Howdy! This is a virtual cross-country visit to Small Town America, a veritable desktop adventure. Of course, you will be required to make a road/field trip to find the physical cache.
This cache is not at the posted coordinates. I have always wanted to write those words, usually shying away from caches that begin in like manner, for more often than not they are the harbingers of tough puzzles that remain beyond the periphery of my time, patience and intellect. Heh.
This is my idea of a puzzle cache. I had fun assembling it. Hopefully you will enjoy vicarious celestial navigation. It does not involve ciphers, alpha-numerics, hidden code, algebra, albigensian physics, freemasonry or astigmatic pixels in heat. It does, however, require some online research, employing familiar tools. And there are a google of tools out there to assist with solving this Coordinate Puzzle (shown below).
The coordinates provided below are formatted for quick cut and paste into the gaggle of googles, or google of gaggles. Don't forget zoom, get up close and personal.
N 39* 38. A M E, W 077* 4 R. I C a
Detail -The Garrison Dam ( 47 30.169, -101 25.909 ) is an earth-fill embankment dam on the Missouri River in central North Dakota. At over two miles in length, it is the fifth-largest earthen dam in the world. Constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1947-1953, the reservoir impounded by the dam is Lake Sakakawea.
To solve for "A", zoom in, find and count the number of overflow containers (look like vertical storage tanks) Divide tanks by five (5).
Detail - Chincoteague, Virginia ( 37 56.041, -75 22.706 ) is a small sleepy resort near the south end of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is home to the annual Chincoteague Pony Swim and is the gateway to Assateague National Seashore, thus making it a poplar tourist destination.
About five (5) miles due west is the Wallops (Island) Flight Facility. Operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the sprawling site serves primarily as a rocket and balloon launch site that supports science and exploration missions for NASA and other federal agencies
To solve for "M,” - Find the triangular area where the three Wallops runways intersect. Therein you will find a four digit number. “M” results from subtracting the first digit from the third.
Detail- Bass Harbor, Maine, near Acadia National Park, ranks as one of the most lucrative lobster producing ports in the state. Bass Harbor shares Mount Desert Island with several other well-known Acadian towns – Bar Harbor & Seal Harbor. Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse lies at the mouth of the harbor ( 44 13.316, -68 20.233 ).
Lighthouses have always served as guidance for seafarers – away from deadly shoals and to safety of sheltered harbors. Prior to 1823, these lights were weak and ineffectual. That changed when French physicist and engineer Augustin-Jean Fresnel developed lighthouse lenses capable of being seen 20 to 30 miles at sea. Fresnel’s (pronounced Fray-nel) lens sizes (or orders) were based on focal length.
To solve for “E” - Do some research on Fresnel (source: Wikipedia). The size/order of lens used in the Bass Head Lighthouse was changed to a fourth (4) order in 1902. Find the original order and subtract five (5).
Detail - Avery Island ( 29 54.431, -91 54.409 ) is a salt dome located in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, not far from the Gulf of Mexico. As you research (zoom in on) this Island, be sure to read about the dome, the local history, the salt mine, the production of hot sauce, and the local love for exotic birds and plants. Interestingly, Mr. McIhenney (hot sauce pioneer) was born in Hagerstown, Md., home of the HAGS (Hagerstown Area Geocachers).
To solve for “R” - Take a close look at the lake (Willow Pond) nearest the given coordinates. How many narrow 'board-walk-looking' objects appear in the lake? They vary in length. These flat structures are exclusively for the leisure of waterfowl. Subtract three (3) from the total.
Detail - Fine vittles can be had in Bend, Oregon near the following coordinates ( 44 03.592, -121 17.554 ). Bend is one of a very few towns in the US to have a volcano within its corporate limits. Albeit an extinct one, Pilot Butte, a cinder cone, towers 500 feet over the town, and is visited by nearly a million motorized vehicles each year. Hikers too enjoy a series of trails that converge on the summit.
To solve for “I” – The Butte is less than half a mile east of the vittles. Have a real close-up look at it. Zoom, zoom! How many sidewalks with steps lead upward from the parking lot to the summit viewing area? Multiply that by three (3).
Detail - Foxville, Maryland ( 39 38.180, -77 29.821 ) is an unincorporated hamlet along scenic Route #77. If you blink in passing, you will miss Foxville. However, less than a half mile to the north/northeast, you will find Foxville Gardens. Have a close look.
To solve for “C” - Count the number buildings within the ‘circle.’ Divide that by two (2), then add two (2).
Detail - And lastly, what do Val Fitch (1980 Nobel Prize Physics), Dwight Griswold (governor 1940-46), Trevor Johnson (NFL, Kansas City Chiefs), Doc Middletown (outlaw, 1800’s) and Mari Sandoz (author) have in common? Do tell! All were born in Gordon, Nebraska. Gordon, population less than 1800, is primarily an agricultural region, although large areas are downright arid. However, considerable area has been rendered arable through the miracles of big-time modern irrigation. These areas are patchwork crop quilts - squares, rectangles, circles and swirls – that make for interesting overhead viewing.
To solve for “a” - Eighteen miles south/southwest of Gordon you will find such an area ( 42 33.201, -102 22.526 ), in this case, a cluster of green and yellow ‘pivot irrigation’ circles. Count the total number of circles in the larger cluster and subtract ten (10) for the final puzzle (a)plug-in. You may ignore the smaller cluster to the lower left.
Happy Celestial Navigation!
There is parking aplenty nearby; this cache is NOT available at night (dawn to dusk). The cache is a described as small but hosted by a regular sized vessel. Beware the Muggles. Please replace it exactly as found. I thank You & Other Cachers will as well.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.