Beyond Meseta de Ricardo Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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The cache is located east of Pipeline Road in the Ojito Wilderness Area. This is BLM administered land. There are a variety of scenic features in the area of the cache. The hike is 4 to 5 miles round trip.
NOTE: Please be mindful of the fragile nature of the Ojito Wilderness.
Geocaching will continue to be a welcome activity on BLM lands
if you favor hiking skills over driving skills. This cache is not meant
to be a “park and grab,” and off-road driving activities are illegal.
Starting from the intersection of I 25 and US 550 (formerly SR 44) in Bernalillo go northwest on US 550 for 20.9 miles to Cabezon Road. This intersection is about 2 miles before San Ysidro. Turn left onto Cabezon Road. Almost immediately there is a Y in the road, go left. At 10.9 miles there is a gas pipeline compression station. Turn right onto Pipeline road, and go 1.6 miles. There is an old corral on the right side of the road at waypoint PKZ679.
You can park here and go through the wire fence gate (close it after you) and go to the optional parking at waypoint POZ679. It also is possible to drive to POZ679, saving over a mile on the round trip, but the road is not maintained. Walk the road to its end near a windmill and pass through the fence at PUZ679.
After passing through the fence go to a benchmark at BMZ679. At this point pick up the trail that goes northerly (left) along the top of the dam (watch out for cow pies) and then to a viewpoint at VPZ679. Here there is a nice view down the Bernalillito Arroyo at this point.
Then head north and work your way along the base of the mesa to your left to the branch point BPZ679, negotiating a number of minor arroyo ridges. At the branch point the canyon is split into two parts by the point of a mesa. Go northeasterly (right) along the mesa base to the cache.
The cache is a orange match container.
2/7/2007, hint changed.
2/21/2008, Benchmark waypoint coordinates changed.
6/5/2008, reference to the Meseta de Ricardo cache removed.
4/3/2009
Guidelines for Hiking in environmentally Sensitive Areas. It is important to leave these areas in the same condition that they were in before we arrived. Leave them as they were so that those that follow can also enjoy them. Often such areas have no trails. When hiking off trail, walk 0n hard surfaces, instead of soft material where footprints can be left behind. Do not hike on badlands surfaces that are soft. There are often channels between the formations which are harder and rubble covered. Sandy surfaces in water channels are preferable since footprints will be erased with time. Do not move rocks, and especially roll or throw them down hills. This is not only destructive but also poses a safety hazard. Do not deface or dismantle formations. Do not remove protected artifacts or fossils, and if they are examined, replace them exactly as they were. Do not disturb archeological sites.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
va ebpx