GC24AC6 Nazca Lines: Ancient Marvels (Unknown Cache) in California, United States created by DarkZen

This cache has been archived.

DarkZen: The google Map images have been updated and the puzzle is no longer workable. Will revive the actual cache as a traditional. Archiving, thanks to all who visited!

DZ
[8D]

GC24AC6 ▼

A cache by DarkZen Message this owner

Hidden : 2/24/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

***NOTE: Cache is not at the posted coordinates. To find this cache you must first solve the puzzle below***
At this Ancient Marvel you are looking for a hanging 2-litre preform.

Having first discovered the "Stonehenge of Santa Cruz" near the UCSC campus, we scouted further and found spots resembling other ancient marvels, at least in OUR minds! We hope that you will search for all of the hides we planted here: a multi, a puzzle and some traditionals of varying sizes.

The Nazca Lines are a series of ancient geoglyphs located in the Nazca Desert of Peru. They have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The high, arid plateau stretches more than 80 kilometres (50 mi) between the towns of Nazca and Palpa on the Pampas de Jumana. Although some local geoglyphs resemble Paracas motifs, scholars believe the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca culture between 200 BCE and 700 CE. The hundreds of individual figures range in complexity from simple lines to stylized hummingbirds, spiders, monkeys, fish, sharks or orcas, llamas, and lizards.
The lines are shallow designs made in the ground by removing the ubiquitous reddish pebbles and uncovering the whitish ground beneath. Hundreds are simple lines or geometric shapes; more than seventy are designs of animal, bird, fish or human figures. The largest figures are over 200 metres (660 ft) across.

The Puzzle
Enter the posted coordinates into Google Maps and select the “satellite” view. Zoom in until you find Santa Cruz's own Nazca Letters. Assign each letter a numeric value (A=1, B=2, C=3, etc).
Combine (NOT add) the first and last letter's numerals to form a two digit number. Add that number to 984 to get the last three digits of the North coordinates.
Add the numeric value of the middle letter to 828 to arrive at the last three digits of the West coordinates. Solve for the following:
N36 58.???
W122 03.???
Check sum: N=24, W=18

To access these caches, you can park in the West Remote Parking Lot #127 on weekends and holidays for free or there are meters in Parking Lot #162~~bring your quarters!
We planned this series so that the caches are all within walking distance......we hope that you will enjoy your journey back in time to the Ancient Marvels of Santa Cruz!!