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This Geocache is in The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Franklin Mountains State Park - Tom Mays Unit. There is a $3.00 entry fee per person. Children 12 and under are free. Wheelchairs and strollers will get within 2 feet of the cache but will not reach it. Bring a helper. This cache is approved by TPWD.
This EASY cache is set up to compliment The Lost Aztec Treasure cache, which is quite difficult and challenging. I designed this cache to be very simple and easy to get to. While everyone is welcome to hunt this cache, I designed it with the thought that some people cannot hike and climb, and some children are too young to make a long hike. My Rio Grande Cache has drawn several remarks that it was the only available cache for non-hikers. If that sounds like you, then this cache is made for you! Parking is near-by, hiking distance is almost nothing, and elevation change is only a few feet. Sorry, we don’t do drive-up caching.
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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Franklin Mountains State Park - Tom Mays Unit is a well maintained park on the west side of the Franklin Mountains. It is just north of Trans Mountain Road, and 3.8 miles east of the junction of I-10 and Trans Mountain Road. The park is patrolled by rangers, with picnic areas, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, technical climbing areas, camping, and rest rooms all available in the park. If you have not been to this park, you need to see it. Pack a picnic lunch, and make a day of it. Tell the rangers at the gate you are a Geocacher, they are giving us great support. With 27,000 acres of park area, we do not want to lose that support. If you have suggestions on improving the cache, or the park, E-mail them to me.
BTW, there are FIVE caches in Tom Mays Park. They could be done in a day, but it would be one long day. Still, the challenge is there. Those caches are Mundy’s Gap, North Mays Stash, The Lost Aztec Treasure, The Schaeffer Moon Walk, and The Nature Walk. There are several other caches within the bounds of the Franklin Mountain State Park, but only these five are in the Tom Mays Unit.
The Franklin Mountains extend from just north of downtown El Paso Texas into southern Doña Ana County, New Mexico. They are roughly three miles wide by twenty-three miles long and rise to an elevation of 7,192 feet above sea level at North Franklin Mountain. The mountains divide the city of El Paso and have influenced its shape and growth. This range comprises the bulk of the second largest state park in Texas and what is said to be the largest urban park in the nation, Franklin Mountains State Park. North Franklin Mountain was once 7200 feet, but a road was cut through to the top, and the top was flattened 8 feet by a developer before the land became property of the State of Texas, Parks and Wildlife Department
Typical Chihuahuan Desert plants and animals are found in the Franklins Mountains. Some plants, such as the large barrel cactus, are found nowhere else in Texas. El Pasoans are especially fond of the native Mexican poppies and introduced California poppies that tint the rocky slopes each spring. Animals range from many species of rodents to deer, mountain lions, and occasionally black bears. Though the mountains look arid, a number of springs can be found during periods of adequate rainfall. These springs are particularly conducive to plant and animal life. Stands of cottonwood, hackberry, oak, and juniper grow in some of the more remote areas of the park.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[No hints needed, this is too easy. Well, OK... just one.] Ybbx haqre lbhe srrg.