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Farm to Market Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Reviewer Revan: Cache Owner (CO) has not responded, so I am regretfully archiving this cache to keep it from continually showing up in search lists, and to prevent it from blocking new cache placements. If you wish to repair/replace this cache sometime in the future (not to exceed 10 days from the date of this entry), just contact me (by e-mail), and assuming it still meets the current Guidelines, I will consider unarchiving this cache.

Please be advised this is not a guarantee that this geocache will be unarchived. Many factors will go into my decision. The most important of which is how you responded to geocachers who tried to communicate with you regarding the problem(s) with this geocache hide and how you communicated with me, the Reviewer Revan.

Reviewer Revan
A Groundspeak Volunteer Reviewer

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Hidden : 11/11/2011
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The owners have graciously permitted placement of this travel bug hotel. The cache is available during daylight hours (0900-1800 M-F and 0900-1700 Saturday). It is not available Sunday.

You've probably noticed roads in Texas labeled “FM.” For example, near this cache are FM 78, FM 1976, FM 1518, FM 3009, and FM 2252. “FM” stands for “Farm-to-Market” and has great significance for the cache location. Back in the early 1900s, roads connecting farms to urban markets were often one-lane trails composed of gravel or dirt. Travel on these roads was quite slow thus it took a long time to get produce and other farm products to market. During hot Texas summers, many products spoiled during the journey. So, in 1936 the Texas Department of Transportation began to build a network of paved two-lane roads throughout the state with the express purpose of providing quality roads to get farm and ranch products to market. The first farm-to-market road ran 5.8 miles between Mount Enterprise and Shiloh in Rusk County and cost $48,000. Today approximately half the highways in Texas are FM or RM. Generally, roads west of US 281 are Ranch to Market Roads while those east of US 281 are Farm to Market Roads. Regardless of the designation, these routes are quality roads which allow farmers and ranchers to quickly transport their products to markets. Quick transport means the produce arrives at market fresh...and we all like fresh fruits and vegetables! In addition to their original purpose of bringing fresh produce to market, FM roads are fun to drive. There is no mistaking a farm-to-market road out in the country. It is different from other highways: narrower, more winding, more attuned to the contours of the earth. You can’t drive as fast, and you don’t want to, because on a farm-to-market road the feeling is of driving on the land instead of past it. A good stretch of farm road is the apotheosis of a very Texan institution—the drive for no other purpose than to get the feel of the country—and that is why the farm-to-market road is to Texas what the freeway is to California: not just a highway but a symbol of the culture. (Information from Wikipedia, Texas Monthly and TXDOT)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Jbbqra obk gb lbhe evtug bs pnfu ertvfgre

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)