Recently someone asked me about geocaching, how and why it came into vogue, and what is required to be a geocacher. At first I answered the question "When did it Start?" with a quick response ... May 2000. Immediately I realized that was not exactly correct, but not exactly wrong.
The early May answer did spark my interest in holding an event to commemorate 24 years of this crazy sport. More accurately, this event is scheduled within days of the anniversary of the GPS technology as we know it, being released to the general public.
So here is : your official invitation to join us for a pseudo-anniversary of GPS technology.
Please join us at The Gangplank for a Friday evening social.
: Time : 7:00pm - 8:00pm officially
: Location : @ posted coordinates translate to 925 N. Holmes Avenue at the corner of East Elva in Idaho Falls
: No purchase required ... but if you do place an order be sure to mention you are a fellow-geocacher there for this event
Did you know .....
1957 Space Race begins, launch of satellite Sputnik by Soviet Union
1963 Aerospace Corporation completes military study laying groundwork for modern day GPS
1974 first NAVSTAR test satellite launched by US
1983 US announces civilian (non-military) use of GPS technology for tracking commercial flights after the crash of Korean Air Line flight 007
1989 the Magellan company releases the first hand held GPS, the NAV 100 which weighed 1-1/2 pounds and cost $3,0000
1990 Selective Availability (SA) US Dept of Defense restricts accuracy of GPS technology for the public sector on fears of compromising national security
1995 US has 24 Fully Operational (FOC) satellites in the GPS constellation
2000 US ends Selective Availability, thereby increasing accuracy of GPS receivers in commercical and public use
My next question: would this have become so popular if we had to lug around a $3,000 1-1/2 pound GPS, with only a couple of hours battery life, to find all that tupperware?
But more important ... why didn't I invest in Tupperware?
But most important ... I do believe I have spent in excess of $3,000 putting tupperware out there for the 398 hides I have placed before this event.
We do hope you will join us at the event!