Thank You NBC Mom Mystery Cache
jratzlaf: Time to say goodbye to this old treasure...
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Difficulty:
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(regular)
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The above coordinates are bogus. They happen to point to a spot in Enka Lake, now known by corporate interests as Biltmore Lake [cue booing and hissing], around which you cannot walk unless you are a resident with a pass [more booing and hissing]. Anyway, the actual cache location is within one mile of the posted coords.
This cache is one in a series of "Thank You" caches expressing gratitude to several people who made my 50th birthday easily the most memorable birthday of my life (of course, being this old, I can't remember much from past years anyway!) by placing 50 caches in my honor.
NBC Mom doesn't work for NBC anymore; she just took a new job with CBS News. JUST KIDDING!!! She's actually my wife, and my best friend, and God's greatest gift to me besides salvation [cue violins and roses]. "NBC" in this case stands for Non-Bushwhacking Cacher, and although she will actually bushwhack an amazing amount if an FTF is on the line, she prefers not to; accordingly, this cache has only a minimum of what might be considered bushwhacking.
To find the cache, you'll need to take a virtual tour of Enka/Candler ("virtual" in the sense of a virtual cache, where you don't find a cache container or sign a log). All six of the stops can be done from your car, and most will present you with remarkable views. The final will require a 0.6mi RT walk on a pleasant Forest Service road that I'll bet you've never walked before.
The final cache will be found at:
N35° 31.ABC
W82° 38.DEF
Visit each of the stages and look for the easy answer to a question. In each case it will not be necessary to get out of the car, and in some cases you may be able to get the answer as you drive slowly by.
Stage 1: Drive by N35° 34.770 / W82° 38.488 on Candler Knob Road. This location is in front of two large water tanks. The Water Department would prefer not to have suspicious activity at the site of their reservoirs, so whatever you do, don't look suspicious! But if you look east from this location, you can get a glimpse of an unexpected and impressive view of downtown Asheville. Now, looking at the water tanks, to the right of the gate there is a large power box with a telephone pole next to it. On the pole, there is a large silver digit easily visible from the road. Call that digit A.
Stage 2: Drive to N35° 34.125 / W82° 39.950. At this location, at the end of a road in High Meadows, are a couple of mailboxes, one of which contains a large two-digit number. That number is:
1. 88
2. 99
3. 77
4. 66
Take the number of the answer and call it B.
Stage 3: Drive to N35° 33.870 / W82° 43.997 on Big Cove Road. Visible from this location is a house shaped like a:
1. basketball
2. flying saucer
3. castle
4. hockey puck
The number of the answer will be C.
Stage 4: Now we'll go south of 19/23. Drive to N35° 31.848 / W82° 43.543 in Lindon Cove, turn the car around, and enjoy the view. You're in front of a house with which of the following in the front yard?
5. statue of the virgin Mary
6. cactus garden
7. old cast-iron bathtub
8. rusty farm implement
The number of the answer can be placed in the slot for D.
Stage 5: Drive to Forest Lawn Cemetery and stop respectfully at N35° 32.581 / W82° 39.746. Enjoy the view. Then look west along the sidewalk. On both sides of the sidewalk, not too far away, are gravestones shaped like:
5. hearts
6. crosses
7. automobiles
8. obelisks
You can actually see quite a few of these in this cemetery, once you start noticing them. Call this answer E.
Stage 6: Drive into the new development called Biltmore Lake, to the entrance of a new gated community at N35° 31.894 / W82° 38.814. This remarkable automatic gate features:
5. wrought iron
6. antiqued copper
7. elk and caribou horns
8. rhododendron branches
Let this answer be F.
As a check, the coordinates of the final should point to a spot 0.89mi away from Stage 6. Parking is at a gate at offset coords N-0.041'/W+0.273'. You're looking for a small Lock&Lock box well-hidden and filled with the usual SWAG. Enjoy!
PS I love you, sweetheart!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svany: va ebpxf