T R A V E L   L O G tj|ca|st
T R A V E L   L O G
tj|ca|st

H I K I N G   M O U N T   C H O C O R U A

Saturday, October 9, 2004

I'm pulled from my slumber by the singing birds, collectively they have long since started their morning routine, and are now focused on their next agenda item which is clearly aimed at getting my lazy butt out of bed. Parked in the driveway of a friend, having had a long day of travels yesterday, Bill kindly lets me sleep in this morning, his thoughtfulness is much appreciated. Or maybe he's just not a morning person. Either way, it works for me!

Out of bed, I peer through the van's double doors and get a bit of a start! Is that a cemetery I see?!? I've been sleeping within spitting distance of a cemetery? Now, that's kinda creepy.

It turns out the cemetery is an old one indeed. Unkempt and neglected for years on end, it's a family plot that measures about 20 feet square. Bill says the plot is on his land, however folks who wish to pay their respects have right-of-way privileges.

Can you imagine as a kid living near something as spooky as this? Talk about fodder for sleepless nights and frightening nightmares! Come to think of it, I'm just a big kid at heart myself, and I'll be spending the next few nights sleeping next to this cemetery! With little more than thin sheet metal and glass separating me from this forgotten, ghostly place! Wooo Hooo Haaa Haaa Haaa! (evil laugh).

Just before I complete my little cemetery tour, I notice a few of the grave sites are sunken. Eeeeeeuu! You know what that means? It means the rotted casket has given way under the weight of the soil above. For some reason the thought of that "really" bothers me. I'm definitely going for the cremation option when I trade in this life for the next.

On the edge where the cemetery plot lies, I discover the rear portion of Bill's property is all new-growth forest. It goes back aways and good thing for Bill, it's less lawn he has to mow.

Page 1 2 3 4   >>>

Prev Day | Next Day

Rose Parade, Pasadena, CA
Somewhere in Northeastern Arizona
Old Romance, Pacific Beach, CA
Central American Tapir, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA
Lunch atop Mount Chocorua, White Mountains, NH
Sunset at Grand Canyon, AZ
Vietnam Woman’s Memorial, Washington, DC
X