This is a tour of the new rest stop that CalTrans took more than a year to build on the northbound US 101, a little north of the entrance to Gaviota State Park. Many folks use these facilities without even realizing that there are thirteen new informational panels on the back wall, north of the rest rooms. There are eleven questions below, given in no particular order. You need to submit the correct answers (as given on the panels!) for any eight of these questions to be able to post a “found it” here; just send them to us through our profile link at the top of this page. We ask for only eight because vandalism happens, and a panel or two might be unreadable at any time, although we hope this spot can avoid such trouble. Naturally, if you wish to submit all eleven answers, we won’t mind. 
As always with any virtual cache, please do not post any answers on this page, not even encrypted. Thank you!
We hope that you enjoy this little tour of the history and wildlife of an area that is still pretty-much the way it was several hundred years ago. We learned a few things while reading these plaques; not all of our tax money is wasted 
BTW: the pictures posted here are just a couple of shots of the surrounding hills; they are not clues or hints, except maybe to verify that you have the right rest area
The Questions
- An easy one to start with: what does the Spanish word “gaviota” mean in English?
- True or False: a dead rattlesnake can still put the bite on you!
- What is the year engraved into the concrete below the plaque which talks about the two expeditions of Juan Bautista de Anza?
- Based on the aerial photo in one panel, what is the base rock (underlying layer) that this rest area is built upon?
- Which of the two “local” Spanish Missions had its embarcadero at the beach just below this rest stop?
- After his retirement, Comandante Jose Francisco Ortega was given all of the land along this coast, for several miles in each direction. What was the full name of this rancho?
- Name any four (or more) of the seven plants pictured or named on the panel that discusses the Coast Chaparral that makes up the majority of the plant community of this area, and of much of California.
- Which pass did Major John C. Frémont use in 1846, instead of Gaviota Pass, during the Mexican-American War ?
- When did petroleum processing begin in this area?
- In 1915, the old graded and graveled Coast Highway that had served as the first automobile route along the coast was paved and widened. What was the official designation of this highway (we were quite surprised at the answer) and where can you still see a piece of this old road (again, we were surprised at this)?
- When was the Gaviota Tunnel completed?
A side note: This cache was serendipitously submitted on the 113th anniversary of the death of John C. Frémont: surveyor, war hero, anti-slavery advocate, Presidential candidate, author, Senator from California, Governor of the Arizona Territory.