UPDATE: The barista container disappeared just a few days after placement so we updated this with a container that was more appropriate for the name... unfortunately, that one went missing too. We'll try different containers to see what sticks around and update the hint accordingly. In commemoration of finding our 500th cache, we wanted to place one with sentimental value.
First Encampment Park (GC28FVV - now archived) was our first ever geocache find. We lived in the neighborhood before this was ever a park and were excited when the lot was being developed. We had hoped for a coffee shop or quaint cafe but were disappointed when we saw trucks full of rocks being delivered. We called it the "Big Pile of Rocks Park" for many years. It didn't even have a neighborhood playground for kids - what a waste of space, I thought! Even after the landscaping filled in and we learned the history of the location, I didn't see much value in this spot. I still thought a drive-through Starbucks on my way to work would have been better! Long after this park was established and we had moved away from the neighborhood, I had been trying (unsuccessfully) to find caches with a Palm Pre when I first heard about geocaching in a segment on the local news. After purchasing a real GPS, my family and I decided to try out the coordinates in the old hood. We followed the hint and were able to make our first find. Ironically, this "waste of space" park was just the beginning of one of my favorite past times. We still endearingly refer to it as "Big Pile of Rocks" Park but with a much greater appreciation for green space and history - both personal and that of the local culture. A reminder that things are not always as they seem. A reminder to myself that I should always look for the positive even when I think something is just a useless "pile of rocks" - it might just turn out to be more awesome than a caramel macchiato! I may not have gotten my coffee shop but I will always hold the memory of finding my first cache there. Now this is home for our first cache placement so we have come full circle.
This site was the first encampment of the Mormon Pioneers after they had descended into the valley July 22, 1847. (Crazy coincidence that I would eventually find my first cache there 164 years to the day!) Scattered around the park engraved on rocks are the names of the men, women and children thought to have spent their first night in the valley. The layout of the park is symbolic of the pioneers' journey. The granite boulders on the east side of the park represent the Wasatch Mountains. The path through the mountain rocks represents Emigration Canyon, which is the canyon the pioneers passed through to get to the valley. The dry stream beds represent Emigration and Parley's Creek. SOURCE: Salt Lake Tribune Article