No Oil Here Virtual Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(virtual)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This is a virtual cache on beautiful Santa Cruz Island (off the California coast near Ventura). You will need a boat to get to the island.
This cache is at the Historic Oil Well a short distance inland on Santa Cruz Island. The difficulty lies in getting to the island (I recommend "Island Packers" at (visit link)
Santa Cruz Island (the eastern portion) is part of the Channel Islands National Park. There is camping on the island or you can just do a day trip out there. A two-three day stay is great, especially if you bring a kayak. The island boasts some spectacular sea caves that you can kayak right in to. Some are so big that you would need a light to find your way back out. There is plenty of hiking, snorkeling, and just kicking back and relaxing to do on the island. The island is home to several species of plants and animals that are only found on the Santa Cruz Island or the Channel Islands and nowhere else in the world! Take the ranger-guided walk to learn more about the history when the island was home to the Chumash Indians several thousand years ago to when it was a working sheep ranch a hundred years ago.
I wanted to place a traditional cache on the island, but since placing a (physical) geocache on National Park property is disallowed, I did the next best thing to try and draw some people out to this fantastic spot. The rest of the island (which is most of it, really) is owned by the Nature Conservancy (visit link) but they wouldn't allow a geocache on their property either.
The trail to the oil well has some steep and rocky sections. Bring lots of water as there is no shade on the island interior. There are trail maps at the "Welcome" sign near the dock at Scorpion Anchorage and also at the campground. Take the trail to Scorpion Canyon. You'll see the rusted and abandoned remnants of what used to be an oil rigging at the top of the hill.
In order to claim this find, you need to email me the maker and model of the drilling mechanism and where it was manufactured. Enjoy!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pbbeqvangrf gnxr lbh evtug gb jurer lbh pna ernq n cyndhr ba gur qevyy tvivat lbh nyy gur vasbezngvba lbh arrq.