Try To Ignore the Vultures
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Line-of-sight is 2.8 miles from parking area; actual hiking distance is about 3.8 miles! Very rough in spots; easy to die out here!
This cache is located in the Valjean Valley, near the Valjean Hills and in the Kingston Range wilderness. It is at Rabbit Holes Spring. One must WALK in and out, or go horseback. Please note: the difficulty factor DOUBLES in the summer; if you attempt this cache, remember what Edward Abbey advised: "Enter at your own risk. Carry water. Avoid the noonday sun. Try to ignore the vultures. Pray frequently." Praying will not help you survive the hike: planning and thinking will.
Take Highway 127 from Baker to Tecopa, and hang a right onto Old Spanish Trail Road. When you see the turn towards China Ranch, turn right---- this is Furnace Creek Road. Pass the China Ranch road and continue down Furnace Creek. This road eventually becomes Smith Talc Road [10-MAY-2003 NOTE: THIS IS THE SMITH TALC RD., *NOT* WESTERN TALC AS I HAVE ORIGINALLY WRITTEN]. Continue down this road until you see the San Bernardino County sign [10-MAY-2003 NOTE: THE SIGN IS NOW MISSING]; the dirt road you are looking for will be a few dozen yards past the County Line, on your right.
Drive slowly down this road: a high clearance vehicle is not required, but a good idea. Travel until you see the road fork, and take the left fork--- the right fork has been blocked off with white rocks by squaters [see note below]. The left fork will continue for about 100 yards, and end at a Wilderness Area sign.
There are two Wilderness signs; to start your hike I suggest starting at the lower sign; there is a faint road / trail heading South.
I highly (highly *highly* HIGHLY) recomend that you travel on foot to the cache along the wash / gully as far as possible. There's a darn good reason the gods make washes in the desert: gravity often finds the easiest route! The wash will take you South for about 1.4 miles, after which you must leave the gully as it no longer goes your way. Set a waypoint where you leave the wash so that you may easily return.
Traveling the desert on foot means some times walking two or more miles for every one mile of distance covered. There are a HELL of a lot of cuts, washes, gullies, cliffs, butes, gorges, and assorted obstacles in the way that you will not see until you walk up to them. It is often safer to backtrack than to scramble down into a wash and scramble out again. You *WILL* encounter many such difficulties.
The cache is located at the spring, sitting under a jumping cactus, in plain sight. Indeed, if you have a topocentric map you will not need a hand-help GPS unit to find this cache. I figured by the time anyone got to the cache, she or he would be too tired (or dead) to hunt for the damn thing.
When placed, the cache contained the following list. It is within a bright, shiny, new Tupperware container.
4 Anthony dollars (consider as one item).
4 ugly year 2000 Lady Liberty dollars (consider as one item).
Pocket comb, in original packaging.
Kitchen measuring spoons, in original packaging.
Waiter's cork screw, in original packaging.
A tiny box of cork board push pins.
Pencil sharpener, in original packaging.
10-pack of #2 pencils.
Paperback book "White Fang" by Jack London.
Airwolf: the Wonderweapon music CD / Laser Disk.
Irish Folk Music, 3-CD set.
Traveling size sewing kit.
Funny birthday card, blank.
Toilet paper.
[Notes]
1) Avoid the squaters: while they do not belong where they are, they aren't harming anyone as far as I know. They are very shy, and will probably hide from you anyway. Stay off "their" road. Conversely, if you advocate a Christian USA theocracy, maybe you'll want to join them.
2) Always check your back trail for land marks when walking through the desert. Changing shadows makes an area look different than it did an hour or so ago! Set a waypoint at your car before hiking to the cache.
3) Rattle snakes are not playthings to toy with. The Mojave Rattler, unlike "lesser" rattle snakes, can kill an adult. Always look where you plan on putting your feet. In the winter they like the sun-side of boulders; in the summer, they like the shadow side until dusk or dawn, at which time they move to the sunny side. They do not want to bite people because we are too big for them to eat: please don't force them to waste their venom (and incidently hurt or kill you).
4) Tell someone "back at home" where you are going, and when you will be back.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ybbx sbe geniregvar qrcbfvgf naq guvpx terra oehfu. Pnpur vf n srj srrg Fbhgu bs gur fcevat, va cynva fvtug.