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(regular)
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Minor bushwhack off a well-maintained path
Many cachers in the Ottawa area will be familiar with The Burrow, one of the region’s leaders in terms of number of caches found, and FTFs claimed. They will have enjoyed the range of caches he has placed, from simple traditionals to diabolical multis and mystery caches, often with a gentle element of humour attached. (Some well-known geocachers have still not found their way out of the Ottawa Triangle cache, and may still be in denial that they remain caught in it.) Many cachers may well, unknowingly, have benefited from his regular maintenance of both his own caches and those of others – new camo tape, replacement baggies for logbooks, pencils sharpened or replaced, and swag upgraded when the pickings get a bit thin. Add these to his willingness to move trackables along, to share his extensive geocoins collection for discovery, and to provide, when requested, gentle hints without betraying cache owners’ secrets, and it’s not hard to see why he, teamed with The Burrow, Mrs., is one of the region’s premier geocachers.
Those who know him well will be aware that geocaching is not The Burrow’s only hobby – he’s also a great Star Trek fan. He has seen all of the episodes of the several series, including the animated ones, and the movies, many of them several times. Toward this end, he has collected them all on DVD and tape. A true connoisseur, and not just a collector, he can apparently recount all of the major plot details, including details such as all the captains of the various incarnations of the Enterprise. And it’s not just collecting and viewing! His reading in the area is prodigious; somehow, he finds the time to read nearly all of the hundreds of Star Trek themed novels written for ALL of the several series. In addition, he shares his treasured 1701eh Star Trek themed geocoin, making it available at local events.
What cachers will be less aware of is the history of The Burrow’s previous cachemobile, specifically National Capital Cachemobile-1701, or NCC-1701 for short. The inspiration for this cache, this vehicle has undergone adventures comparable to those of the similarly-designated Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701). They range from being stolen and recovered twice in the first half of 2007 alone, to major engine repairs, to being pulled out of ditches on the side of the road from minor misjudgments while geocaching, to roadside vandalism. Rumours abound that the sequence “1701” appeared in both the vehicle’s identification number and its registration certificate. I have been unable to verify that The Burrow’s regular mechanic is named Scotty, though it certainly wouldn’t surprise me.
Alas, time and adventures have taken their toll, and NCC-1701, after a long and glorious history, has joined the great recycle bin. And so, some of its secrets can now be revealed, hints as to just how The Burrow has managed to rack up so many caches, and so many FTFs. The secret, it turns out, was a version of the famed cloaking device. Most of the time, with NCC-1701 fully cloaked, bystanders, even other geocachers, saw absolutely nothing. In the gallery for this cache, I have included, for your edification, a picture of The Burrow’s NCC-1701 in its semi-cloaked state, looking for all the world like any ordinary car. However, I’ve also included a rare image of NCC-1701 in its fully uncloaked state. Now you know.
For this GAG11 NCC-1701 cache: your mission is -- to boldly go where a number of other cachers have already gone, and to find a traditional ammo box cache that is much easier to find than The Burrow’s NCC-1701 vehicle was when it was fully cloaked. Please pay attention to parking restrictions, watch your step, and replace the cache exactly as you found it.
Oh yeah, live long and prosper, too, please.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)