Geocaching: Does That Count?

First things first, shout out to the in-laws with the double birthday today. I hope Jennifer and Jimmy have a great time celebrating. I am choosing to celebrate your special days by creating more shenanigans across the U.S.

Where to even start with Kansas...as I skimmed things to see in my roadtrippers app, I saw something called the Garden of Eden and quickly scrolled past as the description said something about folk and political art, no thanks (sorry Wayne and Aaron)! Then, my friend Jessica happens to stop by the house and told me I should check out this place called The Garden of Eden where the owner put his corpse in a glass case for people to view on the property and suddenly my interest peaked again.

I looked it up this morning and was only an hour away and it doesn't open until 1 PM! It just wasn't going to work with the miles I needed to get in today combined with my inability to sleep past 5:30. Which brings me to my first question: who wants their dead body in a glass case viewable for all to see and then doesn't open until 1 PM daily. This doesn't make sense. Needless to say, I didn't wait around.

Blue Skies and LOTS of wind!

I love these wind turbines. They just make me happy and I don't know why. A whole open land full of them is cool to watch.

While pondering what to do after the fall of the Garden of Eden...I started taking note of all of the signs along the interstate. If there is anything the long I-70 West drive through Kansas taught me, it is that Kansas loves Trump and Jesus. Which got me to thinking...I saw a geocaching stop on the roadtrippers app and thought maybe this would be my place to let Jesus (the chain that has been traveling with me since 2010 now, thanks Mr. Smith and whatever Glasgow kid lost it back in '09) find a forever home.

That is how I ended up aimlessly roaming through a field in Mingo, Kansas holding a stuffed bear and a Jesus chain while trying to watch a youtube video on how to find the oldest geocaching site in the world. It was FREEZING, the wind was blowing relentlessly and I was trying to watch the YouTube video WHILE simultaneously using my GPS to find the coordinates engraved into the plaque for the geocache.

Just to clarify, this YouTube video is no longer accurate! I was also picking up stones and found nothing! I have tears in my eyes laughing and typing the absurdity of all of this right now.

It then hit me, I have no idea what geocaching is nor how to execute it and waiting until you are potentially wind blown across a barbed wire fence in Kansas is not the place where I was going to figure it out! The second revelation I had is that I have NO desire to learn what it is or how to do it either so for those of you researchers out there, have a ball: https://www.travelks.com/listing/gc30-mingo-oldest-active-geocache-in-the-world/40968/

Here is how things ended:

We left Jesus at his new home and if any old Glasgow students of mine are reading this and realize this was at one time yours...I know where you can find him!

B/c why not have a GIGANTIC Van Gogh just sitting in the middle of nowhere.

Finally, we made it to Colorado! The second we crossed the state lines the roads felt like home and I couldn't find a good sign to take a picture with so we had to go inside of the Welcome Center. I'm going to need you to do better Colorado.

Not the best but it will have to do for now!

I hadn't realized we entered through the bathroom entrance so they did have a pretty sign inside. All is forgiven but I still think they could use an outside sign.

I should have taken a picture with the ladies working the welcome center. They said there's nothing good to see until I get to Denver and I should check out this restaurant below. Something about Teddy Roosevelt donating all of the animal carcasses and it being the oldest restaurant with a liquor license that is literally liquor license #1. Although the other Roosevelt led me well to the bathhouses, I'm not certain I'll make it to Buckhorn even though I appreciate the rich history. Expensive meat just isn't my thing these days.

Looks like the pamphlet was also established in 1893!

Second book down! Thanks Teroy for the recommendation:) This was an excellent read.

While in your 40s, you think 1 PM is way too late to go and see a corpse so you end up struggling to stand in an empty field.

But...on your 20-something trip, it can't get late fast enough to run around a cemetery, at first safely walking through the open field in heels and a dress. All to capture some pictures of yourself projected onto the side of a building in a cemetery. Maybe a church...who knows, I was 20 something.

Random funny to end on, this room made me think the human Bear was born at 3:33 so I knew it would be a good room. What I DIDN'T know is how to use a digital key. This was my first trip where I could check in from my phone, request a digital key and just go straight to my room. I wish someone had a video of me trying to physically tap the WHOLE PHONE TO THE HOTEL DOOR AS IF MY PHONE TURNED INTO THE KEY. When I read "Tap to Unlock" I just wasn't thinking to tap it with my finger. I am sure this would have been amusing for anyone watching.

I've still got some daylight left so it's off to adventure some of Denver! Talk to you all soon:)