We love Town Lake in Austin so much, we thought it was time to share a few of our favorite spots.
The new Austin Geocachers have missed the Austin Challenges originally created by Roxbob and Martha. This is an attempt to fill the void. The terrain rating of 5 is reserved for those caches that require special equipment or preparation. To us, that means some form of transportation other than a car or your feet. Two stages qualify for the 5 rating even if the special equipment is provided at both stages. Use the following key to figure out the last 5 digits of latitude and longitude coordinates for most of the stages:
A = 817, B = 44, C = 11, D = 484, E = 833, F = 16, G = 135, H = 777, I = 16, J = 904,
K = 46, L = 14, M = 44, N = 421, O = 642, P = 13, Q = 028, R = 17, S = 743, T = 15,
U = 43, V = 737, W = 15, X = 12, Y = 47, Z = 767
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Stage 1 (the Posted Coordinates):
This unusually popular Austin tourist attraction can be crowded as sunsets during the summer. We usually take out of town guests to enjoy the nightly event. Find the second sign from the left. Using the first and last letters from the scientific name of the attraction (use both words in order), complete the coordinates for the second stage:
N30 ___._____ W097 ___._____
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Stage 2:
Find the plaques on this monument. There is a seal on the left-hand plaque. Using the first four letters of the third major word, complete the coordinates for the third stage:
N30 ___._____ W097 ___._____
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Stage 3:
These coordinates will only get you near the front door to a very iconic Austin venue with great views of Lady Bird Lake. Turn around and look for parking signs with QR codes and other words saying:
"Text wxyx To abc-def-ghij" (where abc-def-ghij is a 10-digit phone number)
To find the fourth stage, add the three digits "afi" to the latitude and add the three digits "hde" to the longitude of the following coordinates:
N30 15.869 + 00.afi = N30 ___.____
W097 46.100 + 00.hde = W097 ___.____
To maintain the history of this old classic old Multicache, this is what stage 3 originally said:
"These coordinates will only get you to the front door. You’ll need to go to the top and look around. After enjoying the view, find the phone number of the telephone on the left. Throw out the area code, since everyone will have already guessed that part. To find the fourth stage, add the three digit exchange to the latitude and add the final four digits to the longitude of the following coordinates..."
Unfortunately, the telephone area on the 17th floor outside the ballroom is no longer there.
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Stage 4:
Here’s another chance to learn some local history. Find and read the Landmark plaque at these coordinates. To find the fifth and final stage, find the following letters from the text of the plaque, ignoring the title line:
- First line, third letter
- Second line, tenth letter
- Fourth line, thirteenth letter
- Fifth line, ninth letter
Using each letter, in order, complete the coordinates for the fifth and final stage:
N30 ___._____ W097 ___._____
Have fun and be careful. Do not attempt to hike to the final location, you will be trespassing!
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UPDATE 02/27/2003: Corrected coordinates for Stage 2 in the Key.
UPDATE 09/08/2003: Final cache has been replaced in a new location. You will need to recalculate the final location using the updated clue and letter key.
UPDATE 01/08/2023 by new CO: Stage 3 had to be re-done due to the missing phone, plus a lot of re-formatting of the description to make it look less cluttered.