Poudrecacher Favorite

CONGRATULATIONS TO MOOSETAG FOR BEING FIRST TO FIND!!!

Poudrecacher , a geocacher who lives in the Poudre Canyon, placed a series of unique and innovative caches in and around the Poudre River Canyon. His “Nature Bats Last” series was a delight featuring varied and challenging hides. They became the favorite of many who geocached the Poudre Canyon. There comes a time when maintaining caches become physically challenging and Mother Nature says it is time to move on. This was the case with Poudrecacher, who with great remorse, had to archive many of his caches. So as to not lose these very special caches, ten of them are being re-born in a new series called “Poudrecacher Favorite”. This will allow these innovative caches to live on for the geocaching community to enjoy. Thanks Poudrecacher for allowing the rebirth of your caches and for the enjoyment you have given to geocachers seeking your caches!

Description from the original cache page:

Heading west towards the mouth of Poudre Canyon, cross the cattle guard and go 0.7 mile (odometer mile) to the cache site. Just pass the 45 mph speed limit sign on your right, pull over and park. The cache is a short walk towards Picnic Rock...a large rock outcropping that extends almost to the highway.

Back in the day, the old dusty Poudre Canyon road stopped at Picnic Rock. The folks visiting Poudre Canyon would have to stop at the rock outcropping where they'd have their picnics...hence, the name 'Picnic Rock'.

State Highway 14 is an original 1920's cross-state highway. SH 14 starts at Muddy Pass on the eastern slope of the Gore Range and ends at US Highway 6 in Sterling.

As you follow your GPS upstream towards the cache, notice the rock walls up the slope and down the canyon that were built about 100 years ago. These rock walls supported the structural integrity of a wooden pipeline made of Douglas fir staves which transported (via gravity flow) drinking water to Fort Collins from the Fort Collins Water Treatment Plant in Gateway Mountain Park. Construction on this plant started in 1903, and this facility closed down in 1987. It's interesting to note they built this plant up Poudre Canyon to get above the confluence of the North Fork of the Poudre River since its water was high in alkalinity and turbidity.

When they blasted the south side of Picnic Rock to extend the road on up the canyon, they used the rock pieces to build the ditchrider's house on. If you look down the canyon a short ways, this house is on the south side of the highway with cedar trees and Russian olive trees in front of the house.