Time flies. It has been 20 years since I started Geocaching. And of course, depending on your age, 20 years may seem like a long time or more like a drop in the bucket. Come celebrate with me.
I joined geocaching.com on July 28, 2002 and found my first geocache on July 29th. Of course there is a backstory and I enjoy telling it.
A year or two earlier I was planning on a trip to Ecuador and I wanted to stand on the equator and show on a GPS that I was actually at 0 degrees N/S. For that reason I purchased a GPS a day or two before the trip. The group took a tour to a place about 15 miles north of Quito called Mitad del Mundo (Middle [literally half] of the World in English). We went by bus to a museum that had a line painted out front where you could stand in the northern and southern hemispheres at the same time. But it did not agree with my GPS. The area was enclosed by a fence and I was with a tour and I just couldn’t go wandering off. Thus it was that a couple days later during some free I time was able to go back up there in a taxi. The driver and I walked around until my GPS read 0 degrees N/S. Success!
After arriving back home I realized that I now owned an expensive toy and did not know what else to do with it until someone suggested geocaching. The first attempt I remember was at the Visitors Center beside Lake Superior just before arriving in Marquette. The numbers indicated that the geocache was out in the lake and I was bummed. Later my daughter was vacationing near Battle Creek so I joined her and went hunting but came up empty again. I emailed someone who had recently found the geocache and asked what I was doing wrong. He suggested an easy geocache in the area and I found it!! Thanks Rusty! I was geeked. I continued to geocache the next few days. One day I was late arriving for a meal with my daughter and her response was “Dad, you’re grounded!” First find: LAX, GC4EB8.
This day is therefore a day of celebration of finding my first geocache and an acknowledgement of the years of enjoyment that I have experienced with this hobby/activity/sport/game. Many of you have helped make this enjoyable for me by hiding caches, hosting events, and just getting to know you over the years. Please come join me in celebrating. We can celebrate your accomplishments too and I would love to hear your stories.
In your Will Attend log, please tell me how you got started and something about your initial successes or failures.
This event will be held in the pavilion in the park at the Springfield Township Civic Center. There will be food and goodies to enjoy. More details as the day approaches. There is parking at the pavilion but if there are ballgames scheduled they also use the parking.
I think I will have three focal points for the day with donuts in the morning from 8-10, subs from 11-2 and pizza from 4-7. In your Will Attend log please specify the timeframe you will drop by so I can be prepared.
Remember, in your Will Attend log I want two things: 1. Your initial successes or failures, maybe a story. 2. When you will attend this event - Morning 8-10, Midday 11-2, Afternoon 4-7. Thanks.