While in a book store near here I found a book on cryptology which I have needed to help me solve some puzzle caches. I decided my first cache should reflect my interest so this is a puzzle cache.
The coordinates listed are not for the cache but for the center of this shopping center were you can sit in sight of the store who’s name is the keyword you will need to solve the cipher.
Below you will find the decimal minutes part of the coordinates for the cache which are spelled out and encrypted using a poly alphabetic substitution cipher. If you have ever solved a crypto-quote in your newspaper you have worked on a simpler substitution cipher called a mono alphabetic cipher.
A poly alphabetic substitution cipher is the next level in security where the plain text letter is not necessarily represented by the same cipher letter in all places. You must have the key to decipher. The key you will need is actually the name of one of the stores in this area. Don’t worry; as soon as you see it you will know it. You can find the store name on location from the listed coordinates or at http://www.streetsofindianlake.com/directory.php. The cache is within 300 ft of the listed coordinates.
This is easier than it looks at first. The hints here and the lesson on this page is all you need to solve this simple cipher. Additionally, just to make sure you don’t waste time searching with the wrong coordinates you can check them with the link below.
The Vigenère Tableau
The following is the tableau used for the Vigenère ciphers.
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
A 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
B 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 A
C C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B
D D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C
E E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D
F F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E
G G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F
H H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G
I I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H
J J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I
K K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J
L L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K
M M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L
N N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M
O O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
P P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O
Q Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P
R R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q
S S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R
T T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S
U U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T
V V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U
W W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V
X X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
Y Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X
Z Z 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
An example of a Vigenère tableau using the keyword GEOCACHE with the unnecessary lines removed:
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
G G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F
E E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D
O O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G H I J K L M N
C C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B
A 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
C C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B
H H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D E F G
E E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z A B C D
The top row is the plain text alphabet. The first letter is encrypted from line one, then the next letter from line two and so on. Once you reach the bottom you start back at the top again. The leftmost column has the key; the top alphabet has the plaintext. So:
PT: One nine point seven six eight
KY: Geo cach egeoc acheg eoc acheg
CT: Urs pipl tumbv sgcit wwz eknlz
The CT is then grouped in fives so as not to give clues as to which number is represented because of its length as shown here (don’t let this confuse you):
Urspi pltum bvsgc itwwz eknlz
Reverse the process to decipher and add the obvious spaces between the words.
Your turn, here are your coordinates to the cache. Remember that you have to find the key first.
The coordinates are:
N 36° QNGUM PERVM PTGPK JTQUI HOWY
W 086° VHTLI HIXLT QIPAJ KVGMS WRHPZ G
Good luck and enjoy the area while you’re there.
Check Coordinates:
