Breaking Away

Printer Version   Spy on this Cache

Picture clues below!   2 people or teams spying on this cache!  

Hidden On: 17 May 2002
Waypoint (Landmark): N00249
Open Cache:  Personal use only
Cache type:  Normal
Cache size:   Micro

Difficulty:  (moderate)
Terrain:  (easy)

Misc:

Comments:
The cache is a shiny silver Pochacco box. When hidden, it was just barely visible without moving anything; so take care to rehide appropriately to prevent accidental finds.

This cache might be missing. I have to check on it.

Geocaching. Given coordinates, use your GPS device to hunt down the location and find the cache there.

Gnihcacoeg. Find some location and then use your GPS to report the coordinates of that location.

Homey don't do that Gnihcacoeg stuff, but that other website seems to be encouraging the practice now for some reason, and a nearest cache search pulled up one of them. Now, most of these phony gnihcacoeg caches have bogus coordinates in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or something, but this one, created by a user named BykeNut, seemed to have coordinates on the top of some hill, even though the gnihcacoeg hunt was for a velodrome. From the aerial photos, it's doubtful that there's a velodrome hiding on this hill. I emailed her to ask whether she might change the coordinates, but she noted that there actually is a velodrome about eight miles away. Turns out that it's already been logged now, twice. BykeNut said no double logging, but I guess she's not enforcing it rigidly. So, this cache certainly doesn't seem to be the nearest cache to me!

Well, let's see whether I can prove that BykeNut's coordinates are on private property. That way, maybe I can get the coordinates changed, at least. Driving down Santa Teresa Blvd., all I see are barbed wire fences. They seem to go all down the west side of the hill, across the south side. I drive down Monterey Highway, and there are railroad tracks (we know the fines for trespassing those are stiff) as well as more barbed wire up on the hill. There's some excavation work going on at the base of the southeast side of the hill with big warnings about low power wires, and more private property.

Well, I guess we can check some of the residential streets. Hey, what's that? I see people on the hill. Workers, maybe? Hmm, I dunno, looks like a couple of kids. I drive around and, aha, the hill comes right down to the street. I see one No Trespassing sign, but I drive further, and it looks like the rest of the hill is wide open.

Darn, I don't have hiking shoes. Oh well, I guess I'll have to make do with these old tennis shoes with worn-out soles. I quickly reach an encouraging sign (Photo A), but I'm blocked by what appears to be a ditch created by some kind of a man-made levee. Thou shalt not drive vehicles upon this road! or some such is commanded. Not sure how one would get a vehicle up there anyway. The ditch proves no simple task to traverse with treadless shoes, and it takes a good running start to get out of the bottom. Good thing, too, because Sprint PCS phone service doesn't seem to reach this location, and I haven't brought any food with me. Geocacher Starves to Death in SCVWD Ditch. Luckily, a headline not to become reality today.

Does X mark the spot? (Photo B) Apparently not. Well, actually, I didn't look underneath the X, but I hadn't reached the coordinates yet anyway. Darned plant life are attacking me. I need to wear rubber galoshes or something. I guess it could be worse. At least these grasses aren't that tall. Hmm, somebody had a party or something out here (Photo C). Maybe BykeNut celebrating a new cache? I hike further up the hill. Not much further to go. I can see power towers in the background. Maybe that's where I need to go. Aha! What kind of creature makes a long straightish flat trail (Photo D)? A large snail, maybe? No, it's a bike! If I follow the trail, I'll find a velodrome! Or better yet, maybe the reason that BykeNut wouldn't change the coordinates is that there's a secret cache there! Woohoo!

I follow the trail of the bike over the crest of the hill all the way to a barbed-wire fence. I've passed the spot. I back up. I start checking likely spots. What am I looking for? It's virtual for crissakes. Sheesh. I look anyway, just in case. I keep looking. Finally, I decide to give up. Okay, I decide if there's not one here, I'm going to hide one here. Enjoy!

Clues:    decode

• Cache Location Spoiler 
  ybbx sbe n tebhc bs guerr tbbq=fvmrq ebpxf

Pictures:

 Cache Container

Cache found! Furthermore, the first photo is my proof that you don't need WAAS and three decimal places of accuracy to find a cache. Equipment used was an old fashioned GPS to get bearings, a compass to direct us on those bearings, and a topo map.

The second photo is of my "Caching Team". I'm the big guy with a halo over my head, and the other two cachers are my kids, Brittany and Brandon.

The last photo is of an "Unfortunate Cacher" that fell only 21 yards short of the cache. From the cache, he can be found at a bearing of 80 degrees (magnetic).

  The proper tools.
  My "Caching Team"
  The "Unfortunate Cacher"

This one is on my "to do" list for today.
Arbytronix