Bella And Gypsy and Treasure Hunting

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

So, here are our two girls.  They are a year old now and fully trained and well behaved.  Okay, maybe not that well behaved or trained, although they know lots of words: treat, sit, down, stay, wait, bye-bye ,dinner, breakfast, come, leash on, leash off, rabbit, outside, potty….well you get it.

They are a joy and will be joining us in our RV on our around the US and Canada  trip next May.  Maybe I will call it, “Traveling with two Pomeranians in a RV and hunting Treasure”. We will be looking for Forrest Fenn’s treasure as we travel through the states where it is reported to be. (Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico)  There might be a couple of other states, but those are the ones where we think it might be.  If you are interested in treasure hunting, go to: dalneitzel.com.  You will find oodles of information about the treasure and about the book, Thrill of the Chase, written by the man who hid the treasure, Forrest Fenn.  You won’t find a more interesting story and treasure hunt in modern day time than this. He is quite the character, a self-made man who served in the Air Force and then became the owner of an art Gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.   To make a long story short, he contracted prostate cancer and beat it, long before all the new medications came out.  He then decided to share his love of the outdoors with others, so he hid a bronze treasure chest full of gold and jewels and treasures, somewhere north of Santa Fe in the mountains above 5,00 feet.  It can be found by following nine clues he wrote into a poem.  The trick is…deciphering the poem!  We have joined the search, but no luck yet.  Of course everyone thinks they can figure out what the poem means, but no one has just yet.

We will be hunting again next summer, as we travel around the US. I have some new thoughts on deciphering the poem, so we will see.  We have only hunted in Yellowstone, but this year I think we will make a stab at it in New Mexico, land of enchantment! The real fun is in the hunting.  It gets you outside doing things you might not usually do, like facing off with a herd of buffalo.  Yes, we did do that and I had to take off my red jacket!

We hope you will follow our journey next year and maybe even meet up with us along the way.

Why the Treasure Chest is Hidden in New Mexico

Why the Treasure Chest is Hidden in New Mexico.

Lots of hunters think the treasure chest in hidden in New Mexico because it is closer to Forrest’s home. They have, as we all do, justified the clues in the poem to fit the area.  It could be, but I am not of that opinion.  I still think Forrest hid it near where his heart was in his boyhood.  Near or in Yellowstone Park.  I’m now opting for near as the more I think about a Federal Park and the rules and regulations associated with it, the more I think it is nearby.  This summer is going fast and I have to get up there soon to prove my point!

 

Winter Coming

Well, winter is coming and I don’t really see a way we will be able to hunt again until spring.  If I thought it was in New Mexico, maybe there could be another attempt at it, but I think it is in or near Yellowstone.  So, we will have to wait and plan for spring.  It is an exciting adventure to look forward to.

Thanksgiving will soon be here and I we will have it with our family at our son’s home.  What a relief to not have to do all the stuff at our house now.  The new generation does take over and that’s a good thing.  Funny, you don’t often think about age, but when these changes happen, you remember back to when you took over the festivities and suddenly realize that time does just fly by.

Make each day count and don’t waste time thinking about if you should or should not do it….just do it and never have regrets.

Forrest Fenn’s Book Signing in Santa Fe New Mexico

Book Signing !

Forrest, Douglas Preston, Michael McGarrity and the owner of the Collected Works Bookstore

Forrest contemplating how to upstage his contemporaries.

Forrest’s grandson introducing Forrest, Douglas and Michael.

Book Signing

Preparations are being made to leave for Santa Fe New Mexico and Forrest Fenn’s book signing on October 22nd.  We have yet to meet him and are looking forward to it.  In addition, there will be two guest authors, Douglas Preston and Michael McGarrity.  How exciting can that be?  We have never been to Santa Fe, so I have a list of places we want to visit including the Loretto Chapel which sits at the end of the Santa Fe Trail.  It contains a staircase said to be miraculous, because it was constructed with only wooden pegs.  No glue or nails were used.  It has two 360 degree turns and no support except its base. It has confounded architects for years and is thought to have been built by or inspired by St. Joseph. 

In addition, we will scout the area for any signs of the treasure.  Maybe Taos?  Who knows.  I have yet to decipher any clues pointing that direction, but you never know!  It doesn’t matter as we will be enjoying the Thrill of the Chase yet again.   If any of you other treasure hunters will be there, please say hello.

