To find the physical cache, you must play
"Alaska Hold 'Em," a caching variation of "Texas Hold 'Em."
The players at the table have been dealt "A
Pair of Quintuplets" and "A
Cache of Palindromes." You don't get
to look at the players' hands, but by starting with the provided coordinates and
visiting the pages for the referenced multi-location virtual caches, you can
determine what the players are holding. The cache is located at the
location provided by the winning hands.
The provided coordinates are for the preferred
parking spot for access to the cache. The access road is narrow during the winter, so if
you come by car, please park at the turnaround at the provided coordinates rather than on
the road further down the hill. The approach to the cache is accessible in
the winter via snowshoes, skis (if you like carving tele turns around trees), or foot and in the summer by foot.
The dirt roads and trails in the area offer excellent mountain biking, skiing,
and running opportunities.
Note that the quintuplets
and the palindromes were logged on June 4, but you can search for other unlogged pairs
in the Fairbanks area.
The "Alaska Hold 'Em" cache is an ammo can
sheltered within 20
feet of the winning virtual cache's coordinates and is easily accessible year-round, though the
trek through the forest will vary in difficulty depending on the season.
The cache location was identified by moonlight and the Ladybug Kids encourage
you to try your find under the same conditions. The snow-covered moonlit Goldstream Valley seems to float in front of you just beyond the trees in an interesting optical illusion. If it seems too cold outside
to go caching, this location is oftentimes twenty to thirty degrees F warmer
than the valley floor and almost always above the ice fog. The night the
cache location was identified the temperature was -8° F at the airport and
+20° F at the cache.
For a historical perspective of the area, follow the
link to the Tanana
Valley Railroad, that transported goods and gold between Chena and
Chatanika through Goldstream Valley beginning in 1905. Gold is still
actively mined in the area.
Original cache contents are Daddy Ladybug's Ladybug
Travel Bug (wants to go to Tucson, AZ), geocaching.com merchandise for the
first- and second-to find cachers, flashlight carabiner, pencil sharpener,
novelty highlighter pen sets, miniature water color set, crayons, novelty
currency and kitten erasers, mini wooden animals, new Pez dispenser, Fairbanks
magnet, and ladybugs.
Current