Divine guidance?

[SnakeEater]

I have just recently revived my interest in cache hunting in the last month or so. In the course of adding some placemarks on Google Earth, I found one last Monday that I can't remember adding/placing. It is in a unique format that I have not used on the other dozen that I remember placing.

As a practicing Christian, I have been in prayer about this hobby/interest and jokingly prayed that GPS coordinates would be ideal. The mystery marker includes two different formats of GPS coordinates and is about 5 miles from the traditionally suspected site. It lands beside what looks to be a rectangular structure not visible from the main road/old stage route. Furthermore, the marker lines up with the east/west line on the south side of the structure and is spaced the exact width of the structure toward the west.

Another oddity - I have trouble spelling the reference name of this site and reverse the same two letters just about every time. My mystery marker spells it correctly and adds the number 1 to the end after a space.

Did I place it when I was first getting accustomed to Google Earth and forget or could this be more?

Glenn

 

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[SnakeEater]

I thought I should add one more thing. This is no-man's land. The structure I identified was found only because the marker was right next to it. There are no other structures that I can see for many, many miles around.

I had read that the one who cached the money also had a mine in the area that did well. This marker is about a half-a-mile from three marked 'prospecting' notations on the topo map and the only other prospecting site I saw was ten miles the other direction of the suspected site. Also, a spring is within a stone's throw of the structure where my mystery marker is placed.

Anybody?

 

[Kilika]

SnakeEater

Don't know how the marker showed up, but I'd say "What are you waiting for?" Get out there and see what's there!
What? You asked for divine guidance, and when it shows up, you're hesitating By the way - what's the url for those maps? If there's a webpage where treasure sites mysteriously show up, I'd put that under Favorites!

But did you say this was for Cache hunting? Could be fellow geocache hunter has planted a cache there and marked it for others to hunt. I understand there are clubs or groups that do the gps geocache hunting thing. You know... find the cache, take something out and put something else back in, then hide it again for the next person. Maybe that's how the marker got on the map?

Good luck. And we'll be waiting to hear what you find!

Kilika

 

[SnakeEater]

Well Kilika, it's a long story as to why I don't just head out to the site tomorrow. It's some distance from my home and if I somehow placed the marker there by mistake, I would have used up one hunt with the wife and kids and feel really dumb if nothing was found, perhaps even senile. That thought is a bit scary to say the least.

I went on a eight-mile r/t -3500' climb, back-country camping/backpacking trip with my oldest son last weekend (technically treasure hunting) but since I brought my son instead of a THing buddy, I think it only counted as a half of a hunt... I think. You see, I owe my dear wife big-time from all of my hunts in years past, always returning home empty-handed and it's only been four days since my last hunt.

As to that magical URL, it is just a marker on Google Earth that I can't recall placing. I don't even know how to label the dual GPS formats that are in, and under, its heading.

Can anyone tell me how geocaching sites show up when linking into Google Earth?

Glenn

 

[BeerBelly]

For what it's worth, I've never placed any markers in google earth, but there is a ton of em there whenever I use it. Perhaps google earth shows all markers people place?

 

[SnakeEater]

Thanks for the tip BeerBelly.

I have seen the type of markers you mention. All of the markers that I have manually placed are under "My Places" with a yellow tack icon.

The mystery marker is under "My Saved Places," uses a blue teardrop icon with a black circle in the center, and includes the same reference/place name of the treasure (only spelled correctly) that I used when placing my marker some 5 miles away at the traditional site.

I wanted to include a couple of pics from the Google Earth image (minus GPS/place name info) but I don't know if it is possible to 'uncrop' or otherwise decrypt the information from an image to get the GPS/locale information from the image alone. Any software experts out there that know?

Just so you know that I am not totally paranoid, google key words, 'Cat Schwartz uncropped image,' for an example.

 

[SomeGuy]

What are you waiting for, a burning bush? Just go there. Bring the son, he can help carry out the loot.

When it's time to dig, don't talk, DIG!

 

[scubamike]

Remember this:

Be careful what ya pray for............

 

[SnakeEater]

Thanks SomeGuy. Interesting you mention the burning bush...

