A Day at Coney Island

Coney Island is a small amusement park southeast of Cincinnati on the shores of the Ohio River. The park started as an apple farm in 1867. By the early 1870s, Mr. Parker had added a bowling alley, dance hall and dining hall as amusements were more profitable than growing apples.

crossing the Ohio River for the 3rd time this morning

the Ohio River

ferris wheel at the amusement park

Hubby and I and 5000+ other geocaches also visited Coney Island today for a yearly event called GeoWoodstock. This was #16. We attended another, #14 in Denver in 2016. The thing that made this one different is the number of people attending. This event was billed as North America's largest geocaching gathering, a Giga Event because 5000 people planned to attend.

We were meeting friends Jon & Sherry as today was our last opportunity to spend time together for maybe the next 18 months. When we got to the meeting spot they were intently working.

There are unusual things at a large geocaching gathering. For example...

someone wanted people to write their names on their car

really?????

the original can of beans recovered from the 

very first geocache, May 2000

a woman wearing many extra pounds of metal

which is actually travel bugs and geocoins

I have seen her at events before

some people bring their OLD friends

Vendors selling geocaching supplies, clothing, and non-essentials are a big hit. Geocaching groups promoting their events, or others selling their hand created geo-related items filled 4 large tents.

this group (and a thousand others) went looking for geocaches

For me, and especially this time because of limited mobility, it was the people we see, like...

our friend Josef from Germany

whom we met at a big event in Seattle WA in 2015

Del & Mary from AZ whom we met at one of my geo events

Wally & Christine from AZ

Liz (in blue) from Canada & Kenny (in red) from AZ

Ed from AZ

geocachers from MN

we geocached with the front 2 at the oldest cache in CO

Mary from AZ

and there were others I did not get photos of, like Janice from TX or Charlie Baltimore from AZ, or Ruth & Chuck from Sioux Falls or Russ & Jeanne AZ/OR.

The temperature today was in the high 80s with 80% humidity. A brief rain appeared about 15 minutes after we left the event. Coney Island was certainly large enough (365 acres) to host the 5000+ people who stopped by today. Today was also opening season for the amusement and water park, but most of the geocachers did not venture to that area. It was a fun day, but we are both ready to head home.