NH_Moose

I'm way confused.... I thought Zach "died" in the hospital, he had his accident and was in the hospital through the 8th when he wrote Rupert, and said if he was reading the letter then he (Zach) had expired... "" If you're reading this, it means I'm dead.""" ""I am (or was, if you're reading this letter) the last living member of my crew..."" I demand an investigation, is Zach dead or alive :>))) Is he with Elvis ?? You posted his cash/cache on the 9th, so when did Zach ever have time to sleep in your truck !!! This must be a hoax, or worse an episode of "Joanie Loves Chachi", Tharagleb should walk backwards dropping dollar bills in Lake Placid !!! Did you harbor a fugitive with a gunshot wound all to increase your standing in the GC world... WE MUST KNOW..... BTW, only 15.7% of the above matters NHM

I think is was changed later than 1/1/05... I saved the text and the cipher to files on Jan 7th, 2005 and the word "offset" is not there..... Pity I did not look harder at the cache page, I do this via paper and pencil so I use my locally saved files and print them out to mark up.... I'll have to think about what "offset" means in this context vs. the "shifting eyes" in the first paragraph. BTW, NFA is there still a potential TB release, or is that off now there has been a FTF ?? NHM

BigWhiteTruck.... Are you going to update your tool to correct the issue you found ??? I'm interested in joining up with another team that wants to take a run for the money.... I have $100 bill stationary (oversized) so we don't need to split the money, we can multiply it IF and when we find the site !!!! I'm only 186 miles away as the crow flies , I can be there by breakfast ;>)))!!! NHM

Well, I had my wheels well off the tracks as the "square" I had built uses a "left shift for each row.... Tharagleb was able to point that out since the CODE_WORD that I used to decode his post was nowhere near the "correct" key-word..... Tonight I created a "right" shifted square and labelled each row A,B,C...comma starting at the top... This does align me with the FTF's square and so now I'll return to my research and see if that helps me find the keyword and/or pattern. Some how I'm not holding too much hope as it took some of these people months to achieve a solution !! Did anyone else build their square with a "left" shift, ??? Please someone ;>)))) BTW did anyone plant that homing beacon on NFA that we had discussed !!!!! NHM

I sent an e-mail report (11 AM EST) to the people that I know at Thales / Magellan NA advising that the website is down.

Thursday Aug 12th, anyone able to get in to Magellan or Thales ??? Maybe the evil OX has attacked their IT org !!!!

