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Dalmatians and Dachshunds Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

charliewhiskey: The new version is up and running, so it's time for this one to go. See my Feb. 25 note for info on how to apply an offset to this solution to get to the new version, if you don't want to resolve the puzzle.

Thank you to all who visited, and for the Favorite points!

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Hidden : 2/11/2009
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The cache isn't at the posted coordinates. I'm hoping you can help me solve a puzzle that's been passed down in our family for several generations.

My Great-great-great-grandfather Bartholomew had a friend named Samuel whom he'd met when they both attended Yale College. Samuel was a painter by trade, and a pretty good one by all accounts. He was often commissioned to do portraits, including those of President James Monroe and President John Adams.

One day on a sea voyage returning from Europe, he struck up an acquaintance with a man who was working on an invention. Samuel was quite captivated by this new innovation and eventually improved the design. Other people were developing something similar, but what Samuel and his friends came up with was so much better that it became the industry standard for businesses and the US and European governments.

But copycats and lawsuits followed and so disillusioned Samuel that he came out to Portland to visit his old friend, Bartholomew. He spent many days wandering the local hills and woodlands, and after awhile returned east, refreshed. But not before leaving with Bartholomew a thin notebook filled with dog illustrations.

Bartholomew thought little of the notebook until Samuel died and people started asking him if he knew anything about an alleged missing fortune belonging to Samuel. Bartholomew, and many others since, have studied the notebook in search of a clue, but all it contains are a series of illustrations of dalmatians and dachshunds. No other dogs - just those two breeds. We suspect it may be some kind of code, but it's stumped us all.

I've attached copies of the notebook pages below. Can you help us solve Samuel's code and find his missing treasure?

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com. After verifying your solution on geochecker, add .830 to the north coordinate and subtract .240 from the west to get to the new final location.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Puzzle 1]: Fnzhry pubfr gubfr gjb oerrqf sbe fcrpvsvp ernfbaf. [Puzzle 2]: Cnegf bs gur fgbel ner gehr. Gel Tbb-thyy. [Cache]: pbeare, haqre ohfu

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)