Found on a laminated card in a geocache.
“I use multi-million dollar satellites to find tupperware hidden in the woods.
What is your hobby?”
So here I am hanging off a cliff . Ok that is over the top. I am however climbing and bouldering around an old rock quarry. According to the cache page from the web “Stage 2 is a 3/3 star please be careful” So now that my GPS unit’s red arrow is spinning a little and it is telling me I am about 20 feet from my cache site. I better start looking because this thing could be anywhere!
Ah this is part of the fun. At least this stage is a straight up hunt. I know this cache is a “?” which means the coordinates will not be given to you on the web site like a traditional geocache. But for the 1st stage of this mystery/puzzle, all I had to do was find a vending machine at the posted coordinates. There was no deciphering a code or Googling an answer. The cache page “Penthouse View of Fairborn” stated “4/3 star” and “This is a 4 to 5 stage multi. Go to the coordinates above for the 1st stage and you will need 2$. ”
I went to the 1st stage coordinates. The coordinates put me outside a door on the WSU campus. I looked in the door and all I saw were vending machines. 2$ and vending machines? Could it be that easy? That was a real puzzle. So I looked and sure enough one of them had a hotel room key with geocache symbols all over it for 2$. I bought it. On the back of the symbol covered key card there was written “2nd stage coordinates” and “Please bring this with you.” By loading the coordinates into my gps units and checking Google earth, I determined this is where I need to be for the 2nd stage. I needed to be along the edge of a little pathway with a 8 foot rocky drop on one side and a sheer crushed rock pure rock 12 foot wall on the other. To get here I had to only hike a mile but the last .18 was no trail just rocks that rose half way up the “wall” that was dug out and partly dumped when mining for the limestone. The edge that I was standing on is about 10 foot long and a foot or two wide in spots with a slight upward slant. New growth vegetation popped out everywhere but for the most part, rock. One word came to mind “Cool”
Now I enjoy this hike/climb to get here. Using coordinates to find something hidden is the game. Getting the coordinates from a room key was a little weird but most multis were a little weird. What had me wondering what was up with this cache was buying it from a vending machine and not only having coordinates on the card but a phone number. I called the number on my cell when I bought the card. “Enter the pass code found at the coordinates from the coordinates given at the 2nd stage cache site. Make sure you have your key card with you at stage 2” 10 seconds later it hung up. Like I said “weird!!!!” I almost expected to hear. “And this message will self destruct in 10 seconds.”
So here I am looking for something that will have a pass code and more coordinates on it. My GPS unit is now telling me 8 feet from the posted coordinates and yes the 3 out of 5 star terrain has lived up to the fun. If it was a 3.5 or 4 star and I would have needed climbing gear. But this was just a little climbing and hiking. Now all I have to do is find something hidden better then last cache I did. That 2.5 star difficulty cache was the size of a button hidden in plain site. Plain site but it was painted and matched the bolts on post. It was only when you counted them, looked on the other side and realized that only 6 bolts went all the way thru not 7. That is when you get that tingly feeling that know you had found it. The 7th was not a bolt. It came off when you tugged at it. It was the cache, the prize, the holder of the log. After pulling the magnetic button off you pull the log out and make your mark along the other geocahers. Put it back for the next player. Then go back to the sight and log it.
With my unit held steady I inched forward. The usual routine is to walk zig zag like you were almost drunk. Kind of a primitive geo dance to appease the little red arrow and mentally will the numbers to go down. Or something like that. But I could not zig let alone zag on this out crop. So inching forward keeping my unit steady is what I was doing. Just then my foot slipped and I grabbed a small out crop of rocks to hold on. My foot went over the edge but I managed to pull myself back up. It was then I noticed that rock that I grabbed moved about a millimeter but then smoothly swayed back. I was so busy looking, holding on, and wondering about this rock, I almost did not notice my GPS unit decided this was it. 6 foot 2 foot 1, 2,4,1,3,1 and so on. This is what you call GZ or ground zero. My unit will no longer be of help. But “What the ****” is up with this little out crop.
