I love bridges! I've always been interested in them. Maybe it started back when I was seven years old and heard about the moving of the London Bridge to Arizona, piece by piece...how cool is that! Or my fascination whenever I go over a really high bridge and see the great view from it. Or seeing some new innovation in bridge design or a good-looking bridge, be it in the daylight or at night.
This is the second in a series of caches about bridges. This set of bridges are lift bridges or similar. If you haven't already done so, please read through "THE SERIES EXPLAINED" section below and then work on this fun, informative, and easy puzzle.
HELPFUL HINT: When looking at the links, click right mouse button and open up links in either another tab or window. This way you'll still have the main cache page to view.
THE PUZZLE
The final coordinates for this puzzle are determined by finding the following answers.
Coordinates are: N43 AB.CDE W77 FG.HIJ.
NOTE: For most of the answers, the videos are not necessary, but for this set of bridges ya just gotta watch them and see how the various bridges operate! I've tried to choose short, time-lapse videos whenever possible, because, quite frankly, I have a short attention span. Ha.
A: Falkirk Wheel Boat Lift
Falkirk, Scotland: Connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal, for the first time since the 1930s. Learn about this rotating boat lift and see it in operation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHO9gARac-w
A is either the first (or second) digit in the number of locks that previously connected the two canals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkirk_Wheel
B: Botlek Vertical Lift Bridge (aka Botlekbrug)
Rotterdam, Netherlands: Bridge is designed to carry four traffic lanes, two hard shoulders, and a double-track railway line.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08AjY5Pp6e4
B is the first digit in the number of seconds it takes for the bridge to either lift or to lower.
https://www.waagnerbiro-bridgesystems.com/references/botlek-bridge
C: Flying Drawbridge Slauerhoffbrug
Leeuwarden, Netherlands: The bridge uses two arms to swing a section of road in and out of place within the road itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bxh3S5Ov5nE
C is the second digit of the total length of the bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slauerhoffbrug
D: Twin Sails Bridge
Poole, Dorset, England: Intended to operate alongside the existing Poole Bridge so that one bridge is always open for vehicular traffic; variable-message signs direct traffic to the open bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1Z0J8tJGFM
D is the first digit of the width, in feet, of the clear channel created when the bridge is fully opened.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_Sails_Bridge
E: Magere Brug (aka Skinny Bridge)
Amsterdam, Netherlands: Bicycle and pedestrian double drawbridge. This bridge is in the James Bond movie "Diamonds Are Forever".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QGOXNlvFSQ
E is the second digit of the year the bridge was demolished and replaced with a nine arched wooden bridge.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magere_Brug
F: Llangollen Canal Lift Bridge
Whitchurch, Shropshire, England: Hand-cranked lift bridge to allow boats to go through.
F is the second digit in the number of this bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F49XQPQ9g4E
G: Pont Jacques-Chaban-Delmas
Bordeaux, France: As of 2013, this is the longest vertical lift bridge in Europe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0VvThuzeaw
G is the first (or second) digit of the height of the bridge in meters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont_Jacques_Chaban-Delmas
H: Jack Knife Bridge
Tonawanda, NY: Railroad bridge was built as a lift bridge; the lifting portion was tested but never used.
Listen to the following video to find this answer for H. H is the second (and fourth) digit of the year the bridge was built.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ8RrvRWDHg
I: Gateshead Millenium Tilt Bridge
River Tyne, North East England: Pedestrian and cyclist tilt bridge; it is sometimes referred to as the Blinking Eye Bridge or the Winking Eye Bridge.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7nXXy1NhpM
I is the first digit in the coordinates of the bridge's location.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateshead_Millennium_Bridge
J: Rhyl Pont y Ddraig Cycle and Pedestrian Bridge
Rhyl, Wales: The bridge has a 148 ft. high mast. The bridge’s name, chosen through a schools competition, means “the dragon’s bridge."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOx_ZGLrgv4
To get the value of J, first find how many millions the bridge cost and then add those two digits together.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-24620433
BONUS BRIDGE
Not needed for the puzzle, but here's a "Bonus Bridge" video. At :39 seconds there's a second bridge opening on the right...so two bonus bridges!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDzixaw4SvA
Check your answers on Certitude, where you will also get useful and informative details about the final location.
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.
THE SERIES EXPLAINED
To share my interest in bridges I've created this series of 12 caches. For each cache you'll look up information for 10 bridges. The bridges are from around the world, and no bridges are repeated throughout the series. So 12 caches with 10 bridges...120 bridges for you to enjoy!
The caches will be released throughout the winter months, allowing you to spend some time sitting nice and cozy in your pajamas & bunny slippers, researching the answers and watching videos or viewing photographs about each bridge. And I even give you links to where you can find the answers! Once you've solved it though you'll need to take off the bunny slippers, bundle up and go find the cache.
I've tried to make the hides as winter accessible as possible for the location. Happy caching!