The cache is not at the posted coordinates. Please read on for more details.
Visit the posted coordinates, solve an EASY field puzzle and walk a short distance to find the cache. Then, if you are interested in some "alternative" Lewis and Clark history, continue reading.
First, the puzzle. Near the posted coordinates, answer the following two questions to determine the coordinates of the cache:
AA = The number of window panes in the door at the southwest corner of the building.
BB = The last two digits of the "Pole Inventory #" found on the power pole near that same door.
AA + BB + 16 = DD
The cache is at:
N 46 11.1DD
W 123 57.402
It's best to walk the short distance rather than driving, as parking is limited along the highway.
Now, my interpretation of that "alternative" Lewis and Clark history promised earlier. Just what does this laundromat have to do with history?
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Between 1803 and 1806, the Lewis and Clark Expedition (also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition) journeyed from Missouri to the Pacific Coast. In late 1805 and early 1806, the Expedition spent a considerable amount of time in northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. Today, that region features many monuments, parks and historical locations commemorating the events of their visit.
You have likely already visited some of these monuments. This cache highlights another, and less-well-known one, specifically, the Expedition's laundry practices and a site steeped in Lewis and Clark laundry lore.
It is easy to imagine the members of the Expedition as a group of extremely tough individuals who cared little for apparel hygiene. While there is no debate regarding their ruggedness, the members, under the strict direction of Captain Meriwether Lewis, were meticulous regarding the cleanliness and neatness of their clothing, and spent large amounts of time and effort on laundering and ironing everything they wore. An entry in Lewis' early plans for the trip states, "...it shal be of pairamount intereste that all signors of the journy pay the utermost regarde to mantaining their clothings in the hiest of empicable conditons at all times...".
Indeed, inventory records detailing the provisions that the Corps embarked with emphasize their preponderance with the laundering sciences, specifically:
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Three heavy-duty front-loading state-of-the-art washing machines with matching clothes dryers.
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Two stand-by top-loading washing machines and one emergency dryer.
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650 pounds of detergent in various varieties (more on this later).
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7000 fabric softener sheets.
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17 irons and six backup irons.
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17 ironing boards of various configurations.
The personnel roster also heavily favored laundry service professionals, both military and civilian. Led by Laundry Lieutenant Laird Lavelle Liddiard, one of Captain Lewis' most-trusted men, the cadre of professionals, known as the Corps of Discovery Laundry Detachment, consisted of three laundry sub lieutenants, six dedicated laundry technicians, all with impressive military laundry credentials, and the COE-MIB, or Corps of Engineers Military Ironing Brigade, a crack team of the world's finest ironing professionals, again with long lists of military ironing accreditations. At no time or place in the history of the world has such an experienced and effective team of clothing maintenance specialists been assembled.
Many are the accounts of the hardships, adventures and personnel issues experienced by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, but few of those focus on what was one of the Corps' major objectives - to complete the expedition in only the most finely-maintained and wrinkle-free clothing achievable. One of many examples of this is the dispute that existed between Captain Lewis and Lieutenant Clark regarding front-loading washing machines. Lewis, very much a progressive, highly favored the then-new front loaders, while Clark, more traditional, maintained that top-loading machines were just as effective. In Lewis' own words, "...top opening mashines shuld be lefte to the junk pyles of hystery." In the end, the two compromised with a mix of both varieties, but it was a topic of very touchy debate during the entire expedition.
Even more subject to bitter contention was the selection of laundry detergent brand. Clark swore by the Fortress Fresh label, developed by the Army Corps of Engineers, and not available to civilians. Lewis, perhaps with an eye to his higher rank, would only use Captain Clean, a brand supposedly reserved for military use, but easily acquired in the civilian laundry black market at the time. The Expedition ended up transporting hundreds of pounds of each, along with numerous other brands and formulations.
Yet another topic of endless debate was the separating of laundry into white and color loads. Laundry Lieutenant Liddiard insisted that 100% adherence to white/color separations should be strictly followed. However, argued Clark, such strict practice would require a significant increase in the overall number of laundry loads that would be required, whilst very selective and limited mixing would preserve a very significant amount of detergent over the course of the trip. The exact methodology employed in this regard is lost to the obscurity of history, but this famous, and unattributed quote lends credence to the raging controversy: "...and i will be damed, sir, if you shall mix my white dinner jacket with your khaki uniform trousers in the same bach of washing!"
Many laundry science advancements were developed during the Expedition, and are still in use to this day. For example, a Lewis and Clark Expedition Science Corps Subcommittee, TALIS (Technological Advancement of Laundry Informatics and Sciences), developed PIPTALA (Phosphate Intermix and Preformulation Theorem for Advanced Laundry Applications), which has been proven to increase dirt extraction by a factor of up to 17% per load. Clark himself chaired that committee. Another member of the Expedition penned the now-famous, The Influence of Altitude on the Efficacy of Fabric Softeners. Much to Clark's dismay, Captain Lewis gathered substantial amounts of evidence and all but proved that the effectiveness of front-loading washing machines increases proportionate to local humidity. During their stay in what is now Seaside, Lieutenant Liddiard developed an alternate detergent formulation that effectively removed 99% of encrusted salt from the attire on which it was used.
As for adventure, there was plenty of that as well in the laundry department. Unbeknownst to most historians, Clark's famous and very difficult crossing of Tillamook Head to what is now Cannon Beach, was not so much in search of whale blubber. Rather, the Expedition had run perilously low on fabric softener sheets, and what sheets remained were often used for two or even three loads, a practice which "...sikens me moste mortaly" in the words of Lewis. The adventurous crossing paid off, however, and the group was able to trade 50 gallons of Midwest molasses for a fresh supply of 500 fabric softener sheets with the local Indian tribe at the site. Disaster narrowly averted.
It was not just the washing of clothing that so preoccupied the travelers, but its drying and softness as well. Taking inspiration from the near disaster at Tillamook Head, Lewis initiated a new form of punishment, which fortunately rarely needed to be employed. This practice was first implemented on January 5 of 1806 when one of the expedition porters was caught doubling the amount of detergent he was using to do a load of personal laundry. Without hesitation, Clark declared that for the next month, the perpetrator "shal be forced to drye his laundry with only an ALREDY USED fabric sofener pece". This punishment horrified many members of the Expedition, and Clark faced a considerable backlash during its application.
The drying of laundry, even in the Expedition's heavy-duty military grade dryers, proved to be a considerable challenge during their stay on the West Coast. This was especially true at Dismal Nitch, where it took as long as two hours to remove 99% of the moisture from a load of drying laundry. This hardship was considered to be one of the greatest miseries faced during their stay.
So, what does all this history have to do with the location of this geocache puzzle? Well, as you have no doubt noticed, this is now the site of a laundromat. However, it was also the site of Laundry Outpost #3 during the times of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. It was here, right where you stand at the posted coordinates, that the largest and most famous of the laundry outposts was situated, centrally and conveniently located for their stay on the Pacific Coast. Two of the heavy-duty front-loaders were located here, and operated day and night for at least seven months. A cache(!) of thousands of fabric softener sheets was also situated nearby and under three-man 24-hour guard. As you stand at this site, close your eyes and envision the constant activity of Expedition members conducting their laundering at this very place!
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to this historic site. I have great admiration for Lewis and Clark and their tremendous journey and mean no disrespect with these historical liberties!
May the Tide be with them, and you, as you find this cache!