Cut It Out, Bernie Traditional Geocache
Wis Kid: No response from owner. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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One of an upcoming series on Hwy. 108, called Mindoro Cut, which is
celebrating its 100th anniversary of construction. Because of the
problem in getting GPS readings in this area, the difficulty was
raised a notch. The terrain is easy walking until about the last
fifteen feet; hence, the higher rating. Please be careful in your
hunt along the road area as poor driving visibility makes it
hazardous for pedestrians.
This cache is dedicated to Bernie, who is still cutting up and down
the cache trails at age 74. Hopefully she will still be at it as
many years as the anniversary date of the Mindoro Cut, 1907-1908.
In 1907 the townsfolk of the Village of Mindoro decided to create a
short cut to LaCrosse. The idea was simple: create a short access
to the LaCrosse Valley by cutting through the soft sandstone on the
ridge. Nobody seems to have asked "If the sandstone is so soft, why
is there a ridge?" As the Air Force likes to say, what you don't
know won't hurt you--it will kill you. In this case the ridge
exists because it's capped with resistant Ordivician dolomite on
Cambrian sandstone. The Mindoro Cut, located at the highest point
on State Hwy. 108 between Mindoro and West Salem is 74'deep and 25'
wide. It was hand-hewn and took the townsfolk two years to finish
the job, 1907-08. All work was completed with only horse-drawn
equipment and hand tools. As far as known, it is the second largest
hand-hewn cut in the nation. (Thanks to Steven Dutch, UW-Green Bay,
for the Mindoro Cut information.) Happy caching and be safe.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Va '99, Wraal jnf urer!