Where:
Papago Park @ Ramada
16
When:
Sunday, October 10th
2010
Beginning at 10:10am until ? ? ?
Why:
Because its 10/10/10, and it
is an excellent time to welcome back all of our wintertime caching
friends!
What:
It's an event to bring
together all geocachers to meet each other, share stories (or
advice), and to celebrate 10/10/10. We will provide grilled hot
dogs, buns, and condiments.
If anyone would like to bring something for us to have a potluck,
please let us know in your "will attend" logs.
Who:
Everyone! We encourage all
cachers (whether you're brand new to the game or have been caching
10 years) to come to this event.
Food will be potluck style, there is a large BBQ at the area that
can be used to grill, and we will work on getting together some hot
dogs.
- Bring your own drinks (No Glass Bottles or Alcohol are
Permitted)
- Bring plenty of water; especially if you plan on hiking before or
after the event
- Bring a chair (just in case); Ramada 16 seats 80 people
though
- Wear appropriate clothing/footwear since we will be in the
desert
- Don't forget to load your GPSr with all of the Papago Park
caches!
(see the bookmark here!)
Potluck List
10 10 10
Geocoins
There will be custom
10-10-10 geocoins availible at the event for purchase. The purchase
price will be $10.00 for each coin.
There will only be a total of 100 coins made in the Arizona
10-10-10 color scheme!
Highest
Point
Elevations rise up to 1,700
feet but these elevations are on Buttes not accessible by trail.
Developed trails primarily are around 1,200 feet above sea
level.
History
The history of Papago Park
begins back in 1879 with the area being designated as an Indian
reservation for the Maricopa and Pima tribes.
On Jan. 31, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed Proclamation No.
1262 declaring the area as the Papago Saguaro National Monument. It
remained until April 7, 1930, when Congress passed an act that was
amended on July 7, 1932, abolishing the monument.
During World War II, Papago Park housed a German prisoner of war
camp. The camp was occupied from 1943 to 1946 by over 400 prisoners
of war. After the war, the camp was used as a Veterans
Administration Hospital from 1947 to 1951 and the District
Headquarters for Arizona’s largest Army Reserve unit from
1953 to 1966.
Today, the Army Reserve Motor Park at 64th and Oak streets retains
the role it held in the prisoner of war camp. Also, the
camp’s Officers Club now serves as the Scottsdale Elks
Lodge.
By 1958, almost all of the parkland was within the boundaries of
the city of Phoenix. Senate Bill 144, introduced in the 23rd
Legislature, paved the way for purchase of Papago Park by the city
of Phoenix. Papago Park was officially sold to the city of Phoenix
on Feb. 25, 1959.
The park today covers 1,200 acres and has numerous picnic sites
with ramadas, tables, grills, water and electricity. The park also
contains fishing lagoons and bike paths as well as a zoo, a
botanical garden, fire museum and a golf course. Two of east
Phoenix's best known landmarks are in the park, Hole-In-The-Rock, a
natural geologic formation; and Hunt's Tomb, a white pyramid burial
place of Arizona's first governor.
Geology,
flora and fauna
The red rock (iron
oxide-hematite) of Papago Park was formed six to 15 million years
ago. The Papago Buttes are a sedimentary formation. The holes,
called tafoni, in Hole-In-The-Rock were formed by water breaking up
the minerals in the rock. Throughout the park, a thin veneer of
sand and rock overlie a bedrock landform, with some areas worn away
to reveal the outcropping of bedrock.
At Hole-in-the-Rock, a naturally eroded rock formation of arkosic
conglomerate sandstone, the Hohokam noticed that a hole in the
ceiling of the rock shelter creates a ray of light that changes
positions on the floor throughout the year, depending on the
seasonal movements of the sun across the sky. Subsequently, the
Hohokam marked the occurrence of the summer solstice by grinding a
bedrock metate slick at the location where the ray of light falls
during that day around noontime. The winter solstice is marked by
the ray of light interacting with a natural seam in the bedrock.
The Hohokam also marked the equinoxes, the seasonal halfway point
between the summer and winter solstices with a bedrock metate
slick. Furthermore, boulders located near the Hole-in-the-Rock
appear to provide additional solstice and equinox markers. Although
more research is needed to better understand the Hohokam's
knowledge of astronomy, Hole-in-the-Rock is a significant example
of the cultural accomplishments of these amazing desert people.
Taken from Papago
Park Facts
www.AZCachers.com