Tunnel Cache?

[+stlhiker]

I live near I-64 in St. Louis. Near my house, there's a set of three tunnels under the interstate. The interstate is about 30 feet above the tunnels. Each tunnel is about 5 feet high and 5 feet wide. They're designed to carry rainwater, but are dry most of the year. They all go in a straight line for 400 feet to the other side of the interstate. You can see light on the other side, but they are dark and unlit on the inside.

I was thinking it would be an interesting place for a cache, but wanted a little help in planning it.

 

First off, I haven't gone back into the tunnels because I didn't have a light either time I was there, but i'm sure there's a spot to hide a cache in one of them.

 

2nd- If there is a spot for the cache, is it ok to put one in the tunnel? I'm not sure who owns the land that's 30 feet under an interestate. There aren't any no-trespassing signs at either side so I'd assume it's ok?

 

3rd- After going 200 feet in a tunnel that's under 30 feet of concrete, you'd lose your satellite reception so the possibility for a traditional is out unless I put co-ords in the middle of the interstate. What kind of cache would this be then? Should I do a multi-cache? I could have three stage multi with a cache at one end of the tunnel with co-ords directing them through the tunnel to another cache located on the other side, the 2nd cache would tell them which of the three tunnels the cache is in and a way to find how far in it is. Is that too complicated? Should I have one stage directing you to the proper tunnel and location or is a two caches before the final ok? As far as distance in the tunnel, I'm not sure how to do that. Maybe there's a crack every 5 feet where they poured the concrete, but maybe not. Is giving a set number of paces ok? Since people have different strides, I'm not sure that would work.

 

Any ideas or help would be greatly apprieciated. If you've ever found a cache deep in a tunnel, feel free to offer suggestions on how this could work.

 

Thanks!

[+briansnat]

The fact that its an Interstate could be problematic. Consider what would happen if someone, perhaps a bridge inspector, found the cache and thought it to be suspicious. Your cache might get the highway shut down.

 

Maybe you can make it a multi and work in some sort of virtual stage in the tunnel, or have a stage on either side of the tunnel that would require searchers to pass through it.

[+seldon]

Better run that by your reviewer - I doubt that a cache under an interstate will be allowed.

 

Looks like briansat beat me to it.

Edited December 5, 2011 by seldon

[+dphickey]

You mentioned that rain water runs through these tunnels. What do these look like during a hard rain? Is there a possibility that a cacher could get caught in a flash flood type scenario? Drainage pipes can fill up pretty fast in a hard downpour.

[+danno68]

That's a tricky one.

 

Building on what everyone else has said, I think the best option if you wanted to stick with a traditional cache would be to contact your local government body responsible for roads/highways. Just ask them about it (explaining what Geocaching is, as they'll certainly be skeptical at first). You said the tunnel is five feet high and five feet across (quite the tunnel, if I do say so myself) so I don't think it would be too difficult to find a place to hide a traditional. If things go your way and you're allowed to place it, I would say stick with something magnetic, unless the tunnel itself isn't made of metal.

 

I'm interested to see how this works out for you!

 

Good luck.

[TheDoctorPH]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

[knowschad]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

[+stlhiker]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

[+JL_HSTRE]

I think the fact that it passes under an Interstate highway nixes the idea for a physical container for safety/terrorism concerns.

[knowschad]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

 

Well, for one thing, the amount of earth between the cache and the pavement. The difference can amount to tons.

[+stlhiker]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

 

Well, for one thing, the amount of earth between the cache and the pavement. The difference can amount to tons.

That's kinda what I'm thinking too. A pill bottle bomb would have a hard time blowing up 30 ft of concrete...

[+briansnat]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

 

Well, for one thing, the amount of earth between the cache and the pavement. The difference can amount to tons.

That's kinda what I'm thinking too. A pill bottle bomb would have a hard time blowing up 30 ft of concrete...

 

Common sense doesn't come into play. The police have blown up film canisters as suspected "bombs". If they think it's suspicious they will shut down the highway and call out the bomb squad regardless of size.

 

Your reviewer is unlikely to publish such a cache. Consider my advice earlier and make it a multi where there is no container in the tunnel but searchers need to use it.

[+power69]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

 

Well, for one thing, the amount of earth between the cache and the pavement. The difference can amount to tons.

That's kinda what I'm thinking too. A pill bottle bomb would have a hard time blowing up 30 ft of concrete...

i'm guessing you don't watch mythbusters.

a pill bottle packed with C4 could do damage.

[+TheLoneGrangers]

Briansnat has the best advice. A multicache that requires you to go in the tunnel to figure out the coords to the final stage.

[Pup Patrol]

hiding a mysterious package under a bridge sounds like a good way to get the FBI to show up at your house.

 

Just to be clear, I believe the OP is referring to large concrete culverts, not bridges. I have done a few caches like that, and while I can't attest to the legality of them, I will say that they were awesome adventures.

 

Not sure how much of a difference it makes, but I was talking about culverts. As far as size, I was thinking pill bottle or smaller- no suspicious ammo cans or the like.

 

Well, small pill bottles get blown up, too, for being "suspicious".

 

This news report describes the cache as "a small tin can"...wrong. It was a spice bottle, wrapped in camo tape if I recall correctly, and hanging from a wire in a small tree.

 

http://img.geocaching.com/cache/log/abb9ac6b-fe8d-4795-a0c7-504b36e74019.jpg

 

You can read the logs here (July 2007): http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=e5aa5c6c-72d3-4d39-aaee-f3fb7534a140

[+find waldo]

Take a look at this one: The Middle of the Road GC157CR It was fun!

[+seldon]

Take a look at this one: The Middle of the Road GC157CR It was fun!

 

But look at the publish date: 2007. I doubt it would be allowed today. Not long ago I tried to have a cache in a very similar tunnel, but was denied because it was under a two-lane state highway - much less an Interstate is being asked about here. Not complaining, just noting the age we live in.

[knowschad]

Take a look at this one: The Middle of the Road GC157CR It was fun!

 

Yup, that's what many of them are like. Coords put you in an impossible spot until you start to think outside the box.

 

A quick aside:

you now have a log to sign as well as having to e-mail us the "VERIFICATION WORD" on the cache container. The word has been changed, so "YES", you must go back once again!!

I hope that text is old and the cache owner realizes that he can't require that any more.

[+stlhiker]

Well, I emailed my local reviewers and they nixed the idea for a cache in the tunnel. So I'll be setting up a multi that requires two trips through the culverts to find the final. While it won't be quite as cool as having a cache in the tunnel, should still be unique and cool.

[emmanogoldfish]

Most likely there will be a MO statute that porbids entering such culverts, there is in MN.

[+Kris32]

We have at least two caches in Vegas that require you to enter storm drain tunnels. They are mystery caches. One requires you to have a UV light to find the coords while in the dark tunnel. Cache is then outside the tunnel. We are subject to flash floods so that's where using your brain comes in. We also have people living in these tunnels so that's another reason to be cautious.