This location is near the Los Alamos County Ice Rink--the only regulation outdoor rink in New Mexico. A great location to skate, play, or watch. It is a refrigerated hockey rink that is serviced by a Zamboni--a favorite of fans of all ages.
The cache is near the location of the original storage barn for the first Zamboni brought to Los Alamos County. There is a great history about this machine. From the Zamboni website: "No. 4, the last Model B that Frank built, was purchased by John Harris, the owner of the Ice Capades show, and its unique history follows.
In June of 1973, the Zamboni Company received a phone call from Ted Dunn of the Los Alamos Skating Association in New Mexico telling them that their Zamboni machine was involved in a fire at their rink and they required assistance in rebuilding it for the coming skating season. When it was determined that their resurfacer was the fourth machine that Frank had built, and up until the fire, was to the Company’s knowledge the oldest unit in regular operation, it was decided that the Company would obtain it, re-build it and reconstruct the story of its much-traveled history."
Please visit the Zamboni site for a pdf of the complete story:
http://www.zamboni.com/images/PDFs/The_Odyssey_of_Number_4_Story.pdf
I grew up in the northern states and played and refereed hockey here for more than 20 years. It is one of the prettiest settings I have ever skated in. Teams from outside New Mexico always comment on the setting and enjoy skating here regardless of the outcome. Enjoy your trip here in any season. This can be a very busy area during hockey season so take care to keep your activities away from the activity.