Zoned Oracular Distraction!
This is a puzzle cache. It is not at the listed coordinates. To obtain the cache coordinates, please solve the following puzzle.
This cache is part of the Project Atoz series. Click here for more information.
Zone 1: Taking Flight (Introduction)
Just as Atoz Distraction offered a diversion from Project Atoz, so this puzzle provides the same for Keeper of the Cache.
I recently had the high honor of completing Keeper, and can unequivocally state that it is one of the most jaw-dropping yet. The High Oracle of All Geocaching has created another masterpiece. Not to be missed!
In addition, one more tribute cache for gotwings and WindBeneath is definitely not too many.
Zone 2: Wings in the Wind Quiz
Test your knowledge of birds and wind. Before looking anything up, though, try to wing it and see how well you do - cast your fate to the wind!
1 - The term "doldrums" refers to:
A - Windy conditions experienced in low-lying valleys in which the valley walls prevent the wind from reaching higher areas above the valley
B - An area of central Australia which experiences virtually no wind at all
C - An equatorial band around the earth where air circulation often causes conditions with very little surface wind - the bane of mariners
D - A type of wind in which gusts exceed hurricane strength but with average wind speeds below that level. Named by famed meteorologist Paul Doldrums in 1898.
2 - In defiance of the term "birdbrain", crows have proven to be remarkably intelligent. Their intelligence is often equated to that of a child of the age of:
A - Seven years
B - Six months
C - Three years
D - Ten years
3 - The best definition of "solar wind" is:
A - A stream of particles released from the upper atmosphere of the sun
B - Wind blowing across areas of sun-drenched desert and beaches often sought by wind surfers and land sailors
C - A type of wind that appears to blow directly down on the earth, as if from the sun
D - A rare occurrence where greater wind speeds occur briefly during a total solar eclipse
4 - Which type of bird is referred to as an "honorary mammal" due to its many mammalian characteristics:
A - Rhode Island Red chickens
B - Parrots
C - Ostriches
D - Kiwis
5 - Which of the following is NOT a type of wind:
A - Santa Ana
B - Scrum
C - Mistral
D - Sirocco
6 - The Birdman of Alcatraz was:
A - An astronaut and the first person to hang glide across San Francisco Bay
B - A convicted murderer and famous ornithologist
C - Famous for jumping out of a high tower, falling 250 feet and surviving uninjured
D - The inspiration for the helicopter escape in the TV series "Prison Break"
7 - The speed and location of the highest wind speed ever recorded in the United States (and second highest on earth) are:
A - 290 mph in Death Valley, California
B - 199 mph in the plains west of Topeka, Kansas
C - 302 mph in Laramie, Wyoming
D - 231 mph on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire
8 - What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
A - African or European?
B - With prevailing winds or in a vacuum?
C - Of what gender and life stage?
D - It depends on the ambient humidity, doesn't it?
9 - What causes wind?
A - The tendency of air to move from constricted areas, such as valleys, to open areas, such as deserts and oceans
B - The differences between the gravitational pulls of (primarily) the sun and moon on various parts of the earth
C - The movement of air from areas of high pressure to low pressure
D - Changes in ground-level humidity - the more rapid the change, the faster the accompanying wind speed
10 - Some birds, such as cowbirds, lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species who are then tricked into raising the intruders. This behavior is known as:
A - Species Mockery
B - Avian Jesterism
C - Willard Scott Schemery
D - Brood Parasitism
Provide your 10 one-letter answers to this Checker and migrate on to Zone 3, wisely remembering that this location is NOT that of the cache, but the starting point for the field puzzle part of the solution.
Zone 3: A Monumental Task
The magnum opus of this puzzle, and perhaps even my geocaching career. A formidable challenger to the distractee itself, Keeper of the Cache.
Desirous of a commendatory monument worthy of gotwings and WindBeneath, I embarked on a task involving transporting, decorating and smuggling a 720-pound object into the target area and my subsequent disentanglement from the ensuing legal situation (thanks mainly to the foresight of wearing an orange construction vest).
Pay a (physical, not virtual) visit to the coordinates provided in Zone 2. The monument I placed to Wings and Wind is within 200 feet of this location.
Your field puzzle is to find it, keeping in mind that it is NOT inside any building (I didn't quite dare go that far!). Given the subject matter so far, you will have no doubt when you have found it. Then, advance to the next Zone.
Zone 4: Enumeration of the Inscribed
Consider all the letters on the object, including the attribution:
A = The number of N's
B = The number of B's
C = The number of D's plus the number of I's
D = The number of K's plus the number of S's
E = The number of T's times the number of W's
F = The number of G's plus then number of L's
G = The number of J's
H = The number of R's
The cache is at:
N 40 4A.BCD
W 111 4E.FGH
Zone 5: Ultimate Destination
Plot a trajectory and proceed as the crow flies, or if there's too much wind, just go on foot!
Thank you for your participation in this puzzle cache and I hope you enjoyed it!
Don't forget to make a note of the clue word on the cache log. You will need it to solve Project Atoz!