GC5K6ZM Transform Yourself, Fort Collins #7
Type: Mystery | Size: Small | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Denali41 @ | Hide Date: 01/13/2015 | Status: Disabled
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N40° 34.355 W105° 04.675 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
   

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CONGRATULATIONS TO Barasaur FOR THE FTF!!

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THIS IS A PUZZLE CACHE. IT IS NOT LOCATED AT THE LISTED COORDINATES. Do not go there. Instead, read details about the cache below, have fun discovering the locations of the transformer cabinets, and then calculate the coordinates for the physical cache.

Fort Collins’ residents and visitors are blessed with a diverse array of interesting art forms viewable from public vantages. Each has been created by a local artist. This puzzle is one in a continuing series that requires locating specific art works or related structures (such as publicly-displayed clocks, unique buildings or conspicuous features, transformer cabinets) that are shown in photographs. Each is within the city limits of Fort Collins. Once found, simple arithmetic or other manipulations of the object’s coordinates need to be made in order to calculate the actual location of the cache. Others of my puzzle caches of this genre include:

GC40N9R What Time Ya Got, Fort Collins?
GC3F8DW Ride a Painted Pony
GC20VW5 Disneyland.... Here?
GC4VJZ3, etc. Where ART Thou, Fort Collins? [Series]
GC5JJZE, etc. Transform Yourself, Fort Collins [Series]

Ten pieces of  art on electric transformer cabinets  in Fort Collins are featured as images through photo hot links on this cache page. Each is assigned a unique letter. To calculate the cache coordinates you will need to find the locations of all 10 of these transformers. Finding certain transformer cabinets might be challenging, but by pursuing them you will probably learn more about The Choice City and its amenities. Enjoy your hunt!

After you have discovered the location of each transformer determine it’s Latitude. Then use the .X00 (tenth) digit position of the Latitude’s decimal minutes in the simple equations below to calculate the coordinates of the physical cache container and its geocaching treasure: its log sheet! For example, if the Latitude of the cabinet  is N 40° 32.671, the number to use is “6". Do NOT round up unless specifically instructed to do so for a particular photograph.

A = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
B = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
C*= ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit 
D = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
E = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
F*= ____________________________Place         ______Latitude Digit
G = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
H = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
J =  ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit
K = ____________________________Place        ______Latitude Digit

P=K+F-3

Q=B-C

R=J-H

S=K-D-1

W=A+D-1

X=C-D-1
 
Y=G+A+1

Z=E+F+C-1

The coordinates for the cache are:

N 40° 3P.QRS

W 105° 0W.XYZ

[*A NOTE ON TRANSFORMERS “C” AND “F”. THE TENTH DIGIT POSITION OF THEIR LATITUDES IS CLOSE TO A CHANGE FROM ONE DIGIT TO ANOTHER. IN BOTH CASES,  USE THE HIGHER OF THE TWO POSSIBLE DIGITS!]

Enjoy learning more about The Choice City as you seek out the locations of the 10 transformer cabinets needed to solve this puzzle. It’s a darned nice city, and this cache should enhance your familiarity with certain of its special dimensions. 

This is a challenging hide that might take a lot of searching to find. The cache is indeed wheel-chair accessible. Once you've found it and signed the cache log, replace it very carefully. And please don't give others any hints. This is the FINAL of my seven caches in this transformer series, and I want this finale to be particularly challenging and memorable to finders.

I extend my appreciation to DES, whose caches in the “Where Are You...” series inspired this puzzle cache.

Additional Waypoints

04/01/2019 By Denali41
This is crazy! I went caching in Loveland this morning for some caching and after finishing up with Park Place drove north on Timberline so I could make a detour to see if the construction had ended and this if cache was available again. It was! Before I had time to enable the cache, both BriaTeragram and Dud&Plato had logged their finds, further attesting to the cache's availability. Quite a coincidence of timing! Yes, this is all set to be found again!

03/31/2019 By BriaTeragram
This cache was slightly out of the way, but near enough that we decided to make the stop to see if the area was open. It was great to confirm that our coordinates came out correctly for this cache. We poked around GZ, but the light had gone for the day. We were about to head out when Dud&Plato decided to check one more spot. When he said he found it, I didn't believe him at first since he likes to joke around a bit. Turns out he did find it. I'm really enjoying working through this series. Puzzles are my jam. It feels great to knock another one of the puzzles I've solved off the list by actually getting out to the location. TFTC|SL

03/31/2019 By Dud&Plato
Sometimes, people just get a bit... motivated. Sometimes they want to look at art and transformers so much, they work on puzzles that may not be available even... OR ARE THEY? :o Worked through a couple in the transformer series, and as each one gets melted away, it leaves fewer possibilities. The reward for solving some of the others is fewer pieces of the puzzle! Read a few of the previous logs, and had a guess as to what was going on. Turns out, stopped by on a whim to see if construction was over... and it was! The area was wide open, not fenced off... and let's just see if there happens to be a geocache there.... A bit longer search than I care to admit, but it's really tucked in well! As in... right where it should be. No problems once so ever with the puzzle, cache, or final location I'm happy to report! This cache awaits new finders! This series really is so amazing, and it was a big grin time again finding and signing this one!! As I've mentioned in other logs, I'll mention here again - people should really start working on these. It's so rewarding to see so much local art and end up with a well-earned smile in the end. Thanks for another great one Steve!

