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A Gentleman Farmer Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Nomex: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this geocache, so I must regretfully archive it.

Please note that if geocaches are archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance, they are not eligible for unarchival.

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Hidden : 1/4/2010
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   small (small)

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Geocache Description:


Despite what your eyes might tell you, this is not a simple park and grab. To get to the cache, park on the southwest corner of the Stanly Lane/Highway 121 intersection and walk along the eucalyptus on old Stanly Lane. Do NOT drive through the black gates and onto the private drive leading to Starmont Winery - they do not accept visitors and you will be stopped and asked to leave.

Once you are at the cache site, approach the hiding spot with caution(on one occasion, a feisty raccoon was seen sharing the hiding spot). Getting your hands on the actual container will take considerable physical effort and some vertical assistance may be needed. Please replace the container exactly how you found it.

Named after John Alexander Stanly, the now abandoned eucalyptus-lined road once led south and east ending at Stanly's Ranch on a small knoll overlooking the Napa River. A well-educated and accomplished lawyer in North Carolina, Stanly moved west in 1865 and became a partner at Stanly and Hayes, a legal practice on the corner of Hayes and Montgomery Streets in San Francisco. Many of Stanly's logical arguments helped shape California's early constitution and earned him a reputation as one of the most admired legal minds in the State. These accolades eventually resulted in Stanly being elected as a judge in San Francisco.

Stanly eventually made his way to Napa in 1871 when he was deeded a large parcel of land along the Napa River by his uncle. Stanly built a home (the tree-shrouded structure west of Starmont Winery) and began operating a dairy, orchards, and a vineyard. In the 1870s and 1880s however, the valley's vineyards were stricken with phylloxera, a small lice that infests the root of the grapevine and eventually kills it. Native to Colorado, phylloxera was a mystery to California farmers. Despite farmers trying an endless concoction of remedies, the valley's vines quickly withered and died. However, unlike most of the valley's vineyards, Stanly had planted vines that were grafted onto roots which were resistant to phylloxera. While nearly every vine in the valley was dead by the late 1880s, Stanly's not only survived, but flourished, making his vineyard one of the oldest, continually producing vineyards in Napa.

Congratulation to chickenwalkers for first to find !

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Rnfg fvqr, nobir lbhe urnq.

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)