gleaned
from your foot visit to "SE Urban.
Upon completion of this multi-stage cache you may move on
to:
Because you now have all the pieces of the puzzle to get you
there!
Good luck! We hope you'll enjoy the SMELLS of downtown
Albuquerque, the car horns and the bus ride home!