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Downtown Stauffer Traditional Cache

Hidden : 7/3/2015
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
3.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

We were out n about and saw that there was an old town out here at one time.  Nowadays there's not much to see but some old fences and even an old dump. The terrain difficulty is only high because of the roads one must take to get there.  


To get to the cache turn south on the dirt road with no name sign between mile posts 71 & 72. Go south for 5.1 miles then turn right. The first half mile will be rough here but it smooths out some. Go 3 miles exactly and park in downtown Stauffer in one of the marked parking spaces. Enjoy the silence and the view.

I imagine if it weren't 100 degrees out at the time we placed the cache we would have explored much more.  Just a bit of history about 8 miles south of highway 20 out in the sagebrush.  Forget about going here in the winter and spring because the roads turn to mush.  It was totally dry when we went out there today, July 3, and the roads were bumpy and rough but no water or mud.  Do not drive a car out here, trucks and 4X4 only.

The cache should be easy to find and is right downtown.  For the first to find there is a travel bug that has not been activated and there is also a lot of cool swag as well.

Stauffer's history is more or less that of lore, as there really is no information about its beginnings or end. Speculation says that it was a homestead for dry farmers or sheep ranchers in the mid-1800s. The most commonly accepted reason for the departure of the residents, and possibly the most accurate, is that dry farming was too difficult to attain in the chunky bedrock below Glass Butte, an infamous resting place for tons of obsidian; hence the butte's name. An eerie place to visit, as it is truly in the middle of nowhere. It's a great place to sit and ponder the history of eastern oregon, however.

http://forums.ghosttowns.com/showthread.php?16629-An-update-for-the-website

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stauffer,_Oregon

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ab erny uvag vf arprffnel, vg'f ng gur onfr bs n fntroehfu. Lbh'yy svaq vg.

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)