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Duck Soup LbNA #8816 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:California Bear
Plant date:Jun 23, 2004
Location:
City:Irvine
County:Orange
State:California
Boxes:1
Found by: Reidling Trinity
Last found:May 27, 2007
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Jun 23, 2004
It appears that someone has eaten the Duck Soup. It is no longer there. Sorry if you missed it. :(

In the city of Irvine, near UC Irvine, the Irvine Ranch Water District has created the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. The Sanctuary is a marshy area that had been decimated by diversion of water for irrigation. The IRWD has started a restoration project in this area by creating several 'duck ponds'.

To get to the Sanctuary from the 405 freeway south, exit on Jamboree and turn right. At the first signal, which is Michelson, turn left. From the 405 north, exit on Culver and turn left. At the first signal, which is Michelson, turn right.

Continue on Michelson to the third signal light which is Riparian View and turn left toward the Irvine Ranch Water District water treatment plant. Follow Riparian View and the signs directing you to the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. You will be on a narrow, 2 way road. Signs will finally direct you to turn right, down a short hill, and into a parking lot. The first building you see will be Audubon House. Beyond Audubon House are the ponds of the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.

There will be a sign pointing to the Nature Trail. At the entrance to the trail is a sign board. A small box attached to the sign holds maps to the Sanctuary. You might pick one up to help in your quest.

Continue up the trail to a junction with a sign that reads 'South Loop Trail 1.4 mi.' with an arrow on it. Follow this trail around the ponds. There are several little loops off this trail that lead to benches overlooking the ponds. Feel free to take a rest and take a gander at all the birds in the area.

You will pass several three way junctions. Continue on the South Loop Trail. The South Loop Trail never passes between any of the ponds so if you are between two ponds, you took a wrong turn.

You will come to a 5-way junction. You will know the junction when you reach it as directly ahead of you will be several small sheds, one of which has an antenna coming out of it. There is also an outhouse here.

Continue straight ahead on the road to the left of the outhouse. When you come to a T-junction, turn to the left onto the gravel trail. You will reach a spot where a rough, rutted slope drops away to the left. The drop is about 5'. The slope peters out to a trail.

If you reach a concrete drain structure on the right side of the trail, you have passed the slope and need to head back about 30 steps to the slope.

You will need to head down this slope for 21 steps. At about 21 steps look down to find a long root touching the trail. Follow this root back to the tree it came from. The root points directly to the box's hiding spot at the bottom of the tree, covered with leaves and sticks.

If you reach a spot in the trail where the ground turns sands and there are tall thin plants growing on the right, you have gone too far. If you reach a clearing, you have gone way too far.

There have been quite a few notes in the log book about the heat. Note that most of this trip will be shadeless and it gets really warm during the summer so prepare accordingly.

Terrain rating: 2.5 - About a 2 mile round trip
Difficulty rating: 2 - Average. The average letterboxer would be able to find this in less than 30 minutes of hunting.
Ratings based on Letterbox Rating System (http://www.letterboxing.info/rating/index.php).