After researching where to take the pictures for a
downtown Waterloo pictocache I decided on a patriotic theme. I
wanted to honor my father-in-law and dedicate my little gift to all
those men and women - like Mark D. Scroggy who fought in the Civil
War - and others that have served in our armed forces to preserve
our Union and to make sure that we may continue to live and pursue
happiness in a republic that is free and democratic.
First of all, initials only in the log please
and bring your own SHARP writing instrument. Also be careful when
rolling the tiny paper back up.
To
find this itty bitty geocache you will need to start at the
Waterloo Public Library’s front
steps. The coordinate for this page will put you
close to the starting point. From there you will begin gathering
information that will allow you to calculate the coordinate of the
cache.
(I)
Your first task will be to find, just inside the door of the
library, the date that I masked out of
this image. It is visible
through the door even when it’s locked. Record that date as
A
.
(II)
Locate the place where I took
this. According to a
calculation I made using two waypoints and
FizzyCalc, it is 449 feet from the place of the
library photo. I’m not providing any azimuths or cardinal
directions so it’ll be up to you to locate the sites without
knowing which direction to go. Once site two is found, record the
number of times the letter that is obviously not modern, is used in
the script; call it B. This engraving uses a style that came
about in the Middle Ages. It looks elegant now. The words that
contain that letter have been masked in the script photo linked
above.
(III) Now find
this. It’s around 143 feet from
the engraving. Once found enter the glass door (it has been open
every time I stop by) and record two things, the year engraved in
the corner stone taken from the original building at this site
(make it C) and the year the two historic figures first
forded the Cedar River at this location. Consider that date as the
letter D.
(IV)
From where did I get
this perspective? It’s only 79
feet from the door where you just were. Notice that there are
window openings that you pass on the way to this spot. Count how
many you are from the southernmost place on the bridge. Include
the opening that you are looking out of. Record that number as
the letter E.
(V)
Locate the
Gordy Watters brick. He is my
father-in-law, now in heaven. The brick location directory that you
should seek to find is located 253 feet from the bridge position.
[The Watters and Haberstiches that you may see there are blood
relatives of my wife’s.] Count the number of bricks that Gordy‘s is
from the Cedar River side of the walkway; include his brick in
the count. That number will be the letter
F.
(VI)
Find the place where
this is located. It is about
127 feet from Gordy’s brick. What year was that structure built?
That date is G.
(VII) Finally go back to
Lady Liberty (174 feet away)
and record the date on the plaque on the westward side of the
statue. It’ll be H.
Here’s
a nifty online
calculator that will show the parenthesis that you type in so you
can be sure the computer did enter them.
Now
calculate the part of the coord that I don't give you by using your
data in the following two equations.
(A +
(B x 100) + ((C - D) x 10)) ÷ 3655 = the decimal minute needed in
the following latitude.
N 42
29._ _ _.
((E
x 100) + (F x 100) + G + H) ÷ 16556.6 = the decimal minute needed
in the following longitude.
W 92
20._ _ _.