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Within 200 feet of Forrest Fenn’s treasure?

IMO, I highly doubt anyone has been within 200 feet of the treasure. Here’s why.

In the very short video above, Forrest Fenn is talking with an interviewer and claims that through emails and photographs he could determine that people have been within 200 feet. He claims the same thing within the Moby Dickens interview as well.

In my opinion, this may be just hype. It may be an attempt to rekindle a treasure hunt that may be lacking searchers. Over the years people have claimed they “think” they know a person who was within 200 feet that went searching one time and quit. They think they were close.

In my opinion, as Forrest has said it himself – you’re not going to stumble upon the location of the treasure chest. That quote is HERE. So, how would a seacher(s) simply come within 200 feet of the treasure unless it is simply placed on the side of a road in a thicket some place. You’d have to know the general location. In my opinion, this general location where the people missed the treasure chest by 200 feet has to be in a popular well visited area, or the supposed “one way in” in order to get close to the search location.

200 feet from the treasure – is very subjective. Up? Down ?

Look at it this way. You could be standing a SAFE distance away from an overhang looking out over the beautiful countryside. Someone sends Forrest Fenn a photograph and general details on that area and then after a period of some time, Forrest Fenn says the tease that some one has been within 200 feet of the treasure chest.

Forrest Fenn knows that people should be out searching in groups of two or more. You can scan a lot more terrain this way . In my opinion, that’s one of the main reasons he suggests people to travel that way. It’s simply not going to be in a perfect place and easily seen. More people have a better chance to look and identify a pretty benign poem and decipher what they are seeing. Sure, more people mean its safer in numbers, especially if some one ends up finding the treasure and having to haul it out by themselves.

It could very well be below or above this so called location. It could be JUST on the other side of a passage that may require some one to go around to the other side, which may not be very accessible. The possibilities are endless as well as the possibilities of where this treasure location is.

Another subjective phrase on distance

BUT if Forrest Fenn said he parked his car, walked less than a few miles and placed the treasure there. You have to listen what he says – not what you want to hear. I could walk 100 feet, and that is clearly less than a few miles. The distance from the place that he parked and the treasure is not the issue. Finding the true area to concentrate the search at is key. Another part of that is you could recover the treasure within an afternoon. That time period is not very specific either an afternoon could simply mean anywhere from minutes or from noon until a minute before the beginning hour of evening. Again, Forrest Fenn’s answer is very subjective.

You see, if Forrest Fenn states that he walked less than a few miles total, that’s fine. But then the “not far but too far to walk” may not be a measure of distance, but simply in some other context. It could very well mean once you find “Begin it where warm waters halt”, you are within the 200 feet automatically and if you take more than a few steps away from that location, you’re off the beaten path. In my opinion, that has to mean that ALL of the clues are within the naked eye. There has to be several “markers” of some type within a relatively dense area that is safe to search.

In Forrest Fenn’s book, too far to walk, near where the map is there is a rather bold statement that says – Study the clues in the book and thread a tract through the wiles of nature and circumstance to the treasure. In my opinion, this means the search area should be rich (no pun intended) with things that are historical in nature. IF the Trail of Tears were in the Rocky Mountains, that may well have been a great story line since it can take many paths to get to the same result.

In my opinion, Forrest Fenn may be saying things in generic format and people are simply taking these out of context. I think Forrest Fenn has not given out any additional clues unless he was bound to do so. Everything else is very subjective and should be taken with many grains of salt. To take anything for granted will eventually make you start guessing. Guessing in this case will continue you to remain off the beaten path.

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too far to walk – Red Blocks where a chapter starts

Select Chapters have a unique Red Block for the first letter

In too far to walk, you remember those 10 red square letters that show up randomly in some of the chapters, for the beginning letter?

They are;
Chap 4 Page 16 “I”
Chap 8 Page 42 “O” – no FF stamp at end of story
Chap 15 Page 71 “I”
Chap 20 Page 96 “I”
Chap 22 Page 107 “O”
Chap 26 page 128 “A”
Chap 30 Page 152 “S”
Chap 31 Page 161 “I”
Chap 41 Page 223 “R”
MAP Page 247? “S”

that gives us I O I I O A S I R S

Opera related? Guess what it IS mentioned in too far to walk !

