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Covered Bridges of Columbia County – NORTHEAST Multi-Cache

Hidden : 5/29/2005
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:



Welcome to a combination 21-mile road tour and under 30 minute hike through the pretty NE Columbia County countryside. You'll visit five covered bridges. Answer a question at each bridge to determine the coordinates for an ammo box hidden in State Game Land SGL#55. Hunting in process in SGL's. Wear flourescent orange. Be careful.


Kid Friendly Kid Friendly Dogs Allowed Dogs Allowed
Hunting in area- use caution Hunting in SGL - use caution Scenic View Scenic View ticks Ticks
Generated by The Selector

See the 3 other companion Columbia County Covered Bridge caches. They allow you to tour the entire county. Each of the 4 cache tours stands on its own. Each tour takes you through a different scenic area of the county and includes a short hike to an ammo box in a different, nearby SGL.

If you plan ahead, you can link all 4 caches in one giant loop. See the Bridge Locator Maps below. Or you can do each of the 4 tours on its own. One map shows all 4 tours for an overview. The other shows the tour for the cache on this page. The maps postd below aren’t necessary for the tours although they are good for orientation. The coordinates for each bridge are given below. However, a detailed road map or auto-navigation will be very helpful to get you around. The county has a nice brochure with detail map you can download in PDF. Again, it's not necessary to do the cache.<<BR> http://www.itourcolumbiamontour.com/covered_bridges_map.pdf
or have mailed to you
http://www.itourcolumbiamontour.com/mail.html

Also nice, although not mandatory, are the SGL topo maps here:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/game/maps/default.asp?rgn=Northeast
Select the SGL by number to download a PDF map file.

Or be adventurous and skip the maps and follow the arrow on your GPS! You might get a little lost, but each turn will provide another nice surprise.

If you enjoy tours like this one, check out my other covered bridge caches.

Good luck. Take your camera. Take your dog. Take your kids – all the caches have nice goodies for young and old.

Start at this bridge:

A. Kramer Covered Bridge N41 07.268 W76 25.918 The Kramer Covered Bridge was recently re-built. My thanks to Ken18621 for the update and the new quiz question.

Kramer quiz- What number is posted above the entrance portal?

1. 112
2. 113
3. 114

ENTER A answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________

B. Patterson Covered Bridge N41 06.572 W76 25.038 spans 82 feet across the Green Creek. Located near Orangeville, it was built in 1845.

Patterson quiz- What caution does the yellow sign indicate as you enter the bridge from the west?

1. Max Clearance 9 Ft. 6 In.
2. Yield to Oncoming Traffic
3. One Lane Bridge.

ENTER B answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________

C. Stillwater Covered Bridge N41 09.120 W76 22.036 is single span Burr Arch with a total length of 168 feet. It is on Fishing Creek Road over Fishing Creek Branch in Stillwater. This historic bridge was built in 1849 and is currently closed to motor traffic.

Stillwater quiz- What number is posted above the entrance portal?

1. 134
2. 135
3. 136

ENTER C answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________

D. East and West Paden Covered Bridges N41 06.436 W76 21.418 - or The Twin Bridges- The only twin covered bridges in the United States, are located on Huntington Creek in Fishing Creek Township. Note that the West Paden was washed away on June 28, 2006 due to the heavy rainfall and flooding. The pictures below show the before and after the flood views and the repair bridges' view as well. (pictures are not required to answer the question).

East & West Paden quiz- What is the name of the builder at the bottom of the plaque located between the two bridges?

1. John S. Veracik
2. Paul E. Kelchnek
3. Forrest Gump

ENTER D answer (1, 2 or 3) = _______

E. Joshuah Hess Covered Bridge N41 06.855 W76 20.343 is a single span Burr Arch with a total length of 110 feet. It carries Fishing Creek Road over Huntington Creek in the east of Forks PA. This historic bridge was built in 1875. There are picnic tables inside – obviously it’s closed to vehicular traffic. A portable toilet is located next to it to use before you tackle the hiking portion.

Joshuah Hess quiz- What is one of the name at the bottom the copper Warning sign on the right side of the entrance portal?

1. John S. Cooper
2. Willard H. Kile, Sr.
3. Frank T. Chatham, Jr.

ENTER E answer (1, 2 or 3) = ________

Cache Coordinates:
Enter the number for each of your five answers and add them up:
A_______ + B _______ + C _______ + D_______ + E _______

= Total ________

The coordinates for the cache are determined by your total. Only one set of coordinates is correct.

If your total is 7, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.985 W76 15.146

If your total is 8, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.971 W76 15.047

If your total is 9, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.968 W76 15.018

If your total is 10, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.980 W76 15.112

If your total is 11, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.962 W76 14.986

If your total is 12, the cache coordinates are: N41 06.947 W76 14.947

Start your hike from parking here in SGL #55. N41 06.840 W76 14.880

Cache is on State Game Land. Wear orange during hunting season.

The pictures are NOT spoilers. Go ahead and add your own.

Encrypted hint beneath poem.
___________________________________________________________

The Old Covered Bridge....

Driving down the winding road
I came upon some trees that fold
their arms so gracefully around
the winding curves that seem to abound.

In the dark distance peeking it’s face
is the smiling opening of a lonely place.
As I get closer I start to cringe
then realize... it is only a covered bridge

A covered bridge of such ancient beauty
brings back the memories of life and duty.
With horses and buggies the travel was slow.
life was so simple, to church they would go.

Even now the covered bridge is used each day.
The people who live there must travel both ways.
To go to school the bridge is crossed by bus.
If we go to work or for groceries it is crossed by us.

The sun shines on the bridge and makes it glow
with a halo of love and warm feelings from the soul.
The old bridge offers such a lovely nostalgic feeling
to bring back the memory of past life’s dealings.



Poetry courtesy of Judith Pearl Pulaski,
March 3, 2000 Copyright 2000.
http://groups.msn.com/RaccoonRidgeStudioNorth

___________________________________________________________

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Pnpur orgjrra gjb ebpxf haqre gra sbbg sve gerr oebxra ba gbc.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)