When once she tried to tell him
How she her bird had freed,
And how it nestled in her neck-
He only cried-"Indeed!
Where is the paper? 'Tis the day
To learn whose racer wins;-
And then, tonight, with that new star,
The Opera begins."
Sarah Josepha Hale, Alice Ray
This cache is located on Fort Ord Public Lands (you can click here for a trail map or pick one up at the trailheads), but is extremely close to the famous Laguna Seca Raceway in the Laguna Seca Recreation Area. Look one way, you have a stunning view of unsullied hills; look the other and watch Grand Prix, Formula 1, and Classic racing.
There are two ways to get to this cache.
The first is horsebackable, mountain bikeable, and walkable via an arduous multi-mile hike from the Fort Ord Public Lands trail head on Route 68; the four-star rating for terrain is if you come that way. If you come this way, it's free of charge, including on race days. If you're hiking up this way, point towards trail #48.
The second is via the Laguna Seca Recreation Area entrance. There's a $5. fee on non-race weeks, which you can avoid by parking near the entrance and taking a long hike in; many days it's collected on the honor system, and an annual Monterey County Parks pass will get you in for free as well. On race days you'll need to buy a very expensive ticket to get in. Terrain rating is 1.5 if you come from this side. You can sometimes park very close to the cache, but you will probably end up at the obvious parking area near the restrooms.
There are signs posted indicating this is a "very difficult trail" for mountain bikers. We also note the occasional rattler can be seen in this area, so be cautious when hunting. There are a few thistles around the cache area, but for once, apparently no poison oak. Other than that, this is a pretty safe spot for kids, dogs off leash (on the Fort Ord side at least), and the terrain is moderate and it's a very short walk if you come from the raceway side.
Check the schedule of the raceway at the Laguna Seca Racing website: if you're a race fan, plan your caching ahead, otherwise avoid these dates like the plague.
There are many relatively cheap campsites with spectacular views available (cheap on non-race days, at least), suitable for cosy camping or RV parking, and showers and bathrooms are near the trailhead. The souvenir store isn't always open but when it is, you can get basic snacks there (located a third of a mile from the cache).
The cache is a small (7.62 mm) green ammo box. The cache contents are all automotively-related: matchbox cars, hot wheels, a cool racing bike, some temporary tattoos, etc. In the spirit of the cache, please bring and swap automotive or racing-related items. The cache is camouflaged with local vegetation but part of it is visible.
We think we've done a reasonable job making the cache unobtrusive, but be aware of geomuggles in this spot, especially during race weekends, and try to do as clever a job of recamouflaging it as possible.
We can email you a spoiler photo upon request.
This one took months of planning and is one of our favorite cache-hiding locations: we hope you enjoy it, too.
Vroom vroom!
And remember: no tengas miedo, es un juego.