It could be……. ARIOSO’S III – It’s an opera thing.

Hints at what Arioso III is all about…

Book reveals some about an Arioso’s III


https://www.definitions.net/definition/arioso

Arioso the definition

In classical music, arioso is a type of solo vocal piece, usually occurring in an opera or oratorio, falling somewhere between recitative and aria in style. Literally, arioso means airy. The term arose in the 16th century along with the aforementioned styles and monody. It is commonly confused with recitativo accompagnato. Arioso is similar to recitative due to its unrestrained structure and inflexions, close to those of speech. It differs however in its rhythm. Arioso is similar to aria in its melodic form, both being closer to singing than recitative; however they differ in form, arioso generally not resorting to the process of repetition. At the start of the finale in the first act of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, the andante of the priest “Sobald dich führt der Freundschaft Hand ins Heiligtum zum ew’gen Band” is an example of arioso. “Amor ti vieta”, sung by Loris at Giordano’s Fedora could be a modern arioso example. One of the most famous ariosos was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, and serves as the sinfonia of his cantata, Ich steh mit einem Fuß im Grabe, BWV 156, as well as the middle movement of the Harpsichord Concerto, BWV 1056.

In too far to walk – go to page 198

Here is a snippet;

I crossed my legs and told him that his argument reminded me
of the lady in the opera who gets stabbed in the chest but instead
of bleeding, she sings an aria. I guessed he wasn’t laughing. It went
on – and I finally lost to the big city hustle and a few last words that
I didn’t have time to look up.

Now the question is….

So the question is…. Does this chapter describe more than the common eye can see? Does it lay out the general location where to start looking for the treasure chest? Does it whisper the secret location where all things within the forest grown in one locale only? Fell free to leave a comment.

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How to Find Forrest Fenn’s treasure

Forrest Fenn tells you how to decipher the clues – people don’t listen.

I “officially” started the search for Forrest Fenn’s treasure about 11 months ago. I have dedicated about 5 months of that doing research and reading the books over and taking notes. I have a process and honestly? I am in no hurry.

It’s been almost 10 years since the treasure was announced as hidden. In my opinion, I believe parts of it, if not all of it have been out in the wild for quite some time. I think Forrest Fenn actually placed some sort of treasure at the “special and dear spot”, to see if anyone would stumble upon it prior to releasing The Thrill of the Chase. Looks like his spot was a winner.

Forrest Fenn personally states that it took him “fifteen years from the time I got cancer until I hid the treasure chest – fifteen years“. The actual footage is displayed HERE. What does this mean? It means if cancer was discovered in 1988 as Forrest has stated many times, adding fifteen years to this means the treasure more than likely was Forrest Fenn’s treasure was (“hid” not buried ) hidden in 2003.

So, how do you find Forrest Fenn’s treasure? You pay attention to what the man says, and how he says it. There was a small window of opportunity when Forrest Fenn actually felt like giving out some information that would get you in the general location of where the treasure chest is located. I believe I caught Forrest Fenn actually saying what warm waters qualifies as. It’s in a very popular video and people continue to “walk right past it” every time they watch it.

One other thing – did you know that Forrest actually says the statement of “cold” and a state within the search area in the same sentence? If he says something like this, shouldn’t this be considered important?

In my opinion, I believe the looking glass to see Forrest Fenn’s treasure has become very muddied. Since Forrest Fenn continues to add more content, whether directly related to The Thrill of the Chase or not, it seems like every possible word and angle was consumed and added to the equation .

Like I have mentioned before, I personally do not care what others say – none of them are any better than anyone else because they are all stumped. You cannot provide me any proof you are better than anyone else unless the statement can be backed up with solid proof. In the case of Forrest Fenn’s treasure, no one has provided any solid evidence what so ever. They continue to throw up (pun intended) videos to say “I think”, “possibly” “or”, “maybe” “It could be” and words to support their level of being stumped. I only watch these videos to get a chuckle and see the masses say that these people are able to provide them with good content. What? Where is the end result, the proof? Stimulating minds can be done without any one helping, it’s called self motivation.

