Old Market Street Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Shaddow: I no longer have the time to maintain all of my 90 or so caches and have to let some of them go. I really like this one but can't afford the time to replace. Thanks for all that visited!

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Hidden : 4/16/2010
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2.5 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


This cache is located in Juanita Bay Park along the Old Market Street Trail. There is a lot of history here: originally the location of a Native American Village it was turned into a golf course and ferry landing until it was acquired by the City and made into the Park.

The park is a great place for a walk and to view wildlife. The day I placed this cache I saw a bald eagle, a blue heron, turtles, red-winged black birds, ducks of numerous types as well as many other types of birds.

The Cache

Parking is available only a short walk away. The cache is a micro that is reachable from the trail but will require some agility and for just for that reason will be a lot of fun for kids. Some stealth will be required as there are often many muggles and the action of making the grab will require unusual behavior; however, the cache location also generally allows for a grab without giving away the fact that there is something hidden in that spot.

Juanita Bay Park: Urban wildlife habitat right in our own backyard by parentmap.com

The Basics:
Juanita Bay Park is Kirkland's largest park, a 144-acre wetland and urban wildlife habitat on 3,000 feet of Lake Washington shoreline, located at 2201 Market St. Rolling landscaped hills dotted with benches and picnic tables lead to more than a mile of trails and walkways that allow visitors to venture out over marsh and wetlands. Although it feels deeply calm, the park is actually alive with water plants and wildlife that includes beavers and over 100 species of bird. Interpretive and historical information signs throughout the park further enrich the experience.

History:
Prior to 1830, a Duwamish winter village that consisted of three tribal longhouses existed on what would later be named Forbes Creek in the present-day Juanita Bay Park. Smallpox introduced by fur traders eliminated these permanent settlements. Survivors returned seasonally to gather wapato on nearby Juanita Creek until 1916, when the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal lowered the lake nine feet, destroying the habitat of this important Native American food source. Real estate developer Guy Farrar purchased most of the land that would become Juanita Bay Park with money he made during the Alaska gold rush. Between 1912-1918, Farrar filled the fertile wetlands with sawdust, cedar bark and dirt and developed the property into a golf course in the hope of attracting real estate customers. The golf course closed in 1975 and, left alone, the former wetlands began to re-establish themselves and reclaim the lakefront. The City of Kirkland used the old golf course, Juanita slough and the 36.5- acre Johnson Preserve to piece together Juanita Bay Park.

Features:
A kiosk near the parking lot featuring a map and bright photographs of blue and green herons, redwing blackbirds, painted turtles and beavers marks the head of the path. Kids with sharp eyes will spot some of these creatures (and many more) as they explore the park. The East and West Boardwalk nature trails lead to platforms suspended over the lake. Damselflies dart above the cattails, turtles scramble for logs amidst the lily pads and bald eagles skim the lake's surface looking for supper. Even a few minutes of listening to birdsong and watching the water will show kids the profusion of wildlife that can thrive when a lakeshore is allowed to remain undeveloped by humans.

More Information
Map
Juanita Bay Park (by City of Kirkland)
Juanita Bay Park Habitat Map (pdf)
Juanita Bay Park Native Plants List (pdf)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

[Hint:] Oveq ubhfr [Spoiler (text backwards):] sbbe enra ch xfbvx sb rqvf gfnr ab rcvc bg qrupnggn lyynpvgratnz

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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