I drive by this location at least once a
month during airborne operations. From this location, you can watch
paratroopers earning their hazardous duty pay as they conduct
airborne operations.
In my quest to have 100 published hides,
I figured this was a great place for a mail carrier to stop and
visit. Plus it is located out of the way and off the military
reservation, with great access to HWY 15/501.
As a Letterbox Hybrid cache, we've
included in this special container a stamp so you can put its mark
in your record book as well as adding yours to the log book for
this hide.
Now when you find this container you
will ask yourself..."How did this get here?" Let me see if I can
explain how it happened:
Tornado
Tornadoes are nature’s most violent
storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause
fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado
appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a
thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300
miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and
50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this
hazard.
Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while
rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others. Occasionally,
tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning
is possible.
Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down
and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the
location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes
generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not
uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
The following are facts about
tornadoes:
- They may strike quickly, with little or no
warning.
- They may appear nearly transparent until
dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the
funnel.
- The average tornado moves Southwest to
Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any
direction.
- The average forward speed of a tornado is 30
MPH, but may vary from stationary to 70 MPH.
- Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and
hurricanes as they move onto land.
- Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over
water.
- Tornadoes are most frequently reported east
of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
- Peak tornado season in the southern states
is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring
through early summer.
- Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3
p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.
- Tornadoes -
Nature's Most Violent Storms?
How can I protect myself from a
tornado?
Okay, so now
you understand how a container originally from middle TN can be
found in the Sandhills of NC. Enjoy the hunt and leave your stamp
in the visitors log book.
A
word of caution to would be searchers: This is a hunting area. The
Sandhills Game Lands are a 3 day a week hunting area; Monday,
Wednesday, Saturday & Holidays. When hunting season is open,
one must use caution when entering the Game Lands.
DISCLAIMER: Remember to use caution and safety
any time you are out caching. This area of North Carolina has many
critters, creatures and plants that are just not as hospitable as
other denizens in this fair county. Poison ivy/oak, ticks,
mosquitoes, deer flies, fire ants, briars, and snakes are common.
In the words of the late Cajun Cook Justin Wilson, "I am a safety
engineer by trade; I wear a belt and suspenders." Proper clothing
for the area should be worn. This may include long pants, long
sleeves, and if you ignore the hunting season warning,
BLAZE ORANGE. So be
safe out there!
FTF honors go to
Team_Rhoads