The CODE WORD is on the side of the post at the final.
The geocache is not at the posted coordinates. This two-stage multicache requires driving five miles between stages. At the posted coordinates, you will gather information to get you to the final stage and the geocache.
It's hard to believe that there is a working payphone anywhere anymore. However, there is NO CELL COVERAGE here, and trains come by twice a day to drop off and pick up passengers, so this payphone serves an important function.
If someone asked you what color the ocean is, you would probably say it was blue, but the real answer can be more complicated. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument aboard JPSS satellites measures ocean color, sea surface temperature, and light reflectance. This can help us predict harmful algal blooms because algae reflects light differently than phytoplankton and sediment. This unique reflectance makes it easy for VIIRS to “see” harmful algal blooms in the ocean. VIIRS measures ocean color, including chlorophyll, and chlorophyll concentration can be used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass, which can indicate high biomass blooms. VIIRS helps water resource managers decide where to sample to verify the presence of harmful algae and is used in NOAA’s Harmful Algal Bloom Operational Forecast System to provide advance warning about potential blooms. Blooms of harmful algae can turn the water color red and can result in illness or death for humans or animals that come in contact with the water.
Green algae blooms can be faintly seen in one of South America’s largest lakes, Lake Maracaibo. In this image from the #NOAA20 satellite, the lake also connects to the Gulf of Venezuela by a strait, is thick with sediment deposits, which are shown as tan and milky green.
In 2007 algal blooms off the coast of California posed a serious threat to the local wildlife, killing birds, sea lions, and dolphins.
Algal blooms are not limited to the ocean and can be seen in freshwater lakes. This image, from October 2021, shows a common fall occurrence, an algal bloom in the Great Lakes.
Want to check your favorite body of water for algal blooms? You can view JPSS imagery on EOSDIS Worldview.
Standing at the first stage (posted coordinates,) you can see a grey building with the sign "U.P.R.R. Surf Beach Ped."
Use numbers on that sign to determine the final coordinates
The final is at:
N 34. 38.ABC
W 120 30.DEF
A = The one number that is not on the sign
B = The 1st number in the DOT line
C = The 4th number in the M.P. line
D = The 2nd number of the phone number
E = The most common number in the phone number
F = The last number of the phone number
A + B + C = 13
D + E + F = 21
You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.