UMass Tour #1 - "EnginArt" Traditional Cache
Western Mass Clan: Time to archive this one. It's had a nice run and I'll probably try to come up with something new to replace it.
UMass Tour #1 - "EnginArt"
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First in a series of UMass Tour caches by the Western Mass Clan. The "Dad" of the clan is a UMass Industrial Engineering Graduate Student seeking to complete his doctorate. In honor of Engineering at UMass, this cache will introduce the seeker to the Engineering Quad
What happens when you ask engineers to create "ART"? Well, the result may end up looking like what has been erected on the Engineering Quad on the north side of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst's campus. 
This imposing emplacement is solid as a rock and made of reinforced steel beams and plenty of heavy-duty bolts and welds! In the Spring of 2004, the CEE Structural Engineering graduate students installed this structure that now graces the Engineering Quad. This "EnginArt" sculpture provides examples of different types of connections for use in steel structures. At other times of the year, different bridge construction projects are also displayed in the Quad as well as the annual incarnation of the "Concrete Canoe" in the lobby of Marcus Hall.
The tricky part of this cache will be retrieving it without drawing unwanted muggle attention. Stealth will be essential!! The cache is not hidden in the Engineering Quad, but in a spot directly ADJACENT to the Quad. The catch is to retrieve it, find a place to open it, and replace it without drawing undo attention and prompting a muggle to investigate exactly, "What is that person up to?" ... hence the 3.0 difficulty rating. This is a high-traffic pedestrian zone on campus! The game is a-foot! 
Can you be sneaky enough?
The cache container is a well camouflaged & modified, sandwich-sized Lock-n-Lock container (4"x4"x1.5"). Big enough to hold a small log book and a few small trinkets. Small travel bugs (ping-pong ball sized or smaller) may also fit depending on the cache's contents. When replacing the cache, please make sure to snap the lid on tightly and restore its cover / camouflage to ensure it will not be muggled. In general the Quad is a high traffic area, though the immediate cache site discourages foot traffic.
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SUGGESTIONS:
1) About 60 yds away, to the West of Marston Hall is a small picnic table under a nice tree in the shade. That would be the perfect spot to open up the cache! In fact, why not bring the kids, your S.O., some food and have a picnic too! I have included the picnic table's location as a waypoint.
2) Parking can be had in the University Parking Garage for a fee or for free in front of the Engineering Lab Buildings (see waypoint below) for up to 15 minutes. If you come after 5pm or on a weekend, all parking on campus is free and/or unenforced.
3) If you are unsure of your ability to be stealthy enough not to draw a lot of attention to yourself, you could try coming on a weekend or in the after-dinner hours when foot traffic will be considerably less on campus. You could also bring a "look-out". 
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Congratulations to mathteacher30 for being this cache's FTF! Enjoy the T-shirt!. Original Contents and Trade Items: Log book & pencils, pencil sharpener (stays with cache), small calculator, UMass Lanyard, UMass Keychain, Micro-sized screwdrivers (2), 2 1976 Bicentennial quarters (Minuteman theme), Inaugural Travel Bug (Sandy Springs). (The caches is rather full, so bring smaller items to trade)
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Bayl cynpr arne gur Dhnq erfrzoyvat "gur jbbqf". Tebhaq yriry.
Treasures
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