Everyone who visits Flagstaff should see the NAU mascot up close and personal! Louie began appearing on merch in 1987 and become the official NAU mascot in 1988. His name was inspired by The Kingmen's hit song. Let's all sing it together---Louie, Louie, oh no me gotta go... Plus, as DesertDeb logged, "He's a Lumberjack and he's OK!" After posing with Louie, wander over to the pay-to-park kiosk at gz. To get credit for this cache, message me (not email) the four digit "Parking Zone" number for this parking lot.
Congrats to remsz for FTF!!
Also check out the big building to the west. This is the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, the largest laminated wood beam structure of its kind in the world and the fourth largest rigid domed structure ever built. Ground breaking for the facility began at a special "dome-raising" ceremony on September 4, 1975. Designed by Rossman and Partners and built by the Mardian Construction Company, the Dome eventually cost over $8 million (and $26 million to renovate in 2011). The domed roof was designed to rest upon an excavated "natural amphitheater" of stone, thus eliminating the expense of constructing a massive supporting wall. Upon its opening, the Dome garnered widespread favorable media attention as ninety newspapers in addition to network television commented on the multi-purpose facility. One newspaper poetically described the Dome as "a tarpaper-grey flying saucer nestled in a natural bowl in the largest stand of Ponderosa pine on the planet." In the fall of 1979, the facility was formally christened the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in honor of the man who, as president of NAU, guided the project to fruition.
The Walkup Skydome is home to NAU football, basketball, volleyball, and indoor track & field events, as well as 10 graduation ceremonies every year. Concerts, trade shows, and various high-school state tournaments are held here. It previously served as the training camp home of the Arizona Cardinals, and is the current training camp home of the Phoenix Suns.
Photo of graduation ceremony inside the Skydome from the AZ Daily Sun.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.