"TELL ME, O MUSE, of that ingenious hero who travelled far and
wide after he had sacked the famous town of Troy." So begins
The Odyssey.
You are
Odysseus, wily master of landways and seaways, king of the
island state of Ithaca, husband of Penelope and father of your
son Telemachus who has never met you.
10 long years ago, you sailed with twelve ships to fight in
the long Trojan Wars on the sands before the walls of the City of
Troy. And finally it was you, O wily Odysseus, who masterminded the
fall of Troy with the clever ruse of the Gift of the Trojan
Horse!
Now you set sail for Ithaca. But the Greek gods and goddesses
have other plans for you, and before you return to the arms of
Penelope, you must survive many more adventures.
O clever Odysseus, will you ever return to your kingdom?
Only the Fates know for sure ...
And the Fates are not telling!
Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds
O brave Odysseus, full of vainful pride, after you escape
from the giant cyclops Polythemus, you taunt him from your ship!
This is almost your undoing as the giant boulders he throws towards
the sound of your voice just misses your ship! But worse, while
boasting you tell him your true name, and alas, he prays to his
father Poseidon to curse your voyage.
Then you land upon the island of Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds.
Aeolus agrees to help you and provides you with a steady breeze to
blow you home to Ithaca. He also makes you a godly gift indeed: he
gathers all of the ill winds into a leather bag that he ties shut
with a string of silver and he gives the bag to you, warning you
not to open it until your voyage is over.
Alas it is your doom that something shall go amiss. What is
this doom?
This cache contains one of the clues needed to find the puzzle
cache Tales of Odysseus: The Return of the King. Look for
the clue at the back of the logbook. In the Tales of
Odysseus series this cache follows Cyclops Polythemus
and precedes Circe, Witch Goddess.
The story of this encounter with Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds, is
told in Book X of The Odyssey.
Enjoy! And happy caching!
O wily 50sumtin!
And now, the tale's end ...
You sail for Ithaca, O Odysseus, with the Bag of Winds given
you by Aeolus, Keeper of the Winds. Trusting not your crew, you
yourself man the tiller and set your ship's course towards Ithaca,
sailing for many sleepless days and nights. Finally, as you
approach Ithaca, you succumb to sleep and fall asleep at the
tiller.
It is then that your jealous crew seize their chance. Hoping
to find treasures they untie the Bag of Winds given you by Aeolus.
Alas thereby they release all of the contrary winds held at bay
therein! And the winds blow your ships all the way back to the
island of Aelous, Keeper of the Winds.
Despite your pleading, Aeolus refuses to aid you further. And
from Aeolus you also learn an important thing: that Poseidon
himself has cursed your voyage home.
Cache owner's note:
For some months I have toyed with the idea of placing a series
of caches along the scenic Pacific coast north of Santa Cruz, each
of which would be in a scenic location near the ocean and would
also contain a clue for an overall connecting puzzle cache. And
while walking the coast at Wilder Ranch one day and taking in the
breath-taking scenic views, the Muses inspired me to make the
connecting theme for the series the adventures of Odysseus as told
in The Odyssey, as so much if not all of his homeward voyage
adventures occurred along coastal settings.
As of April 15, 2007, all of the caches associated with the
Tales of Odysseus series (including the puzzle cache) have
been placed.
I hope that you will find the series entertaining and enjoyable,
but if not at least scenic.
This particular cache will treat you to scenic views of Davenport
Beach. While there are cliffs nearby, the cache is sufficiently
away from them as to pose little danger while seeking in good
visibility. Still, I do not recommend seeking this cache during
periods of dense coastal fog.
You may park at the beach parking for Davenport Beach and make
your way up to the cache. Some sort of stealth may be required.
And with luck you may see whales!