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Homer's Favorite Spot Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

FailedApparatus: Fun puzzle but time to stop replacing the cache as it goes missing more often than it is found.

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Hidden : 9/25/2011
Difficulty:
3.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   other (other)

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Geocache Description:

THE POSTED COORDINATES ARE WRONG!
YOU MUST SOLVE THE PUZZLE BELOW
TO LEARN THE CORRECT LOCATION OF THE CACHE.


N 35° 04.??? W 080° 43.???



Homer's Favorite Spot


Now the longest-running American primetime, scripted television series, The Simpsons is a satirical parody of a working class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie. The animated sitcom was created by Matt Groening and began as animated shorts used in The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. The show has kept a core group of voice actors for most of its run. From Nelson Muntz (voiced by Nancy Cartwright) to Groundskeeper Willie (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) to Martin Prince (voiced by Russi Taylor) to Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (voiced by Hank Azaria) to Eddie the cop (voiced by Harry Shearer), the large array of characters have been voiced primarily by a limited group of actors.


The Simpson family as they first appeared in 'The Tracey Ullman Show'.


One of the show's most memorable hallmarks was its opening sequence. Most episodes open with the camera zooming through the show's title towards the town of Springfield. The camera then follows the members of the family on their way home. Upon entering their house, the Simpsons settle down on their couch to watch television. The opening was created by David Silverman, the first task he did when production began on the show. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro style piece. This piece has been noted by Elfman as the most popular of his career. One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that three of the segments change from episode to episode: Bart writes different things on the school chalkboard, Lisa plays different solos on her saxophone, and different gags accompany the family as they enter their living room to sit on the couch. On February 15, 2009, a new opening credit sequence was introduced to accompany the switch to HDTV. The sequence had all of the features of the original opening, but added numerous details and characters from Principal Skinner (the principal) to Homer Simpson (the every-man of Springfield) to Patty Bouvier (one of Marge's crabby sisters) to Barney Gumble (the Springfield town drunk) to Montgomery Burns (CEO of the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant).



The first sketch of Homer strangling Bart, drawn in 1988.


Running 23 seasons and counting (over 480 episodes!), The Simpsons was the Fox network's first television series to rank among a season's top 30 highest-rated shows. While later seasons would focus on Homer, Bart was the lead character in most of the first three seasons. In 1990, Bart quickly became one of the most popular characters on television in what was termed "Bartmania". He became the most prevalent Simpsons character on memorabilia, such as T-shirts. In the early 1990s, millions of T-shirts featuring Bart were sold; as many as one million were sold on some days. Believing Bart to be a bad role model, several American public schools banned T-shirts featuring Bart next to captions such as "I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?" and "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')"

The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series, including 27 Primetime Emmy Awards, 27 Annie Awards and a Peabody Award. Time magazine's December 31, 1999 issue named it the 20th century's best television series, and on January 14, 2000 the Simpson family was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Homer's exclamatory catchphrase "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English language, while The Simpsons has influenced many adult-oriented animated sitcoms.



Left to right: Homer as he appeared in "Good Night" (1987),
"Bathtime" (1989), and "Bart the Genius" (1990)


Homer and the rest of the family do not physically age and still appear just as they did at the end of the 1980s despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or birthdays. Although the family is dysfunctional, many episodes examine their relationships and bonds with each other and they are often shown to care about one another. From Grandpa Simpson (the Simpson patriarch) to Kirk Van Houten (Milhouse's father) to Krusty the clown (children's entertainer) to Professor John Frink (inventor and uber-nerd) to Lisa Simpson (the middle child), the show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities. The creators originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters or for fulfilling needed functions in the town. A number of them have gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes.



While the Simpson family lives in the fictional American town of Springfield, it is in an unknown and impossible-to-determine U.S. state. The show is intentionally evasive in regard to Springfield's location. The name "Springfield" is a common one in America and appears in 22 states. Springfield's geography, and that of its surroundings, contain coastlines, deserts, vast farmland, tall mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires. The town also has a large array of "far out" characters ranging from Kodos to Kang (aliens from the fictional planet Rigel VII that have appeared in at least one segment of all twenty-one Treehouse of Horror episodes) to Sideshow Raheem (one of Krusty's many sidekicks over the years).

Each Simpson family member has a great story that goes along with them but its the backstories and motivations of the secondary and tertiary characters that have kept the show fresh and fun over the years. From Chief Wiggum (the incompetent police chief) to Leon Kompowski (who believed he was Michael Jackson) to Kent Brockman ($130 million lottery winner) to Blinky (the three-eyed mutant toxic fish) to Waylon Smithers. These stories played out like a rollercoaster ride of shock, awe and entertainment.


In 2000, Homer, along with the rest of the Simpson family, was
awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Some of the best episodes revolved around some of the more colorful characters in Springfield. From McBain (the cliche super hero) to Lenny Leonard to Otto Mann to Radioactive Man to Mayor Quimby, you never know what was in store each week or what oddity may surface. Many episodes of The Simpsons feature celebrity guests contributing their voices to the show, either as themselves or as fictional characters. The show currently holds the Guinness World Record for Most Guest Stars Featured in a TV Series.

The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. "Treehouse of Horror" first broadcast in 1990 as part of season two and established the pattern of three separate, self-contained stories in each Halloween episode. These pieces usually involve the family in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres. They always take place outside the normal continuity of the show.

Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, a puzzle. Solve for the coordinates to locate the cache near a probable favorite spot of Homer.

*Source: Wikipedia (license)
Greater Charlotte Geocaching Club

Congrats to HB31 on being the FTF


While a wheelchair can access GZ, the cache container might require a minor retrieval tool for someone with a short reach.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Zzzzzzz, Qbahgf. [Puzzle Hint:] Nyy gur arrqrq vasb gb fbyir gur pnpur vf urer ba guvf pnpur cntr. Ab arrq gb ivfvg Jvxvcrqvn nygubhtu lbh qb jnag gb or snzvyvne jvgu jub gur punenpgref bs gur fubj ner. - [Extra Puzzle Hint:] .jrs gpryrf n uthbeug syrfehbl rqvht bg lnj n qavs qyhbp qan rerj lrug buj jrax lyab hbl sV .fergpnenup sb gfnp rteny n fv rehf gnuG [Hide Hint:] .frfarf ergub ehbl rfH

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)