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Phileas Fogg Cache Mystery Cache

Hidden : 9/2/2001
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Phileas Fogg is the protagonist of the classic adventure novel "Around the World in Eighty Days". Phileas triumphs over every obstacle nature or man can put in his way - just like the geocacher! In this cache hunt you'll retrace his steps, or at least as far as the first three cities he visited, to gather clues leading to the cache. (If there is sufficient interest I'll follow-up with subsequent legs of the journey with visits to the other cities in the story and other caches.)

The cache is NOT at the coordinates posted above. Those are of the International Concourse at Hartsfield Airport. If you have lots of frequent flyer miles you can start your journey there. If not, do your travelling in the matrix - in other words on the Web. I've posted the coordinates in decimal form to facilitate use of the Advanced Search feature of Mapquest. Just click on "Maps", then on "Latitude / Longitude". At each location you will have to zoom in or out to narrow or broaden the search. For indepth research on the locations I recommend starting with Google Search

A) Travel to 51.508325 / -0.128853

Find the statue commemorating a great hero. (1) What is the date of his birth? and (2) What is the date of both his greatest professional success and his greatest personal setback? (1) MMDDYYYY ____________ (2) MMDDYYYY __________

B) Journey to 48.857615 / 2.294838

Climb the stairs up this famous structure. Count the steps to the first level. Some sources say a restaurant named after the author of ATWIED is at that level, others say you have to go to the second level to eat there. You're nowhere near the top yet. How tall, in meters, is this structure? (3) The number of steps ______ (4) Height ________

C) Finally go to 45.076755 / 7.685827

A controversial linen religious relic includes the anglicized version of this city in it's name. In what year was that relic first publicly displayed? (5) YYYY ______ An international winter sporting event will take place there in 2006. In what year was this event first held? (6) YYYY _____

The cache is at N AB° CD.EFG' / W HI° JK.LMN'

where:

  • A= second digit of the year in #5
  • B= fourth digit of the date in #1, minus 5
  • C= first digit of the date in #2
  • D= third digit of #6, times 2
  • E= third or fourth digit of the year in #5
  • F= last digit of 3 in #3, divided by two
  • G= last digit of the year in #6, divided by two
  • H= the last digit of the date in #1
  • I= the first digit of #4
  • J= the last digit of the date in #2, minus one
  • K= the second digit of the date in #6
  • L= the second digit of the date in #5, squared
  • M= the first digit of the year in #5
  • N= the second digit of #3

The cache is located in this general area: Trail Map. It is only about 250' off a trail.

Note: This cache location has been graciously approved by the Chicopee Woods Nature Preserve. As the Preserve has limited the number and the location of geocaches please do not place your own cache here without first contacting me for further details. Thanks.

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You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Arneyl nyy bs NGJVRQ'f puncgre urnqvatf fgneg jvgu gur fnzr gjb jbeqf. Xrrc gubfr va zvaq nf lbh ybbx sbe gur pnpur. Vs lbh'q yvxr fbzr ernffhenapr gung lbhe pnyphyngvbaf ner pbeerpg: Gur yngvghqr qvtvgf nqq hc gb 21, ybatvghqr gb 34. (Lbh pna hfr gung gb onpx vagb n ahzreny gung lbh'er abg fher bs.) Fvapr n ybg bs crbcyr unir gebhoyr jvgu gur frpbaq ybpngvba V'yy cebivqr gur HEY bs gur fvgr gung tnir zr fbzr bs gur snpgf V hfrq. Vg'f uggc://jjj.rubj.pbz/ubj_13429_ivfvg-rvssry-gbjre.ugzy R-znvy zr jvgu nal dhrfgvbaf: revx88Y-E@vtp.bet

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)