Belmont 4H Primo Traditional Cache
Belmont4H: Archived because of vandalism
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is Belmont 4H Geocaching group's first cache, thus the "Primo". As Belmont 4H'ers, we have all played in Twin Pines park, have done community service here, have attended special events like the Father Daughter dance and Free Music Concerts on Sunday, and have just enjoyed this being Belmont's main park.
There are two ways to approach this cache (don't be tempted to access it from Oneill or Paloma Ave as you will be trespassing and having to scale a steep embankment). Both approaches start in the parking lot of Twin Pines Park. For the adventurous person not allergic to poison oak, you can make a direct line to the cache by scaling a steep embankment into the creek, crossing the creek, and then climb out again up an equally steep bank infested with poison oak. Or, you can take a lovely walk in the park - look in the hints section for more details on this approach.
The rating for this cache is because a direct approach is not easy and because the tree cover makes the GPS signal fade in and out. This cache is not handicap accessible and requires easy walking on dirt paths (watch for poison oak, though it is not a problem if you stick to the path.)
About Twin Pines Park (continuation of history from description in the Sarsaparilla cache GC1JB51, not far away): In 1908 George Center, a close associate of Senator Ralston, built his estate in what we know now as Twin Pines Park. Reacting to the 1906 Earthquake, Mr. Center built very, very solidly with reinforced concrete foundations, walls, and even the upper floors. Inside, the finishing touches range from fine to faux. Look closely at the paneling and moldings, which range from Honduras mahogany to oak to Douglas fir faux-finished to mimic mahogany.
The Center property was sold in 1925 to a group of doctors led by Dr. Rebec, and the property became a well-known psychiatric hospital. In August, 1925, the Twin Pines Sanitarium was officially founded on part of the old Janke picnic grounds (see cache GC1JB51 for specific history) and treated nervous disorders. In 1930, Doctor William Rebec took over the sanitarium and became a psychiatrist known nation-wide, and whose efforts resulted in California's Humane Commitment Act, which ensured that mental patients were treated well. After his death in 1941, Twin Pines was overseen by a board of his heirs, and in March, 1972, the facility closed its doors when state funding of community mental health facilities was eliminated. The City of Belmont acted quickly, passing a bond measure in order to purchase the entire property and in 1973, Twin Pines Park was established on the location. The sanitarium was determined by the city to be a historical landmark and this cache is hidden among some of the old foundations of one of the buildings long gone. Once you find the cache, follow the old set of stairs down to the creek bank and see if you can imagine the bridge that went across the creek to the still standing buildings on the other side (look for the old bridge foundations and imagine a bridge going straight across).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fgneg ng gur yvba naq sbyybj gur cnirq cngu npebff gur evire gb gur onpx cynltebhaq. Abj, qbhoyr onpx qbja gur evire bagb n pyrne qveg cngu...xrrc tbvat, lbh jvyy svaq vg.
Chyy gur evat ba gur fgevat gb ergevrir.
Treasures
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