This letterbox-hybrid is part of a series of caches dedicated to the reminiscence and admiration of Roseville’s early dwellers. It is part of a series of caches called: “CACHE OUT IN ROSEVILLE”
Near the intersection of today’s Old Auburn Road and South Cirby Way was a stop called the 18 Mile House. Also known as a half way house back then, it was a popular stage and express stop along the Sacramento-Auburn Road. A train, “The California Central”, made a stop here on its way from Folsom to Junction (Roseville). Numerous stock ranches were also located in the vicinity of this busy way station. Between Sacramento and Auburn, there were a total of seven half way houses, which were numbered: 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, & 26. In the days before the automobile and the invention of the ODOMETER, one way the traveling public could gauge distances was by these numbered houses. Some of the houses were public inns, and others were private residences. Today, only the 12 Mile House (now empty and boarded up) and the 14 Mile House (still a private residence) remain from the bygone era of slow moving teamster wagons and crowded stagecoaches winding their way laboriously over the Sacramento-Auburn Road. (Information from “The Story of Roseville, California… Milestones & Memories 1850-2000” by Leonard M. Davis
Starting cords are for parking and where to start your journey. Park at the beginning of Spahn Ranch Road where it is wide. You can make a U-turn at the Roseville Pole Yard entrance and then park heading north, where the road is a little wider. You will be traveling thru the area, looking for different single-digit odometer numbers along your route. (You will not be going into the City of Roseville fenced-off area.) When you find all of the numbers, they will become the final two lat-long numbers you will need to find the final cache.
Now before you start whining about this being a lot of work, relax! You will be given the exact co-ordinates for finding each number and some very specific hints. Total distance to find everything and walk back to your car is approximately ½ mile. You may, however, whine about the stickers during the summer! Enjoy the area. Many different kinds of birds – turkeys, pheasants, quail, hawks, doves, chickens, & red-winged blackbirds – have been seen here. You will see remnants of an old road. Think of the old-timers that traveled through the area on a stagecoach or wagon. Think of the kids that might have said, “Are we there yet?”
Here are the coordinates for the final cache:
N 38 43. A B C W 121 14. D E F
~ Starting at the parking area, go to: 43.303 14.460. Observe the “No Trespassing” sign. It has a three-digit number on the bottom of the sign. The 3rd digit is “A”.
~ Walk south down the road until you come to a utility pole at 43.269 14.485. You will see a 6-digit number on it. The 4th digit is “B”.
~ Further down the road at 43.252 14.505, count the number of quail on the mailbox ______. Now continue down to where the road deadends at 43.153 14.539. Look at the road barrier with the red dot sign in the middle. . Count the number of large poles that are holding up the barrier _______. Don’t count the little pole attached to the red dot sign. Subtract the number of large poles from the number of quail and this number is “C”. Quail_______ minus large poles_________ = “C” ______
~ Now head for the section of the old road at 43.182 14.568. There are tire swings in the area. Look for numerous iron poles sticking up out of the ground on both sides. Go to the pole located at 43.189 and look for a number located on a stick within. The stick can be seen from a hole in the outside of the pole. That number is “D”.
~ Now head near the bank of the stream at 43.207 14.576. You will see a 8” x 6” wooden post between some trees. Examine the post carefully and you will find a wedge of wood within that has a number written on it. That number is “E”.
~ The final number you will need is located in a rock pile located at 43.225 14.546 To narrow it down, you will only have to look under the orange-colored ones. There are several orange rocks that have the same secret number on them. Sometimes the weeds overtake the rock pile. (I go out there and weed them out each year ;-) ) That number is “F”.
~ Now head for the letterbox-hybrid cache, located very close nearby. Hopefully, that wasn’t too hard now, was it? (Unless it’s sticker season.) Hope you had fun and that the journey was not too long!
ABOUT LETTERBOX-HYBRIDS:
Please bring your own stamp and paper log. When you find the letterbox:
1) Stamp your own stamp in the visitor’s log and sign your name and the date
2) Stamp the letterbox stamp “ODOMETER” on your own paper/book as a remembrance of your visit. Extra paper is enclosed if you need some.
A letterbox-hybrid is related to geocaching in that you start out with lat-long coordinates, switch to letterboxing instructions, then you can log your find on the geocaching website. In addition, they have trade items, can be used to exchange travel bugs, and they count towards your geocache totals. Do not take the official “Odometer” stamp as a trade item. Let me know if the cache needs some first aid. Enjoy!