Scenic 40, The Challenge of Sideling Hill Traditional Cache
Hidden : 11/11/2008
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

The Challenge of Sideling Hill

“Our pleasure trips usually stopped at the top of the mountain because of the hairpin turn to the right that dropped into a severely sharp curve.”

This route is an ancient one. Our traveling ancestors pushed across, around and finally through this mountain. Sideling Hill, always a steep and dangerous climb, first showed up on a 1755 map as “Side Long Hill.”

When frontiersman Thomas Cresap moved up the Potomac Valley, he hired local Indians to widen the trail over the mountain for his wagons.

During the heyday of the National Road, stagecoaches crashed and passengers were killed on the slope near Hancock.

Throughout the 1930s, the 40 miles to Cumberland on US 40 was still considered a long hard trip. “There were five mountains to go over - from east to west - Sideling Hill, Town Hill Mountain, Green Ridge, Polish and Martins Mountain.”

With construction of I-68, engineers finally tamed this 350 million-year-old ridge in the 1980s. They blasted out a 4½ mile long, 380 foot deep and 200 foot wide cut in Sideling Hill. After two years and $20 million worth of modern blasting, the first motorists drove through the cut in August, 1985 leaving this old road to history.

As evidenced by this early 20th century advertisement, automobile trips on narrow, steep roads without guardrails, could be a dangerous business. Local historian Emily Leatherman recalled, “Rainy days were disastrous. We could watch the cars go to the doctor’s office across the street. They had slid off the road into the ditches or trees.”

Specific instructions for descending Sideling Hill said that it “should be coasted, with the brake on lightly ...While a machine beyond control would probably be wrecked on that curve, it presents no danger to the experienced driver who knows about it in advance.”
(visit link)

This cache is located at a long ago and now closed rest area just West of the hairpin turn at the top. As a child riding along this road I can remember many long trips across the five mountains from Allegany County to the Eastern shore. Stopping along at this rest area to give our station wagon a rest. An area for us to stretch, play and enjoy the view back towards home. Several stone fireplaces and Covered Picnic tables can still be found.

Take a minute to enjoy the view, stretch and pick up this roadside rest cache.

It is a small cache hidden very well. Its is a 6” cylinder container so bring smaller trade items

No need to Enter the Roadside Rest to find this cache as its not in there. You can find me just hanging around protecting the roadway from invaders from above. (GPSR was + - 16')

Access from I-68 East bound at exit 74 is your easiest route, stopping by here, cresting the mountain and going East as we did many years ago, Caution as you reach the bottom, you can rejoin the Interstate traffic at Exit 77 or follow Scenic US 40 (now Md 144) into Hancock, MD.

Access from I-68 West bound has you exiting exit 77 and crossing the Interstate and following Scenic US 40
West towards the crest and down over the west side. Stopping by this rest area before returning you to I-68 west bound as you follow the signs under the Interstate and back east before turning West back onto your travels West.

Don't forget to stop by and grab JOE Exit 77 (GC1HWDJ) along your travels to this cache.

** WOO HOO Congratulations to Mr and Mrs. RebRon for FTF ***

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

gbcbsvg

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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