Norfolk GeoTour

GeoTours are becoming very popular right now. They have been around for awhile, but it seems all of a sudden there has been a number of new ones created and published, and some of them in nearby states.

A geotour is "A collection of geocaches that guides visitors through your region, a GeoTour has stops along a trail, through historic sites, in parks and just about anywhere else, and even in the middle of an urban area. Points of interest can introduce family-friendly activities, interesting facts, stories, and the best parts of your destination."

Hubby and I have completed two previously; one in Ohio the Butler County Donut Trail and the other in Missouri, Boone's Lick Road. We received a special GeoCoin upon completing each of these geotours. 

When I started seeing information for a new GeoTour in Norfolk NE with the unveiling on April 27th, we put it on the calendar and when nothing else popped up for the weekend, we headed to Norfolk for two days of geocaching. There were a total of 40 geocaches in 3 communities and 3 events, so we spread it out over Saturday and Sunday.

we teamed up with two YOUNGER geocachers

from Sioux Falls to work on Saturday

We walked a trail along a wooded area with camera worthy interesting signs on the trees and creative tree decorations. Someone had a lot of time on their hands and the signs had been there for some time. 

It made the damp, chilly walk more interesting!

One of the geocaches was in the Norfolk Public Library. It was NOT an easy one as we had to find three or four clues to find the correct area of the library for the book.

then to get the combination to open the lock

and retrieve the log book

It got favorite points from all of us. I am really glad there was a team of 4 to work on this one!

We had a first to find (FTF)! It was a quarter mile walk along an abandoned railroad bed, near a historic bridge. Did I mention it was cold and damp???

sign seen in Madison NE, the last area to be added to the 

National Historic Register

today it is US Highway 81

(Norfolk is along US Hwy 81, but Madison is not & nor is Pierce)

"The International Meridian Road Association, was founded in 1912, representing Canada, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. Unlike most auto trails, the Meridian Highway was envisioned as an international highway, running from Winnipeg to Mexico City." ~ Wikipedia

We learned about the Norfolk Brick and Tile Company and its importance to the community in the early years of the last century.

And we saw the size of the now abandoned livestock yard/auction in Norfolk. It was HUGE! 

"At one time, it was the largest auction market in the nation — as well as the world — in terms of livestock sold. One of those years was 1977, when 750,674 head of livestock were auctioned through the ring for a total sales volume of over $121 million. At one time, the Norfolk facility ranked nationally behind only a market in Amarillo, Texas, in terms of total sales volume. The building, with a brick exterior, was constructed in 1919 when the company began operating as a corporation." The operation sits on 82 acres.

I believe it closed in May 2015.

painted and decorated fuel tank in Madison

and a visit to a historic pioneer cemetery in Madison

We got to our hotel room about 9, ordered pizza and crashed. The two younger guys continued to geocache, collecting the rest of the required 40 and a few more and got back to Sioux Falls about midnight.