Here you go !!!! Magellan caches 2003… Treasure of Quinatucquet N 41° 33.249 W 72° 26.420 Treasure of St. Lazarus If you're using a Magellan Meridian GPS receiver, you could be in business in this city -- the water, electronics, or publishing business, that is. N 40° 0.678 W 86° 7.561 Treasure of the Moors Reminder: With the help of geocachers across the country, the caches in Magellan's GPS Treasure Hunt are placed in good faith on public property, not at a residence or on residential property. Please help us ensure the good name of geocaching by remaining on public property and alerting us if coordinates seem to be leading you to a private residence. Unfortunately, the Treasure of the Moors treasure chest seems to have been removed from the location where it was hidden in Connecticut. However, because we want everyone to enjoy the hunt and have an opportunity to win, we will be placing another treasure and announcing new coordinates within the next few days. Not Found **All Coordinates are in Deg° Min.Dec WGS-84 N 41° 16.324 W 72° 36.850 Treasure of the Valley A well known lookout during the Civil War and the War of 1812 lies on the south side of the Inner Harbor. N 39° 16.783 W 76° 36.550 Treasure of Mar Pacifico The rocks are red, the sand dunes are frozen, and even a waterfall can be seen in this conservative area. N 36° 8.616 W 115° 25.216 Treasure of the Islets of St. Paul Without the provision of a wealthy steel industrialist we wouldn't have a place to hide this treasure...or at least we wouldn't have its name. N 40° 25.789 W 79° 54.198 Treasure of Dreams Named after a river, the 17th state is thought to be the home of the Treasure of Dreams. N 41° 10.104 W 81° 32.961 Voyage Spoils Magellan's journal notes that he docked off the Atlantic Ocean in the southeastern United States and traveled inland to hide his Voyage Spoils. N 35° 21.916 W 80° 37.433 Wealth of Wonder Our research team believes that Magellan hid his Wealth of Wonder somewhere in a land that was later part of the greatest real estate deal in history. N 29° 55.425 W 90° 7.741 Secret Silver Treasure Magellan's Secret Silver Treasure is very mysterious N 38° 45.733 W 121° 8.700 Hidden Riches The writings on the worn pages of Magellan's journal seem to indicate a land nestled between mountains that is known for its rainbow-colored canyons. N 40° 54.733 W 111° 49.216 Grand Treasure The lab has matched a map with current geography to determine that the Grand Treasure is probably hidden in one of the states considered to be a border between the North and the South. N 36° 2.103 W 86° 29.381 Loot from Mactan Island Clues from Ferdinand Magellan's journal have led our researchers to yet another possible treasure location. The latest pages our researchers have restored have revealed entries Magellan made after encountering the Grand Canyon. N 33° 35.941 W 111° 48.334 Brazilian Treasure The new Pittsburgh area treasures are on their way, but we won't post the coordinates until after August 18, so that Pittsburgh area geocachers can enjoy the Western Pennsylvania Geocachers and Northeast Ohio Geocachers picnics on August 16. We'll post the two new caches in the coming weeks. In the meantime, have fun at your picnics! Thales Navigation apologizes for any inconvenience experienced as a result of an error in the coordinates posted for the "Brazilian Treasure" placed in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area in the Magellan GPS Treasure Hunt. We have taken great precautions to ensure the accuracy of the coordinates for all treasures. Regardless, errors can happen and we are working very hard to ensure problems are corrected as quickly as possible and do not recur, either for Pittsburgh area participants or for future participants at other treasure cache sites. The incorrect coordinates were removed as soon as we learned of the error and the correct coordinates will be posted soon. Additionally, we will be placing a second cache in the Pittsburgh area so that more of you can have a chance to participate and win. We want to thank those geocachers who helped draw our attention to the error and we appreciate the concern expressed by participants for those who were impacted by the incorrect coordinates. We have already contacted the property owner at the incorrect coordinates to make amends. They were understandably concerned by the arrival of strangers on their property but have been accepting and gracious. Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and assure you that we are working to correct the situation in the best possible way. N 40° 25.026 W 80° 10.160 St. Julian Treasure Yet another treasure seems to have surfaced. The lab team is working to interpret the following clues to determine the general location. N 39° 28.483 W 104° 55.366 Treasure of the Valley Without Peril Once a part of the Spanish empire, the territory where Magellan hid the Treasure of the Valley Without Peril is filled with forests, mountains, deserts and humid, coastal lowlands. N 29° 46.616 W 95° 26.266 San Lazaro’s Loot A reference to a southeastern land is repeated in Magellan’s manuscript. It may indicate that he hid yet another treasure. N 28° 50.120 W 81° 24.149 Portugal Plunder Magellan’s journal mentions yet another treasure that he carried with him on land after heading ashore off the Pacific Ocean. It has now been confirmed that this cache has been taken. The grand prize has been won and many second prizes were received prior to the caches disappearance. We apologize to everyone and hope you enjoyed the adventure. N 45° 32.700 W 122° 22.416 Treasure from Cebu Island Looking out for the common wealth of all people on Cebu Island, the chief of Cebu amassed a great