ACHTUNG!
The cache itself is NOT within the boundaries of the John Day
Fossil Beds National Monument... The four virtual spots you need to
visit to find the final coordinates are on designated pathways. You
will need to find the appropriate parking and trailhead for each
trail.
This cache combines the two greatest loves of Zzzoey's life,
fossils and geocaching!
There are two other caches in the Journey Through Time series,
be sure and check them out! The Sheep
Rock Unit and the Clarno
Unit.
The coordinates above are for the Kiosk and the only restrooms
for the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument. You need not visit the coordinates listed to find this
cache, but it is a nice launching point if you are unfamiliar with
the area.
The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was established in
1975, consisting of 14,000 acres of heavily eroded volcanic
deposits, in essence layering and preserving millions of years of
fossils. Contained within these colorful layers of clay and
sediment are over 40 of the 65 million years of the fossils of the
Cenezoic period (basically that span of time between the demise of
the dinosaurs and the ice age). The JDFB contain a remarkably
complete record of such fossils, and are some of the most
well-known, most photographed fossil beds in the United States. In
the Painted Hills Unit, a small enclave within the Bridge Creek
watershed, north of Mitchell, OR, there exists the most amazing
spectrum of colors, that just a short visit would be depriving
oneself of some of the most spectacular of Mother Nature's
wonderlands. This cache is intended to make you walk the many
trails of the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument. You will need to find the various points WITHIN
the park to get the coordinates to the final cache, which is
located on BLM land.
This is a place we come to... to
escape that which we avoid and fear in our regular lives. This is
akin to visiting the beach for us Eastsiders. We go here to get in
touch with that part of our souls that longs for the prehistoric.
This cache was placed, these virtual waypoints were logged...right
after a fresh rain in the waning sunlight of January. With old Sol
illuminating the colorful, wet clay, we were inspired to create a
worthwhile cache hunt.. force you the cacher.. to wander
through this fantasyland. We hope you enjoy finding it as much as
we enjoyed placing it.
Trail #1: Painted Hills Overlook
N44*38.741'
W120*15.892'
This is a great little trail that will take you to the
creme-de-la-creme view of the Painted Hills. This panoramic vista
is where most photographs (professional or otherwise) are
taken.
Count the letters on the top line of the wooden sign
Subtract this number from 48 and the result will be ww.
ww=_______________
Trail #2: Carroll Rim
N44*39.126'
W120*16.037'
This is a bit of a longer hike, and the
coordinates will take you to the sign at the trailhead. Walk the
entire trail and at the end you will find a bench. Standing or
sitting (your preference) on the bench, do a GOTO back to the
trailhead sign. How far away are you from it right now? That
distance will be an odd number.
Take the two digit number after the decimal
point and add 11. The result will be xx.
xx=_______________
Trail #3: Painted Cove
N44*39.647'
W120*16.758'
This little trail will get you your best
closeup views of the "popcorn" clay that makes up the vivid colors
of the Painted Hills. At the coordinates you will find another
important sign. Count the letters in the top line and then subtract
14 to find yy.
yy=_______________
Trail #4: Leaf Hill
N44*38.540'
W120*17.244'
This loop trail gives you a great view of "Leaf Hill", an
uplifted mud bog from millions of years ago. Please don't be
tempted to wander out onto the hill. Zzzoey understands this
temptation, but realizes it is very important that NO ONE
wander off the trails to explore or find fossils. The paleontology
crew at the National Monument scour this hill (among many others)
for new fossils, and if you disturb or take them you face not only
a hefty fine, but you are spoiling this treasure for science...and
future generations to learn about. Instead, enjoy the hike and
contemplate Thomas Condon's reaction in 1865! Find the sign that
Zzzoey hates (but understands-and no it isn't like in the picture,
that was illDRIVE's idea! Almost looks real, eh?), then count the
number of letters(not including spaces) and add it to 41 to
find zz.
zz=_______________
Now that you have wandered all these trails and interpretive
sites, you are ready to find the cache, which will have you
continuing in the same direction you've been traveling in. Step
lightly as you search; as far as we know this is BLM land, NOT a
Wilderness Study Area, NOT part of the National Monument...But
regardless, this is pristine public land that appears to be visited
infrequently if at all. Use the values you filled in above to
complete the final coordinates:
FINAL COORDINATES:
N 44* ww.0xx = N
44*____._________'
W 120* yy.0zz = W
120*____._________'
