Oh My God Springs Kash Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This cache is located within Ocotillo Wells SRVA and is hidden near
the location of Oh My God Springs. Cache is a 3" x 12" paintball
tube.
We have been visiting the area a few times a year since the late
70's.
SonicBrew wrote: Oh My God where do I even start on this one. I
guess I'll start with a little bit of history because these poor
springs have sure been given an undeserved bad rap. I don't even
remember them having a name until recently where the name only fits
the relative past few years. They were actually very beautiful hot
mineral springs for the past 80 years and were not actually natural
springs but a drilled well. There is a lot of thermal and seismic
activity in this area and in the 1920s this was an oil test well
that struck a thermal water layer, later to be designated a water
reserve by the US Department of the Interior. The hot water poured
out of a pipe at about 140° and over the years people have
constructed pools out of dirt and rocks. The first of three pools
was around the pipe and was about the size of an average Jacuzzi.
From there the water would spill over into the next two pools of
which were about 10-15 feet across and anywhere from 2-3 feet deep,
each was progressively cooler. Then the water would spill off into
the desert and evaporate. The ponds were surrounded by tamarisk
trees and a few palm trees which shaded the area and made it a
peaceful area to sit and relax in the water. In the heat of the day
the third pond was about 80° and was very refreshing. It was very
seldom that anyone would camp at the ponds but they would ride in
from all over the place to visit and take a short dip. The area
around and including the ponds was mostly private land and not part
of the State Park so this place was considered out in the middle of
nowhere in fact the Hwy. wasn't even built until around 1963. It
was so far removed and desert campers didn't carry swimsuits with
them on motorcycle rides so it was commonplace to bathe in the
nude. I've been camping here in this desert all of my life and have
some very fond memories of the ponds and the wonderful people I
have met. During the busy weekend when there was several large
groups of campers scattered throughout the desert and after the
dinners and campfires you could hear all the motorcycle and sand
buggy engines start. From all over the desert, people would ride to
the ponds. They would bring firewood, beer, wine and good old music
and start a nice social party. Everyone was polite and you really
felt safe in this crowd. I remember other times I was camping and
didn't see another soul for a week. In the early 80 things there
began to change rapidly with one guy they called Old George. He
came to the ponds and stayed there to live. He attracted several
others like him and the ponds soon became a nudist transient camp.
There was filth everywhere and it was not a place you even wanted
to ride near. I heard rumor that Old George eventually died of
Spinal Meningitis but the camp continued to grow. There were
reports of local campsites being robbed and you no longer felt safe
leaving your camp behind to go on a motorcycle ride. The hot ponds
were bulldozed into oblivion by Imperial County authorities on June
6, 1993, allegedly for health reasons. The lifestyle of the
resident transients led to the ultimate bulldozer solution. I was
sad to hear they were gone but relieved that the cleanup had begun.
About 4 years ago the Ocotillo Wells SRVA acquired all of the land
up to Hwy. S 22. The entire area now gets to be very busy with
campers on a good holiday weekend and other than the left over
trash there is not much sign of the old hot ponds.
Most vehicles should be able to drive within a few feet of the
cache. Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes and other creepy critters
that live in the area. Location can be busy on weekends, so please
be aware of snooping eyes and for the fun of the game please
replace the cache as good or better than you found it.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
haqrefnaqhaqregurohfu