Redmond Rain #6 - Marymoor Park Multi-Cache
Redmond Rain #6 - Marymoor Park
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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You might be surprised to know that most of the rain that falls in Redmond drains to Puget Sound without passing through any kind of treatment. This would be fine, if it weren't for all the pollutants on city streets. So how does the water get from NE 65th Street to the lake or river? Let us find out!
POSTED COORDINATES ARE NOT FINAL CACHE LOCATION.
Congrats to DrTusk and _Shaddow_ FTF!
Warning!
The New Zealand Mudsnail is rapidly invading King County streams. Walking in streams will spread this scourge. If you do get your boots wet, follow decontamination procedures before stepping in a different stream. These invaders are in Kelsey Creek in Bellevue, Thornton Creek in Seattle, May Creek in Renton, and unfortunately in High School Creek in north Redmond. They are not in this old ditch, yet. (Don't be the one who brings them here.)
Redmond Rain
The posted coordinates will start you in a parking lot on NE 65th Street next to the East Lake Sammamish Trail. This multi-cache will follow a drop of rain. As the rain lands on NE 65th Street, it flows into a catch basin on the side of the street. Pipes underground carry that stormwater until it arrives at a drainage ditch in Marymoor Park.
As you follow that rain drop, you will get the "rain drop's eye view" of the world. Start at the posted coordinates and find the first waypoint. At each new waypoint, find the clues and answer the questions to determine the next waypoint. In the end, you will have one cache to find before the water dumps into a large body of water.
TIME: I have completed this cache in two ways.
--Option 1: Start at the starting point and walk the entire route to the end. And then walk back. This took me 1-1/2 hours round trip. (Of course, I knew where I was going and didn't fumble with figuring out the next coordinates.)
--Option 2: Go to the starting point, determine the first way point and then find a place to park closer to the next waypoint, solve the clues, and repeat. This would require paying $1.00 for parking.
PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROPERTY: There is no need to cross over any posted private property. I was able to complete this trek by walking on City streets, in parking lots open to the public, and through areas of Marymoor Park.
CONDITIONS: Depending on the time of year, you will find soggy conditions, deep water, heavy growth of blackberries, stinging nettles, brambles, poisonous plants, etc. The buddy system is a good idea when hiking in unfamiliar areas with challenging terrain. Dress appropriately. You don't need to cross deep water to complete this hunt, but depending on the route you take, you may find that you do. Be careful, and no whining, as they say. You may also encounter wildlife. I have encountered deer, coyotes, owls, herons, osprey, eagles and ducks exploring this area, and if you are careful and quiet you will see lots of birds of varieties you don't typically see. Early one morning I saw an owl pass in front of the moon. I have also encountered people birding in the area. I found an intact model airplane with a 4 foot wingspan once. This isn't really recommended for kids. Obey leash laws if you bring Fido, and dogs should not be brought deep into wetland areas where they may disturb nesting birds.
LEAVE NO TRACE: As always, when you explore a wilderness area, you don't want to leave evidence of your passage. It is possible to reach each of the waypoints without damaging trees, disturbing nests, or leaving trash behind. This is a good CITO opportunity.
INSTRUCTIONS: At the starting point, solve the clue. You will then have a number to go with each letter for that clue. Use that information to solve the coordinates for the next waypoint. The degrees and minutes will not change, but the decimal portion of the minutes (three digits to the right of the decimal point) will be different for each waypoint. The three numbers are represented by a string of characters.
If you see: A(B+C)D, then the first digit is the number your clue tied to "A"; the second digit is the sum of "B" and "C", and the third digit is "D". There is no challenging math here. Just addition and subtraction. With this many digits, I find it helpful to bring a pad of paper to document everything as I go. Good luck!
Starting Point
We begin our journey near NE 65th Street. Lots of cars and trucks travel up and down this industrial street, dripping oil, dropping flakes of metal and other pollutants, and leaving the ground a mess. When it rains, the street is washed clean, but that water flows somewhere. At this starting location, you will find you are next to a trail. Look for a sign that talks about the new trail. You will find some numbers on that sign.
Clue #1: Find the code citation: King County Code "A.BC.DEF"
Clue #2: Find the speed limit: "GH"
Waypoint #1
Coordinates: N47 39.A(B+D)G W122 06.(F-H)B(E-G-C)
Here you will see the beginning of an old farm ditch. Look for the stormwater pipes that dump into the ditch. If the water is high in the ditch, all the pipes may be underwater. The bottom of the pipes are at the same elevation.
Clue #3: There are "I" small (12-inch diameter) pipes. There are "J" large (24-inch diameter) pipes.
Waypoint #2
Coordinates: N47 39.(I+H)(G+H)(C+D+J) W122 06.(I-B)(C-B)G
Here you'll stand above the ditch that is carrying those rain drops.
Clue #4: Look behind the squiggly sign. Phone number: (KLM)NOP-QRST
Waypoint #3
Coordinates: N47 39.QJT W122 06.L(N+S)(P-J)
Here you will find yourself next to a drainage ditch with deep water. On the north side of the ditch is a black post with some numbers on it.
Clue #5: Numbers: UV. Also W=V-I
Waypoint #4
Coordinates: N47 39.UW(P+Q) W122 06.TJ(U+I)
Our drainage ditch approaches an actual trail. A bridge crosses over the trail. Dogs are welcome on the trails here.
Clue #6: There are "X" rails on each side of the bridge.
FINAL
Coordinates: N47 39.(X+1)(V+X-1)S W122 06.(U+V+I-G)QW
At last the final. Look for a preform tucked in to a hole in the fence post. Blackberries come and go in this area. Please return the cache to the condition in which you found it, and try to shield your activities from prying eyes. No need to climb over any fences. Dogs and kids will like it here.
After you make the find, follow the drainage ditch the rest of the way. You will find where the rain drop is flowing on its way out to the receiving water. Is it a river or a lake? Your journey ends here, but the rain drop will flush all the way out to Lake Washington and then out the ship canal to Puget Sound, carrying whatever oil, grease, dirt, or metals that it picked up back on NE 65th Street.
For such a challenging cache, inked logs are required to get credit for the find. Bring a writing implement-- I am putting one inside, but there is no telling how long it will last.
You can check confirm the final coordinates on Geochecker.com.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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