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MS Zoo Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

Rock Rabbit: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this listing, so I must regretfully archive it.

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Hidden : 12/29/2015
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Did you know that Microsoft created a lot of products that have an animal in their title?
"Microsoft Dangerous Creatures" and "Magic School Bus Explores the World of Animals". Remember?

Additionally, there are products that dedicated to only one kind of animal.
These could be names like: 
- "Roaches for Kitchen"
- "Skunks for Office"
- "Ants for Bedroom" (FYI, ants are animals, too. I was surprised to learn that.)
- "Visual RatPro"

Long time ago, Microsoft started celebrate and mark its achievements on the main campus (see here: Product-plaques

You're invited to make a stroll to this place -- WP1 (yes, it's the same as above) and find 5 animal names on the plaques. The found plaques will help you to find the final cache location.

There are a lot of them over there. Skip common names such as "Creatures" or "Animals". Find instead, for example, "Elephant" or "Wolf" or "Rats" -- you need to be specific. Some of the ones you are about to find are in the plural form.
Look for plaques that have only one name (title) in them; early plaques at the very beginning of the gallery contained many products -- skip these, too.
Here is an example of the plaque:

Sample plaque


You will use "Date shipped" from the found plaques to get your coordinates of the cache.

Find the following animals ranging by their average size.


  1. Smallest one. This one is tester's favorite pet. Yes, they are animals, too.
  2. Next in size: find Version 9.0 of it.
     

     The next 2 animals -- 3 and 4 -- are of approximate the same size.

  3. There is only one shipped. The country's most popular. Your geopup can find friends. 
  4. This is a sly and tricky. It hides its name adding some letters to it, and can be found in many places, different versions and names. Find version 5.0 of it. 
  5. This one the biggest and oldest. Find one shipped in 1993. 

Coordinates of the first point will be: N 47 38.ABC W 122 07.DEF, where:
A = 2 x (month shipped of 1)
B = last digit of the year shipped of 2
C = month shipped of 4
D = last digit of year shipped of 3
E = B
F = 2 + (month shipped of 5)

You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.

While enjoying the view and being greeted by inhabitants, count

A: a number of 4-legged animals and
B: a number of 2 legged animals that you see there.
Final coordinates: Deduct X from the decimal points to the MS point latitude, where
X= (A+5)^2 + 2*(2+B) - A*10 - A^2 -2*B
and add Y to decimal part of longitude, where Y = (B+10)*5 +30 - 5*B
This makes the final point at: N47 38.(ABC)-X    W122 07.(DEF)+Y
So, if ABC was 123 and X is 20, latitude becomes 123-20=103.
If you correctly geo-checked WP2 you should be able to find the correct final.

Stroll through the campus and find the NW- style cache. The best time to visit is spring and fall.

You can always park at Redmond TC. It will take you 5 minutes to get to WP1 and another 2 minutes to the cache location.

Note from CO.

The previous CO arranged with one of the animals living near WP2 to be a guardian of the cache . 
Sit on a bench in GZ location after finding the cache, enjoy the view, and he might come to you very close.
Last time I visited the place, he wanted to say something to me; his lips moved but I did not hear a sound.
Who knows, maybe this place will be called after him. 


Inside the cache you find small bags with something micro and hard. Take one
Bring it home, place in water for a couple of hours. It will become micro-soft. 
Note. It's not edible. Take care of it or pet it. 

Bring your own pen/pencil.
NOTE

6/13/2018. After the cache has gone again I added one more step and moved it to another location. Hopefully, it will stay longer.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Vg vf jurer gur frpbaq-fvmrq navzny jbhyq uvqr. i bs n qrnq gerr. Qba'g sbetrg gb gnxr ubzr n fznyy tvsg va n cynfgvp ont jvgu zber "navznyf".

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)