Get a Higher Education

(This box was missing for a few weeks, but the person who stumbled upon it graciously returned it. It has be re-hidden in a less obvious place and the clues updated. 11/6/05)

Take the Tiger by the tail during this weekend's gathering of Mid-Missouri Letterboxers. Our Higher Education box is within walking distance of the Cherry Street Artisan, but will leave you scratching your head like a freshman at midterm exams.

Remember that the University of Missouri-Columbia was founded in 1839 as the first public university west of the Mississippi River and was the first public university in Thomas Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase territory. It is steeped in traditions and pride. Search for the box with respect and honor.

To find this letterbox, you’ll use a map, clues and a replacement code.

Use this link to locate a map of the Francis Quadrangle (north). (http://map.missouri.edu/quad-north.htm)

Use the following clues to navigate to your destination. To locate the box you’ll need to decipher the code. When you find the box, snap your photo with the enclosed camera to let us know you’ve mastered this academic challenge. When we develop the film, we will post them at our Flickr site.

Begin at Elm Street, near Peace Park.
O Drive ->
Francis []
OOOOOO
9th
WW
Face E
Uphill to large []

Now, decipher the code to find the letterbox.

PZVZLHK BY VOH XUQ KCJH RC
QFUZ VMD |^|
MTQR DX EPZT ARIY
GNPK EPAF XEYHA


Instructions for breaking the code:
Your Key Word is the seven-letter word for the most visited landmark on the MU campus.

--Locate the letter in the word that comes first in the alphabet, and assign that letter the value of 1.
--Locate the letter that comes second in the alphabet and assign it the value of 2.
--Continue until all seven letters have been assigned a number. Example: In the word cat, C =2, A=1 and T=3. This is numerical sequence is your “decoder”.

Using this number sequence, assign each letter in the coded message above.

To decode the clue, start with the letter in the coded message. Use the number assigned to that letter and move backwards through the alphabet that many letters. This is the “decoded” answer. Complete decoding the message and follow the clues.

Here’s an example of how this code works:

Key Word: BLUE
Decoder: 1342 (B appears first in the alphabet; E appears second, L appears third and U appears fourth)

Apply the decoder to a phrase.

1 3 4 2 1 3 4 2
H R S F MXGM

Count backwards to find the answer.

H (move back 1 = G)
R (move back 3 = O)
S (move back 4 = O)
F (move back 2 = D)
M (move back 1 = L)
X (move back 3 = U)
G (move back 4 = C)
M (move back 2 = K)

Have fun
C2B2