Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #6: SNAFU? FUBAR! Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

fishiam: The jigsaw puzzle series had a nice run - time to open up the hide locations for other caches.

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Hidden : 2/21/2006
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

A cache celebrating those messed up caches of the world!

Two of my favorite acronyms are SNAFU and FUBAR. In fact they have really crossed over into regular word-dom such is their frequent usage. As I put out these jigsaw puzzle caches I have had reason to use both words. On the first jigsaw puzzle cache I did not anticipate the transfer limit that was reached with the server that housed the puzzle. As a result of that SNAFU several people were shut out of the FTF race. But that was nothing compared to what happened with the fifth jigsaw puzzle: that was a full blown FUBAR with three different versions of the puzzle posted with people having to assemble the puzzle three diferent times, misleading terrain ratings, etc. But I am not the only one lately to have encountered such difficulties: there have been a half dozen Snafu'ed and Fubar'ed posted caches the past month - caches posted and then retracted, coordinates great distances from the cache, caches placed on top of existing caches, and so on. So, for the sixth puzzle in this series I am honoring mine, those and all messed up caches!

The idea for this cache is that I have made four sets of coordinates. One set will lead you to a location where you will get the coordinates for the final. The three other sets lead you to a dead end. What you have to do is assemble the four puzzles and go try the coordinates. At three of the locations you will find a small magnetic tin informing you that that puzzle you solved was not the one with the coordinates for the final. At one of the locations you will find the coordinates for the final. The waypoints (three dead ends and one correct) are all at bus stops. You can bypass the puzzles by visiting and checking every bus stop in Seattle north of the Canal. Now that the FTF race is over , and to increase the fubarity of the caches, I will periodically move the tin with the correct coordinates among the various bus stops. This way hopefully more people will do all the puzzles and not ask earlier finders which puzzle to complete. The final is a large ammo can hidden in the woods, complete with poor satellite coverage. A challenging hide for those who like that kind of thing. If it's been raining I recommend boots. Inside the ammo can at the outset is the TUS FTF bell. Early finders will also encounter Travel Bugs and an unactivated Washington geocoin that I ask be left for the first non-TUS finder.

After some consideration I realized the natural choice for the puzzle pictures was the artwork of MC Escher. Some of his drawings show seriously snafu'ed and/or fubar'ed situations. I selected four that I like and you can use the linked images below to guide you in puzzle assembly.

The puzzles are (well .. they WERE) difficult. The Flash versions can be done within your browser regardless of operating system or type of browser as long as you have the Flash player installed. I have also posted downloadable executable Windows versions that some (most) people prefer to the Flash versions. Take solace in the fact that I could have made the puzzles MUCH more difficult than I did. The difficult versions have between 50 and 100 pieces. They are randomly rotated in the downloadable Windows version. I have now posted MUCH SIMPLER versions - these have between 25 and 50 pieces and all pieces are oriented correctly at the outset.

The difficult (Flash) version of Escher 1 is here.
The difficult (Flash) version of Escher 2 is here.
The difficult (Flash) version of Escher 3 is here.
The difficult (Flash) version of Escher 4 is here.

The easy (Flash) version of Escher 1 is here.
The easy (Flash) version of Escher 2 is here.
The easy (Flash) version of Escher 3 is here.
The easy (Flash) version of Escher 4 is here.


You can download the four difficult (Windows) puzzles here. (Please try this link first)
You can download the four difficult (Windows) puzzles here. (Please try this link second)

You can download the four easy (Windows) puzzles here. (Please try this link first)
You can download the four easy (Windows) puzzles here. (Please try this link second)

Checksums. For each puzzle when you have the coordinates add all the north and west digits together. Then add the digits together of the resulting number. Keep doing this until you get to one digit. This is what you should get for the four puzzles:

Escher 1: 1
Escher 2: 1
Escher 3: 8
Escher 4: 2

Most of all ... have fun!

Congrats to schulesjoe who has officially been inducted in the Tiresome Usual Suspects with their all out effort to FTF this cache (3 hours searching in the woods at night? Now THAT'S tiresome behavior!).

The complete list of jigsaw puzzles in this series:
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #1: City skyline
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #2: UW campus
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #3: Oncorhynchus nerka
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #4: Iris virginica
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #5: The Beatles
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #6: SNAFU? FUBAR!
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #7: Peace
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #8: the better the jelly the bigger the belly
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #9: A Transylvania Cache
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #10: Fractals
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #11: Puma concolor
Seattle Jigsaw Puzzle #12: Summer

And, just for fun:
Anchorage Jigsaw Puzzle #1: City Skyline

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Pnpur vf ba gur bgure fvqr bs gur fgernz sebz gur znva cngu, abg sne sebz gur ybt gung pebffrf gur fgernz. Qb abg qvfgheo nal sreaf!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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