Like its predecessors ("Lincoln Highway and Bridge - Tama"
and "Lincoln Highway and Bridge - Tama - Take Two"), this
cache will not require a lot of walking…but you can walk or bike
the route if you like. It covers about 2 miles along the route of
the original Lincoln Highway as it passed through Tama, Iowa, in
1915. At the end you'll find a cache container full of goodies.
This is NOT a micro cache!
Your quest begins at THE famous Lincoln Highway Bridge. I
understand that this is the only bridge of its kind left intact
along the old Lincoln Highway route. The bridge is easy to find if
you make your way to the posted coordinates of this cache. At these
coordinates you'll also find a small roadside park and monument
erected in 2006.
From the monument you will need to proceed east-to-west through
Tama along the route of the old Lincoln Highway. Old highways like
this did not follow today's practice of bypassing small towns -- in
fact the highway frequently made odd turns just to pass through
them. Consequently, I've included a list of 6 waypoints that you'll
need to pass (in order) to find your way. Along this route you need
not worry about finding any containers or messages, but you will
need to count the banners you
see like the one flying above and to the right of the
monument and count the number of left
turns you make along the route.
Your route...
- Waypoint 1 - N 41 57.846, W 092 33.719 (Lincoln Highway Bridge
monument)
- Waypoint 2 - N 41 57.820, W 092 34.760
- Waypoint 3 - N 41 58.066, W 092 34.769
- Waypoint 4 - N 41 58.047, W 092 34.926
- Waypoint 5 - N 41 58.273, W 092 34.899
- Waypoint 6 - N 41 58.280, W 092 35.467 (Parking)
Park your vehicle CAREFULLY in the small
trailhead parking lot at Waypoint 6 (on the north side of the
road).
This is NOT a scenic route with abundant wildlife, it's more of
a trip back in time. As you travel the route consider what it was
like in 1915, bumping along at a break-neck top speed of 25 MPH
(and that's out on the open road with a tail-wind). You'll be
accoustomed to a flat tire every day or two (if you even had
pneumatic tires!) and some kind of mechanical failure about every
200 miles or so (every day or two!) just to keep you on your toes.
Your car does not have AC, cruise control, power anything…no heat
and not much of a suspension. No comfy seats. GPS…What's that? If
you were lucky maybe you had a crude compass…but without a map you
better just be watching for signs or asking directions.
OK, returning to the 21st century... Do be careful and take your
time along the route. Traffic along this route is generally not too
heavy but do use extra caution when looking for waypoints and
banners as there may be children playing nearby.
The cache is hidden at:
N 41 58.3ZY
W 092 35.48X
X = The number of left turns you made on your route minus
1.
Y = The number of banners you counted on your route.
Z = Y - X
Once you have found the cache feel free to take a stroll or ride
your bike along the South Tama Recreation Trail and hunt for other
caches hidden along it. Enjoy.
To learn more about geocaching in Iowa visit...
