Survivors: An Astoria, Oregon Photo Puzzle Cache
THE CACHE IS NOT AT THE LISTED COORDINATES! To find the cache, you will need to solve the puzzle described below.
Walking the streets of Astoria is a bit like stepping back in time. The old-fashioned department stores and vintage architecture give a feeling of a different time. There are indeed many "survivors" to be found here. Solving this puzzle will introduce you to some of them and lead you to a survivor of another sort near the cache.
The listed coordinates are a good place to start (the intersection of Commercial and 12th Streets). Your goal will be to locate the six photo sites included below. When you find a site, use your GPS receiver to note the longitude (the west reading) of that location. Repeat this process for all six of the photo sites, writing down the longitude of each.
All six photos were taken on Commercial Street in downtown Astoria. They are all in a four-block stretch from 12th Street on the east to 8th Street on the west. You will need to walk both sides of the street to find them, so plan to walk down one side and back on the other. Most of the photos are on the south side, so it might work best to start on that side. One site can best be seen by looking across the street.
Once you have recorded all the longitude readings, sort them in order from east to west (in order from smallest reading to largest reading). This will also put the numbers to the right of each photo in the correct order to solve the puzzle and find the cache. To get the coordinates of the cache, plug your six numbers, in the order you have arranged them, into the Xs below:
N 46 11.XXX
W 123 48.XXX
It would be a fairly long walk from downtown to the cache site, but very doable if you have the time and energy. There are some beautiful neighborhoods and sites along the way.
Getting to the cache site will require a short but steep walk up a trail. The best trailhead is on Irving Avenue and about 28th Street. You can also hike down to the cache from the Astoria Column.
At the cache site, take a moment to appreciate the other "survivor" about 75 feet to the east.
Here, in a random order, are the photographs:
9
4
0
5
9
4
If you need some help, send me an email and I will be glad to assist. If you enjoyed this cache, please check out this list of Photo Caches.
Have fun!
Whatever your interests, you can surely find puzzle caches that are right down your alley!