GC7HK7W SwtM - Power Island (Multi-cache) in Michigan, United States created by The Mitten Crew

This cache has been archived.

The Mitten Crew: Year Nine of Smitten with the Mitten series has come to a close.

Thanks to all who visited the caches in this summer series and learned a bit about Islands in Michigan.

The caches will be picked up over the next few days.

We cannot guarantee they will still be there if you go out for them, but to quote the movie Dumb and Dumber, "So what you're saying is ... there's a chance"

Be sure to get your pathtag requests in by September 11th.

GC7HK7W ▼

A cache by The Mitten Crew Message this owner

Hidden : 5/11/2018

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

Its - GAME TIME - You seek information at the posted coords to figure out the coords of the final and also the "bridge" to the final which is on a sort of island.
(Substitute #'s that you will find at GZ into the following)

ABB CDE CFFB CEG AFE EGHB
HEB PLAYCORE DRIVE SE, Ft. Payne AL DEIGJ

The final is located at: N 42 EE.EEE W 085 CB.IEB

The Bridge is at: N 42 EE EGB W 085 CB.IGB

Power Island (previously known as Marion Island, Ford Island, Round Island, Rennie Island and Bowers Island) is a medium-sized island in Lake Michigan, and it is by far the largest island in Grand Traverse Bay. It is owned by Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County. A small island sits a few meters to the north called Bassett Island. The islands were once owned and operated by Henry Ford.

Power Island is known for being a roughly shaped island. On all sides there is a flatter beach, but internally there is a hill sometimes called "Mount Ford". The land is covered in a maple-beech forest. Power Island is part of the greater landmass of Old Mission. In prehistoric times, the island is said to have once been part of a landmass before Grand Traverse Bay. This is visible from satellites, as it appears that Suttons Bay was formed from Neahtawanta, and Omena was formed from the rest of the Old Mission Peninsula.

In 1881, Frederick Hall purchased the island and named it "Marion Island" after his daughter. Sometime in 1906, someone built a dance hall on Bassett Island, which is occasionally known as the Haunted Island, because apparently the spirit of a beheaded misbehaving Native American woman lived on the island before white settlers. In 1970, the tugboat "The Tramp" sunk of the coast of Power Island in 44 feet of water. In 2014, Grand Traverse County decided to start running a ferry service to the island.

From 1917 to 1944, the island was owned by Henry Ford who renamed it "Ford Island". It is rumored that he brought some of his famous friends to the island, including Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, Babe Ruth and even three U.S. Presidents. In 1944, the ownership of the island was relinquished to Eugene Power, then The Nature Conservancy, and finally in 1975 to Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation.

After 1944, the island was called "Rennie Island" named after the new owner Charles Rennie of the Rennie Oil Company. The island eventually became a Nature Conservancy. In 1987, after the Nature Conservancy gave the island to Grand Traverse County, it was renamed Power Island after Eugene Power.

Today, even though the island's name is officially Power Island, many locals still call it Marion Island or Ford Island. Sometimes, the island is fully known as Bassett Island, not referring to the smaller island to the north.

Power Island's waters are locally known for being a clear, Caribbean blue. These make the island a popular fishing, kayaking, swimming, and boating destination. Mount Ford, the hill on the island, boasts a five-mile hiking and walking path. The island campsite is a popular summer activity. Other popular activities include birding, hunting, nature watching, dog walking, and picnicking.

The oldest geocache in Michigan, "Power Island" (GC35) is also located on this island.

Boats that go to the island typically leave from either Bower Harbor Marina (in Bowers Harbor, three miles east) or Clinch Park Marina (in Traverse City, 6.5 miles south).

Visit 14 geocaches in the SwtM series. At each geocache collect a letter and number combination. Insert them into the phrase: FiTS LIKe A GlOVE Use the coordinates from the phrase to find the final geocache and become a Mitten Master
Power Island	North Manitou	South Manitou
Belle Isle	Mackinac Island	Isle Royale
Sugar Island	High Island	Harsens Island
Garden Island	Fox Islands	Drummond Island
Grosse Ile	Beaver Island	Mitten Master

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Svefg fgntr hfr ynory ba cbfg "Tnzr Gvzr" znahsnpghere bs fgehpgher. Fhofgvghgr cubar ahzore naq mvc pbqr gb trg inyhr bs rnpu yrggre Svany lbh fubhyqa'g trg jrg - jr jrer noyr gb jnyx npebff n oevqtr juvpu lbh pna hfr fnzr pbqr sbe pbbeqf

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)