Sierra
County
This cache is part of the New Mexico Challenge. One cache is hidden in each
of New Mexico's 33
counties.
Your mission, should you decide to accept it is
to find and log all 33 caches with a
photo of yourself at the cache site.
This cache is in Ready Pay Gulch,
which has had a big part in the economic history of the Hillsboro
area. This area has been mined periodically since the 1880s. with
at least one new mine started in the mid 1990s. Ready Pay Gulch,
with neighboring Wick's Gulch, Copper Flats, Black Mountain, and
the Gold Dust Camp played a big part in New Mexico's gold rush
days. Although I don't know all the details, judging from it's
name, this gulch must have been a favorite with the miners. Today,
there are still working gold mines and prospecting going on in the
area.
Please respect any mining claims or equipment you may find and be
cognizant of the numerous patented claims in the vicinity; they are
private property. Enjoy looking around the area, but be very
cautious of the many mine shafts and tunnels in the area and DO NOT
ENTER THEM! Many dangerous things may be in them, such as snakes,
animals, toxic gases, or hidden drops.
To find the cache, turn off HWY 152 near N32*56.114' W107*31.995'.
Be cautious getting on and off the highway, as there are many
curves on this road and the exit is tricky if you're not familiar
with the area. Proceed through the BLM gate and continue on the
two-track to an area near N32*55.803' W107*31.743' where there are
a couple of turnouts that can be used to park. Although the road in
is rocky, any 2WD pickup or SUV should be fine with careful
driving. Those with low clearance vehicles should be very careful,
or you may want to park and hike. From the parking area, the cache
is approximately 1/10th of a mile. It's an easy, scenic walk with
only a couple of small rocks to get around.
FTF Prize/cache contents: FTF prize is a gift card from Lowes ($5).
Also included are a Southpark refrigerator magnet, 4-corners
benchmark coin, an OakCoins Pin (not trackable) 6 turquoise
cabochons, an LED keychain light with HornyToad charm, and a
Masonic Charities lapel pin.
