When my daughter first saw a picture of our State Capitol, she called it a "castle". So enjoy a tour of our state castle. This is not intended to be a comprehensive tour of the Capitol buidling; rather, it's just a few places I like where you'll have to gather some information. If you'd like a tour, I recommend the free tours offered by the Minnesota Historical Society. Please check the link in the preceding sentence to find out when the Capitol is open. It might be open later if the legislature is in session. I'd give yourself half an hour to an hour to complete this multicache. Geocaches are not allowed on the Capitol grounds, so the final cache container is not on the grounds. However, it is within walking distance.
FIRST QUESTION
Starting from the parking coordinates, head to the Q1 waypoint (the posted coordinates). On the way there, you'll pass the Minnesota Department of Transportation building followed by the State Office Building, both on your left. The offices of your state representative are in the SOB -- it is actually called that -- so you should stop and say hello! At Q1, you'll be at a statue of a former governor. If you're interested in learning a bit more about this governor, I recommend this cache in Minneapolis. Today, however, you'll need to take note of the year the sculpture was made, which is located on the right side of the statue as you face it. Let this number = A.
SECOND QUESTION
Next, head to the Q2 waypoint. You're standing at a statue of another former governor. Please read the inscription, and let B = the number of his friends who helped raise the monument.
Now you're ready to head inside! You might as well turn off your GPS to save battery life. Head up the big stairs into the Capitol building. After you enter, there will be an information room to your right if you would like information about the building or its history. However, for purposes of this puzzle, you should walk straight into the rotunda.
THIRD QUESTION
There are a series of display cases around the inside of the rotunda highlighting Minnesota battle flags. One Minnesota battle flag isn't in these display cases. The 1st Minnesota Infantry captured that flag from an injured lieutenant in Virginia's 28th Infantry at Gettysburg. The Minnesota Historical Society currently has possession of that flag. When the Virginia legislature passed resolutions demanding that Minnesota return that flag in 2000, then-Governor Jesse Ventura disagreed. "Why? I mean, we won," he said with typical Jesse bluntness. That flag has nothing to do with this puzzle; I just couldn't resist telling that story. For this puzzle, you'll want to find the display case with the heading "Restoring and Conserving the Flags." Take note of the year the flags were placed in the Capitol, and let that number equal C.
FOURTH QUESTION
For the fourth question, you will remain in the rotunda. Find the plaque commemorating "The First Colony of the United States." Let D equal the number of states shown on the map on the plaque.
FIFTH QUESTION
To answer the fifth question, you will want to leave the first floor and go down to the ground floor. You may have noticed the large portraits of former Minnesota governors scattered throughout the Capitol. Since I've already mentioned former Governor Jesse Ventura, please find his portrait. I suspect that the painter of this portrait has a more varied resume than most of the other painters: he is a longtime friend of Governor Ventura who is a bodybuilder, surfer, professional wrestler, and portrait painter. I remembering hearing this resume before seeing the portrait and assuming it wouldn't be much to look at, but I actually really like it. Let E equal the number of letters in the object Jesse is holding in his left hand.
SIXTH QUESTION
Stay on the ground floor and head to the north end of the building -- the end opposite of where you came in. You will see a stairwell heading downstairs at the end of a hall. Go down there, and you will find yourself in the rathskellar. This is a functional cafeteria designed by architect Cass Gilbert to resemble a German rathskellar - a 19th century restaurant located in the basement of town halls. The walls are painted with German slogans, most of which sing the praises of drinking alcohol. In 1917, the mottos were painted over because of anti-German sentiment created by World War I. They were restored in 1930, but because boozing it up was frowned upon at the time, they were changed for the boringer. For example, "Better be tipsy than feverish" became "Temperance is a virtue of men." In the 2013 Legacy bill, a provision was included to require beer and wine be sold in the rathskeller once again. It does get closer to the state's legacy, I suppose. Anyway, back to the puzzle. Find the slogan that starts with "Eßet und trinket..." This phrase translates to "Eat and drink what you have, and think what you choose." Let F equal the number of letters in the last word.
SEVENTH QUESTION
Head up three levels to the second floor. On this floor, you will find (in increasing order of importance) the State Senate to the west, Supreme Court to the east, and House of Representatives to the north. If the legislature is in session, you can ask a page to hand a note to your legislator, and they should come out and see you. Go to the balcony overlooking the rotunda. You will see several alcoves containing ten foot tall statues of some of Minnesota's war heroes. Let G equal the number of statues.
EIGHTH QUESTION
Normally I wouldn't suggest that anybody do this, but head toward the state senate. Go down the stairs in front of the senate to the first floor. Take two quick rights, head toward the portrait of Horace Austin, and down the hall to Room 130. This is the Governor's office, but don't worry! It's open to the public, at least most of the time. Head through the office into the reception room. The Governor's Reception Room is one of the more spectacular rooms you'll see in the whole state. Not too many rooms contain an original hand-carved mahogany table designed by Cass Gilbert. Let H equal the number of paintings of scenes from Minnesota history adorning the walls of the reception room. [NOTE: AFTER THE 2016 CAPITOL REMODELING, TWO OF THE PAINTINGS WERE NOT RETURNED. YOU CAN READ ABOUT THE CONTROVERSY HERE. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS PUZZLE, INCLUDE THE TWO BIG BLANK SPACES FOR PAINTINGS IN YOUR NUMBER.]
Alternate Information Source: It is possible that the Governor's Reception Room will be closed because of visiting dignitaries or high level budget negotiations. In case of this possibility, I will include an alternate source for this clue. I strongly recommend visiting the reception room, however! Anyway, H can also equal the number of letters in the last name of the person honored in the plaque on the wall to the left of the governor's office as you face it..
NINTH QUESTION
You will now be going back outside, so you probably want to turn your GPS back on. After you leave the governor's office, turn left, head out the doors and down the stairs. Cross Park Street and head to the Q9 waypoint. You're at a statue of a dude who was not originally from Minnesota. There is a description of something he found on the base of the statue. Whether or not he found it has proven somewhat controversial, and led to the introduction of a bill in the 2015 legislature to remove the word "discovered" from the statue. Let I equal the year which the statue (at least for now) states that he made this discovery.
FINAL LOCATION
Let J = (B/I)+(A-C)+((D+E+F+G)*H). The cache can be found at N 44° 57.(126+J) W 093° 06.(145+J).
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