Disney California Adventure (DCA) Benchmarks Virtual Cache
Disney California Adventure (DCA) Benchmarks
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This Multi-Virtual Cache involves locating five (5) Disney Benchmarks inside the Disney California Adventure (DCA) Theme Park, and proving to me you have found them. You WILL need to go into the park (admission required). For a nearby virtual that does not require admision, see our nearby Downtown Disney virtual.
These benchmarks are five (5) of the ones we have located at Disney Benchmarks in DCA. See what they look like below. They all look about the same, and are about 3 inches in diameter, made of brass or bronze. The sample pictured has no number one it, but one or more of them DO have numbers stamped (inscribed) on them. In order to claim this virtual Geocache as a find, you must locate all five (5) Disney Benchmarks in DCA. The main cache coordinate is just the center of the "Square" between Disneyland and DCA, and has no importance.
Here's how you prove to me that you have found them all: You email me a short note (through the Geocaching.com website, by clicking on [profile] next to our names above, then on [Email this user] on the next screen). You can send me your email address or not - up to you (I never give them to anyone). In the email to me, please:
TELL ME WHICH ONE(S) OF THE BENCHMARK(S) HAVE NUMBER(S) INSCRIBED ON THEM. NO NEED TO TELL ME ABOUT THE OTHERS. IDENTIFY THE BENCHMARK(S) BY THEIR WAYPOINT NUMBER(S) OR NAME(S), AND TELL ME WHAT NUMBER(S) ARE INSCRIBED ON EACH OF THEM THAT HAVE NUMBERS.
Take pictures of the benchmarks if you like, but please DO NOT POST THEM. Please DO NOT email me pictures (I have lots of them!). Failure to email me the correct information as above might result in my deleting your log, after a reasonable time has passed.
These five benchmarks are located in PUBLIC areas of the park. NO fence climbing or flower bed tromping needed. Please respect the park and the other guests. Many are in high traffic areas. Be careful about getting tripped over or otherwise getting tangled up with other guests. Keep a normal, low profile with respect to security personnel, please. Just use common sense. Remember - all you have to do is see what (if anything) is inscribed on them.
At least one benchmark (#2) allows satellite views only pretty close to straight up (more than 45 degrees elevation or so). This is known to GPS aficionados as "bad geometry". That means your position accuracy stinks (by GPS standards), and I believe can easily be as bad as 50 feet, maybe even more, despite what your GPS receiver might be telling you. I'm convinced the Estimated Position Error (EPE) figures most GPS receivers put out to us are defined by the marketing department, not the engineering department. Just keep that in mind. Pay close attention to the clue on #2! Keep your head down and looking, but watch where you are going, please!
You will see many round things stuck into the walkways around DCA, about the same size as benchmarks. They have little holes in the middle, and are caps covering the holes for posts for cue line ropes, etc. You will see they have nothing written on them. Those are NOT benchmarks. Having them all over the place makes it harder to find the real benchmarks. Life is like that. Some philosophy here somewhere………..
Also, lately the sanitary engineering department at DCA has taken to parking one of their trash cans on, or nearly on, one of the benchmarks. We have often tipped one over a little bit to see under it. No one seems to care. If asked, you dropped a coin or something....
The main cache coordinates are NOT SIGNIFICANT; just look at the coordinates of each waypoint below.
These are the ones in DCA for this virtual:
Waypoint 1: N33°48.369 - W117°55.256
Waypoint 2: N33°48.461 - W117°55.090
Waypoint 3: N33°48.491 - W117°55.233
Waypoint 4: N33°48.404 - W117°55.256
Waypoint 5: N33°48.370 - W117°55.182
The same waypoint data is contained in an EasyGPS (.loc) or GSAK (.gpx) file, which I can email to you on request. You can use the file in EasyGPS or GSAK (links to get them free is elsewhere on this site), so you won't have to hand-enter the coords above.
Some related info and links:
There ARE additional benchmarks in DCA (they look the same) that are NOT included in this virtual geocache. None are close to these five. We have so far found about eleven (11) additional ones (depending on when you are reading this...). All these benchmarks are included as a category on Waymarking:
(visit link) . Please be sure to follow the Waymarking rules for logging those; pictures WILL be required over in Waymarking.
Of course, you can do this cache while doing our Disney California Adventure (DCA) Cache (GC30B0) (visit link) . Just for information, there are only two benchmarks in Downtown Disney that we have found so far. One benchmark is a "bonus" on our Downtown Disney Virtual (NO Admission Required!) (GC7F3C) (visit link) . Both of those are also loggable in the Waymarking category linked above.
There are also several benchmarks that we have found in Disneyland, that look about like the ones in DCA, and are also loggable in the Waymarking category linked above.
And on a final note, if you like looking for things, take a look at the Hidden Mickeys Waymarking category (visit link) .
Have Fun!!!!!
1-9-2008 For the first time that we know of, a benchmark in DCA is very likely destroyed. The previous benchmark #5 at N33°48.279' - W117°55.283' was in the area of the newly constructed Toy Story attraction. I was able to see from the top of the Sun Wheel recently that the location has been completely re-worked. It has been destroyed, and not replaced.
7-27-2011: The previous #5 has once more been destroyed. It used to be at N33°48.344' - W117°55.381' in front of Pizza Oom Mow Mow, which is now gone, replaced by newer food facilities. So - a new (to this virtual) benchmark has been put in its place in the virtual.
6-24-12: After the complete remodeling of the DCA entrance area, Waypoint 3 has been destroyed. It has been replace with another benchmark in DCA, a bit farther from the main entrance.
-- Klemmer
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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