This cache is part of the Virginia State Parks Travel Bug Hotel Adventure. Each participating state park has a unique cache for this series. This geocache was placed after permission was granted.
Participating Parks: Douthat, Machicomoco, Seven Bends, Natural Tunnel, Occoneechee, Chippokes, and Bear Creek Lake State Parks.
Find all the participating VSP Travel Bug Hotels to earn a trackable Green Darner Dragonfly Geocoin. Green Darners are one of North America’s largest dragonflies. They feed on any insect smaller than they are. While their destination remains a mystery, green darners migrate in swarms so large and dense they show up on radar. They are true travel bugs!
Coins will be available while supplies last.
This cache is a specially themed hotel:
The location of the Chippokes Travel Bug Hotel is housed on the Chipoax Trace Trail. This trail is unique due to its location, historical significance, ecology, and terrain. The trail takes guests through woodlands, agricultural fields, alongside a historical and popularly used Chipoax road, and down by the salt marshes. The Chipoax trail is unpaved and not graveled, the trail is entirely natural forest floor, leaves, dirt, root systems, small bouts of inclines, and the occasional fallen limb or branch.
This area has minimum human disturbance, has an array of diverse plants, trees, and wildflowers and is full of the natural sounds of nature. Guests in search of the geocache are sure to enjoy their time on the trail.
You will walk a little over half of the trails length before finding proximity to the coordinates.
We wanted to encourage those who made it halfway to consider finishing the length of the trail to reach the true beauty to be found at the very end. However, if you choose to venture the length of the trail, know that the journey back will be full of more incline than the way there. The home spot for the Geocache is at an elevated 108 ft.
The Chippokes Travel Bug Hotel is a true representation of all the wonderful and special features that Chippokes State Park has to offer. The geocache is handcrafted to appear as an antique, aged farm wood, and weathered chicken coop. Heritage breeds, especially our Dominique Chickens, are an important part of our ambassador farm animal family here at Chippokes. Telling a forgotten heritage story of a time where farming and living off the land was how to survive and support your family. The Chicken Coop goes seamlessly well alongside the traditional known nesting and egg-laying chicken coop used on the farm or homestead. The appearance of the Geocache was an opportunity to make this project our very own and as special as Chippokes is.
There is a latch to secure and protect the items inside, there will be a code to get inside the lock mechanism that secures that latch, please be sure to latch it shut and put the lock back on properly before leaving the Geocache.
When you open the latch, you will find three miniature sized displays that showcase our corn husk dolls, corn cob dolls, and metal cast ironed toy soldiers... Underneath the three display rooms, geocachers will find a series of wooden drawers, inside each drawer will be different items, a drawer for geocache trading, a drawer for prizes/SWAG sponsored by the Friends of Chippokes for finding our geocache, a drawer for Geocoins, a drawer for the log, and a drawer we will use to feature items that speak to enhancing your outdoor skills, environmental stewardship, and knowledge of the resources plentiful here at Chippokes State Park... preserved and protected for wonderful beings like yourself, friends, family, and all the future generations to come after.
The geocache will contain a logbook, pencil and some small trade items.
Our State Park does require a small parking/vehicle entrance fee of $7 while geocaching.
For more information go to: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/parkfees.shtml
When caching in Virginia State Parks; please stay on marked trails when possible, park in designated parking areas ONLY, always observe CITO and Leave No Trace practices & most of all - take time to enjoy & explore your natural and historical surroundings!