I was preparing a prescribed lesson for my fourth grade sunday school class this morning and in Numbers 12:6-8 God made it pretty clear that he usually 'speaks' in visions/dreams/riddles as opposed to the clear, face-to-face communications that he had with Moses. I think this tipped the scales for me. My son and I will be heading out to the site by mid December and I'll report back as to the results.

Glenn

 

[Cynangyl]

I can't wait to see what you find! Good luck!

 

[pookie-princess of rust]

cool. good luck

 

[scubamike]

Keep me posted and God bless.

 

[SnakeEater]

To scubamike, Cynagyl, and pookie - your well wishes mean a lot to me.

My son seemed a bit hesitant to get the two days off work until I mentioned that in place of a fifty pound pack and camping at near freezing temperatures, we would be working directly off a dirt road and staying in a motel. His disposition suddenly brightened up and he replied with enthusiasm, "Oh, totally cool then!" LOL

God bless,

Glenn

 

[Cynangyl]

lol a warm place to sleep is a good bargaining point!

 

[SnakeEater]

The time has come Heading out to the general area tomorrow with both of my sons and the site first thing Friday morning.

I'll leave you with this article from the Reno Evening Gazette, August 8, 1891

Overloaded Stages and Overworked Agents, Clerks and Porters, Worried by Weary Travelers.

During the fall and winter of 1868 occurred the great rush of travel to the White Pine silver mines. As the overland stage was then running through Austin, the principal travel from the west passed through that point. It was too great for one daily line to accommodate and one or two oppositions to the overland were started. Even then passage was engaged for two weeks in advance and seats in the stages sold for $80, and $100, premium. Every livery outfit in town was pressed into service to carry passengers, making the long drive of 125 miles as best they could, without change of horses and on very scant feed.

Wells Fargo express accumulated in the Austin office, in quantities of many tons, until with the baggage of delayed travelers, it was difficult to transact business in the quarters occupied. The express matter, billed at 40 cents a pound freight from San Francisco, was delayed sometimes for weeks and finally sent forward by slow freight teams. From the west it kept rolling in by the overland fast freight wagons, but such facilities ceased at Austin, and hence the blockade continued until the Central Pacific advanced its line to Elko. For a period of over three months this immense rush of travel and freight continued, and the employees of Wells, Fargo & Co. were taxed to nature's limit to endure the labor thrust upon them. Those in the office were disturbed at all hour of the night.

By the arrival and departure of stages and fast freights, and, unable to tell when they would be called on, they took their sleep as they could, usually removing only boots and coats and reclining on cots to be ready to spring up whenever the watch dog announced an arrival. This became very fatiguing to the office force and extra help was asked for from the San Francisco office, but the reply was that it could not last long, that their own force was equally as hard worked, and that all would have to endure it until the trade was determined to be permanent. Hence the poor overworked clerks and porters, encouraged by the agent--G.H.W. Crockett, a veteran in the service, and as gritty a worker as Wells-Fargo ever had--taxed their endurance to the utmost limits to perform their tasks.

As the weeks rolled on it became very trying, but the intense excitement upon the travel and handling of baggage and silver bullion, and the fortunes being made by lucky prospectors was a constant stimulus to exertion, and perhaps enabled them to endure the physical strain consequent upon overwork and loss of sleep. The stages returning from White Pine usually came loaded with passengers and bullion and would arrive at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning and catch the office employees just dozing to sleep from other arrivals occurring every two hours in the night. A big fire was always burning in the office stove outside the counter and the passengers just arrived, unable to get beds in the hotels and lodging houses, for they were all crowded, would huddle around that stove and with their blankets and wraps, camp there until breakfast time. This annoyed clerks and porters, who could not leave the express unguarded, and thus deprived them of any more sleep for the night. The night porter rebelled, saying he could not stand it. It was an impossibility during such times to get another one. Everyone that was footloose was making his way to White Pine. It was White Pine or bust, and work by the wayside be d--d. In the midst of it all the small-pox broke out in White Pine, and as soon as the news reached Austin the head clerk saw a way out of the vexatious loss of morning sleep.

