It is a tremendous gift for one to create moving, beautiful short stories. It takes a great amount of talent to bring someone from laughter, to tears, all within a tapestry of finely woven words.
Canadian writer, and story teller, Stuart McLean had this gift. Canada lost Mr. McLean in 2017, but his short stories live on.
In 1994, Stuart McLean launched "The Vinyl Cafe", a radio/live audience series of short stories featuring a variety of characters, but mainly focusing on; Dave, his wife Morley, and their two kids, Sam, and Stephanie. These characters are fictitious, but we truly get a sense that they are real. Real in a sense that we can relate, laugh, and through McLean's writing, clearly see the quirks that they encounter as they navigate through life.
Stuart McLean captured human decency so confidently in his short stories, they weren't all sunshine and rainbows, but Stuart always seemed to find a way to get to a poignant conclusion. My mother and I would often sit in our car, long after arriving at our destination, just to listen to the end of one of his epically simple, yet sincere endings to "The Vinyl Cafe."
This mystery cache pays tribute to a man who shot Canada with such a warm literary lens. Who saw the generosity, kindness, and uniqueness of this nation.
Your task is rather simple. Listen to his story called "The Canoe Trip". I have supplied a related webpage link. Answer the questions below to find out the coordinates to the final cache. Enjoy!
A. What do you get when you cross the Arctic Circle?
A) A medal (2)
B) A certificate (1)
C) Nothing (0)
D) A case of ice wine (3)
B. What was Dave in charge of?
A) The stove (2)
B) Galway (9)
C) Sam (4)
D) The tent (3)
C. What was actually in the tent with Dave and Morley?
A) Galway (6)
B) A skunk (5)
C) A cougar (1)
D) A bear (2)
D. What did the fellow tent dweller do after it sat down?
A) Snore (6)
B) Sneezed (9)
C) Farted (0)
D) Slept (1)
E. What was the second item listed that was in Morley's pack?
A) Red licorice (3)
B) Oranges (2)
C) Swiss chocolate bar (0)
D) Two packs of sugarless gum (1)
F. What was Dave holding in his teeth?
A) A lantern (2)
B) Flashlight (3)
C) A map (7)
D) String (8)
G. What was in the sky after Dave woke up Morley?
A) A plane (2)
B) Meteor shower (6)
C) Northern lights (0)
D) Moon (1)
H. What resort was Dave looking at for next year's anniversary?
A) Keltic Lodge (2)
B) Albion Resort (3)
C) Ocean Beach (1)
D) Green Acres (7)
There is no need for any vegetation disturbance when locating this cache.
N 49 2A.BCD W 122 5E.FGH
While this is not part of the puzzle, why not listen to a beautiful tribute song written by Buddy MacDonald. Rachel Davis is on the fiddle, and Buddy on the guitar. It's from an interview at Cape Breton University. Watch the whole interview, or jump ahead to the tribute song at 10:30. Click here.