Make The Ranger Smile - II Letterbox Hybrid
Make The Ranger Smile - II
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This was originally a regular Geocache. It has been converted to a LETTERBOX-HYBRID. If you found it once, you may “FIND” it again, or click “IGNORE LISTING”. It is located in The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department - Franklin Mountains State Park - Tom Mays Unit. Entry is $4.00 per person, children 12 & under free. This cache is approved by TPWD. Cell phone coverage is poor. The only accessible ham radio repeater is 146.880 -.600. LETTERBOXING STAMP, INKPAD & LOGBOOK ARE NOT TRADE ITEMS!
This EASY letterbox-hybrid geocache is set up to introduce more letterboxers and geocachers to each other’s game, and to the Franklin Mountains and Franklin Mountain State Park. It is also placed in sight of the ranger booth. When you stop to pay the ranger, be sure to tell them you are hunting this cache. Maybe they will take your picture. I designed this letterbox-hybrid geocache to be very simple and easy to get to. While everyone is welcome to hunt this cache, I designed it with the thought that some people cannot hike and climb, and some children are too young to make a long hike. If that sounds like you, then this cache is made for you! Wheelchairs and strollers will get within 20 feet of the cache WITH HELP, but will not reach the actual cache. Bring a helper. Parking is near-by, hiking distance is 1/8th mile or less, and elevation change is only a dozen feet. Sorry, we don’t do drive-up caching. If you write in the logbook, PLEASE LOG IT ON-LINE TOO! After paying the rangers, park at N 31*54.633 W 106*31.136.
The green logbook is the Geocaching log. Please do not stamp it, the waterproof paper does not take ink and it makes a mess.
The black logbook, stamp and ink pad are the letterbox portion. If you are letterboxing, stamp your stamp in the letterbox logbook, and stamp the letterbox stamp in your logbook. It is that easy!
To hunt this cache as a letterbox go here: Letterbox.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - Franklin Mountains State Park - Tom Mays Unit is a well maintained park on the west side of the Franklin Mountains. It is just north of Trans Mountain Road, and 3.8 miles east of the junction of I-10 and Trans Mountain Road. The park is patrolled by rangers, with covered picnic areas, hiking trails, mountain bike trails, technical climbing areas, camping, and rest rooms all available in the park. If you have not been to this park, you need to see it. Pack a picnic lunch, and make a day of it.
Tell the rangers at the gate you are a Geocacher; they are giving us great support. With 24,000 acres of park area, we do not want to lose that support. Please be especially careful to show Geocaching in the best possible light. If you have suggestions on improving the cache, or the park, E-mail them to me.
BTW, there are SEVEN geocaches and a few letterboxes in Tom Mays Park. They could all be done in a day, but it would be one long day. Still, the challenge is there. The caches are Mundy’s Gap, North Mays Stash, The Lost Aztec Treasure, The High Point of El Paso, The Schaeffer Moon Walk, The Nature Walk and Make the RANGER smile. There are several other caches within the bounds of the Franklin Mountain State Park, but only these seven are in the Tom Mays Unit.
The Franklin Mountains extend from just north of downtown El Paso Texas into southern Doña Ana County, New Mexico. They are roughly three miles wide by twenty-three miles long and rise to an elevation of 7,192 feet above sea level at North Franklin Mountain. The mountains divide the city of El Paso and have influenced its shape and growth. This range comprises the bulk of the second largest state park in Texas and what is said to be the largest urban park in the nation, Franklin Mountains State Park. North Franklin Mountain was once 7200 feet, but a road was cut through to the top, and the top was flattened 8 feet by a developer before the land became property of the State of Texas, Parks and Wildlife Department.
Typical Chihuahuan Desert plants and animals are found in the Franklins Mountains. Some plants, such as the large barrel cactus, are found nowhere else in Texas. El Pasoans are especially fond of the native Mexican poppies and introduced California poppies that tint the rocky slopes each spring. Animals range from many species of rodents to deer, mountain lions, and occasionally black bears. Though the mountains look arid, a number of springs can be found during periods of adequate rainfall. These springs are particularly conducive to plant and animal life. Stands of cottonwood, hackberry, oak, and juniper grow in some of the more remote areas of the park.
And above all – ENJOY YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE PARK!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh pbhyq ernyyl trg fghpx tenoovat guvf bar.