-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
West of Hwy 14 in the Indian Wells Canyon, also known as Homestead Canyon.
Finding the access road can be a bit tricky. For those North bound on 14, you might try taking 178 west to the lower (Eastern) aqua duct (big water pipe, mostly uderground at this point) road, ( N 35 36.177 W 117 55.166 ) and head North about 6 miles to the IWV canyon road. (This route has nice views of Inyokern, Ridgecrest and China Lake.) Otherwise, go past the two roads that appear to exit at the right place and continue North to Athel Road. From the left lane, turn left, stop, turn left Southbound on 14. For those that are Southbound on 14, start here. Look for a blue call box, then a guard rail (slow down), and turn right (west)and cross the cattle guard. Please respect the BLM road markers. This area was once wide open, but vehicle travel is now restricted to existing roads. This road can be traveled by car, but a few rough spots, humps, and gouges make the use of good ground clearance vehicles recommended for getting close to the cache. For those in cars, park at the 'NOT so OK corral' and hike from there. The usual warnings apply. Watch for snakes, lizards, scorpions, spiders, stink bugs, wear log pants, and use sturdy footwear. The intended parking place has some old mining digs, and what's left of an old miners shack. The gully was once a pond, with an earthen dam. One year, after heavy rains, the dam was washed away, and never re-built. Enjoy the short hike, and the interesting surroundings.
Cache contents: golden spike, golden nugget, dice, 3 gold coins (one is a CA geo coin - please log), some pager money, Utah olympics t-shirt (XL), water bombs, light stick, cargo net, colored chalk, clamps, tattoos, carabiner and a star puzzle.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Nsgre gur pbeeny, sbyybj gur ebnq ba gur fbhgu fvqr bs gur thyyl. Gurer ner gjb qvssrerag ebhgrf, ohg gurl zretr ng gur evtug ghea gb gur qrfgvangvba.