Vote for Senator Multi-cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is a multi-cache on the flat part of a popular trail near an historical landmark.
A few days after putting my first cache in my favorite park, Santa Teresa (“Peek at Coyotes”), I put my second-ever cache in my other favorite park: Almaden Quicksilver.
Let’s take a poll. What’s your favorite trail in the park? Here’s my vote for the Senator (or Senador in Spanish) Mine Trail. Why? It’s the quickest and easiest to get to (for me at least). It has some of the densest and most spectacular displays of wildflowers in the spring. It has one of the more interesting and easily accessible historical structures in the park.
It’s a trail for people of all abilities. The first part up to the furnaces is flat and easy. For more of a workout, you can go up to the Guadalupe. You can use the Senador to access the ends of the 2 longest trails in the park: Mine Hill and New Almaden. You can use it as part of a nice hiking/jogging loop, using the Guadalupe and Mine Hill Trails to return.
For more info, see: (visit link)
In honor of this trail and to get more people familiar with it (even though it’s probably the most popular trail in the park), I placed a cache near the heart of the historic mining activity. To find it, follow these instructions:
Start at 37 degrees, 12.657 N, 121 degrees, 53.396 W. Read the sign and find the answers to these questions:
1. The mine was opened in the year 18A3.
2. In what number month was this sign dedicated? Call this B.
3. How many flasks of mercury were extracted? Divide this by 5000 and call it C.
Now go to 37 degrees, 12.662 N, 121 degrees, 53.416 W. Read the sign and find the answers to these questions:
1. The top-center picture with the rock piles was taken in the year 192D.
2. In the upper right picture, the barn was dismantled and moved to English Camp in the year 19E0.
3. In the upper left picture, how many tons per day were processed by the Scott Furnace Plant? Divide this by 30 and call it F.
The cache is at 37 degrees, 12.ABC + 0.0106 N, 121 degrees, 53.DEF + 0.0008 W.
Checksum: A+B+C+D+E+F = 27
Update 9/11/05: Because of reports of big cats hiding near the previous site, I moved the cache to a less cat-friendly location, but more exposed to view from muggles. I made adjustments to the calculations above. I removed the cache container for upgrade as it was not winter-ready. I replaced it with a larger traditional cache container, but smaller on the outside. This new location should be safer from big cats, but watch out for snakes. I transferred the contents of the old cache to the new container. Since it's bigger, I added a couple of small diecast vehicles and a mini magnifying glass. I put a detour cache in the original location in case people use old listings to find it.
The cache does not require major bushwhacking. I didn’t see any poison oak nearby. Snakes are always a possibility, but this isn’t particularly snakey. Ticks are unlikely, but that could change. Bring your own writing implement. It does not require going higher than the highest sign and is not very far from it.
12/5/09 update: The cache has magically been moved after park maintenance did a lot of work in the area. I modified the correction factors above to reflect its new location.
4/3/10 update: I checked the location with my new PN-30. I updated the coordinate offsets above based on its readings.
7/21/12 update: the cache was gone. I replaced it in about the same place with a small round plastic container. I had some miniature ornaments in it. I didn't have a pencil, so bring your own.
Note that the McAbee entrance does not have a parking lot. You have to park on the street. Be kind to the neighbors and don't park in front of their houses. There have been car break-ins, so don't leave anything valuable in plain sight in your car.
10/27/12 update: I merged the contents into a bigger container, with more goodies, and updated the offsets slightly. I added more to the hint. Goodies added: Mystery Ink fish, wooden geocaching coin, Star Wars coin, plastic paper clip, little bear, pig magnet, Henry Cowell souvenir, pencil.
5/10/14 update: The cache was vandalized, not totally muggled. I put it back together, though I don't know if I recovered all the contents. I put in a new logsheet.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guvax yvxr n fanxr. 27.5 srrg sebz ubefr gebhtu snhprg, 58.9 srrg sebz cvpavp orapu. Fnzr nygvghqr.