Now I was expecting to find some hole or crevasse or fake rock or any number of things you could hide a slip of paper in. But this looked like it was a part of the wall until you stood right next to it. Then you could see somehow this rock that moved ever so slightly might swing out. But how. It looked like a rock notebook wedged into and apart of the, well, a shelf of mis shaped rocks that was buried into the wall. That shelf of rocks was only 3 feet off the ground and 4 feet wide. The notebook was sticking every so slightly out. On top of or apart of the shelf was another strange rock. I looked closer. That was not a rock at all. Oh it looked almost like a rock but it was cement with small piece of metal on the surface.
Ok this is something but what. Now it is time to go into my think mode. I have seen some catchers look around like hyper 2 year olds pulling and poking everywhere. Others like me sit back and try to take it all in. This is strange because I am not a calm person. But that is why I do this hobby. I have found the best strategy for me is to calm down, think, and then act like a 3 year old on caffeine. So I calmed down for two min. then and poke around for a minute or two. Repeat.
The message on the machine said “make sure you bring the card key at stage 2 “
“Why?” I asked myself.
I had sat my GPS unit next to a tuff of weeds on the rock that saved my slip up earlier. In doing so it was right next to the fake rock. Then I pulled the card key out of my back pocket and took a long good look at it. I looked at my unit and it was going strange with the red arrow spinning and the count down was jumping from 0 too 20 too 100 back to 0. While picking it back up, I sat the key card down next to the fake rock. I heard a click and the notebook rock slid forward about two inches
What the?? On the rock notebook was a metal plaque.
PASSCODE Fun
coordinates ######.....
Ok how. I looked at everything and noticed the card key had a bump. RFD Chip is the only thing I could come up with . The fake rock must have it receiver in it and when I sat it near enough it open the secret hatch. Wow. Once I had to find three different standard keys in order to open the lock on the cache, but this was high tech. This is now by far different than any hunt I have done.
So I clicked it back and tried it again and click it opened. Played with it for awhile then click it back and back to the car.
At the 1st stage I poached some band with from the university with my mini Eee laptop. From there I used Google earth and knew that the 2nd stage of the cache was in the rock quary turned park across town. I then synced up both my car and my hand held GPS unit. Not that I need the car one to get me there. It was just habit from all the caches I have done outside of my home town.
Now in the rock query parking lot with the new coords and no bandwith to pouch I had to enter the coordinates in by hand into both units. I hoped the car unit had some more details as to where the next stage would be located. I was not disappointed. The car unit showed the coordinates in the middle of town outside what may be a pizza place and an ice cream place.
I pulled up and both units were pointing to a payphone. Now why would I want to use that? Pulled out my cell phone and called, entered in f would be 3, u an 8 and n6 after the prompt.
“Sorry but you must call from the coordinates provided.” the nice voice promoted me and then hung up.
Ok I am here but the red arrow is pointing at the payphone. I bring up the caches web page on my Eee.
Hint “stage three you are two quarters there”
I have found a number of caches that where stuck under payphones. But I guess this time I will be using the payphone.
After the prompt I punch up 386.
Thank you for calling Fairborn’s Geocache Penthouse.
How many in your party?
I press “1"
Will you be staying over night? Press 2 for yes 3 for no.
3
Thank you.
Is there anyone in your party that can not climb stairs? Press 2 for yes 3 for no.
3
Please state your cache name
PZ Dude
Thank you
Look at the card key...... the pictures are laid out like the number keys on the phone. Which number does the yellow geocache symbol fall on?
um.... 7
Now ..PZ Dude.., it said in my voice, make your way to the tallest manmade structure you can see from this sight. The structure is not just sticking out of the ground like a flag pole. Remember what the cache page said. “A Penthouse view of Fairborn. Hint look north. If you can not find it write down these coordinates and call back. Thank you.
I hung up and my 50 cents clanged into the chance slot.
weird, weirder and weirdest still.