The Treasure Hunt in Yellowstone Day Three

We are heading out to Yellowstone Park again today after a great breakfast at our favorite café, The Bugaboo, and another fabulous breakfast in Big Sky. Our aim today is to search in two areas. One will be Grebe Lake where Forrest used to fish every summer. There is a photo in his book with his brother, Skippy, standing next to a rock near a lake. The other will be Tower Falls area. (Water high) We decide to head to Tower Falls first as it is the furthest away. We stop at the souvenir shop there to see where Tower Falls Creek trail starts. (Don’t need a paddle for this creek) As we leave the store we see a black bear up on the hill above Tower Falls. We have just been on that trail to see the falls, so we are feeling rather lucky. Unfortunately some silly people follow the bear with their children. Thankfully the bear was not as silly as they were and went his own way. We are now thinking we are on the right track again. First we see a huge house that is all brown just above the trail head. Yes, we are within reach of the treasure. We hike the trail about a mile to the part where the bridge has been taken out by the water and cross over a dam of logs that has piled up nearby. Well, this looks promising but we don’t see a blaze. We hike further and then get the guys to climb up the side of the mountain to a cave. Nothing! Still do not see anything to resemble a blaze, so we head back with our bear bells and bear spray carefully keeping an eye out around us for bears.

Unfortunately, it is too late to hike the three miles in to Grebe Lake and then back out, so we head out for dinner and a beer. There is a new restaurant called the RVRHOUSE just outside of Big Sky on the river, so we head there and have a relaxing evening before we head home tomorrow.

We did not find the treasure, but we had a wonderful three days and that in it’s self is a treasure to remember and is worth more than gold. We had experiences most people never have and saw amazing country a lot of people are not so lucky to see. We are grateful for the time spent with family and will never forget the treasure hunt!!!

By the way, we have not given up. It is back to the drawing board and planning for the next trip. Maybe it is in Santa Fe? We haven’t been there so that may be our next adventure. Thanks Forrest for the incentive to get out and have a real live treasure hunt!

The Treasure Hunt in Yellowstone Day Two

Okay, so we did not find it the first day. No problem. We are off again after a great breakfast in Big Sky. Today we decided to start where warm waters halt… the entrance to Yellowstone and go not too far but too far to walk and take the canyon down. The first canyon down is Firehole canyon. This makes sense as maybe there is a blaze in Firehole canyon. First we take the Firehole Falls one way road and stop at several places that look good, scramble down to the river several times, but no home of Brown and no blaze. It is a beautiful area though. Then we see the Nez Perce patrol cabin on the map. We are excited again! That might be the house of Brown as it is the name of the famous Indian tribe that lived in this area, so we head to the first trail below the cabin. This is the Mary Mountain trail. We have our bear bells and bear spray and no food so we feel safe, although it does feel like you can not be meek to hike in. We hike in about a mile and a half and see a small creek leading to the river. We take it and don’t need a paddle. We get to the river and look all over, but no blaze and no treasure. So, the next stop is to see Old Faithful. We can’t pass that by. Old Faithful is a treasure in it’s self so we don’t feel too bad and tomorrow is another day. It was not quite as exciting as the buffalo day, but more beautiful and we are out there hiking around places we would never have seen. We are dead tired and head back to Big Sky for dinner and a drink.

The Treasure Hunt in Yellowstone Park Day One

We started from Bozeman airport on Thursday morning July 25th after picking up our cohorts, My husband’s son and his girlfriend.  Headed to Yellowstone with the knowledge we knew exactly where to search.  We did have a couple of alternatives in mind.

We began where warm waters halt..the entrance to Yellowstone, and headed for the Lamar Buffalo Ranch where Ranger Brown stayed for many years.  (House of Brown) We put in just below the ranch which was across the road where the buffalo herds were grazing.  (Not for the meek).  As we crossed the prairie two huge buffalo were eyeing us and making threatening noises.  It was very scary.  We followed the creek going through the prairie and did not need a paddle.  Then we came to the river and crossed through the cold water into a little wooded area. Again, scary as the rocks were slippery and it was about two foot deep. We came to a beautiful waterfall which was the blaze we had seen from across the river!  Knowing we were in the right spot as it was so beautiful; we searched high and low to no avail. Just as we were leaving it began to storm heavy rain drops which felt like stones hitting our face.  The storm caused the buffalo herds (two of them) to move across the prairie right where we were to cross. We waited with hopes of getting out safely.  Then we saw our chance and began crossing only to be eyed by a huge bull buffalo who did not want us to cross.  Finally we got across to the truck, wet, tired and empty handed,  but what an adventure!!!