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Can you name the three largest cities in Michigan? Unless you live in the area, or work for GM, chances are you’ve never heard of the city of Warren (number three on the list behind Detroit and Grand Rapids). This arduous, multi-location, virtual and traditional cache takes you on a tour of the historic Village of Warren, Michigan. Depending upon your ability to navigate, this tour could result in a walk of up to three miles in length before you are done (or a lot of very short drives). You will need to pay close attention to directions to ensure success as you navigate through ten (yes TEN) virtual caches on your way to the final traditional cache of this series. Each of the ten virtual caches will provide you with one of the digits in the coordinates of the traditional cache at the end of your quest. You’ve been staked with the correct latitude and longitude in degrees, you’ll have to cipher out the rest. You will be instructed to collect one specific number off each of ten different historical plaques scattered throughout the village. The digits are identified and given an alphabetical designation. To find the last cache, just plug those ten digits into the table below and head off in search of your final location. Be careful, one wrong digit and you’ll be lost forever. _______[_A_][_B_][_C_][_D_][_E_] N 42___[___][___][___][___][___] _______[_F_][_G_][_H_][_I_][_J_] W 083__[___][___][___][___][___] Once you have all of the coordinates, you should be looking for a small Rubbermaid container. The original contents of the container are a variety of small items. NOTE: Many of the locations and historic plaques you will visit during the completion of this cache are on or near private property. Please be respectful of the current owners of these historic homes and businesses. All of the locations are near roads which can be EXTREMELY busy – especially during rush hours. Also, be warned that not all locations come supplied with convenient places to park. Please do not park in private driveways or on lawns. Just park farther away and check out the other historic homes along the way. Still interested in continuing? Ok, here goes… 1. Start at N-42° 31.658’ / W-083° 03.780’. Once you arrive, take a minute to look around. Many of the names you see here you will also see listed as the original owners of the sites to come. After you’re done with your self-guided tour, read the historic plaque and record the first digit of the number of nineteenth century inhabitants of this area as DIGIT A in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 2. 2. Found at N-42° 31.547’ / W-083° 02.829’. So many numbers to choose from on this plaque… try using the last digit from the year of the lightening strike as DIGIT B in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 3. 3. Found at N-42° 31.497’ / W-083° 02.754’. Hardly an auspicious place to start what would become such a large city! Who would have known? Use the last digit from the year of the East Addition was built to serve the volunteer fire department was added as DIGIT C in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 4. 4. Found at N-42° 31.576’ / W-083° 02.719’. All of that, and they still made house calls in those days! Use the first digit from the street address of this historic building as DIGIT D in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 5. 5. Found at N-42° 31.474’ / W-083° 02.263’. This certainly does not look much like a mill anymore. There used to be a rail loading and unloading facility where the parking lot is now, but alas, there’s not a big call for a farming cooperative in the middle of suburbia. Use the third digit of they year that John Rinke retired as president as DIGIT E in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 6. (By the way, you’re half way home and a lot more knowledgeable about the history of the old village of Warren!) 6. Found at N-42° 31.613’ / W-083° 02.832’. Yes, Virginia, this really used to be a Hotel! I certainly hope that it’s not haunted by some of the old “Wile West” sort of characters that used to travel these parts in the good old days. That certainly would not mix well with the current clientele. I suppose we could have used this as the final destination to complete the “dust to Dust” cycle, but that would be too easy now wouldn’t it? Use the last digit from the street address of this historic building as DIGIT F in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 7. 7. Found at N-42° 31.687’ / W-083° 02.863’. Hopefully you’ve arrived here in one piece (with any luck, you are not out here during rush hour traffic). Take a minute to smell the flowers then use the last digit from the year the community voted to incorporate as a village as DIGIT G in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 8 (watch out for speeding cars please). 8. Found at N-42° 31.799’ / W-083° 02.920’. Can you imagine what shape this place would be in today if they had not moved the building to its new location? I think the siding would have been sucked off long ago by the semis speeding down Mound! Use the second digit from the year the house was originally built as DIGIT H in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 9. 9. Found at N-42° 31.582’ / W-083° 02.958’. You certainly could buy a lot for $65 in those days. Of course, five years later, the price had already risen to $300! A tidy profit indeed. Use the last digit from the year that the land was originally purchased at auction as DIGIT I in the final destination table. Once you’ve accomplished that, head off to location 10. (One more to go) 10. Found at N-42° 31.576’ / W-083° 02.980’. What was the name of this cache again? Hmmm… I suppose this makes sense as the last virtual stop considering where we started. Use the last digit from the year the building was moved as DIGIT J in the final destination table. You now should have the coordinates for the final cache. Good luck! *********************************** PLEASE NOTE! AS OF 20 DECEMBER 2003, THE CACHE IS IN GREAT SHAPE AND BACK IN THE PROPER LOCATION. THANKS TO LOCAL VOLUNTEERS WHO HAVE RE-LANDSCAPED THE GENERAL AREA, MUCH OF THE GROUND COVER HAS DISAPPEARED. I WAITED AS LONG AS POSSIBLE TO RETURN THE CACHE TO ACTIVE STATUS TO ALLOW AT LEAST SOME OF THE AREA TO RETURN TO ITS NORMAL STATE. THANKS TO THE REMOVAL OF VIRTUALLY 100% OF THE UNDERBRUSH, THIS ONE WAS A LITTLE TOUGHER TO HIDE AND WILL BE A LITTLE HARDER TO LOCATE. BUT IT IS IN THE CORRECT LOCATION. ***********************************
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Erzrzore, qhfg lbh ner naq hagb qhfg lbh funyy erghea.
[Not a good enough clue? well here are some others...]
Vs lbh pna svaq gur pheerag erfvqrapr bs Hapyr Wbua Ohpxyrl, ur jbhyq gryy lbh gur pnpur vf bayl 53'4" njnl.
Rqvgu Naan YnPebvk, ubjrire, jbhyq gryy lbh gb ybbx 42' sebz ure cynpr. Ohg, fvapr fur vf fhpu n cevingr crefba, fur'q cersre lbh ybbx 37'6" sebz gur pybfrfg IREL qrnq gerr.