Well at least that explained why it said 4 or 5 stage. I thought that was strange. But this has been very strange.
Well I look north and all I can see are trees and a cell tower. A view from the top of that cell tower would be cool but that would not work. Maybe, but no way, maybe the old grain tower is just peeking over those trees? Now I know from living in this town the history of the tower. It was a grain tower turned cell tower and then someone bought it. They left it a cell tower and cleaned it up. I had seen workers around it and windows being repaired. Unfortunately the rummer mill had nothing as to the what or the why? No way that could be the place?? So why not hit stage 4 before going there.
I pulled up and yet another pay phone.
This time I did not hesitate. Called the number and followed the directions.
“Look up and to the left” the voice said after I punched in all the numbers.
Sure enough. I was standing at a payphone on main street looking up and to the left. The only thing I could be looking at that worked would be the grain tower. So off I went.
Once at the grain tower I pulled out my trusty mini laptop to go over the caches web page one more time.
Final stage. “Think 2nd stage but magnetic.”
The first time I read this I just thought a magnetic hide a key. But now looking at the key card it did have a magnetic strip. So I must be looking for a place to stick this card into so it can be read?
I put everything away and headed for the tower. There was a sign hidden from the street on the tower. “Geocachers welcome. Be aware the premises are being video taped and broadcasted.” And another sign. “Please be nice and do not tease or tempt the muggles.”
“Great I wish I had read that before I started picking my nose and flinging my boogers at the bar full of muggles” I thought with a yeh right grin.
After two trips around the base I noted what could be two different doors. I say could be because they were both just slaps of wood stuck onto and kind of into the tower. No visible knob or hinges but they were the right size. One on the side with the bumps facing the overpass and the other right out in front. The one a little more hidden would be my guess so I studied the door and sure enough there was a slot on the left side just big enough for a card. The card slid almost all the way into the hole. It felt like it was in rollers when I pulled it out. But nothing happened. Not to be turned away I turned the key around and tried it again. This time the door hissed, moved in and then glided to the side.
As I looked in I could see the lights turn on. It was a hallway. To one side was an elevator door. On the other side of the hallway were some doors and a sign “Bathrooms/ Locker Rooms/ Laundry Room.” At the far end of the hallway were stairs.
I went over and pressed a button on the elevator. Nothing happened. Well I did say none in my party needed it. So off to the stairs I went. Up, up and up I climbed. Just stairs and about every 2nd set of stairs there was a platform. On the platform there might have been a door, but then again there might not. All of them had the same quality of the maybe hidden door like I used to get into this place. So I just kept climbing
I finally reached what could be the top of the tower. There was a defined door with the words “Fairborn’s Penthouse Cache” written in big bold letters. I opened door and was taken a back by the most warped room I had ever seen.
To start the floor was concrete, black top, astro turf grass, rock, sand, what looked like painted leaves, pine needles. A small running stream ran from a small waterfall on one wall to a catch basin on the other. There was even a small white area that had fluffy snow looking stuff in it. In this um.. ?room? was every kind of cache place I could think of and some I had not. The stranger ones were a hunk of guard rail in the corner to a lamp post skirt in the other. There were 5 different kinds fake trees and two stumps. Behind the pine tree painted on the wall there was a circle with a strip thru the middle. A small bridge, both wood and metal, stood over the stream and a wooden log was just sitting therein what could be a feild. There was fence that was made of 4 kinds of wood and 3 kinds of steel sections. A head stone in one corner read “Here lies a geocacher he finally found the greatest cache of all.” There were a few road signed sticking out of the floor in a strange pattern that I did not understand. I looked at the ceiling and it was painted with the sun on one side and the moon and stars on the other. The walls were painted to look like the outdoors in just about every season and landscape. A little ocean over there and woods, next to a field over there. I did a short search and sure enough in each one of these places was a cache log. Each cache container was different. They ranged from an ammo can, to mini micros, to tupperware of all shapes and sizes. Some of the logs had been signed some had not. Ok but where is the view. This could not be it? Then I noticed something that was off. Next to the door painted to blend in like an optical illusion were some stairs attached to the wall. In this room they would be overlooked very easily but I saw them. Well that must be it. So up and up I go again.
