Flood watch: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?05463500 To find the
final cache, somebody in your group should be relatively skinny,
and at least 5 feet tall. I couldn’t pass up the final cache
location when I saw it. You should be able to do this cache either
day or night with no problem. Bring a calculator! A flashlight will
also help at the final location.
There is a $20 bill in the logbook as a reward for the first
finders. You don't need to leave anything to take that. Otherwise,
typical cache contents.
If you like puzzle caches, I have two more in Dubuque, a few
around Ames, and one in Ottumwa. Ames is a mecca for puzzle
caches.
The following clues will give you either numbers or words. Leave
the numbers alone, but convert each letter in each word to a digit
using the following chart. For each word, the resulting number will
have the same number of digits as the word has letters. For
example, MOO = 155.
Letter-to-number conversion:
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
8 3 6 2 1 4 5 4 9 2 7 4 1 0 5 3 6 0 0 0 8 5 2 7 0 1
1. 42°28.389’N 92°21.466’W
What is the misspelled word found at this location? {a}
Who created the misspelled word? {b}
How many life-size human faces are perpetually located at this
site? {c}
How many cats are perpetually located at this site? {d}
You may have to look around to find the answer to this clue. How
many rules does this area have? {e}
2. 42°28.900’N 92°21.885’W
This is on public land, as far as I know. Shown on a 1920's era
atlas of Waterloo, it may be the smallest park in town. You
don’t need to cross private property to get to this one, even
though you may be tempted to. This is not a trick question.
How many horizontal round metal bars are there? {f}
How many vertical wooden beams are there supporting these metal
bars? {g}
3. 42°28.802’N 92°21.177’W
These coordinates lead you to an establishment, the size and
location of which seem rather out-of-place. This is due in part to
its age. It’s also the smallest of its type I’ve ever
seen. I frequent this place every few weeks.
How many total panes are there in the two windows with many panes
on the east wall? Assume the panes are in the expected matrix,
since the painted decorations cover up most of them. {h}
How many streets does this establishment have frontage on? Count
the number of streets that border its lot on all sides. {j}
How many lights are attached to the wall on the north side of the
building? Do not count those on the diagonal. {q}
Sum of the numbers of lights attached to the walls on the north and
south sides of the building? Do not count the diagonal, east, or
west walls. {r}
4. 42°29.271’N 92°21.256’W
How many crenellations? (Note: A more accurate description would be
crenels or embrasures - Thanks Summitt Dweller!) There are no
crenellations in back, so you don't have to look there. {k}
What is the name of this place? Two words: {l} {m}
5. 42°29.548’N 92°21.235’W
Older townhouses like these are rare in Iowa but a lot more common
on the East coast.
How many connected duplexes are at this location? Count each set of
two as one duplex. {n}
What is the name of this place? Look up in the middle of the
complex. Two words: {o} {p}
Letter-to-number conversion:
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
8 3 6 2 1 4 5 4 9 2 7 4 1 0 5 3 6 0 0 0 8 5 2 7 0 1
Final cache coordinates are:
Latitude: 42°{x}’ where {x} = ( {a}*{c}*{e}*{g}*{q} ) / (
{100}*{d}*{f}*{h}*{j}*{r} )
Longitude: 92°{y}’ where {y} = ( {b}*{l}*{n}*({p}+{a}) ) / (
{k}*{m}*{o} )
When calculating the final coordinates, carry as many decimal
places as possible. You will need it, since the coordinates (in
minutes) have three decimal places already.
If possible, please replace the cache up high and on the yellow.
It helps to put the cache on top of your head and stand up. This
will make sense when you see the final location. ;-) If you can't
do that, don't worry about it, just hide it out of sight.
Final coordinates check: Sum of all 3 digits of the five digits
of {X} plus the five digits of {Y} is 37. Assume the form DD.DDD
and round to the nearest third digit after the decimal point if
there are more digits in your calculated value(s). EXAMPLE - these
are NOT the correct numbers, just an example: If {X} is 12.345 and
{Y} is 67.890, the sum would be 1+2+3+4+5+6+7+8+9+0 = 45.
Lastly, please note that if you want to do numerator of the
calculation for {Y} in one shot, you will need a calculator that is
capable of 13 digits. In order to avoid this and use a standard
calculator, you should be able to break up the calculations into
several fractions, and multiply the results together, to keep the
results small enough to be performed on a standard calculator.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.