The stage from White Pine arrived with a big load of passengers fleeing from the scare. It was 3:30 o'clock a.m., with the thermometer 24 degrees below zero; the horses were white with frost; the driver was so benumbed he could render but little aid to the porter in unloading; the passengers with their blankets trooped into the office, huddled around the stove, pulled off their gloves and furs and boots, and were toasting their toes in royal content, when the porter got the last mail bag into the office and said: "Gentlemen, we have to close up now and you will have to go to the hotels." A passenger who knew the fallacy of hunting lodgings with the condition of things then existing, replied in a grouty manner: "This is a good enough hotel for me until daylight, and d---d if I'll move." The others all looked acquiescent and merely moved into more comfortable positions preparatory to taking a snooze. The porter gave the clerk--who was distributing the letters--a puzzled and forlorn look, while he rattled the key in the door uneasily. By this time the hot fire began to tell on the frozen wraps--they were thawing out; the steam arising was fragrant with any but a pleasant odor. A misty cloud was rising to the ceiling, when the clerk, as though just reminded of something, said to the porter: "Frank, the smell you told me of today must come from those small-pox blankets in that pile of baggage in the corner. You must have them moved out today. Don't forget it." Lightning couldn't have moved that crowd any quicker. They grabbed their boots and blankets, rushed like sheep to the door, shoved the porter to one side and fell over each other to get out, while the only audible remark heard was, "Christ, how it smells." The porter had only strength enough left to lock the door, and then he fell to the floor and rolled with laughter. There was no small-pox about the office, but the imagination was easily worked on by the toe-jam in the travelers' socks.

 

[Cynangyl]

ok, hurry up and get back so we know how ya did!

 

[SnakeEater]

First off, no treasure was found but it was a great weekend nonetheless. My boys and I had a great time getting away from it all and the people of rural Nevada are a pleasure to interact with.

Will my oldest ever grow up? LOL



A 357 is a big gun for a 13 yr old for his first time shooting (other than video games) but he managed to handle it.



We found our structure and although it was devoid of a cache in the usual/suspected places, it was an interesting find to say the least. The road leading back to the site was no longer in existence so I used my GPS reference which was due west of the site to forge a trail off the main dirt road. The stone cabin, corral, and spring were in pristine condition considering the age of this homestead. I'm guessing that careless treasure hunters would have hammered this building by now if it was an accessible or better known site.



I’m also guessing that this miner’s diggings in the hills not far away (background on the corral/spring picture) must have been relatively productive for him to invest the time in a 25' x 17' cabin with walls 16” wide, two doors, three windows, and a 10’ plus ceiling height. I spotted two mine openings with high powered binoculars and the tailings are all but melded with the hillsides telling me they were worked many, many years ago. I plan on investigating these mines on my next trip out.



Next is, perhaps, the stranger part of the story...

 

[Cynangyl]

looking forward to hearing the stranger part of the story too! great pics! Looks like you all had a great time!

 

[SnakeEater]

My oldest son was given a 1995 Suburban by my brother-in-law the day before my mystery marker showed and since we were loaded for bear and checked the truck over well, we took it on the trip. I asked him to wash it before he left for school, a few hours before we headed out of town but since there was no soap of any kind in the house (something that's never happened), I ended up with the job. I put it off for last and was running late so I mixed up something from a few inexpensive products, instead of running to the market, and hoped my concoction would suds enough to at least act like soap.

To my surprise, the truck cleaned up extremely well, didn't spot when left to air dry (even on the glass and chrome), and 'magically' repelled dust and dirt. My brother-in-law is a wealthy inventor that is always telling me to come up with something and he’ll assist the product launch if it’s a good idea. Believe me, I’ve tried but never found anything worth getting excited about. We traveled a total of 1,400 miles, 70 of it on dirt roads that sent a plume of dust 30’ into the air and shrouded a vehicle passing by for a good 30-45 seconds. I only cleaned the windshield coming back about 370 miles from home because we were headed into the setting sun. Take a look at these pics and tell me what you think - especially the back where dust usually collects heavy. Keep in mind, everything inside the truck ended up with a coating of dust on it just from getting in and out of the car often.

Do I have a selling product on my hands?

If I'm not going senile, could this be why my mystery marker showed up?

 

[Cynangyl]

nice!! I want some!! Would be awesome as often as mine gets covered in dust!