for the Journey

can you pinpoint the closest thing you’ve ever done to graverobbing?  i can.

between Psychoville, TN and Asheville, NC we did a good deal of geocaching to keep our seventh day of driving interesting.  Tennessee happens to have at least one geocache hidden away at every single exit of I-40, from border to border.  of course this means that we made slow progress, stopping every few miles at a rest stop, gas station, or some unmarked location in the woods.  but who could say that we were taking too long?  it’s great to have nowhere in the world to be.

somewhere after Knoxville (where we saw a gorgeous underground natural rock spring), the sun disappeared.  we kept pulling off the highway at each exit to find our hidden treasures.  we came to a particularly dark and rural exit and proceeded to follow the GPS coordinates down a nearly-hidden dirt road.  this short path led to a small but decidedly creepy family cemetery.  i think we were both scared to get out of the car, but even more afraid to lose macho points in front of the other.  we found some plausible excuse to turn the car around and point it back out for a quick getaway.  you know, just in case.

this graveyard was…simple.  most of the plots were marked with a flat rectangular slab with no engravings or markings.  just a slate of granite jutting out of the ground in the rough approximation of a tombstone.  it took us a few minutes to be convinced this wasn’t a Halloween setup.  but no, there were some larger rocks with names engraved, sitting forever under a lone weeping willow.  we walked around as solemnly as intruders can, and found our cache.

as Steve pulled the canister out from behind a blank tombstone, i had to wonder what effect this would have on our karmic balance.  i mean it’s not like we were stealing stuff from a grave.  just…near it.  and not stealing!  because it had been left there for us.  so kind of like an undead messaging service or cemetery consignment shop.

or graverobbing.  i am so haunted.

desecration for the Journey,

-louie-

we spent all night searching for hidden treasure across the Arizona desert.  no really.

it’s called geocaching, and it’s the adult equivalent of a childhood treasure hunting dream.  for those who know where to look, the desert is riddled with secret caches of goodies left by other adventurers.  we spent the entire night (and the whole drive through beautiful Arizona) tracking down these hidden troves and exchanging meaningful trinkets with travelers we will never meet.

after abandoning the car along the highway, we walked due east into the desert dunes.  a winding trail led us further away from civilization, toward the cache we were seeking.  our GPS unit kept us going in the general direction of the treasure spot, though the terrain often forced creativity.  a small flashlight was all that kept the dark night at bay.  animals jumped from the bushes and scurried away at our approach.  i was certain we were going to die out there.

the walk was long and winding.  the stars were numerous and gorgeous.  we went up small hills and around larger ones.  we climbed on rocks and pushed through the brush.  the walk seemed to take forever.  eventually we came across a rusty (and obviously old) barbed wire fence.  the treasure was definitely somewhere on the other side of this obstacle.  we shrugged at each other in the dark, unlatched the simple gate, and pushed forward. 

after trudging through another 500 feet of desert darkness, “X” marked the (digital) spot.  we searched around until Steve spotted a pile of rocks that seemed unnaturally stacked.  sure enough, moving the top stone aside revealed a small green weather-proof ammo box- our treasure!  inside the box were many items left by other seekers: things like plastic army men, a deck of cards, keychains from various states, native american jewelery, business cards, and on and on.  we signed the log book with a quick hello note, took a beautiful hand-woven “spirit pouch”, and left a couple of trinkets of our own (plastic dinosaurs!!).  i threw in a card with this website address before we packed up the treasure and re-hid it carefully beneath the stones.

this was just one of our many adventures as we slowly make progress on our Journey.  the spirit pouch is hanging from the rear-view mirror and now contains a hand-carved tiki man, a black chess pawn, and a few other meaningful treasures from the desert.  i’m very thankful to be able to share this Journey with other travelers who have come this way or may pass through soon.  it’s a little reminder that though we come from different places and we take different paths, we are all on the Journey together.

treasure for the Journey,
-louie-