Canal Plus Mystery Cache

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NHPride: Due to unresolved issues this cache page has been archived.

NHPride/Rich
Groundspeak volunteer reviewer

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Hidden : 5/15/2007
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This mystery multi-cache follows some of the legacy of John Bond Swasey, one of Meredith’s important historical figures, and gives a tip of the hat to late Meredith resident Bob Montana, creator of the Archie comic book characters.

Beyond its basic meaning in English, Canal Plus is also one of the leading TV stations in France. So it’s funny. To me.

The cache is set up as three sets of questions and answers. I’ve given you the coordinates for the first two questions. The answers to those questions will take you to the coordinates of the third and final question.

And what's more, each stage will also give you the clues necessary to solve another, related, bonus puzzle cache: Canal Plus Plus.

Answer your first question at the base coordinates of this cache (N 43° 39.413 W 071° 30.003).

After feeling the power of the water, turn your attention to the tall window with the arched top on the smallest building you can see. How many panes are in each portion of the window? Using the coordinates you just went to, subtract the number of panes in its lower portion from the last two digits of the latitude, and add the number in the upper portion to those of the longitude. This will get you to the stage one "container"—actually just a little item out in the open—which will give you:
  • the latitude of the final question; and
  • the first five-letter word needed for the bonus cache.
Requisite trivia courtesy of the Lakes Region Association:
In the beginning of the 19th century, a young man named John Bond Swasey purchased or inherited most of the land on which Meredith Village now sits. Swasey had inherited a 95-acre lot from his father Benjamin who had bought the land in 1777. The farm was located at what is now the core of Meredith. Across from his homestead on Main Street, Swasey owned the General Store, which supplied the many new settlers moving into Meredith Village. Swasey then undertook a project that was to have great significance for the town of Meredith, a project that marked the beginning of the development of the present Mill Falls Marketplace site. Starting from frontage on Lake Waukewan, Swasey built a rock-lined canal over 600 feet in length channeling the water under the Main Street Horse Path to where the land drops sharply to Lake Winnipesaukee. Water power was now concentrated into one fall of about 40 feet.
Your second question can be answered at:

N 43° 39.367 W 071° 30.022

Go to the plaque at the coordinates. How many instances are there of the letters M,G,S, and W (all one digit)? To find the cache, subtract MG from the last two digits of the latitude of this spot, and add SW to those of the longitude. Each letter is a digit (don’t multiply anything). This will get you to the stage two container—a magnetic one—which contains:
  • the longitude of the final question; and
  • the second five-letter word needed for the bonus cache.
Requisite trivia courtesy of Northern New England Real Estate Network:
According to Swasey family tradition, this stone was used to measure property boundaries since the town's earliest days. Deed records, however, indicate its significance lies more in designating the southwest corner of the "Swasey mill lot". As early as 1800, deeds show the "mill yard on the outlet of Measly Pond" (Waukewan), indicating the existence of mills there even before John Bond Swasey purchased them. It also marks the corner of the old "Corporation Square," where community band concerts took place. The current building at the corner of the mill lot across Dover Street was once the studio of Meredith's Bob Montana, creator of the famous Archie comics.
Once you have the latitude and longitude of the stage three question, head on over to the coordinates, and find the nearest plaque in a rock.

The final cache is located at

 N 43° 39.2*@ W 071° 30.2##

where:
  • *@ is the number of letters in the first two lines of the plaque; and
  • ## is the number of characters in the third line (not including commas, but including the dash).
The Waukewan Canal and the fall were probably completed by 1818. Now Swasey was able to build a number of profitable mills for sawing lumber, grinding flour, combing cotton flax, and weaving cloth. All these mills helped stock the shelves of the Swasey Store. Swasey's man-made waterfall was considered among the best mill drivers in the state. Swasey died in 1828 at the age of 46. He had carved out an industrial center that became the hub of Meredith. Town citizens today still credit him with nursing the village through its infancy and setting the town on the road to prosperity.
The cache is an ammo box with items for trade, as well as the final information needed for Canal Plus Plus. Please take just one card.

While it sounds long, I don't think this cache will take a great deal of your time.

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Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Stage 1:] Rayvtugravat. [Stage 2:] Pbearerq. [Stage 3:] Ubyrl.

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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