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Bernville LbNA #48534 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:wood thrush
Plant date:Jun 27, 2009
Location:
City:Bernville
County:Berks
State:Pennsylvania
Boxes:1
Found by: Team Mantis
Last found:Jun 19, 2011
Status:Fr
Last edited:Jun 27, 2009
The story. In the small Berks County town where I grew up, playing cards was a good way to spend pleasant summer evenings with relatives, friends and neighbors. Pinochle was the preferred game of my family and neighbors.

If you play Pinochle, you know the meld of four Jacks isn’t worth much—just four points. Our neighbor across the street had a funny name for four Jacks. He called it “Bernville.”

Bernville is a small town not far away from the small town where I grew up. Maybe it was a little further out in the sticks than us, but not by much. And my neighbor grew up in another little town down the road that was even smaller, and more rural, than Bernville. So when he called four Jacks “Bernville,” he was affectionately poking fun at all our little towns.

To this day when my family plays Pinochle, four Jacks is known as “Bernville.” This box is dedicated to my neighbor, who passed away many years ago.

To the box. To find Bernville the box, you have to be in the vicinity of Bernville the town. Make your way to the “Azure Swamp” dam/lake/rec area/state game lands. You’ll need a good map showing the trail system and roads, including trail mile markers. Oddly, this map is not available at the official online site, but with a bit of digging you should be able to run across one. If all else fails, you can get a trail map at the visitor center.

Bernville the box is located between mile 27 and 28 of the trail, at a confluence of game lands and rec lands. There is a game lands parking area very close to the box, and you can try coming in on the appropriate dirt road, but the road may be closed when it’s not hunting season.

Alternatively, you can enter at the day use area, pay the small fee, and head in the direction of the pavilions. Park at the small, round pullout area you’ll come across on your right.

If you park in the circle, notice the great oak tree, and head up the path that skirts it on the right. Pass through a wooden gate, then walk about a quarter mile uphill to the game lands parking area. In season, wear your orange. Ignore the first path to the left that you come across; keep going straight until you arrive at the game lands parking lot.

There’s a lot of trail confluence action going on here. What you want is the yellow gate with the red markings. Standing at the gate, select the trail that immediately heads downhill. There’s a grey post with a light blue blaze to help orient you. Beyond this post a few steps is a brown trail marker pole. Walk to this pole and stop. Head about four steps up the small hill immediately to its right and Bernville is behind some young trees under SPOL.

For best stamping results, the resourceful boxer will bring along red, yellow, blue and black fine tipped markers. The resourceful boxer also will note the presence of several fine vintage boxes in the Azure Swamp.