Gold Country Caches – 72 caches now completed

Today I headed north to Merritt, BC and then Logan Lake and on-wards to Ashcroft, BC. Today’s trip was to finish off the remaining 6 Gold Country caches I needed to complete the series of 72 caches.

For those that don’t have any idea what this series is about I will explain. There is a series of 72 caches that were placed in the spring of 2009 taking to various historic places within 200 km’s of Cache Creek, BC. A book was published with the history of the cache area and the coordinates of the cache. When one does a cache you collect stickers to prove you were there. You apply them to a sticker page and and once you collect 24 stickers you send it in and then you are sent a Gold Bar that is trackable on geocaching.com.

Currently you can receive 3 Gold Bars and then a special commemorative coin having completing 72 caches then that allows you to do the puzzle cache.

I have visited some excellent caches along the way. Some of the caches are only available via 4×4 but in saying that they take you a spectacular location.

Today I went with a Rumrunner1 who had a 4×4 and I got involved into Gold Country. I needed a cache in Pennask Lake Provincial park. From the time we left Merritt to Pennask Lake and back it was about 4.5 hours. The big problem is the puddles along the road and the depth of them.

Once there we were there we had the lake to ourselves. Cache was soon in hand.

From here we moved to Gold Country – Aspen Grove Mining Camp which was a quick find.

It was back to Merritt where we grabbed a few quick caches and gassed up and had lunch.

Leaving Merritt it was up to Gold Country – Promontory Lookout. This was a nice drive where we stopped and grabbed a couple of more caches along the way. Getting the cache at the top was the easy part along with another cache at the top.

The view from the top

It was the drive down that became interesting. Rumruner1 came around a corner and mother bear and cub appeared before us.

So far today we have seen a Moose (Rumrunner1 says it doesn’t count because he didn’t see it because he was driving) 20 Deer and countless chipmunks.

From here we headed north to Logan lake where we grabbed a few caches along with some Gold Country for Rumrunner1 I had done last year. Once at Logan Lake we headed west along 97C to Highland Valley Copper Mine. This is the biggest copper mine in the world. Gold Country – Transvaal Mine is just above this mine and we headed up the forestry road where we stopped to grab another Gold Country for Rumrunner1. During the trip up we passed large areas of clear cut because it was infected with Pine Beatles. Arriving at the cache showed the area clear cut except a small grove of trees a slight hike away. The old building is in this grove along with the cache.
Once the cache was done we headed down a different way than we came up. In fact it is the recommended that you drive this route in and out.
The road had just been graded and was the best gravel road I have driven on in some time. No pot holes, any type of car could drive it.
As we approached the bottom and around a corner a Moose came out of the woods and stopped in the middle of the road and looked at us.

It was now getting to around 6:00 PM and Rumrunner1 was worried we would not have enough time/daylight to complete the last two caches. I said that’s lots of time and we headed to Ashcroft. We arrived to do Gold Country – Ashcroft Mesa. This would require about a 25 minute hike up and about the same coming back down.

We now headed across the Thompson River to do my last Gold Country which was Traditional Cache Gold Country – Harper’s Grist Mill

The following is part of my final log:

In all I have been to some great places along the way and learned a lot. I have had some mishaps along the way as well. Split Rock caused me to tear my Labrium in my left shoulder avoiding rattle snakes and falling on it while walking on the shale. This injury required surgery.

Lafek Pioneer was my Daughters Heather favourite on the ones she did with me. After reading the story and then driving up here she could not believe what Mary went through to get here from Merritt.

I don’t have one favourite but many. Jesmond Ranch was one because I was with Rumrunner1 and we sat and talked to the family for over 30 minutes about the area and the family history.
Stein Valley was another and a must do in my books. The reaction ferry across and the associated cache is another.

Soda Lake comes to mind as another but for all the wrong reasons. Rumrunner1 and I did this on a day where we forgot the bug spray in the car and half way there the squadrons of mosquitoes attacked wave after wave. IT was like they knew the bug spray was in the car and thought they won’t go back for it now.

Marble Canyon was another that took some trying to get because the lake was so high last year. Rumrunner1 and did do it and glad we did. The photos in the evening say why it was so good.

There was Cornwall Hills Park & Lookout that I did with my friend Sandra in her Geo-Vibe. One there it was a amazing view. The wild flowers were in bloom.

The Stoyoma was worth the wait and the drive in in Rumrunners 4×4. The hike to the crash site cache.

I can’t thank my kids enough for caching with the “old” guy to the middle of no where sometimes as they put it and no cell service.

Sandra for coming along and enjoying it and taking her Vibe to places where other caches asked how did you get that car there?.

Rumrunner1 for driving this last leg of the current series. I got him onto the Gold Country and he hopes to finish it as well.

Thanks for this series and now onto the new one.

There were 11 more Gold Country caches released on June 30th. These cache appear to have some major problems and I am hoping that the problems get ironed out soon. It is my understanding that Gold Country have had Staff changes and this appears to be part of the problem.