Ah, Petaluma. I was cruising today, looking for a few caches, and finally thought of the right place for a cache for which I've been seeking the right spot.
So, back in the day, while a student at Petaluma Junior High School (this in the early '70's), we had a habit of hitting the overlook above the school and Western Avenue before school. We did this to get in a smoke before school and so that we could bombard the buses with buckeyes as they drove up the hill to deliver the less-troubled youth to their destination. We weren't even supposed to walk up Western Avenue past Ray's Grocery at Webster St., but walk we did, and up the trail we went to the cool stone enclave we commanded at the top of the hill.
I was surprised somewhat to see just how overgrown this area was after over 25 years, but there is still a place to park at the trailhead. This is a SHORT walk! Used to be up the hill, but is now 7 paces from the asphalt where you park. Walk into the jungle and search the tree branches the given distance in, on your left. You're looking for a camo painted DECON container hanging from a branch. Try leaving it on the branch as you open it and sign in since it's tough to remove with the strong hook spring. WATCH THE P.O. AROUND GZ!
At placement it holds a very cool Knights Templar geocoin to pass along, but that's for the second-to-find. There's also a digital fish to pass along, but that's for the third to find. And a great coin purse that "2 on a hog" left at Welcome To Petaluma cache (you may or may not notice the reference in the image below!), and I said I'd pass it along in a kid-type cache (please leave this for a kid find), and, well, this cache reflects when I was a kid, so there you go!
The original container held a copy of Norman Greenbaum's "Petaluma" album. This won't hold a CD. This harkens back to the days of Petaluma just sliding off its "Egg Basket Of The World" status and Marv Dolowitz and his "Eggery" in Petaluma, where Norman got his start as a Petaluma farmer. (Around that time he was also baking desserts, like his incredible carrot cake, for "Jerome's Good Dogs" in Cotati!)
My first real job (after paper routes, etc) was 'working chickens' for Walt Sorensen on Bodega Avenue for $1.75 an hour... good money for a kid in those days! This is a special cache for me. Lots of memories. I hope you get something out of it!
So, good hunting, good luck and enjoy this cool cache!
"Petaluma" lyrics graphic from original album used by gracious permission of the artist, Gary Hallgren.
FTF copy of album given with expressed permission of Norman Greenbaum. Thanks to you both for making this a cool cache!