Do you need a break from those tricky puzzle caches, where the first puzzle is figuring out what the puzzle is? Here’s a puzzle that tells you exactly what you need to do.
Instructions:
- Fill in the missing word in each Tom Swifty below.
- If you’re not fluent in geocaching jargon (or even if you are), these links may help:
Glossary of Terms, GeoLex
- The first letter of each answer should form a two word phrase which fits into this sentence:
“What did I leave? I left a Venus de Milo travel bug,” Tom ________ ________.
- Count the letters in each missing word, e.g., if the missing word in sentence X is swiftly, then X = 7.
- Plug the resulting numbers into the formulas below to get the coordinates of the cache.
Tom Swifties:
| A. |
“Oops, I see that I wrote my name on the log twice,” Tom admitted ________. |
| B. |
“My list of found geocaches has lots of meetups in it,” Tom intoned ________. |
| C. |
“Why is this called an Unknown cache?” Tom ________. |
| D. |
“As a basic member, I can’t define Bookmarks,” said Tom ________. |
| E. |
“I can’t open this cache; it got wet and now it’s frozen shut,” growled Tom ________. |
| F. |
“I proposed by hiding a ring and giving her the coordinates,” said Tom ________. |
| G. |
“Should we follow dat track or de udder one,” Tom asked, looking up ________ from his GPS. |
| H. |
“I made it over the creek without getting a single drop on me,” Tom stated ________. |
| I. |
“There was a campsite at GZ, but I snuck in and found the cache,” Tom boasted ________. |
| J. |
“The trade items in my caches are better than that stuff we all get,” Tom ________. |
| K. |
“This micro cache container weighs around 28 grams,” Tom ________. |
| L. |
“I wish I’d been more careful about the PI around GZ,” said Tom ________. |
| M. |
“Thanks for the cache, monsieur,” said Tom ________. |
| N. |
“I have an unobstructed view of the cache,” observed Tom ________. |
| O. |
“I can’t figure out the coordinates; it just doesn’t add up,” said Tom, ________. |
| P. |
“I found it with my Geo-buddies Greg and Gary,” said Tom ________. |
| Q. |
“I won’t go caching today, since I twisted my ankle,” complained Tom ________. |
| R. |
“I use lots of detergent at Christmas time,” Tom said with ________ spirit. |
Coordinates:
| North |
42° |
F (C − O) × (L ÷ Q + I × G) × (C × H × L + J ÷ K) + E |
|
| West |
71° |
(N × P + B + J) × (G × H + R) ÷ (A × D × M) |
“(If you’re having trouble with the math, remember Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally),”
stated Tom parenthetically.
You can check your solution for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
“It’s a nano, so BYOP,” Tom said pointedly. “And watch out for muggles,” he added stealthily.