deal of valuables, which he planned to distribute equally among all Cebu. However, because he liked Magellan so much, he also gave him some of the treasure. N 42° 31.166 W 71° 8.616 Spice Island Treasure The team of lab workers thinks there may nothing meaningful in the passages of text about this treasure so far. N 42° 21.833 W 83° 15.450 Treasure of the Lost Voyage There are writings about many lakes in the next section of Magellan’s journal. N 45° 1.066 W 93° 37.733 Trinidad Treasure During the weekend, we made tremendous progress that turned up an amazing find. Magellan seems to have written a poem about valuables he had amassed and his concern that certain crew members were plotting to seize it. N 26° 4.266 W 80° 17.899 Ferdinand’s Fortune Today, we’ve discovered journal entries about Magellan having an eerie experience while hiding a great treasure somewhere in the eastern United States. N 40° 0.100 W 75° 32.500 Chest of Great Treasures Our researchers have discovered that while traveling in the Gulf of Mexico, Magellan and his shipmates went ashore to rest and find food after an attempted mutiny. N 33° 18.516 W 97° 2.416 Tierra del Fuego Treasure Reminder: With the help of geocachers across the country, the caches in Magellan's GPS Treasure Hunt are placed in good faith on public property, not at a residence or on residential property. Please help us ensure the good name of geocaching by remaining on public property and alerting us if coordinates seem to be leading you to a private residence. Congratulations to the clever treasure seekers who’ve helped us recover much of Ferdinand Magellan’s hidden gold and jewels. Because our dear Ferdinand failed to recover dozens of other treasures due to his terrible fate, there is much more territory to explore. Our research team has uncovered clues in a poem the explorer penned and titled Tierra del Fuego, which means land of fire. He wrote it after seeing the night sky lit with fires burning in Native American camps after he had hidden a treasure. N 33° 59.666 W 84° 12.116 Treasure of Victoria’s Voyage On September 6, 1522, the Victoria arrived in Spain as the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe. It was the only ship to complete the historic voyage begun almost three years earlier by Magellan and his crew. N 37° 18.143 W 122° 7.942 Sunken Santiago Treasure History has it that Magellan sent the Santiago on a mission to look for a passage to the other side of the continent. Unfortunately, the Santiago wrecked in rough seas, but the crews from the other four ships were said to have salvaged much of the treasures aboard the sinking Santiago. Magellan is said to have taken these treasures with him while exploring inland territories of North America to keep them from being stolen off of the docked ships while they were away. The treasures became too much of a burden, especially after some of the men became ill and too weak to carry heavy loads. Found **All Coordinates are in Deg° Min.Dec WGS-84 N 41° 41.645 W 87° 51.945 Gold of Good Signs Restoration of Magellan's journal has proven worth while. A fifth treasure has been mentioned in the explorer's own handwriting. Researchers report that they've interpreted the first text on a page that describes the newest treasure. N 38° 22.849 W 90° 23.233 Treasure at Thieves Isle Reminder: With the help of geocachers across the country, the caches in Magellan's GPS Treasure Hunt are placed in good faith on public property, not at a residence or on residential property. Please help us ensure the good name of geocaching by remaining on public property and alerting us if coordinates seem to be leading you to a private residence. Several worn pages have turned up useless information. However, researchers believe that a riddle found in the journal may actually point to yet another treasure location. We'll keep you posted on developments as they continue to restore this section of his manuscript. N 47° 29.333 W 121° 43.433 Moroccan Treasure Please disregard the previously posted coordinates for this treasure. We apologize for any inconvenience to those of you who attempted to locate it. Below are the correct coordinates. We are pleased to announce that this treasure location has been confirmed, verified, double-checked and is indeed at these coordinates. N 33° 35.933 W -117° 41.533 Destiny's Door As a bonus to those who have been inconvenienced we are unveiling the coordinates of a second treasure as well. It rates three-and-a-half stars out of five. Happy Treasure Hunting - this one is hidden well. Found **All Coordinates are in Deg° Min.Dec WGS-84 N 33° 49.278 W 117° 45.780 Treasure Concepcion You're getting very close to uncovering the keys to a "mystery" of famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan: hidden "treasure." True treasure seekers know that treasures are to be shared with the world, so do not remove Magellan's treasure chest and all of its contents. Take the reward you seek - you may even want to leave behind a little something that lets those behind you know you were there. N 27° 38.519 W 82° 44.250 Cartegena's Revenge You're getting very close to uncovering the keys to a "mystery" of famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan: hidden "treasure." True treasure seekers know that treasures are to be shared with the world, so do not remove Magellan's treasure chest and all of its contents. Take the reward you seek - you may even want to leave behind a little something that lets those behind you know you were there. Here are the two coordinates I had in my GPS that night, I don't remember which one was the best. N40 35.920 x W73 30.490 N40 35.916 x W73 30.483 N 40° 35.550 W 73° 30.290