Forrest Fenn has said several times in different responses to emails that, and I paraphrase – That the person who will find the treasure may be the one who thinks for themselves. Whats that tell me? All of the other content that the author of the book and potentially still the owner of the treasure tells me is that every one is not on the right track – at all.

Let’s take a look at what Forrest Fenn has said and how it could help find the treasure.

If you look within the walls of The Thrill of the Chase and too far to walk, you should be able to see the following information…..

All that will be needed are the clues, some resolve, a little imagination and maybe a six pack to celebrate the thrill of a breath taking discovery.

IMO: This is THE statement on how to find the Treasure

Study the clues in the book and thread a tract through the wiles of nature and circumstance to the treasure.

Additional early year potentially solid clues

Forrest Fenn personally answers an anonymous question about the unintended clue in too far to walk. Paraphrasing Forrest Fenn he stated ” It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what they are talking about in my preface (too far to walk). No one has given me the answer to that clue”. Watch this statement for 30 seconds and see Forrest Fenn’s answer. He also states that there are clues in his “new book” ( too far to walk) that can help a person. He does not say how many though.

A young lady asks Forrest Fenn “Do you think kids will ever find the treasure? Forrest Fenn actually looks delighted when he has to answer this question, with a lot of clarity and an abrupt halt as well. He then tries to cover up the real clue within his statement to say they can see better and do things better, but in my opinion, I think the treasure location is focused around when Forrest was a younger man between ten and sixteen years of age. Listen to this clip for 30 seconds to see what I am talking about.

If your thinking the reason no one has found the treasure chest is because it very well may be buried, I suggest that you think again. Forrest Fenn graciously answers a question and gives amplifying information about the treasure chest, saying that google earth does not have a photo of the treasure chest because it cannot go down far enough. That statement which is about 30 seconds is located here.

Forrest Fenn gets another question about how many additional clues or hints are in the Thrill of the Chase. Forrest answers, ” A Couple” but ends up doubling that answer. Listen to this clip for one minute to see what Forrest Fenn says about the additional clues or hints.

Any other clues or hints in too far to walk?

Forrest was asked other than the potential clue in his preface, were there any additional hints/clues within too far to walk. Forrest Fenn’s reply is HERE. The area of interest starts at about 42:30 into the video and interesting data can be had until 44:38 into the video.

Why did Forrest Fenn pick THIS spot for hiding his treasure?

Bottom line: I think Forrest Fenn personally stumbled upon something when he was a kid. Remember he was one to go off any beaten path and create his own adventure, so don’t expect it to be within eyesight of a trail, road or otherwise. I think this area, though not a sacred site is something that was lost in time. It should be awe inspiring and almost make you forget the real reason your there in the first place. When you get your senses back, the treasure chest is what really sticks out amongst the treasures that lie around this area. in my opinion, that is why the statement “Just take the chest and go in peace” meaning is included within the poem. It’s meant to direct the searcher(s) to take the reward that is in the title and leave everything else alone. I believe Forrest Fenn knew this special location is secure and does not want the rest of the location to be disturbed in any way.

Should I find the time to add to this post I will, But I thought I would offer my opinion on what people should focus on in order to find Forrest Fenn’s treasure.

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Forrest Fenn Cody Interview 2006

Snippets from the Forrest Fenn Buffalo Bill Historical Society In Cody, Montana

The weather is getting a weee bit cool here. At nights I am focusing on several Forrest Fenn related interviews that occurred from 2006 to 2010 or so. The Cody interview was taped on October 17th, 2006.

The Cody interview, some contradictory areas

This interview is contradictory in one area so far. Its when Forrest Fenn states about his sumers spent in Yellowstone and West Yellowstone. The Cody interview is here my point is to listen from the four minutes and fifty second(4:50) to about the five minute and fifty second mark (5;50). I included the words below.

Lewis and Clark as a … Lumberjack ?

