0 is a number that goes by many names; zero, nought, naught, null, nil, zilch, zip, ought, aught and cipher. While the association between 0 and cipher has faded over the past few centuries, it still pops up every once in a while.
This is one of my favorite poems that appeared in a book by John Barrow called The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids and the latest ideas about the origins of the universe.
U 0 a 0, but I 0 thee
O 0 no 0, but O 0 me
O let not my 0 a mere 0 go
but 0 my 0 I 0 thee so
which translates to
You sigh for a cipher, but I sigh for thee
O sigh for no cipher, but O sigh for me
O let not my sigh for a mere cipher go,
but sigh for my sigh for I sigh for thee so.
This is the first in a series of puzzle caches that will explore different ciphers. This first cipher, the toyota cipher is a simplified version of an original cipher I devised as an undergraduate. I hope you enjoy. The cache is hidden at
411338955210
421413320134
432334955251
133747740152
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
9/12/11 Added hint
5/14/2012. I needed to move the cache slightly to a better location due to a change in the terrain. From the solved coordinates go 117 ft at a bearing of 11 degrees. You don't have to take more than two steps from the trail to reach the cache.