Come on out to Casa Grande’s lovely North Mountain Park for a Geocaching Picnic, RAIN OR SHINE!
For now, the plan is nothing fancy…purely a picnic meet & greet. No games, no prizes, just a chance to enjoy the company of other cachers. Activities may be added later. Access is only from the South on Cox Road; McCartney exit 190 from I-10.
We have several new cachers in and around Casa Grande, and it just seemed like it's been a while since we've assembled in between the Metroplexes, so come on out and HAVE SOME FUN!
The Event Log will be hidden, and you MUST find it and sign to log attendance at the event. Travel Bug swapping is welcome and encouraged. There are several caches within this park, so if you haven’t been here before, you will find plenty of caching to do if you wish. Excellent hiking on flat terrain also abounds.
We have "Ramada C" reserved from 9AM to 4PM. Bathroom facilities are pit type. You are completely on your own for food and drinks. Bring PLENTY OF WATER, since there is none anywhere near here.
The pavilion has 12 large concrete tables, no electric, 1 large charcoal grille, 1 fire pit, and pit toilets that are not too awful. (see photo)
IMPORTANT INFO: The only restriction on beverages is NO GLASS CONTAINERS. No ATVs allowed in park. No off-road driving. No camping. Fires in designated areas only. Bring your own wood...NO FIREWOOD SCAVENGING ALLOWED. Bring charcoal & lighter if you'd like to use the grille. You'll probably want aluminum foil as well. You may want to bring toilet paper and hand cleaning supplies also. Lawn chairs are probably a good idea too.
Watch for more updates.....
Update 4/5 - Activities added: Thanks to egg4us, there are likely to be at least 2 brand new caches placed in or around North Mountain Park on the day of the event. We are asking that anyone else wanting to hide caches in that area before the event please coordinate with egg4us to prevent territorial conflicts. There are already over 20 caches within the boundaries of this park, so if you haven't been here before, there's plenty of hunting to do!
Aren't you tired of Poker Runs? We have created an original field game called Geo Wheel for those who wish to participate. There will be letters hidden at 16 locations to be used in Wheel of Fortune fashion to solve for words. This will be a TIMED event, but you can start at any time up until 1PM; completed entries due by 3PM. Total hike on flat desert terrain should be no more than 1.5 miles. The first prize will be an ammo can, fully stocked by participants; i.e., participants are asked to donate at least 1 QUALITY swag item to the ammo can. We will also try to have 2nd and 3rd prizes. Prize donations will be gratefully accepted.
UPDATE 4/13 - The action is heating up. What was going to be just a meet & greet picnic is shaping up to be more fun than we could squeeze into the original schedule, so the new starting time is officially 9AM, ending at 4PM. However, make note that the park gates open at 7AM, and it looks like egg4us may have as many as 5 brand new caches published in the park on the day of the event! This along with the other 20 plus caches already here may keep you busy, so you might want to come early to allow time for all of the other FUN stuff!
The GeoWheel game is in place and ready for action. Sign up for this any time between 9AM and 1:00PM. Completed entries must be submitted by 3PM sharp. Don't forget to bring at least one QUALITY swag item to help stock the 1st prize ammo can. Overflow goes to 2nd and 3rd prize containers as available. The worst you can expect is about a 2 mile hike over flat desert and about 1-1/2 hours max. That is only if you need all 16 letters to complete your answer. We will be surprised if it takes more than 8 or 10 letters to figure out the answer, so your time and distance is likely to be much shorter. We did see one small snake today while testing the course, so BEWARE!
UPDATE 4/14 - CITO Event added (GC3H2H2).
UPDATE 4/15 - CITO Event deleted (GC3H2H2). Groundspeak vetoed the CITO due to short notice; 2 weeks required. Hopefully, that will not stop us from doing it anyway for "free".
Update 4/17 - It's official! Groundspeak has approved 5 brand new caches placed by egg4us in North Mountain Park to be published the morning of the Event! Great work, Joni! For those interested in Waymarking, there is also one of those called North Mountain Park, which has yet to be visited.
Bring a Bun....if you'd like to sample Tahosa's special sloppy joe. "Joe's got the BBQ if you've got the bun" - limited quantity, first come/first served. He's also bringing some secret recipe beans. Got chips? Is there something that you'd like to bring to share? Maybe Joe (aka Sloppy Joe) has started something here! I heard Joni talking about whipping something up too.
It's gonna be HOT,HOT,HOT....maybe close to 100 degrees! Come prepared for it and be sure to bring LOTS of extra water! Can you believe that for last year's Picnic it was 49° and raining?!
Pick a Peck of Puzzle Pieces (GCJ8FY) is still active since placed in 2004 for the first Event held at this park. We will have at least one set of the pieces available for anyone who might want to solve and find this puzzle cache.