Our First Day of Caching

We got up early and left about 10:00 am after taking M & R for a walk and having breakfast. We did 5 caches today, one of which we couldn't find as we were in the wrong location. Two of the others were traditional caches which we found quickly and the other 2 were multi-puzzle caches. The first one brought us to the Eastern States Hospital which has the honor of being the first public facility in the U.S. constructed solely for the care and treatment of the mentally ill. The buildings were erected on an 8 acre site near Wm & Mary College and first started admitting patients on October 12, 1773. The Hospital provided care both during the Revolutionary War and the War Between the States and moved from its downtown Williamsburg location to it's present site in the late 1960's. The dedication plaques and Eastern States Therapeutic Labyrinth were erected on the present location and it is one of the oldest contemplative and transformational tools known to humankind and brought us there for stage 1 of our cache. They say that the labyrinth can promote a healing environment for all who chose to traverse its single path to the center. Walking the labyrinth with its single path can reduce stress and quiet the mind. (See Pictures) The second cache took us to 4 of the more than 15 pancake and waffle houses in Williamsburg (Ye Olde Houfef of Pancakef as they were known in Patrick Henry's era as he was often distracted by the delectable smells wafting from the inns along the Richmond Rd.) We visited the 4 locations and obtained the names of them and entered them on our puzzle sheet and figured out the coords for the final location and drove there and parked the car and found the cache quickly, then took a short tour of the area which included a monument to the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors of Williamsburg and James Counties, the burial place of members of the Galt family who died between 1773 & 1866 and they had served as chief medical and custodial officers of the Eastern States Hospital and several unusual trees that all the bark had peeled off of. (See Pictures) Back to the coach and a quiet supper with M & R. See you all soon.