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4x4 Lunch Traditional Geocache

Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The cache is in a large glass pickle jar hidden near the Paliza Canyon 4x4 trail.

While exploring some of the side trails from this popular beginner's 4x4 trail for future maintenance and use, we hid this cache a short distance down one side avenue during a stop for lunch. The trail is fun for beginners or those with that new SUV who want to try their hand at "off-roading" without taking a trail that will trash their vehicle, or the more serious 4x4 type who wants a nice scenic drive with some interesting bumps and dips. The scenery along the entire canyon is awesome, and there are some more challenging trails that can be accessed from the main road.

The difficulty rating is due to the trek involved in reaching this cache location, and the fact that the coords may be off a short distance. While I have driven a 2WD mini pickup (Dodge D50) up this trail, I wouldn't advise it for anyone without lots of off road experience. A 4WD is highly recommended, but not an absolute necessity. Also, in regards to the inexact coords for the cache, I took 5 fixes at the cache location but due to poor satellite reception at the spot from trees and mountains, most accuracy ranges were near 100ft !! Best fix I got after trying for nearly an hour was 29 ft accuracy, so that is the coordinate used. If someone gets a better fix, I'll post it.

There are 2 ways to access Paliza canyon 4x4 trail, neither one easy to find or describe if you haven't been there. The entire trail takes 1-2 hours to drive from end to end (not counting time to get to the trail head), depending on your driving skills and vehicle. The north entrance is on FR270 (via FR10), the forest road to Cerro Pelado Lookout, at approximately N35 45.927 W106 35.407. This section of the trail, from the north to the cache, is the roughest, by the way. There are many turns off the trail that will sidetrack you from your intended destination, so prepare for a good hunt (food, water, camping gear?). The south entrance is right next to the intersection of FR10 and FR266, near the Ponderosa Bible camp, at N35 42.553 W106 37.667. This also has many wrong turns that will sidetrack you as well, if you are not familiar with the main trail, so good luck, and good hunting!!

Original cache contents include a small Alien toy, California keychain, a lucky bell, small ring, small bottle of bubbles, mini purse/watchfob, Ty Beanie Baby snake, a rope watch, 2 hot wheels cars, Cousin It kush toy, and a multi-tool knife.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Uvqqra hcuvyy sebz genvy n fubeg qvfgnapr, va gur ebbgf bs n fznyy qbjarq gerr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)