Lake Louisa State Park Cache 2 Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

Crow T Robot: Please contact me if this one is replaced. Thanks.

More
Hidden : 12/27/2002
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


This is a new placement for Lake Louisa State Park Cache that was originally hidden 11/24/02.

Note: The cache was temporarily disabled on 8/17/03 due to high water but the water level has dropped and the cache has been reactivated on 10/12/03.

This cache search will lead you through one of Florida’s newest state parks, a park in transition. Natural community restoration is in progress as more than 1,100 acres of old orange grove are being returned to a sandhill community. Sandhills act as primary recharge areas for the Floridan Aquifer, the main source of drinking water for the state. The natural cover for the high rolling hills within the park should be longleaf pines and wiregrass. Planting of these species is underway.

The sandhills are home to the gopher tortoise, a species of special concern due to habitat loss. Lake Louisa has one of the highest densities of gopher tortoises in the state of Florida and the restoration efforts will likely lead to a population increase.

Lake Louisa State Park is also home to the monument honoring Dean R. Gilmore, Army First Lieutenant, whose P-51 Mustang Super Snooper crashed into Lake Louisa while on a training mission out of the Bartow Airfield. The plane went down on November 14, 1944 which was his 23rd birthday. Lt. Gilmore had been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for service in Italy earlier that year. The plane was not discovered until June, 2001 when the lake was at a very low level due to drought.

To start the hunt you must enter the park from the main park entrance on U.S. 27 There is a $4.00 entrance fee per car and the park is open from 8:00am to dark. (visit link)

• Locate the first set of hidden Coordinates at the above coordinates , Follow this set of coordinates to locate the second set of hidden coordinates.

• Follow this set of coordinates to locate the third set of hidden coordinates. (note the coordinates to the third set are off by about 50 feet, add .005 to the longitude and .007 to the latitude to get closer)

• Follow this set of coordinates to the former site of a monument with his propellor tip commemorating Lt. Gilmore's flight. The monument came down in Hurricane Jeanne in 9/04 and broke into two pieces. There is a sign with information about Lt. Gilmore about 50 feet west of the former monument site. The cache is located at N 28.27.AAA, W 81.45.BBB. To find the numbers for AAA, add 681 to Lt. Gilmore's squadron number. To find the numbers for BBB, subtract 003 from the number of planes that flew on that fateful flight. The cache is in a clear plastic box.

Good Luck

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?