It Takes a Village Multi-Cache
Hidden : 4/4/2009
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Congratulations to radiomom for the FTF!
Congratulations to de r, zeal2132, and fishynormal28 on their first multi-cache find!
Congratulations to crazyfox#8 and RAK2010 on their first multi-cache find!
Congratulations to dalexgray on their first-ever find!

Village Homes will mark its 35th anniversary in 2010. This innovative housing development has been the subject of numerous academic studies and surveys. In 1984, the sitting president of France, Francois Mitterrand, landed in a small helicopter on the large Village Homes playfield for a short tour and photo-op. The playfield is the centerpiece of your caching visit, as Village Homes now has another geocache! This multi-cache will take you on a short, rewarding stroll. It should be pleasant on most days, a Terrain 1.5 for the walking, but bringing water in the heat of summer is a good idea. The final and all stages but Stage 3 are wheelchair accessible, and the Stage 3 answer can be determined even when taking an alternate route to Stage 4 along paved paths. Stay on the path when retrieving the final! Parking coordinates are also provided. Have fun enjoying this unique area.

Start your mini-tour at the plaque at the posted coordinates.
Stage 1 (Plaque at N 32.930', W 46.935'): B is the # of letters in the last word of the line beginning with "designed." Now, head NE along the path to Stage 2.
Stage 2 (N 32.963', W 46.920') has three pieces of information to note. Count the # of retaining walls in the grass south of where you stand, in front of the building (note some of them wind around or zigzag, but count that as a single wall unless there is a break of several feet). A is the result after you subtract 5 from your count. T is the number of vertical posts supporting the pair of benches at this location (that's the total number for both benches). Finally, at this stage, if you look directly south, you will see a community gathering building. H is the number of pairs of double doors that face north, or towards you.
Stage 3 (N 32.976' W 46.907'): At this location, you leave the paved path to walk through the quaint vineyard. Update 10/23/2011: You will walk across many rows of vines, which you can count. There are more to the West than to the East. If two additional rows were planted to the West, how many rows or posts would be to the West? (Also, you could add two to the number of metal poles to the west.) The answer is V. You'll be able to double-check your count in a short while on the walk back to the Great Lawn. Just remember to add 2 to what is actually there.
Stage 4 (N 33.086', W 46.965'): Leaving the vineyard, you will walk another 80 feet before reaching a paved path. Bear right (north) on the path till you come to an information sign on your right at Stage 4. The sign tells the story of the cooperative household of Village Homes. Update 10/23/2011:If the display had one more photo, how many photos would be on the sign? The answer is W. Here's some extra info, from a previous clue. Clue from 10/31/2010-10/22/2011 (still works): There is a "street sign" 15 feet from this spot. W is the number of letters on one side of the sign (not counting spaces) minusthe number of spaces between words. Now return through the vineyard to rejoin the path and continue your clockwise walk.
Stage 5 (N 32.939', W 46.853'): Leave the path at Stage 5 for a quick detour. Notice the solar panels, a hallmark of Village Homes. The first house from the path has a house number whose first two digits form the number X. Continue to Stage 6.
Stage 6 (N 32.906', W 46.895'): Find the large wooden structure here. In how many directions do beams come out from the center point? In other (Davis-ish) words, how many "spokes" does this center hub have? Add one to your result and you have the value of F. Update 7/20/2024: F is now a freebie; it is 9.

Now for some math:
C = X - V - T
D = T - 1
E = X / H
G = X / 2 - W

The cache is located at N 38° 3A.BCD W 121° 4E.FGH. Stay on the path when retrieving the final!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

ernpunoyr sebz abegu fvqr bs cngu ernq gur hcqngrf pnershyyl; gunaxf sbe haqrefgnaqvat gung guvatf punatr

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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