MSPCGT:Grand Haven SP EarthCache

Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour (GT93)

UPDATE: 3/1/2024:

2019 was the 100^th Anniversary of Michigan State Parks and we're still celebrating!. Join the Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO), the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Geocaching.com for the first official GeoTour in Michigan.

This tour was originally scheduled to run for three years, kicking off on Friday of Memorial Weekend in 2019 and continue through May 31, 2022. The success of this awesome tour has not gone unnoticed. On February 2, 2022, The DNR announced the extension of the GeoTour through September 24, 2024! Join us in making a final push to complete this very popular and very successful GeoTour before the sun sets on it.

Each geocache is in one of Michigan's state parks. The geocaches are arranged by MiGO Region, with twenty-five geocaches per region. The Ticket to Celebrate 100 is available for download from the DNR's Geocaching page. It explains how to qualify for prizes in each of the four regions and for the GeoTour as a whole.

Day use areas of state parks are open from 8AM to 10PM. Geocaching is limited to those hours. Entry into Michigan's State Parks requires a Michigan Recreation Passport. See the Resources section below for more information.

The sun will set on the MSPCGT at midnight Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The MSPCGT will go off the air as a GeoTour and the caches will disappear from the map. There is a lot of construction going on in our State Parks in 2024. Some of the GeoTour caches will have to be pulled earlier. The remaining geocaches in the tour will be archived October 1, 2024. Players will have until December 31, 2024 to claim any prize they have earned. Hiders will be contacted to request removal of the geocaches they hid unless they have made arrangements with park managers and have their own permit in place to keep the geocache in play, with a new GC Code.

Now for some good news: MiGO and the DNR are busy working on a new project that will kick off in the Spring of 2025, code named MSPGT 2.0. Are you interested in helping? Keep your MiGO Membership up to date and stay tuned to the website.

Cache:

This cache was hidden as part of the Michigan State Parks Centennial GeoTour, presented by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Geocaching Organization. Record the codeword printed on the log book and on a label inside the cache container to the appropriate box on the Ticket to Celebrate 100 form. See the instructions on the form to claim prizes.

This is a earth cache. There is no container to find or log book to sign. To get the codeword you need for the GeoTour, you need to read the following material, then answer the questions below via a Geocache messaging or an email sent to mspcgt@gmail.com.

Welcome to Grand Haven State Park, just 48 acres of sandy beachfront along Lake Michigan. Take a few minutes to take in all the sand! At the posted coordinates, you should easily be able to see the Grand River, one of Michigan's longest rivers, emptying here into beautiful, Lake Michigan, the fourth largest fresh water lake in the world.

The sand you are walking on was created by a process known as longshore drift. Longshore drift is a process that creates deposits due to the force of prevailing winds and the direction of the waves it pushes. In this instance, the waves crash into the beach at an angle and not straight on. The waves carry with it sediment, or small pieces of solid matter that are deposited on the shoreline when the wave reaches land, but the water recedes from the land straight back, and carries small amounts of particulate matter away from land.

Over time, longshore drifts can cause spits to build up at river mouths or at the end of a plot of land. It is difficult to counteract the effects of longshore drift, but engineers have developed methods of combating this issue. In some cases, fences or walls can be erected to try to slow down the effects of longshore drift, especially if they are up against other bodies of water. In many cases, barricades are made from large formations of rocks or boulders.

To get credit for this earthcache, please provide answers to the following questions in an email or geocache message. Please do not post your answers in your log. Every individual finder is required to turn in their own answers. Once you complete the steps, a reviewer will confirm that you've successfully completed the earthcache and will provide the GeoTour codeword for this cache via e-mail or GC message.

1. Take a short walk down to the lake side of the beach and observe the behavior of the incoming waves. Are the waves coming straight in on land, or are they coming in at an angle? If they are coming in at an angle, are they striking land on the southern (left) or northern (right) end first?
2. Based on your observation to question one, in which direction (N,S,W,E) do you think particles are slowing being pushed because of the effects of longshore drift?
3. What effects could you foresee arising over many years if this drift was not contained?
4. At the posted coordinates, do you see any man-made engineering that has been done to try to prevent the longshore drift in this area? Do you think it is working?
5. Optional: Post a photo of you, your GPSr or signature item with the lake or beach in the background with your on-line log.
6. Send your answers by GC Messaging to MSPCGT or by email to mspcgt@gmail.com. Important: Begin your message or email with the exact line:
   GC801KR MSPCGT:Grand Haven SP Answers.
   Using that line and a photo in your log, email or message will result in the fastest response.

Thank you Mikey Mac for creating, hiding and maintaining this MSPC GeoTour cache.

^{Photo courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources}
Sunset through the pier and lighthouse

Grand Haven State Park:

Grand Haven State Park is a 48-acre park with the beautiful sandy shore of Lake Michigan along the west side of the park and the Grand River along the north side of the park. The park consists entirely of beach sand and provides scenic views of Lake Michigan and the Grand Haven pier and lighthouse. It is the site of a perfect example of littoral drift.

^{Photo from Vintage Michigan Postcards post, from a private collector, used with permission}
Late 1910s beach traffic at The Oval

History:

The following is from the Historic Conservation District Self-Guided Walking Tour by the Grand Haven Historic Conservation District Commission:
The Grand Haven State Park (popularly known as The Oval) was originally a 35-acre public beach owned by the City and purchased for $1,000. In 1920, 22 acres closest to the pier was deeded from the City to the State for $1.00 for use as a State Park, keeping the acreage south of the state park, adjacent to the historic Highland Park as City Beach. Tenting was the most popular mode of roughing it. After WW II trailers became more sophisticated and self-contained and, in time, were replaced by large, self-propelled motor homes. Perennially, Grand Haven State Park′s attendance is rated second only to Holland State Park.

^{Map courtesy of Michigan Department of Natural Resources}

Activities:

Grand Haven State Park is a beachfront campground that predominately focused on swimming, sun bathing and other beachfront activities. There are strict alcohol use restrictions at the beach. See the Information link below. Plenty of other activities surround this small park. Access can be had to the Tri-City area using the Harbor Trolley.

Information:

For more information, reservations and a calendar of events, follow this link to Grand Haven State Park.

Special thanks to mkettel for help with this geocache.

Special thanks to Cold Cache Crew and Silent Whistles for the Southwest regional prize.

Resources:

• State Parks Centennial GeoTour - Download the Ticket to Celebrate 100
• Michigan.gov/StateParks100
• Michigan DNR Recreation Passport
• When were Michigan state parks and recreation areas established?
• Michigan Geocaching Organization (MiGO)