Ahhh the one in CT that was FOUND is a regular GC called Magellan 2003 Salmon River !!! http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...1b-172b1010c72d ( GCGWG4 ) The first one was never found during the contest.... I will look to see if I have all the data from last year on the others..... NH _Moose

Yes, yes I do... You can all go home and I'll tell you where it was next week :>)) I'm hoping that clue #2 lets me focus on an area, there are 4-6 spots within the beach area, but it may turn into a dash... NH_Moose

UPDATE, now THREE (3) new cases opened at the MDA !!!!

Several of the Magellan 2003 caches were found on 1 or 2 clues, LONG before the final numbers.... It was a badge of honor to score w/o the numbers !!! In the case of the 2nd CT cache, there were 4 finds within an hour, and several parties were in the Salmon River State forest the day before, because of the clues. I think in several other hunts there were 10-20 people within minutes when they had the numbers posted. I enjoy the hunt, even if I'm not physically there, it makes me think!

Any one in Penn available to go look at Williamsport, in Susquehanna State Park at the coordinates of 41.13.353N by 077.03.895W ?? I had fun last year guessing the far away caches !!!

Having interacted via e-mail with Magellan, one of largest problem from last year was that the caches were placed and located via (Degrees, Minutes and Seconds) and then coordinates were TRANSLATED into our standard i.e. Deg.Min.decmin! If you have tried this, can end up "off" on the location. I seem to remember that they might have done the math wrong once or twice as well. My other issue was it felt like a marketing firm person would fly in, look at a tourist map at the airport and drive to a spot!! At least that is how it felt !! I'm not speaking out-of-school as I discussed all these things last year in hopes that 2004 would be better. I'm hoping that they did research ahead of time for each area and then placed the cache. The clues are written by marketing, they can be quite witty and obtuse, but they are based on what the placer saw in the area. Hence the 2 "one way" signs from the Woburn park and ride ! NH_Moose

The original thread was " Magellan Contest ", I don't know how to make it a link There was a MA cache around the end of July (21st maybe) that was found with just the first few clues and there were 2 in CT, the first was lost-at-sea on Labor day weekend and a replacement was placed about a week later. The replacement CT cache I turned into a GC site called Magellan 2003 Salmon River. (GCGWG4) The original Magellan clues and FTF log are re-created there. Good hunting will !!!

I want to disagree on when the caches are hidden. They are hidden BEFORE the first clue to released, it may only be hours, but from e-mails last year it was clear that they "release" the box first... Looks like Penn, New Orleans, and NM for the first 3 cases !!! I'm for one am glad that Magellan is back !!! Let's hope the NE cache is not left in the middle of RT 128 !!! NH_Moose

A note of caution, here is what has been happening in France with the blackmail bombing threat... The police found one under a RR track.... *****Interior Ministry officials disclosed today that 11 days ago the police discovered and detonated one bomb, a relatively sophisticated 4.4-pound device made with ammonium nitrate. A detonator and timing system were set in a round white Tupperware-like container. ********* source NY Times dated 3/3/2004 Please take care of where you leave caches and to label them!!! I can see this coming back to hurt the GC community, if for no other reason then our use of tuppoerware!!! NH_Moose

...Coming Soon! GPS Hi- Tech Geo-Photo Hunt Contest We will be posting waypoints on RitzCamera.com from all over the country. Use your new GPS to find the waypoint, take a picture, send it in and you will be automatically entered in our contest. More details to follow....http://www.ritzcamera.com Does anyone have more info on this ?? I stumbled acrossed it while looking for a digital camera

So this contest was to close by Monday the 1st, just 5 days left, so will they post the remaining sites, or extend the contest???? My vote is for "sooner is better", hoping for one in upstate NY, LI just doesn't do it for me!!!

The gold is my first GPS, it has worked great, sometimes the operator needs some help !!! Ordered from Vanns.com, not issues, no problems. NH_Moose