I love math. I love the feel of numbers. I also like the way certain types of numbers behave under duress.
The coordinates listed have a relatively unique distinction as being a 15-digit palindrome. The coordinate numbers read the same backwards as they do forwards. Stage Two is also a 15-digit palindrome. The cache lies very near to Stage Two. Since the two coordinates are all about the numbers themselves, I thought I'd make getting to them as simple as elementary school math. How complicated YOU make it is your own responsibility.
The coordinates for stage two are only slightly encrypted: N29° 72.409, W090° 52.692
Note that numbers 2972409 and 9052692 (the unformated Lat/Lon numbers) do not form a palindrome. What's missing is the Key. Stage One of the cache has the Key.
Stage One:
Visit Stage One and retrieve the three digit number (Key) you will find prominantly displayed there. "There" as in right there on the neutral ground. (oops, was that a hint?) Now follow the decryption instructions carefully:
- Start with the Key
- Reverse the digits of the Key
- Multiply each number (the Key and it's Reverse) by 100
- Subtract the first product from Stage Two's North component (2972409)
- Subtract the second product from Stage Two's West component (9052692)
- Format each result to fit the standard Lat/Lon decimal minutes format.
Example 1:
- Suppose the Key is "123"
- Reverse the Key to get "321"
- Multiply both numbers by 100 to get 12300 and 32100
- Subtract 12300 from 2972409 to get 2960109
- Subtract 32100 from 9052692 to get 9040392
- Formatting the results gives you Stage Two: N29° 60.109 W090° 40.392
- And off you go to Stage Two!
Well, except for the fact that my example, using a Key of "123", failed to result in a 15-digit palindrome. Further, the North component isn't a valid Latitude coordinate. That's the key to knowing you've found the coordinates to Stage Two: Stage Two is a valid Lat/Lon 15-digit palindrome.
Example 2:
- Suppose the Key is "283"
- Reverse the Key to get "382"
- Multiply both numbers by 100 to get 28300 and 38200
- Subtract 28300 from 2972409 to get 2944109
- Subtract 382100 from 9052692 to get 9014492
- Formatting the results gives you Stage Two: N29° 44.109 W090° 14.492
- This time the coordinates do indeed form a 15-digit palindrome! Too bad this isn't a hydro-cache, however, as I did not place the cache in the middle of Lake Salvador.
Before you try the remaining 998 three-digit numbers, you should read my "Note For Wise Guys" below.
Stage Two:
Once you get the correct coordinates and you're standing at Stage Two, all you have to do is use your compass and a bit more math.
Standing at Stage Two, face a heading of the Key. Then walk just short of the half the Key's distance in feet to the cache.
Example 3:
If the key were "123", face a heading of 123°, walk a bit shy of 60 feet, and you'll be at the cache.
The Cache:
First finder's prize is the first of my signature items. A hand-made clay coin with a Bill's Bayou original carving on one side and a Bill's Bayou original photograph on the other. Keep it, trade it, give it away, just let me know what happens to it.
The cache is a micro ("All that math for a micro?"), has a log and a pencil nub. Replace the container as you find it (cap side down to avoid moisture) and reconceal to avoid muggles. The muggles across the street won't bother you. The muggles on the cache side of the street come and go as the day passes. Good Luck!
Oh, here's an open hint (it involves math, of course):
The height of the cache is half the Key in centimeters (because inches would be too simple)
Thanks:
Special thanks to GatorGirl's "Baby Steps" (I thought of you when I placed this), Mausdad's "Aspidistra" (because I thought this container up at that cache), and EraSeek for kicking me into gear on this, my first cache.
Notes:
A Note on Palindrome Coordinates: If you start with any pair of Lat/Lon degrees (say N29° / W90°) and plot every point in that degree square, only 360 of those points will be 15-digit palindromes. If you want a palindrome pair, where Latitude is its own palindrome and Longitude is its own palindrome, you're up to 3600 points within a degree square. 15-digit palindromes are roughly 1.5 miles apart in the New Orleans area and cut across the city on a diagonal. The diagonals, however, are 7.5 miles apart! There are three in Metairie and one in Jefferson near Ochsner. If you're looking for a 15-digit palindrome in Kenner, you're out of luck. There are none.
A Note For Wise Guys: I crunched the numbers already. If you think you are going to reverse engineer the coordinates for Stage Two, good luck. Using all 1000 three-digit numbers as Keys against the encrypted Stage Two coordinates results in 245 15-digit palindromes. Of these, only 210 qualify as coordinates. One of these palindromes is the coordinates to Stage One. Piping the list into my mapping software resulted in a search area that stretches from Lake Ponchartrain to the Gulf of Mexico and covers more than 3000 square miles. Happy Hunting!
 Kid Friendly  Cache In - Trash Out!  Night Cache  No Wheelchair Access  Bicycles permitted on paths  No restrooms available  Accessible in Winter
 No Mud!  Compass Suggested / Required  Beware of Muggles!  Bring a pen or pencil  Park n Grab |
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