Distant Views EarthCache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(not chosen)
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This is a two-stage cache requiring some puzzle solving to determine the second coordinates and a short hike (approximately 0.3 mile roundtrip with about a 50' change in elevation) from the campground area of the Colorado National Monument. Please feel free to post a photo of yourself at the final site in your log.
Colorado National Monument lies near the northeast edge of the Colorado Plateau, a geologic region covering 150,000 square miles of some of the world’s most spectacular scenery. This vast plateau has acted independently of surrounding regions for millions of years- uplifting, subsiding, eroding, and constantly changing . The most recent uplift, about 10 million years ago, raised the entire plateau to its current elevation averaging a mile above sea level. Answer the following questions, then follow the instructions to decipher the next set of coordinates.
SITE ONE QUESTIONS
1. Are you above or below the average elevation of the Colorado Plateau at this point ?
2. The Mancos Shale that covers the valley floor before you is well known for the fossils it contains. Some of the most famous fossil discoveries are the bones of huge ancient creatures that once roamed the land in this area. The common name for this creature is also the name of another National Monument north of here, just inside of the Utah border, on the far northern edge of the Colorado Plateau. TO DETERMINE THE COORDINATES TO LOCATE STAGE TWO:
Write the common name of this creature (also the name of the other National Monument) in the spaces below- replace the letters in the coded set of the next coordinates in this multicache with the corresponding numbers from this decoding system to find the next stage of this cache
| 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
| __ |
__ |
__ |
__ |
__ |
__ |
__ |
__ |
Use the numbers associated with each letter above to decode the coordinates to the second stage:
| 39º |
0 A. |
N |
N |
O |
North |
|
108º |
O |
N. |
S |
A |
U |
West |
| 39º |
0 __. |
__ |
__ |
__ |
North |
|
108º |
__ |
__. |
__ |
__ |
__ |
West |
ADDITIONAL WAYPOINT: TRAILHEAD PARKING FOR SECOND STAGE
| 39º |
0 A. |
I |
R |
9 |
North |
|
108º |
O |
N. |
U |
0 |
S |
West |
| 39º |
0 __. |
__ |
__ |
9 |
North |
|
108º |
__ |
__. |
__ |
0 |
__ |
West |
Step up to the guardrail. From this point, once covered by the rock layers you see in the valley floor below, you can see how the uplift and subsequent erosion of sandstone layers has revealed the years of history hidden in the rocks around you. Looking south from here, up Wedding Canyon, you can enjoy what may be your first glimpse of one of the most notable of monoliths in this park… Independence Monument. Watch how its profile morphs as you continue your journey west along Rim Rock Drive.
To claim this stage of the cache answer one more question :
3. The final coordinates brought you to the end of a trail. In what direction must you look from here to gaze through the erosional feature this trail is named after?
Please email me the answers to all three questions to claim your cache find. In your log, feel free to include a photo of you and your GPS at the final site (with the panoramic backdrop of your choice!)
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)