Virtual Oak Virtual Virtual Cache
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(virtual)
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Visit one of South Pasadena's most historic sites... and learn why this cache is truly a virtual virtual!
Return with LarsThorwald to 1770, when the colonizing expedition of Gaspar de Portola crossed what we now know as the San Gabriel Valley. Already defeated once in their attempt to march from San Diego to establish a presidio and mission on the Bay of Monterey, discovered by Sebastian Vizcaino in 1602 - they got there, but failed to recognize the bay and turned around, making a journey almost as long as this sentence - Portola was heading north for a second attempt when, legend has it, he went through South Pasadena and worshipped under a great oak on the east bank of the Arroyo.
In fact, it was Easter, and that service, led by Franciscan Missionary Juan Crespi, is now regarded as the first Easter Service in California. In the early 1950s a monument was placed at the site, commemorating this event... and it is to this monument that we now humbly direct you.
So, what makes this a virtual virtual? The fact that THE TREE IS NO LONGER THERE! Sadly, the tree fell in the early part of this past century, and now all that remains is a simple monument - a cross set in a base of Arroyo boulders. The cross echoes a shape once carved in the bark of the oak, and recalls the legend of Portola's worship.
Should you decide to visit this cache - and we recommend it as a good companion to our ARROYO MICRO and other Pasadena-area caches - please note the dates recorded on the TWO PLAQUES placed side-by-side on the top of the stone base. E-mail them to us, please, and you shall receive credit for the find... and for learning a little bit more about one of the most beautiful and historic areas in Southern California. Good luck!
Additional Hints
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