Welcome to Lock and Dam No. 8, I thought I’d introduce you to the final dam that ties Minnesota and Wisconsin together along the Mississippi River. This cache is a puzzle and all the answers can be found on the informational signs located at the Lock.
Be prepared for a bit of puzzle solving and a bit of driving! The difficulty reflects this fact.
There is no need to go near the tracks for the final or the puzzle!!
Cache is not at this location this is for the solve!
Lock and Dam No. 8 is located in a bluff lined valley on the Upper Mississippi River near Genoa, Wis. The project includes a lock, a dam with moveable gates, 3 miles of dikes and two overflow spillways. The Corps of Engineers originally completed the facility in April 1937 as part of the Upper Mississippi River 9-foot channel project. After more than 50 years of service, the Corps undertook a major maintenance program to replace much of the operating equipment and to construct a new control building to serve navigation customers well into the future.
Numerous types of vessels use the lock during the navigation season which extends from Mid-March to mid-December. The lock provides a vertical lift of 11 feet for boats ranging from canoes to large tow boats with barges. The Upper Mississippi River serves as a main artery for Midwest grain bound for both domestic and international markets.
As a kid growing up along the Ole Miss, in a way my life revolved around Pool 8 whether swimming, boating, fishing, camping along the banks or building rafts in the back marshes. Thus, it feels right to make my first puzzle based on something that affected my life.
Please remember at no time is it necessary to go anywhere near railroad tracks!
To find the answer to the puzzle you will need to solve the following questions and use those numbers for the final solution, all answers can be found at the signs located at Lock 8. The pictures in the gallery contain the signs you will need to use, refer to there if you can’t find the right spot. Yes, this means you will need to look at multiple signage to get your answers, that is why this is such a hard difficulty folks! Please take your time to make sure you get this correct.
6-23-2020 Updated questions to find the coordinates due to the signs being replaced.
Cache is located at: 43.AB.CDE W91.CB.AFA
A= Third number of the year the roller gate was constructed
B= This was the _ scheduled for completion.
C= Barges can move (numeral word) ton(s) of cargo 647 miles per gallon of fuel. Missing word is C
D= What lock is 31 miles from this location? (Hint: Look along the lock in front of you)
E= Under hauling capacity, one rail car can haul _+_+_ tons (add the 3 together)
F= Number of people kneeling in the survey crew picture.
Ok, so now you have the answer you need, there are a couple of ways to get to the final location, closest route is by boat, or hiking across the dike but I don’t think you really want to do that. So, the shortest distance is to head south and cross over to Iowa and follow the river road north or you can go left out of the dam, head to LaCrosse cross the Mississippi and come south from La Crescent. Good Luck!