ACHTUNG!
The cache itself is NOT within the boundaries of the John Day
Fossil Beds National Monument... The four virtual spots you need to
visit to find the final coordinates are on designated pathways. You
will need to find the appropriate parking and trailhead for each
trail.
This cache combines the two greatest loves of Zzzoey's life,
fossils and geocaching!
There are two other caches in the Journey Through Time series,
be sure and check them out! The Painted
Hills Unit and the Clarno
Unit. The coordinates above are for the Visitor's Center and
base of all operations for the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument. You need not visit the coordinates listed to find this
cache, but it is a nice launching point if you are unfamiliar with
the area.
The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument was established in
1975, consisting of 14,000 acres of heavily eroded volcanic
deposits, in essence layering and preserving millions of years of
fossils. Contained within these colorful layers of clay and
sediment are over 40 of the 65 million years of the fossils of the
Cenezoic period (basically that span of time between the demise of
the dinosaurs and the ice age). The JDFB contain a remarkably
complete record of such fossils, and are some of the most
well-known, most photographed fossil beds in the United States. In
the Sheep Rock Unit, south of Kimberly, Oregon, is a veritable
treasure trove of fossils and fossil bearing soils. This cache is
intended to make you walk *most* of the many trails of the Sheep
Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. You will
need to find the various points WITHIN the park to get the
coordinates to the final cache, which is located on BLM land.
Cliffs of every color imaginable. One
can see an entire canyon of erosion in a single tiny puddle. The
landscape here is other-worldly, and you will find yourself
wondering if you are still on this planet. As part of our Journey
Through Time cache series, we felt inspired to celebrate this
wonderful place. We want to force you the cacher.. to walk
the trails and interpret what you see. We hope you enjoy finding it
as much as we enjoyed placing it.
Trail #1: Flood Of Fire
N44*39.277'
W119*38.350'
This is a short trail with minor slope that will have you wandering
through scrub juniper until you emerge at the edge of a great
eroded canyon of many colors.
Read the informational sign and complete the following statement.
The numbers that correspond to the correct choice will be
ww.
All told, over 60 different lava floods issued from nearby
fissures, averaging one flood every _____________ thousand years.
.
| 26 Five |
28 Seven |
| 27 Six |
29 Eight |
ww=_______________
Trail #2: Story in Stone
N44*39.072'
W119*38.217'
This is another self guided trail, although
it seems some of the trail exhibits are outdated and/or vandalized
the views are incredible, and well worth the walk.Go to the
coordinates and count the letters on the sign above the bench. Add
that number to 10 and the result will be 36. the sign is now
gone so just take our advice, xx equals 36! xx=_______________
Trail #3: Blue Basin
N44*35.690'
W119*37.832'
This is the first trail we ever hiked at the Sheep Rock unit, and
we come back every chance we get! Take some time to enjoy the views
and pay attention to the blue-green milky water in the tiny stream
that drains this basin. At the coordinates you will find a
Trailhead Register Sign (where you sign your named, etc.) Now, hike
the entire trail until you reach the end, and either standing or
sitting on the bench there (in the natural ampitheatre) do a GOTO
the Trailhead Register Sign coordinates. How far away are you from
that sign? That distance will be either 0.40, 0.44 or 0.48 miles
Take the two digit number after the decimal point and subtract
10. The result will be yy.
yy=_______________
Trail #4: Mascall Overlook
N44*30.051'
W119*37.331'
Here you will find a nice little overlook, a fee demonstration
project with some neat signs and a nice parking area. Study the
informational signs you find at the coordinates. The picture inset
at left shows what it is like to be a too-tall person in an average
world. illDRIVE attempting to find a flat writing base to record
numbers. What is the two digit number at the bottom of the
Timeline in Million of Years? Add 13 to that number, and you
will have zz.
zz=_______________
Now that you have wandered all these trails and interpretive sites,
you are ready to find the cache, which will have you continuing in
the same direction you've been traveling in. Step lightly as you
search; as far as we know this is BLM land, NOT a Wilderness Study
Area, NOT part of the National Monument...But regardless, this is
pristine public land that appears to be visited infrequently if at
all. You should be able to park less than a 1/4 mile from the final
cache on a nice well-maintained gravel road. PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE OFFROAD. There IS a 4x4 rutted
path, but PLEASE do this one on foot, as we don't need to advertise
the cache location and/or contribute to the ruts. Use the values
you filled in above to complete the final coordinates:
FINAL COORDINATES:
N 44* ww.836 = N 44*____._________'
W 119* yy.1zz = W 119*____._________'
