Cache is not at posted coordinates! Ammo can with log, writing utensils, and sweet swag! To find this cache you will need to complete the Adventure Lab The Crossing at Wind Wolves Preserve.

The Crossing at Wind Wolves Preserve

The Crossing is one of the main destinations of the Wind Wolves Preserve. There are four interesting and unique features all within a half mile hike (not all wheelchair accessible). As you explore the first three features, be on the look out for a code word that will be found in the same style hiding place at all three spots. The code word at the fourth location will be slightly different. Most journal stages hold an important clue to access this bonus cache as well as other logable bonuses if you can figure them out!

The Pond

The Crossing pond provides habitat for various aquatic plants and animals. Be on the lookout for bullfrogs and their tadpole offspring. Adult frogs lay thousands of eggs in the water, and in a few weeks the eggs hatch into legless, toothless tadpoles. The tadpoles feed on micro-plants and algae, and over time, they metamorph, or change, into adult frogs, growing hind legs, then front legs, and eventually losing their tails. While at the Crossing, you may spot other amphibian species in the vicinity of the pond, such as toads or tree frogs. The small tree frog, which only grows to about two inches long, frequently rests on cattail leaves.

Cattails are unmistakable freshwater plants that grow throughout lake, pond, and slow-moving stream habitats. They grow six to eight feet tall and get their name from the fuzzy, elongated seed heads that resemble cat tails. The long leaves offer protection for nesting birds, such as ducks and red-winged blackbirds. This plant was an important food source for several Native American tribes, including the Chumash who lived in the San Emigdio Canyon. The Chumash boiled and ate the starchy stems and immature flower stalks, and they collected pollen to grind into a nutritious flour. They also wove cattail leaves into waterproof mats, which they used as mattresses and house dividers.

Bedrock Mortars

Look for large, fist-sized depressions in the nearby flat-topped rock. These depressions are man-made features called bedrock mortars. Native Americans created these mortars hundreds of years ago by repeatedly pounding a hand stone onto the rock surface. The bedrock mortars were used to grind seeds, dried meats, fruits, and nuts, similar to how a mortar and pestle or molcajete, are used today. The most important and dependable food source for most California Native Americans were the nuts of an oak tree which are called acorns. Acorns contain large amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fats, and minerals. They also contain bitter tannins that needed to be removed before consumption. To do this, Native Americans would first remove the shell and then grind the acorn nut into a fine flour using a hand rock and the bedrock mortar. Next, the Native Americans would transfer the flour, or meal, to a special basket or a depression in the sand which was covered with leaves and then pour warm water through it to leach out the tannins. After the removal of the tannins, the meal could be used for soup, porridge, or bread.

Most evidence of the local Native Americans have disappeared. Their structures, household goods, baskets, tools, clothing, etc. were mostly plant and animal-based and returned to earth from which they came long ago . Even though much has been lost, descendants of the people, some stories and traditions, and the bedrock mortars still remain.

Waterfall History

The Crossing, site of the waterfall, was constructed around 1950 for easier access to crops of oats and barley that grew in the San Emigdio Canyon. Around 1910, this area was home to a man-made flume that helped divert the water of San Emigdio Creek to a large orange orchard which was located near the current Administration Hacienda at Wind Wolves Preserve. Remains of this flume can be seen on the western bank of the creek. Today, a new diversion helps channel water through the San Emigdio Campground, to the Hacienda ponds, and finally to the San Emigdio Creek.

It is important to note that Wind Wolves was previously a ranch/farm for many years starting in 1842, as the first Mexican land grant in Kern County. During this time many of the trees were cut down for building materials, firewood, fencing, etc., and many of the native grasses and broadleaf plants were cleared for planting crops or were grazed by domestic livestock.

Since purchasing this land in 1996, The Wildlands Conservancy (TWC) has replaced corrals, barns, and bare land with picnic areas, a campground, and trails. TWC reintroduced tule elk, which once roamed in the thousands. With the help from staff and hundreds of volunteers, thousands of native plants have been planted to restore the land. Consequently, visitors today can observe and enjoy the same native plants and animals that the Native Americans observed for hundreds of years before the ranching era.

The Benchmark

Survey benchmark monuments are brass or metal disks in the ground that provide latitude, longitude or orthometric height. They give surveyors a point of reference because they use them as part of a set of survey observations.

A “benchmark” is a generic term sometimes referred as survey marks, geodetic marks and control stations. Each has a slight difference in meaning. However, survey professionals prefer the terms station or mark rather than benchmark to describe horizontal control marks.

This station was placed here in 1942 by the National Geodetic Survey. Today, surveying has largely been replaced by GPS devices and established GPS control networks and these marks have become literal monuments of the past. There is another benchmark within 300 feet of this one. You do not need to find it for this adventure, but it might be fun to hunt! Give it a try.

For more information about benchmarking and Geocaching, please consider checking out these Geocaches: Benchmarking Basics, Benchmarking Sites & Apps, and Benchmarking Advanced Tips.

Welcome to Wind Wolves Preserve, which is owned and operated by The Wildlands Conservancy. We hope you enjoy your visit and would like you to keep the following guidelines in mind while enjoying your Geocaching experience with us.

• Preserve hours are daily from 7 AM to 4 PM.
• Please stay on established trails or maintained areas. Caches are planted so you do not have to break any brush to find them.
• Wind Wolves Preserve is a leave no trace organization. Please help keep our preserve clean.
• Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and bring plenty of water and snacks.
• Cell phone reception is limited throughout many places in the preserve, so let people know where you are going and when you should return.
• Please keep pets on a leash.
• Smoking (including vaporizers), other tobacco products, and alcoholic beverages are prohibited throughout the Wind Wolves Preserve.
• No shooting or hunting. Possessing a firearm, air rifle, archery equipment, machetes, large knives, or other large weapons on the preserve is prohibited.
• Drones and/or other unmanned aircraft systems are prohibited unless permission is granted from the preserve management.
• All plants and animals are protected. Do not remove or damage natural features or items including plants, animals, and animals parts including feathers, antlers, and bones. Do not displace, remove, or damage cultural artifacts.
• Please do not plant Geocaches or Adventure Labs on our property.

We would like to continue to provide an excellent Geocaching experience for our visitors, but that requires us to control where Geocaches are placed on the property. We respectfully ask you do not plant any new caches at Wind Wolves. If you have a great idea for a Geocache hide, please contact us and we would love to discuss it with you. However, if a listing publishes on our property outside our Geocaching account, we will request it be archived and remove it. Thank you for your understanding. Have a safe and fun experience and happy caching at Wind Wolves Preserve!

Please note that elrojo14 had permission to plant his Adventure Lab on the property because he could not transfer it to our account.