Nature Bats Last...Siphons Traditional Cache
poudrecacher: We thank all of you for all the wonderful geocaching memories...you are mighty fine folks. A special thanks to Denali41 who hooked us on geocaching years ago. It's time for us to be a gettin' along. Keep the outdoor spirit alive...cache on! Miss Katie, Sturgie, Bear & Stevie
Nature Bats Last...Siphons
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Drive west from Ted's Place, cross the cattleguard, and immediately park on the right just beyond the concrete siphon.
Water delivery systems have always fascinated me. Simple, non-mechanical systems that use nature's natural forces are really cool...such as a siphon. This siphon is part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project which delivers water from the western slope to the more populated eastern slope. The water that passes through this siphon comes from Horsetooth Reservoir via the Charles Hansen Feeder Canal (aka: Hansen Canal), then under the Poudre River, then up and under Highway 14, and finally into the Poudre Valley Canal where it heads east to fill reservoirs.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SIPHON:
Our friend, Jim, is the ditch rider in the lower Poudre Canyon. He sums up "siphon science" real well..."Gravity and atmospheric pressure, what a wonderful thing. As long as the outflow is lower than the inflow, it could drop 1,000 feet and back up 999 feet in a containing tube and still move through without mechanical help. The weight of water pushing down the inflow tube is greater than the weight of water being pushed up the other side, given equal atmospheric pressure. It's really like a big p-trap under your sink."
If you look across the highway and across the river, you'll see where the inflow tube begins. This concrete structure is the outflow.
For more fun, check out the bullfrogs in the water in and near the concrete siphon...we've seen as many as nine bullfrogs. They're active from March to October. We enjoy hearing them squawk when they leap into the water. Gotta love critters, eh?
At high water times, be very careful...have fun! Atmospheric pressures, gravity, water, and squawking bullfrogs...appears to me She's still a battin' last.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Tbggn ybir gur ebpx onaq Veba Ohggresyl.
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures