CO-NUN-DRUM ~ n A kind of riddle based upon some fanciful or fantastic resemblance between things quite unlike; a puzzling question, of which the answer is or involves a pun.
This is a two stage cache in Wildwood Park. At stage one you will find something that is not what it was intended to be. But you will also find the following conundrum. The coordinates for the second stage are inside the cache container but the cache container DOES NOT OPEN! So if you cannot get IN to find the coordinates, how do you make the coordinates come OUT to you? A CONUNDRUM INDEED!
Please do not force anything open or break the container. It is meant to be a puzzle for you to figure out. Not all puzzles can be figured out but this one is actually really easy......if you discover the devious reason why! Enjoy and cache on, my friends. Cache on.
GPS signal is difficult in the woods so I will give assistance. Proceed down the path until you see a large tree whose trunk looks half alive and half dead. Behind it is a large concrete slab. That is stage one.
The trails through Wildwood Park can be steep at some places so be sure to wear good walking shoes. If you park at the main entrance to Wildwood Park (second set of parking coordinates) because you would like to get other caches, you can take the scenic route by using the paved path and the bridge, or you can quickly reach this section of the park by taking the sidewalk in front of the National Bank and walk to the end of the block where you will find a side entrance to the park. An even faster way is to drive to the first set of parking coordinates and park at the bird observation deck. The Wildwood Park Trail is marked with a sign and both cache stages are nearby.
Connelly's Run
Wildwood park is mostly a ravine that was named Connelly's Run and separated Radford into the east and west side. In 1749, James Connelly, an early pioneer and surveyor helped to mark the path that later became known as the Wilderness Road. Today it is known as Rock Road south of the park. A large spring in Connelly's Run served as Radford's main water supply until about a centruy ago. It also filled a large swimming pool in the park that was used by the public during the summer. A dark part of Radford history was the fact that African American residents of Radford were not allowed to use the swimming pool until the very last day of summer. The following day it was drained for the winter. After the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed the swimming pool was closed and filled in. Many people suspect the reason was obvious.
This quiet stream is now the central attraction in Wildwood Park serving as a place of solitude and a laboratory for students studying biology and hydrology. Since 1994, water quality has been monitored by Radford High School science classes.