Redmond Rain #16 - Bear Creek Reborn Multi-Cache
Redmond Rain #16 - Bear Creek Reborn
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Redmond Rain can be moved!
Explore the reborn lower reach of Bear Creek.
FTF: Lfppdf8&MyBetterHalf
Hide not at posted coordinates.
Visit each stage for clues, then do the math. Each stage is at the end of a fenced lookout for viewing the Bear Creek restoration area. Unfortunately, we are not invited to explore the restoration area, as noted by the "no trespassing signs."
Rocks at end of lookout trails
Rock 1. A = # Vertical Posts in Fence along trail
Rock 2. B = # Vertical Posts in Fence along trail
Rock 3. C = # Boulders inside fence area
Rock 4. D = # Boulders inside fence area
E = C - D
F =A - B - 7
G = F - C
X = F
Y = B - F
Z = D
Final = N 47° 40.EFG W 122° 06.XYZ
Bear Creek
Bear Creek is on the move! This geocaching adventure gives you a chance to see how streams can change with time. Bear Creek, like most streams, was once a wild stream that moved all over the place, following its own whims. If you look at the map from 1895, you can see the area north of Lake Sammamish was mostly swampland. That river valley allowed the river and its streams to move freely along the flatland.
1895 Map of Region
After collecting some 32,100 acres (one-third of the Sammamish River Basin), you would expect this massive stream system to have its own say in how it discharges to the Sammamish River. In the early 1900s, farmers formed a drainage district and began to channelize streams in the area to drain the swampy lands and create more farm land. The fish probably didn't care for Bear Creek's new configuration of a fast moving channel with little complexity or adjacent tree cover.
You can see the ramrod straight channel that they formed in the 1937 aerial photo. The dark line running east to west is the straight channel dug out by farmers. But that channel is now history! The squiggly dark line on the west side is the Sammamish River showing something closer to a natural stream system. The squiggly line on the east side is a more natural configuration of Bear Creek.
1937 Aerial Photo
In 2013, the City of Redmond, with some state funding, constructed a new channel for the stream. In 2014, the stream was finally diverted into the new channel. Still not a natural system, this new channel has been designed by engineers with strategically placed large woody debris, rows of logs, and rock weirs to keep the naturalistic channel in a somewhat predictable location.
2013 New Channel Grading Complete
In January 2014, you could see both the old channel and the new channel. The old channel was narrow and the water moved fast. The new channel is much more sinuous, wider, and more complex.
2014 Pictures Before the Plants Grow
The following four pictures are up close views of the stream under construction.
Picture A - Log Cross
Neat how the logs cross at this location. These logs are anchored in place so they can divert flows to keep the channel where it now belongs.
Picture B - Log Row
The row of logs protect the bank from erosion. Like an iceberg, you only see the tip of the log.
Picture C - Root Wad Point
The root wad protects the point between the main channel and the fish resting area.
Picture D - Tall Tree
I am glad they saved that tree. Hopefully, with time, all the trees planted nearby will fill in to give the stream the shade it needs. Trees like this may some day fall into the stream to become more large woody debris.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Guvf orne bs n uvqr vf n "fznyy" pbagnvare gung vf nqwnprag gb n obhyqre naq pbirerq jvgu ynetr ebpxf.