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Word Cube (KPC2024) Mystery Cache

Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is not located at the given coordinates. Solve the puzzle below to determine the coordinates of the cache.

So, I was thinking what if I created a three-dimensional crossword puzzle, and that led me to wonder whether it would be possible to extend a 3x3 word square to a 3x3x3 word cube.

empty word cube

Now, in theory this should be much easier than a 2-D crossword puzzle because now there are three words intersecting every space. That also means I should be able to make the clues a little more ambiguous than usual. Also, the actual practice of trying to think in three dimensions just makes my brain get a little crazy. We'll see how it is for you. Have fun!

level one level two level three

Across
1-2-3.before
4-5-6.spoiled
7-8-9.past tense of its anagram
10-11-12.barnyard talk
13-14-15.one of Taylor's periods
16-17-18.Runaway singer
19-20-21.tennis division
22-23-24.CPR pros
25-26-27.labor camp prisoner
In
1-4-7.legal group
2-5-8.gun
3-6-9.poem that is sung
10-13-16.place for tulips
11-14-17.am, but for both of us
12-15-18.East Indian shrub
19-22-25.___ who?
20-23-26.linguistics suffix
21-24-27.for shame!
Down
1-10-19.workout focus
2-11-20.leave, if you are Scottish
3-12-21.kind of milk
4-13-22.drone
5-14-23.give 2-5-8 to
6-15-24.___ Boot
7-16-25.cutting tool
8-17-26.prop for a ball
9-18-27.Yellowstone resident

Cache coordinates are N 37 23 2 . 19 14 8 W 122 21 12 . 6 16 18


Special Notes about the 2024 Puzzle Challenge: To be considered for Fastest Solver points, you must verify your solution with Certitude. Finders will receive Top Finder points when submitting Found It logs to the cache page. All "point" scoring is arbitrary, subject to change, at the discretion of the cache owner, and probably completely meaningless (unless you just want to be announced sooner at the celebration party, which will probably happen on March 16th happen on March 15th, 2025). The real challenge is to see whether I can keep from getting so frustrated by submitting caches that I decide to quit! To maintain fairness, hints should not be offered by the cache owner or other solvers until the fifteenth of the month.

Special Notes about this month's puzzle: Park curfew is 10pm to 5am. Gates open at 8am and currently close at 9pm for the summer, but closing times change throughout the year. Check ebparks.org for current info. Parking is $5 per vehicle when the kiosk is attended (usually weekends during the summer). I parked at the given coordinates on a weekday when I hid the cache. I don't believe there is any poison oak at Ground Zero, but I did see some about twenty feet away. There are high grasses, so check yourself for ticks afterward. There are thistles along the trails. Sorry about the images, Geocaching.com restricts external images and apparently compresses the heck out of the ones I upload.


You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

First To Solve: ddlatham (15 minutes)
First To Log: ddlatham (100 minutes)
Named pre-hint solvers: 43
Pre-hint finds logged: 5
KPC2024 Solvers Scoreboard
KPC2024 Finders Scoreboard
Previous KPC Puzzle: Hail Caesar (KPC2024)
Next KPC Puzzle: Extra Mile (KPC2024)

KPC2024 Final Exam

Additional Hints ()

[Hint added June 15th.] Bapr lbh svyy va gur phor, hfr gur yrggref va gur ahzorerq obkrf gb svyy va gur pbbeqvangrf (37 naq 122 ner tvira).

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)

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