James Kennedy – Geocache of the Week – Official Blog

What do keys, cogs, hamsters, letterboxes, and a 19th-century Scottish locomotive engineer have in common?

A lot more than you’d think!

This puzzling Letterbox is sure to turn your wheels and grind your gears!

Geocache creator, HuggableHamster, has a knack for dreaming up perplexing puzzles and quirky cache containers.

“Partly I make caches I would like to find and partly I just accidentally think of puzzles all the time… Puzzle ideas just keep coming to me! I love puzzles and I love the sense of satisfaction when you solve them, so I take care to give subtle signpost to point people towards how to solve them… and always check with other people that they are a) soluble and b) fun” — HuggableHamster

Most importantly, they like to make caches that tap into local history. In an area so steeped in rich cultural history, there is always plenty of material for new caches!

Their latest creation, James Kennedy (GCB2W20), draws inspiration from its namesake, a notable Scot who designed train and boat engines to create a truly gear-grinding puzzle that’s sure to drive you ‘loco’-motive.

The first step of the puzzle is provided in the cache description in the form of a “homophone machine.” A word enters the machine to be spun, churned, and transformed into a new word. Based on the clues provided, one can use the machine (and a bit of logic) to generate three unique words and enter them into the solution checker.

With solved coordinates in hand, you’re on the right track! The final coordinates take you to an unassuming box in the corner of a community garden. Built from recycled materials, this cache container really cranks up the fun with not one but two creative field puzzles. Upon opening the box, geocachers encounter a number of square gears magnetically attached to the lid. One must align the cogs correctly to reveal “the key” to the log book.

One would think that, with a key in hand, unlocking the final stage would be simple, right? Not quite! HuggableHamster decided to shake things up with this last puzzle, but don’t let it rattle your confidence, the logbook is close at hand.

Finally, exhausted from the mental workout, you can sign the logbook and add a James Kennedy stamp to your collection. The stamp depicts a water mill as a nod to Kennedy’s apprenticeship and introduction to engineering.

Now it’s full steam ahead and on to the next cache!

Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world.
Check out all of the Geocaches of the Week on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, fill out this form.