Utahraptor: Lost World of Westland Series Letterbox Hybrid
commander overlord: time to go
Utahraptor: Lost World of Westland Series
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Walking through these woods will remind you of the days when the Dinosaur walked the Earth. Come out and see what the world looked like 150 million years ago. And also do a little caching while your at it.
To minimize walking, find in alphabetical order.
Name: Utahraptor (Greek for "Utah thief"); pronounced YOU-tah-RAP-tore
Habitat: Plains of North America
Historical Period: Early Cretaceous 130-120 million years ago
Size and Weight: About 23 feet long and 1,000-1,500 pounds
Diet: Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; huge claws on feet
About Utahraptor:
Probably the biggest raptor that ever lived, Utahraptor measured about 23 feet from head to tail and weighed at least half a ton. As you might have guessed given its extreme size, Utahraptor had correspondingly huge, single claws on each of its hind feet, each close to one foot in length. These claws were used for slashing and ripping at prey; in fact, Utahraptor may have hunted like a saber-toothed cat, inflicting deep, puncturing gash wounds in sudden ambushes and then withdrawing as its unfortunate prey bled to death.
Oddly, Utahraptor lived tens of millions of years before its more famous raptor descendants, terrorizing quivering herbivores during the early rather than the late Cretaceous period. It's more often the case that a tiny ancestor will give rise to gigantic descendants, but where raptors are concerned, evolution appears to have worked in reverse! For the record, Utahraptor seems to have been closely related to the central Asian raptor Achillobator, another sizable feathered theropod that lived about 40 million years later.
THE DIRECTIONS
This is the only Letterbox in the series that doesn't have a defined path to follow. What I used was a deer trail and some bushwacking. Because of this I included a bunch of tags leading all the way to the letterbox. And you will know you reached the end When you find with 2 tags right next to each other. Or you could do a projection of 398 feet at 173 degrees from the posted coordinates. Either way you'll be starting at the edge of the open field where a path going through some Catails.
And the first part of the path might be very muddy if it just rained. The deer trail only goes for about 10 PACES before turning RIGHT that is where I placed the first TAG to follow. Just head SOUTH staying 20 feet from the fence and you'll find the Utahraptor
**** Please be prepared this area can be very muddy at certain times of the year****
****Remember to follow all directions EXACTLY****
****Bring bug spray****
****Good Boots****
****Compass****
This cache is located within The Holliday Forest & Wildlife Preserve a part of the Wayne county park system. All caches are placed with permission. The Holliday Forest & Wildlife Preserve contains approximately 550 acres along the valley of what is known as Tonquish Creek in the northwest part of the County of Wayne.
This land was acquired by the County for the purpose of habitat preservation through the estate of Mr. Arthur J. Richardson, a Detroit Banker. Mr. Richardson, a philanthropist who died in 1938, stipulated in his will that the County establish a park in honor of his uncle William P. Holliday, who was a life long mentor.
It took over twenty years to assemble hundreds of little parcels that eventually became the Holliday Wildlife Preserve in 1958.
This three-mile section of the Tonquish Creek watershed is in its natural state, containing thickets, upland woods, wetlands and meadows. The foot trails that follow the streambed date back to the days of the Potowanami Indians who fished and trapped this rich land. Chief Tonquish was killed and buried on the lands within the preserve |
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Ba tebhaq orgjrra gjb fznyy gerrf
Treasures
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