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Wallace & Gromit; Lost in Rock Bridge C1 LbNA #20555 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:May 5, 2005
Location:
City:Columbia
County:Boone
State:Missouri
Boxes:5
Planted by:Lnd-Crzr
Found by: HouseMouse
Last found:Sep 9, 2007
Status:FFFFFFFFFFr
Last edited:May 5, 2005
*** SERIES BEING PULLED AND RELOCATED AS OF 10/05/07 ***

Wallace and Gromit have lost their way in Rock Bridge! Work your way through each cluster of boxes to find clues to their location. If you make it all the way through, as The Godess (formerly Woodstock) and the Gardener did, e-mail me and I'll send you a little bonus. Enjoy!

Notice; These clues have recently been changed, but the actual boxes have not.

The entire series is located in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, just south of Columbia MO. The park alone is worthy of a day’s exploration. It contains over 15 miles of trails, a top notch Orienteering course, fantastic birding and some of the best Karst topography in Missouri, including Devil’e Ice Box cave. As such it is a busy place. PLEASE be discrete in your LB activities and prudent in your re-hideation. Remember, only you can prevent Improper Re-Hideation. All LBs should be re-hid so a casual passerby would not be able to see it. Please don’t leave a bit sticking out to make it easier on the next person. This results in boxes disappearing.

This is a series originally planted for the first Mid-MO LB Gathering in May of 2005. To solve the encryptions which hold each clusters starting point, you must watch the Wallace and Gromit movies. While I encourage you to watch them all, I HIGHLY recommend watching ‘Wallace and Gromit; A Close Shave’. Pay attention and you’ll find the clues you need.

To explain the abbreviations I’ve used, W&G of course means Wallace and Gromit. The LiRB refers to ‘Lost in Rock Bridge’. The C1, C2, C3 refer to clusters one, two and three. LB 1, LB 2 and so on refers to the box in that cluster. The starting point for each cluster is encrypted. After decoding the encryption, the starting point to each cluster will be revealed. Each cluster is progressive, that is the clue for box two starts at box one and the starting point for box three would be box two.

This clue is encrypted using a Key Word Shift Cipher. Remember this as I may use this code again. This is a fun code to break…assuming you have the code word. I will explain how it works here, but to solve it you must find the key word on your own. I’ll provide it in the form of a question later on.

A Key Word Shift Cipher uses, well a key word, such as Frank. The key word secretly hides the solution to breaking the cipher text. Each letter of ‘Frank’ represents a number. It does so by each letter representing the order in which it appears in the alphabet. In the context of this word, ‘F’ appears second, ‘R’ fifth, ‘A’ first and so on. By finding the order in which the letters appear in the alphabet, you find a series of numbers. In the this case, ‘Frank’ becomes 25143. Now that you have the number and the encrypted clue (cipher text) you’re able to decode the clue. Do this by placing the number sequence over the code. Subtract the number from the letter by counting letters backwards. For instance if the code is HWBRN you’d go back two letters from H to get F. W goes back five places to find R. B moves back one to A and so on and so forth. Write the numbers out above the code skipping all spaces, but keeping the sequence of the numbers. Tricky, eh? This type of code is referred to as ‘polyalphabetic’ because the same letter in the cipher text could be several different letters in the plain text, that is, when it is decoded. Being polyalphabetic makes an encryption extremely difficult to crack.

This Cluster is in one of my favorite places in Rock Bridge. Once you get to the orienteering control make sure you look around the woods. I think you’ll find them lovely.

W&G; LiRB C1 LB1
To solve the encryption which hides the starting point for this letterbox, answer this question. According to a large billboard near the wool shop, you should try Bob’s whats? Use a Key Word Shift Cipher and the answer to decrypt.

163 US TRDODUJHIH MEPH. QEUV HVCVTPCQE XTDJPKHBH VR ‘U’.

Go right to dead end. Try not to block either the drive or the trail. Find the wooden gate with a small sign to the right which says ‘No Horses Allowed’. Take the trail north to the first Y. Stay left. The trail will drop, then rise again in a short distance. As it levels look for a small trail which heads into the woods on the right. If the main trail turns quickly to the left and begins heading downhill, you’ve gone a bit to far. Very quickly you’ll find an orienteering control (two red and white posts). From the control, take the trail deeper into the woods (40°) 40 paces. To your left (downhill), 9 paces will be a large tree with a small opening at its base. You’ll find W&G; LiRB C1 LB1 here.

W&G; LiRB C1 LB2
From W&G; LiRB C1 LB1 take a bearing of 40° and go 21 paces to a large old Oak on your right and an old downed fence in front of you. Cross the fence and continue 15 paces through several downed trees. At the end of 15 paces you’ll be standing next to a large downed tree that appears to have been bent over at its base unlike most which appear to have just snapped. C1 LB2 is hidden in the base.

W&G; LiRB C1 LB3
From W&G; LiRB C1 LB2 go 15 paces on a bearing of 120°. Look for an medium sized downed log. C1 LB3 hides inside.

W&G; LiRB C1 LB4
Standing at C1 LB3 head 26 paces at 40° to a large snapped tree. Its jagged break faces you. Its base is to the right. Stand on the left side of the tree and take 1 pace. You’ll find an old limb growing out of a gap in the side of the trunk. C1 LB4 waits inside.

Again, please be discret in your LB and prudent in your Re-Hideation.


Please contact me after you've found the LB to tell me of your adventures and the boxes condition.

Thanks.

*Second Annual Mid-MO LB Gathering is fast approaching on May 6th. for more information contact me or take a peek at two articles on C2B2's blog.
http://midmoletterboxing.blogspot.com/