"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!
Helios, Bringer of the Sun
O brave Odysseus, after you escape from the perils of Scylla
and Charybdis your ship lands on the island of Thrinakria where
Helios, Bringer of the Sun, keeps his favored cattle.
But you have been forewarned that you and your men must not
harm the cattle of Helios. Or suffer dire consequences!
And so you order your men to harm the not the kine of
Helios.
But strong unfavorable winds develop.
And the winds prevent you from leaving the island. And the
winds prove to be persistent.
Days pass. And days turn into weeks.
And still the persistent winds blow.
And the ship's provisions grow smaller and smaller.
And so the daily rations of the crew grow smaller and
smaller.
And so your crew grow hungrier and hungrier.
And so they become discontent.
O Odysseus, is it your doom that something shall go
amiss?
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 Scylla and Charybdis
and precedes Calypso, Sea Nymph.
The story of the island of Helios, Bringer of the Sun is told in
Book XII of The Odyssey.
Enjoy! And happy caching!
O wily 50sumtin!
And now, the tale's end ...
After you leave your starving men to themselves, they
slaughter some of the cattle, angering Helios who then appeals to
Zeus for retribution.
After you and your men sail away from the island, Zeus hurls
a lightning bolt at your ship. Your ship is destroyed and all of
the crew save you perish.
You are left alone, clinging to life, clinging to some
floating wreakage of your ship as you drift about on the waves of
the wide and empty sea.
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 along the
Wilder Ranch coast near a small cove and 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 parking for Wilder Ranch. Alternate parking
is along Highway One near Secret Trail Head: Three Mile Beach.
And with luck you may see whales!