Halloween and Cemetery Caches - YES !

To be real honest, I am not too sure how I feel about geocaching in cemeteries.  I will do it and I know some others who do.  We all do it with respect and do not disturb anybody or any thing.  I have been told I can be a little strange at times.  That does not bother me.  So when I tell you that I just feel like I am politely visiting the homes of the deceased when I am in a graveyard, maybe you will cut me some slack.  That being said, let me share some of the fun cemetery caches I have found.

First off, I am surprised how many cemetery caches exist in the Northeastern states.  This sort of gives me the heebie-jeebies because of the amount of fog that exist in these areas.  Fog, creepy animal noises, graves, limbs of trees catching your hair, twigs snapping under your feet, weeds tickling your leg - goose bumps so big they hurt - get the picture?  But what better way to go caching when you are in a brave or daring mood.

This may not be an actual graveyard cache, but it does deserve an honorable mention here.  It was one of my first finds and there is no way to know that this wasn't a real grave site at one point.  Right?  This is El Diablo's Treasure, GCKPPC, located on the outskirts of Tombstone, Arizona. 

   Who ever said that Tombstone is the "Town Too Tough To Die" ?

The only actual cemetery cache I have done is in Springerville, Arizona, in this tiny fenced in area that sits on a hill, almost in the middle of a neighborhood.  I don't mind sharing the pic since it really is a simple find and I don't consider it a 'spoiler' or any sort.  This cache, GC2QXJB, is appropriately named R.I.P..

So that one is not scary, but we did it during the light of day.  So lets see what we can find in the southwest.

 Not too far from Tombstone is the town of Sierra Vista, best known for the Fort Huachuca Army Base and Ramsey Canyon Preserve which is considered the Hummingbird Capitol of the United States.  This is also the area that the #1 Arizona Cemetery Challenge begins.  This is how GC33FXE goes -

The challenge:
1) You must find 20 caches in cemeteries.
2) They must all be within the state of Arizona.
3) The geocaches in question could have been found at any time (i.e. they do not have to be found after the date this cache was activated).
4) Multi's, puzzles and virtuals count as long as at least one leg is a visit to a cemetery- just list which cemetery on your bookmark.
5) Lone graves also count for this challenge, ie. GC28QC5 Arizona Pioneer.

 

 In the San Francisco Bay area, the Mt. Hope Cemetery has a multi-cache that sound fun and not so difficult that you couldn't enjoy a bit of wondering and reading of the stories on grave markers.  Simply called Mt. Hope Cemetery, GCPW5Y is a four part cache with, what looks to be, a lot of history involved.  I believe you will could have access during the evening hours making this a perfect Halloween season experience.  Especially with the 'odd' selection of decorations through out the cemetery.

 This cemetery cache in New Mexico look very inviting to me and I am loving the name, Spirit of Garfield.  First thought - I just love that silly cartoon cat.  Reality - this graveyard is located on the road to  Garfield, New Mexico.  This unique village is a simple, no nonsense community with a matching graveyard.  No pretty lawns, no comfortable benches and no fancy buildings, just a desert home for those who have passed. 

There's an old section

 






and a new section -
not much different      




and all open, day or night, to visit spirits and find this cache. 

And just one more for now, from the Western United States.  This one is not too far from me.  The Evergreen's Stories, GCGAG3, is a multi-cache with a total of 11 steps.  Yep - it's gonna take a while.  The terrain is not difficult but there will be some walking.  The big old trees are beautiful and will provide protection from the hot summer sun.  This large cemetery was built in 1907, in an area that was on the out skirts of town, at that time.  There's a variety of patrons to visit,  Anglo, Mexican, Chinese, poor laborers, well know politicians, gunfighters, gangsters, and even the old woman who lived next door and made those wonderful pies during the holidays.  So your biggest problem may be staying on track and not wanting to visit every grave. 

 

I will be researching caches in the graveyards in the Eastern U.S. for my next post about spirited geocaches.  Check back soon to see what I find. 

Safe View of Fang-tastic Roadside Attraction

     Does the name give justice to this cache?  I don't think it does.  Fang-tastic sort of sounds like a cute little play on the word 'fantastic'.  Tho this is an exciting and fun cache, there is an intentional scare tactic here.  This little sign tells a better story.

The Fang-tastic Roadside Attraction is even more deceiving with the word 'roadside'.  Who are they kidding!?  It is located on something more like a path, pretty much due East of Tombstone Arizona.   Since I have not been to this cache yet, I only have the word of SchnauzerQueen, who made it there this past winter.  From the pics that I found on line, and the ones SQ shared, I would say what she had to say about this location is right on.


Let me share with you the description that is on the Geocaching site.

An outdoor museum of oddities and artifacts by the side of dirt road leading to a ghost town.

A hand painted sign along Gleeson Road points down a dirt track: "Two scenic miles to Rattlesnake Crafts and Rocks." It'd be a tourist trap, if there were any tourists here. It'd be a roadside attraction, but Gleeson's not much of a road. What it is, though, is a fun and worthwhile trip to an amazing combination open-air museum and gift shop filled with items crafted from rattlesnake hides.

The creators and curators of Rattlesnake Crafts, John and Sandy Weber, granted us permission to place a cache within their display of Western antiques and oddities. The ammo box looks right at home amongst the milkcans, kerosene lanterns, rusted license plates and eccentric metal sculptures. We chained it to a post in the shade under a wooden shelf, but didn't otherwise hide it. Spend the time you save looking for the cache exploring this fun place.

When you visit, remember your camera; you'll regret it if you don't! Rattlesnake Crafts is open daily dawn to dusk. There's no charge for admission, though there are items for sale in the gift shop.

     Southern Arizona is not the most cache populated area in the U.S. but it has, by far, some of the most intriguing and creative caches I have ever seen or heard of.   Fang-tastic Roadside Attraction looks like a perfect place to visit, during the winter, when most good snakes are sleeping.  Make a weekend of it by staying in Tombstone at one of the quaint B&Bs or extend the creepiness of your trip by staying in the world re known and haunted Copper Queen Hotel.