I ended up in another hallway with a door and an elevator door. “Ok here we go a nice view of Fairborn.” I said to myself.
I open the door a was taken a back. I thought that after all I have been through to get here I was prepared. “Nothing could be stranger then the floor below.” I said to myself. “I can relax and enjoy the view.” I was wrong.
This was the cache. I mean I was “in” the cache! When I walked thru the door I had found the cache and I was in it. Yes, there were four nice sized windows, one on each wall. The windows provided a very nice view of Fairborn. It was what was around the windows that impressed me. I knew I was in the cache when I saw the wall opposite the door. The wall was painted white. It had black rectangle spaces painted and numbered on it. Now that is a log! Under each window was a box or glass display case. Along one wall there was twice my size stuffed bear, a turtle and a dragon with travel bugs hanging from their necks. There was also a 5 foot flip flop and a few other oversized knick nacks with travel bugs attached to them. On this wall between all of these things was a mural of Travel bugs. Travel bugs of all shapes and sizes with there fake dog tag travel bugs hanging proudly from them. I went over to the display case that was along that wall. In it was about 20 real travel bugs. There was a sign “Please exchange almost even if you can. Not that I do not trust anyone but you are being recorded and maybe watched.” The next mural was on the wall with the door and it had just about every drive thru toy I had every seen in it. Along those toys some weird looking rings, hair clips and just about any other kind of swag you could think of. This wall had a box and not a display case. This sign read “You are being recorded but please take or leave what ever you want from this box.” On the 4th wall was paintings of coins. The coins were size of dinner plates. They were un mistakenly travel coins with ### where the number should be. This wall had a very nice case. Each coin had its own instructions. Some coins were locked for discovery only. Some coins where for equal exchange only. Some stated “Take one if you have never moved a coin before” There was also a few stacks of path tags. The sign above the tower path tag stated take only 1. The rest stated exchange as many as you want.
What a cache! The penthouse view of the city was framed and filled to make you feel as if you were inside of a geocache.
Back to the log I saw that about 25 geocachers had been here before me and had used the magic markers provided to sign their handles. I signed my handle right under TeddyR and Castlequick. Wow The Falcon Four were the FTF, well good for them. Along this log wall was a box. The sign on the box read “A place for old and filled logs. Please have them dried and labeled.”
In the middle of the room was a simple pedestal with a small laptop attached to it. I opened it up and turned it on.
“Welcome ...PZ Dude.. ” it said as it booted up. PZ Dude said in my voice from the phone call. Cool trick I thought.
“This is no trick the RFD chip in your card key is tracked in my tower.” I read on the screen. “You can use this computer to access the towers private forum/logs. You can also log into your geocache account. All passwords are erased on exit. If you like we can tie the passwords with your key card for future use. From here you can also set up access to most of the cache cameras for this cache. But before you do click this button for one last twist.” The screen proclaimed.
Do I dare? Really? After all of this? So I press the button and an attic ladder fell from the ceiling. Well? I dared and got more stairs. yeh.. if there is a next time... I climbed on up and onto the top of this tower. There in the center of the tower was a little cabinet. The cabinet had a sign that simply read “Open”. Inside was a nice big telescope. Then I noticed that on the floor and on the railings were names of caches that are in Fairborn. Around the names on the floor were three circles and a number. After some thinking I tried out a theory. I placed the tripod legs in the circles and adjusted the angle to the number. There in the eye piece was “A walk in Central Park 2"
Well I made it. I then did some sight seeing. Put everything away and went to the computer in the cache to sign my log. Welcome again. This tower has a lot to offer a geocacher. Sign into the private forum and sign up for web feed. Please feel free to use this guide and explore the rest of the tower.
So I did. And to my delight, the elevator worked when I tried it.