S*W*A*G* &
Jeep'en Jumpers are gonna do it again. They are going to pull of another very successful event. Not just an event, but a MEGA EVENT. Arizona's very first Mega.
Yuma Mega Event # 10 (
GC3NGQQ ) will take place in Yuma Arizona the weekend of February 10, 2013. The attendance, at this point, is about double the total of last year's event and it isn't just a quirk, it has taken years of hard work to get this event to the current status. I asked Robert McNeece what he attributed the success to and his answer was "When GC put's out their mailing list each week we just get hit with more people. Have not other reason so that must be it." And the fact that this is the very first Mega in Arizona is a huge draw.
Here's how the weekend events are rounding out, as of today -
Friday, February 8 - Geocaching Challenge Day with 10 new caches.
3 new night caches; they say to bring your flashlights and batteries. I say to bring your jackets too; those desert nights can get pretty chilly.
At 6 pm - the Warm Up Before The Warm Up (
GC43VZG ), brought to you by 'Just Hike'.
Saturday - 2:30 kicks off the days events with Flash Mob Chicken Dance; in years past, this was done as a
Bubble Flash Mob but it is changin' up. Rumor has it that SchnauzerQueen may be heading up this group. Guaranteed that the photos will be more fun then they were in the past.
3 pm will be the official Meet and Greet (
GC41MVJ )
at a different location. As much fun as it was down town before, this group has grown and just needs more room. You will love this place for sure. Sweet sports bar type atmosphere with plenty of choices for food and drink. Bring you cash; this night is on you.
Sunday - starts at Gateway Park at 9 am with games and challenges, including the Poker Run, Find Your G Spot (hummm, i will have to research this one and do a post on it), a CITO challenge with prizes, and a little dexterity game. There's the 50/50 Raffle, Geocoin Show and swap, travel bug view and discover, and a ton of drawings for sure.
Noon - The free tri tip BBQ will be served. Bring your own beverages. Just wondering - how many cows will it take to feed this group? Wondering also - did Robert McNeece have a clue what he was getting himself into this year?
1 pm the drawings and prize routine will begin.
1:30 will be the beginning of the CITO Event (
GC42K33 )
Well, that covers it for now. If that isn't enough for you, then come up with another event to add to all this and check with Robert to see if it fits in. Ya still got time!
I have some questions but that will be in the next post about the
Yuma Mega Event #10 post, in a couple of days.
Snakes DO NOT hibernate during the winter. They are cold blooded creatures so they are not active and they move slowly, but they do not sleep. When the temps hit in the 60's, they come out to eat. SchnauzerQueen can attest to this. She had a close encounter just a couple of weeks ago. Another fact about snakes that make them a bit more dangerous in the winter months is that they have not shed their winter skins so there could be skin over their eyes. They will strike at anything since they can not see well. So - be extra careful when in the desert and sticking your hands in bushes or under rocks.
Other dangers - bugs. I, for one, don't mind bugs in the least. But I am not crazy about the ones that have ugly attitudes. Examples - scorpions, centipedes, and other spiders with a nasty bite. All of these bugs
come out to sun on (or under) a rock or in the dirt, and hunt food in a bush. Scorpions especially enjoy a warm wall and they can climb them quite easily. They won't chase you down so there is not reason to attack them but if you touch them or get too close, they will protect themselves. It's best to kick over a rock before you pick it up. Shake a limb of a bush before reaching in. Just keep a keen eye on the area when enjoying this weekend. 
The exclusive, newly minted, Yuma MEGA Event Geocoin is now
available at "THE STORE" .... check it out
!!! 
The line went from registration, to raffle tickets, a display of The Traveler from Event #3 with 24,000 miles (gotta say WOW to that one), to the poker run info - just the beginning of the perfect flow of people. Somebody knows how to set this up. Raffle tickets were being sold by Wayne43, a favorite the day before, the guy that impressed me with his tactics of meeting people and getting himself the best event souvenir ever. I feel compelled to come up with an idea that rivals his and can be anywhere near as much fun as having people write all over your body. 
M & D was the first to approach us with the 'goal sheet' in hand for us to sign. We barely had gotten a look at it but quickly learned what it was all about. Following was Scratch and Lois, another great couple to meet. We enjoyed the chatting (something that I am a bit of a pro at) for a bit and it was time to move on to the next activity. 
Then it was back to mingling time and meeting new friends, finding TB cars in the parking lot and 'discovering' them. We also 'discovered' a bunch of TB on the table next to registration. What a great idea. WeenieQueen had a lot of luck locating and meeting TB dogs, which I'll share more about later. Then there's Jessie and Skip Cable who were an absolute blast. I think both of them could keep the party going if needed. They had this really neat poster, which she has since posted on Facebook and I won't post it here right now; gotta find out if it is ok to do so. I think they will perfect to learn fun past stories from, if I can talk them into sharing. We ran into Exman on the path also. This was a real treat. On December 31, 2011, SchnauzerQueen and I did the MOH Path just west of Las Cruses, New Mexico. We were literally following the foot steps of Exman on those caches. Our history with this guy starts there and I am wondering where it will go from here. He was a very visible person at the event, which I will talk about later. Hopefully I will get some info from his soon to explain what he was doing and what his results were. Future post on this guy - hopefully soon. 
We did a few caches during the day and I found a super neat travel bug. It's a thumb drive that originated in Russia and has a Russian children's story along with music. At first I was afraid to actually put it into my computer but my curiosity has the best of me and I am glad that I did. We also did a little farmer's market shopping and spent a little down time at the room so SchnauzerQueen could attempt to start feeling a little better and hit the downtown just in time for the Bubble Flash Mob in front of Lutes.
Then registration for the Warm Up event at Lutes, and the waiting line. The line itself was fun - that is where the meeting of new friends began. 
Then it was Lute's Casino time and what a blast. With one side packed with Mardi Gras celebrators and the other side with crazy cachers, there was no shortage of fun things to see and great conversations and stories to get involved in. WeenieQueen and I spent a lot of time just taking in all the unique wall and ceiling decor including the alligator on the women's bathroom door, on the inside. So if any of you guys hear about it and didn't get to see it, well we are taking care of that for you right here.
One of my favorite people of Saturday was Wayne 43. He knows how to get out there and meet people with his t-shirt signing routine.
