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The Château Gibson Geocache is located on the Chacahoula Bayou Ridge in a dense, jungle-like wooded area bounded by a drainage canal and a sugarcane field. Although sugarcane fields dominate the Chacahoula Bayou Ridge, some pockets of natural vegetation featuring hardwoods and palmettos do exist. The Château Gibson Geocache is placed within one of these natural areas.
As the first geocache in Terrebonne Parish (the "good earth"), the Château Gibson Geocache is located about sixteen miles northwest of Houma. Bull Run Road, a parish road connecting LA 311 to LA 20, travels within about 1,000 feet of the geocache. The Chacahoula Bayou Ridge on which the road, the sugarcane fields, and the Château Gibson Geocache are located typifies the alluvial ridges found in Southern Louisiana. (The current-day alluvial ridges were created from receeding floodwaters of ancient channels of the Mississippi River and although Chacahoula Bayou is now only relagated to a ditch on the side of the road it was at one time a substantial waterbody based on the "high ground" left behind.) The geocache is situated behind a log in a densely wooded area between the Terrebonne-Lafourche Drainage Canal and a sugar cane field. Alongside the canal is a spoil bank/levee that rises about eight feet and is covered with both overhead and understory plant growth. The varying topography of the site along the canal was unexpected when placing the geocache and although the spoil bank/levee was derived from the digging of the canal has the appearance while transversing it of being natural. The site (at least in the month of September) is jungle-like, but pristine, and even features two small streams that drain from the cane fields to the canal. There are no trails to speak of, and upon entering the canopy there is very little evidence of any human presence despite being located very close to an active sugarcane field except for a discarded washing machine tub and some fence poles stacked up along one of the stream edges in an effort to prevent erosion. The site will most likely be much easier to navigate in the fall and winter months once the deciduous trees loose their leaves. Within the Château Gibson Geocache are four CDROMs containing the USGS DOQ aerial imagery of the region (to prepare for other geocaching hunts), a log book, a disposable camera (take a picture of yourself and leave the camera, of course), and a few other things. Although thought to be relatively easy-to-navigate terrain when chosen using remote sensing techniques (interpretation of aerial photography), the Château Gibson Geocache site unexpectantly presents a stiff physical challenge especially with the brutal weather conditions typical in Southern Louisiana. Remember its not the heat, its the humidity. No animals were spotted while placing the Château Gibson Geocache, but the site appears ripe for wildlife. Burrow holes, presumably from armadillos, were spotted throughout the site when the geocache was placed. As would be expected, many bugs and insects such as mosquitoes and spiders will in all likelihood be encountered when geocaching this site. And finally, entry to the Château Gibson Geocache site is not impeded by any fences, gates, or posted signs and is positioned within the right-of-way of the canal. If any of the above mentioned barriers are encountered, then the wrong area has been entered. Good luck geocaching!
11/3/01 - UPDATE - We visited this geocache early this morning to check its condition. Everything is fine and it is in the correct location. The aerial photograph CD-ROMs were popular and all have been taken (every visitor has taken one so far). We put in 4 CD-ROMs of our latest project - a geographic information system of the Louisiana Geocaches. It combines maps, aerial photographs and text databases of the geocache locations of the first 43 caches in Louisiana. The geocache was getting full so we removed the lei and the cup holder.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nsgre cnexvat nybatfvqr gur fubhyqre bs Ohyy Eha Ebnq arne gur Greerobaar-Ynsbhepur Qenvantr Pnany Oevqtr (A 29° 40.924'/J 90° 53.364'), jnyx nybat gur tenff cngu gung vf orgjrra gur fhtnepnar svryq naq gur jbbqf hagvy gur cngu gheaf njnl sebz gur jbbqrq nern. Ragre gur jbbqf jurer na byq jnfuvat znpuvar gho jvyy or frra. Jnyx nybat gur gbc bs gur fcbvy nern/yrirr, pebffvat gjb fgernzf. Ybbx sbe n snyyra ybt orgjrra gur perfg bs gur fcbvy nern/yrirr naq gur fhtnepnar svryq. Gur trbpnpur vf n terra naq juvgr Vtybb pbbyre jvgu n checyr unaqyr arne gur snyyra ybt. Nqqvgvbanyyl, gur Puâgrnh Tvofba Trbpnpur fvgr vf ybpngrq va Gbjafuvc 16 Fbhgu, Enatr 15 Rnfg, Frpgvba 65 naq pna or sbhaq ba gur Tvofba 1:24,000 HFTF Dhnqenatyr Znc.