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Happy Birthday! Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

niraD: The people I knew and worked with at the Lions Blind Center... er, I mean, at the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center... er, I mean, at Vista Center San Jose are no longer working there, and I can't get a response from the people who now work there. My maintenance plan is therefore no longer viable, so it's time to archive this puzzle cache.

Puzzle Solution

The cache was published on January 4, which is Louis Braille's birthday. Louis Braille invented the braille writing system, a tactile writing system used by blind people. The dots of a braille cell (a single braille symbol) are arranged like this:
1 4
2 5
3 6

Each number (group of digits) in the puzzle represents a braille symbol, and the numbers in the puzzle translate into English braille as follows:

6=[capital] 1345=[n] 0=[space]
145=[d] 1245=[g] 3456=[number] 14=[c/3] 1245=[g/7] 0=[space]
134=[m] 35=[in] 3456=[number] 1=[a/1] 24=[i/9] 46=[decimal] 15=[e/5] 14=[c/3] 14=[c/3] 0=[space]
6=[capital] 2456=[w] 0=[space]
145=[d] 1245=[g] 3456=[number] 1=[a/1] 12=[b/2] 1=[a/1] 0=[space]
134=[m] 35=[in] 3456=[number] 15=[e/5] 124=[f/6] 46=[decimal] 245=[j/0] 14=[c/3] 245=[j/0]

Thus, the puzzle translates into:
N dg#37 min#19.533 W dg#121 min#56.030

In English braille, numbers are represented by a number symbol, followed by one or more of the letters a through j, which thus represent the digits 1 through 0. And units are specified before the number symbol, so dg#cg is 37 degrees.

The final coordinates N 37° 19.533 W 121° 56.030 are at the base of the Turning Point sculpture in the parking lot at the Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Jose. Vista Center San Jose was formerly the Santa Clara Valley Blind Center, which was formerly the Lions Blind Center.

The container was originally a small-size beach safe camouflaged with gravel, placed under the corner of the Turning Point sculpture. After the landscaping was redone during parking lot renovations, that container was replaced by a small-size fake rock, painted to match the rocks at the base of the sculpture. After my last one of those containers deteriorated and broke, I replaced it with a micro-size hide-a-key fake rock. That container appears to have been lost during more recent parking lot renovations. I now live across the country, and as mentioned, my maintenance plan is no longer viable, so I am archiving this puzzle cache.

More
Hidden : 1/4/2007
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is not at the posted coordinates, but is within a 2-mile radius. Solve the puzzle to get the true coordinates.

Some people improve the lives of others in profound ways. This puzzle cache honors one such person.

6 1345 0 145 1245 3456 14 1245 0 134 35 3456 1 24 46 15 14 14 0 6 2456 0 145 1245 3456 1 12 1 0 134 35 3456 15 124 46 245 14 245

The container is now a camouflaged micro-cache. The camouflage is in plain sight, and can be accessed without disturbing the landscaping. When replacing the log sheet, roll it tightly, insert one end into the cap, and then slip the rolled log sheet into the container while replacing the cap.


You can validate your puzzle solution with certitude.

Geocachers of the Bay Area

Additional Hints ()

[Puzzle starting point:] Jubfr oveguqnl? [Puzzle hint:] Wblrhk Naavirefnver! [Puzzle spoiler:] Ernq zl Abgrf.

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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