Silver Lake Stroll by elcyd
Silver Lake Stroll
by elcyd
Since Dover, Delaware's Capitol, is located almost in the exact center of the state this park is not very far from anyone. Geocachers living in Kent County will be familiar with it even if they don't know about the several caches hidden there. Geocachers living in New Castle, Sussex, or in other states may not even know this place exists.
The parks contains 182 acres of open space and wooded areas. There are hardwoods, holly and pines distributed on the grounds. Two picnic pavilions are available as well as a swimming area, boat ramps, and a number of paved walking trails.
The center piece, of course, is Silver Lake formed by damming the Saint Jones River. A parking lot is nearby the spillway for the dam and while this is a great place to park to look for some of the other caches in here, it's not the best choice for trying to find Silver Lake Stroll. Of course, those geocaches who enjoy hiking might disagree.
Your goal is to get to the tree line showing in the distance in the picture on the left. There are several options. You could use the walkway over the spillway or use some of the bridges as shown below.
For those who prefer a shorter hike, a drive is suggested. Your gps will plot a route to the general area of the cache that will take you on a twisting and turning tour of the neighborhood surrounding the park. You should arrive at an area were you can park on a neighborhood street and have access to this "far side" of the park.
You'll know you are in the correct spot when you see the graveyard.
The graveyard is quite a study in contrasts. If you examine the picture on the left you will note a section with well trimmed lawns and rather modern head stones. In the foreground the grass has had little attention and the stones are quite a bit older. Yet, while it doesn't show in this picture, there are also modern stones in this area.
When you are in the graveyard your gps should be telling you that you don't have much farther to go to find the hiding place. Please note that it is NOT in the graveyard.
After you have found the cache stop by here and take some time to read some of the stones in the two areas. See if you can discover why this difference is happening. There's a real piece of Delaware history here. And who would have thought that this beautiful city park would have a graveyard within it?
elcyd has created a most interesting cache site. Those who like to hike can start at the parking lot by the dam. Those who prefer a shorter hike can almost drive to the site. You can experience the beauty of the lake and the park. You can steep yourself in the lore of of a mysterious graveyard. And, after you have located this cache you can go back into the park and try some of the other caches hidden there.