P.O. Box - Port Republic Mystery Cache

This cache is part of the P.O. Box series that was originally developed by cacher MDSurveyor; see the cache that started it all P.O. Box - Bel Air (GC1BF0T). With his kind permission I am continuing the series here in Southern MD.

The posted coordinates will take you to the Port Republic Post Office. The cache is NOT in, next to, around, or near the building. The cache is a short distance away (less than a quarter of a mile).

Using the Grid:Row:Column method (see details below), you will find the cache at:

N 38° 29.(G631:R3:C16) + (G631:R1:C1)'
W 076° 31.(G291:R3:C1)'

This is a simple puzzle once you learn how to get the needed numbers from a wall full of post office boxes applying the Grid:Row:Column method. (You can read MDSurveyor's original description in his GC1BF0T cache listing linked above.)

Grid:
When you enter the Port Republic Post Office you will find two walls with post office boxes. A normal group of boxes is about 5 feet tall by 2 feet wide and a wall may have from one group of boxes to many groups of boxes. The Grid refers to ALL of the groups of boxes on any particular wall. Each wall of boxes is considered a separate Grid and there is only one Grid per wall. The Grid number is determined by the number of the P.O. Box in the upper right-hand corner of the Grid.

A Grid has rows of boxes that run from left to right and columns that run from top to bottom. The P.O. Boxes at the bottom of the grid are usually bigger than the boxes at the top. The rows will normally lineup across the entire grid, but the columns will not. There will be more columns on the top of the Grid and less along the bottom of the Grid.

Row:
Starting at the upper left corner of the Grid and counting from top to bottom, the top Row is 1, the next Row down is 2, and so forth continuing on to the bottom of the Grid.

Column:
Counting from left to right, the leftmost box is Column 1, the next box from the left is Column 2, and continuing on to the right across the Grid. **Warning** Row 1 will probably have more Columns than Row 9; be sure to be counting across in the correct row. (That is why I gave you the Row number before the Column number.)

All that is left for you to do is to plug in the P.O. Box number that is at that particular spot on the Grid into the coordinates above! Before you wander off, you can check your answer at: P.O. Box - Port Republic Coordinate Check.

The P.O. Box lobby is open 24 hours 7 days a week.