01/08/2019 By Denali41
I've reviewed the recent note from Heartland Reviewer and am providing an update here. The cache remains in a temporarily-fenced area being used for construction materials lay-down. Construction is scheduled to end within the next couple of months, when the off-limits area will be reopened. I periodically check the location because I drive near it several times each week. I can see the cache location, about 10-feet from the perimeter fence. It's in a completely undisturbed spot, and I expect it will be in excellent condition when the temporary fence is removed. In a sense, this is akin to a "seasonal closure" of an area but in this case it is in a location that's been temporarily closed for another use. I will enable the cache again as soon as the fencing has been removed, after I check on the container at that time.

01/08/2019 By Heartland Cacher
Greetings I'm Heartland Cacher, one of the volunteer reviewers for caches submitted to Geocaching.com.

We are doing a check of caches that have been disabled for an extended period. Please maintain this cache and post an appropriate note to the cache page.

As stated in the cache listing guidelines https://www.geocaching.com/play/guidelines#listingmaintenance Disable a cache page when the cache is not available or you need time to fix reported problems. A cache page can stay disabled for a reasonable amount of time - generally up to four weeks.

PLEASE NOTE:
Today's notice is a friendly reminder only. Do not reply to me directly. Rather, please go to "Log geocache" (upper right hand of the cache page) and choose "WRITE A NOTE" from the drop down menu. Please do not use the "OWNER MAINTENANCE" log until you do the maintenance and the cache is ready to be found again with a status update and any intention to revive the cache. Several reviewers participate in cache maintenance tasks so a log posted in this manner is the best way to get your message seen. Without a log posted you risk having the cache archived.

If you have disabled this cache for the winter or a season, please consider this a reminder to post a notice for when you expect the area to re-open. Re-activate the cache if the area is actually open again.

After you have checked on it and it's ready for seeking again, great! You can re-enable the cache page http://support.groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=235 by clicking the link under the cache name or by checking the box that says the cache is active. If, however, you discover that the cache is missing and/or you decide not to replace it, then please remove any remaining pieces of it and archive it. This will open up the area for other geocachers to hide their own geocaches. You may also need to digitally relocate any trackable items still listed here. If a "Needs Maintenance" log was posted, you will also need to log an "Owner Maintenance" log to clear the "Needs Maintenance" icon from the geocache page. http://support.groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=404

I want to thank you for the time that you have taken to contribute to geocaching in the past and I am looking forward to seeing your cache up and running in the future. If the cache is not maintained or the status is not updated, it will be archived. Thank you for understanding.

If this sounds like an automated email template, that's because it is. I apologize for that but the volume of messages we get is such that templates like this make the process much more efficient. Thanks for your understanding.

I look forward to hearing from you. Do not reply to this email. It is sent by a no-reply mailbot so I won't get it. To respond, please do NOT send me an e-mail or a message center conversation as they lack needed functionality for reviewing. Leave a new "Reviewer Note" log here on your cache page. If you're not familiar with this process, see the instructions https://www.geocaching.com/help/index.php?pg=kb.chapter&id=97&pgid=74. I have your cache on my watchlist, and I will receive a notification when you write your note. All reviewer notes are deleted when your cache is published.

"If a geocache is archived by a reviewer or staff for lack of maintenance *it will not be unarchived."*

Additionally, please note that if I've not heard from you in 4 weeks, I may be forced to archive this cache. Don't let your cache get archived for non-communication

Heartland Cacher
Your friendly Geocaching.com Reviewer

10/22/2018 By Denali41
I've been informed that construction has temporarily closed access to the final cache so I am disabling the cache until the work is completed.

12/30/2017 By Denali41
Yes, RangerHal was the first to sign the log in the new location, but NOT the first to find on this cache.

12/30/2017 By rangerhal
Finally got back to search for this one. Out caching with Blackfire5th. Spotted it in its hiding spot. It blends in well. Found a blank log so I guess we were the FTF it in its new location. Thanks for keeping this cache active.

08/13/2017 By Denali41
Today I changed the location of the final cache to another spot that's close to the original. I've reworked the formulas so the new coordinates can be easily calculated. The new container is "small" in size, rather than the tiny micro that was at the tree that's been removed. The find is quite a bit easier. Because some of the earlier finders might be "counting" on the original D/T combination, I have not modified it. I'm enabling the listing at this time.

08/09/2017 By Denali41
I checked on the cache today. Indeed, that lovely tree has been cut down and hauled away. Hard to believe such a beautiful tree has been removed! Of course, the cache container went with the tree! So I will find a nearby location for the rehide and then make the calculation adjustments on the cache page and reactivate. I expect to have all this done by late in the month.

08/06/2017 By Denali41
Thanks, rangerhal, for the heads up that a crucial tree might be gone. I will check on this soon and record a maintenance note after my review. It would be a surprise if the tree has been removed, but strange things do indeed happen in this geocaching game! This IS a challenging cache to find.