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Hopalong Rides
Again! |
As a young boy, I looked up to Hopalong Cassidy as the epitome
of honor and square shootin’. Hopalong didn’t smoke, drink, or kiss
girls and always let the bad guys draw first. Hopalong would always
try to catch the rustlers first before shooting them, but there was
no way they weren’t going to face the law. In my life, I’ve tried
to live up the standards set by Hopalong -- at least as far as
letting the bad guy draw first. In honor of Hopalong, this cache
was placed in Horsethief Canyon, a most fitting place to honor the
greatest cowboy lawman of them all.
This cache is not a tricky hide but may prove challenging due to
location and camouflage. The cache is a cammo-ammo can. You won’t
have to do any serious bushwhacking to find it. A sharp eye and a
methodical search is the best strategy. Poison Oak is common
everywhere in the canyon and, as always, be careful not to disturb
our reptilian friends. Red Diamond Rattlesnakes call this area
home. Try to avoid making “geotrails” to the cache and be sure to
hide it as well or better than you found it.
While you’re enjoying the swag, find Hopalong Cassidy’s
Creed for American Boys and Girls with the log and take a
moment to reflect on these simple rules for living when the world
was a less complicated place. I have a feeling that if we followed
them today, the world could be a less complicated place once
again.
The character of Hopalong Cassidy first appeared in a series of
western novels written by Clarence Mulford between 1907 and 1941.
The first movie made from the novels was directed by Cecille B.
DeMille in 1935 and he chose William Boyd to play the character of
Hopalong. William Boyd, for all practical purposes, became Hopalong
Cassidy for the rest of his life. He played the character in 66
movies, 104 radio broadcasts, and 52 television shows. He made
countless personal appearances with his horse Topper. Topper went
to the big ranch in the sky in 1961 and was followed there by
Hopalong Cassidy in 1972. Visit the Official Hopalong Cassidy
Website for more information or to join the Friends of Hopalong Cassidy
fan club.