This is a regular cache, albeit somewhat small, a plastic
storage-type container 3” diameter by 3.” In addition
to a log & pencil stub, this cache contains actual cash (one
golden geo-coin (#0841), a Where’s George dollar bill, a
Susan B. Anthony dollar, a Mother/Daughter reunion dollar, several
state quarters, varied foreign coins…Peru, Nicaragua, Kenya,
Saudi Arabia, Canada, a few I forgot, and several wheat
pennies).
To claim this cache, you must scale a small sandstone ridge,
find and log the cache. But you know us by now. There are always
questions to answer, and therein lies the wellspring, the driving
force for this cache - sandstone.
We are not talking just any old sandstone here, but the kind
that contains 98 percent silica, the kind from which glass makers
worldwide create high quality glass products, and the kind which
wells up out of the earth along scenic highway 522 in the panhandle
of West Virginia, wells up into a ridge of almost pure silica stone
known as Warm Springs Ridge. Yup, right there in Morgan county,
home of Pennsylvania Glass Sand Corporation, largest melting sand
producer in the world and also home to several other caches –
‘The Seed 2.0’, ‘Goodnight Ladies' and 'Meadow
Branch Mill.'
Also nestled along the west side of Route 522 lies Cacapon State
Park & Resort area. Pay attention to an historical marker on
the access road, but do not stop and ogle the sign. There is no
parking along the road. Besides, ogling signs may be a misdemeanor
in West By Golly). Drive on to a nearby parking area (every park
has a parking area, why else call it a park, eh?) and hike back to
the sign. You may have to cross a well-built narrow bridge (did
someone say bridge?) across a lively and gurgling brook. From the
sign, find answers to the following questions:
What kind of sand is this? What other marketable natural
resource seems to occur naturally with this silica sand along the
Warm Springs Ridge?
….and then, yup, you guessed, climb that sandstone ridge
behind the sign, following the coordinates provided above. It is
not a long climb. Special equipment is not required. (sorry Indy,
et.al.) There was snow on the ground when I visited. Without tree
foliage, the view from the cache spot was awesome. Undergrowth
would be minimal during warm months. As always, be careful around
rocks, watching your step and using a stick to poke into places you
cannot see very well…hint, hint, HINT! Round trip, half a
mile.
The Geo-coin was retrieved from a cache called
‘QUARTERhorse’ at the November Maryland Geo-caching
Society picnic at Gifford Pinchot State Park, Pennsylvania. Both
the coin and the Where’s George Dollar were duly logged on
appropriate websites.
To claim this cache, sign the log and e-mail answers to the
above questions to the cache proprietors.