Forrest Fenn states; ” I was a Lumberjack when I think I was 16, spent the summer out in the bush cutting Lodge Pole Pines with two other guys. We had nothing, our rule was we were going to be Lewis and Clark. So we could take three candy bars for three months. We had a sleeping bag, we didn’t have tents. We had equipment to fell trees, then we had to peel them, skin’em. I remember those summer thunderstorms in Montana – – Cold. “

Reading The Thrill of the Chase several times, I quickly paused this video the first time I listened to it and replayed it several times in the 5 minute to 6 minute time frame trying to determine what Forrest was trying to say here. What I mean is, what is the truth to the matter? If in the Cody interview, which supposedly happened way before The Thrill of the Chase was released, Forrest Fenn comes out and says he was “Lewis and Clark” with two other guys. In The Thrill of the Chase, Forrest writes about the Lewis and Clark adventure with Donnie Joe, and how they headed up into the mountains North of Hebgen Lake.

Locating the contradictory statements

If you read The Thrill of the Chase, and pay attention to what Forrest Fenn has written, you will find that there is a lot of contradictions in the book. I definitely need to sit down with the book and go chapter by chapter and see which statements are truly contradictory. Then I plan to eliminate them. How am I going to do this?

I have already scanned in my copy of The Thrill of the Chase. I will make a second copy and then with the software that came with the scanner, it allows me to highlight the text in yellow, and every time I find a contradiction, I am going to highlight it.

The phrase – ” Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead”

Forrest Fenn is real smart. He has these stories surrounding him, but most of the people he writes about have passed away – minus his immediate family. That is where the phrase comes into play ” Two people can keep a secret, if one of them is dead”. Forrest Fenn can then “Embellish” as needed to twist the story/plot to support his needs. I am not saying that everything in The Thrill of the Chase is contradictory, but I think by eliminating what is suspect, the truth may show me the way.

One other area that is suspect in the Cody interview is Forrest Fenn’s participation in a community college playing basketball, because he loved sports. So Forrest went to a college to play basketball and did not attend very many classes. In the Thrill of the Chase, the only area that is even close to a college are the few days he spent with his buddies at the military school. I will dive deeper into this area as soon as I can.

I will attempt to update this post when time permits.

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Indulgence – The hunt for Forrest Fenn’s Treasure

I like the Thrill of the Chase, but the books by Forrest Fenn and its adventure is not my first Indulgence, although the very first one I did not throw all in to the adventure. I am older, wiser and know whether the conclusion will be obtainable in a one time journey.

Like many have said, if you want to win the war, know what you are fighting for. It applies to many, many facets in life. This initial post is a timeline of how I got started in all this mess. All the other posts will concentrate on The Thrill of the Chase.

Not my first Rodeo – Treasure the search for the Golden Horse

I learned of a movie and a book written about the Treasure, a golden horse. It was back in the 1980’s when I actually acquired the small paperback book and the movie. Back in the day, I was in the military. I was stationed in Virginia and my orders had me traveling to San Diego California.

To make a very long story a little shorter, I managed to find several of the locations within the movie and the book. I didn’t have an extraordinary amount of time to flirt with finding the treasure, but it gave me plenty of time to read the book, tickle my notes and see the great outdoors as I drove from Virginia south, to New Orleans, across Texas, and places west.

Life has many distractions and over time I totally forgot about the golden horse. Fast forward to 2011 when I was in between jobs, but only had two weeks off. I needed to build a picket fence all the way around the house. During this major labor intensive task, one day my son said, it almost seems like we’re digging for buried treasure…

The Golden Horse simply popped into my head. Later on that night after recovering from the labor, I decided to see if the blasted golden horse had been found. I found that answer to be no, the people who buried it did not offer a solution, supposedly dug it up and offered the prize to some charity. But two dedicated people solved it after the “expiration date”. The place was eventually revealed. That’s all I needed to know for closure. I was not vested in the quest to find the treasure, so I dropped the idea.

Tens of thousands of dedicated searchers during a six year search could not find the golden horse. That little horse was buried in Tennessee Pass, 10,424 feet above sea level, along the Continental Divide in Colorado. It contained a key in the belly to a safety deposit box where a monetary fund was placed.

Any other treasure out there?

Then a thought popped into my head, Hmmmm I wonder if there is any other quests to find treasure out there? I did a quick search on a popular search engine, and found a story of an old man being interviewed about some treasure box that he had placed somewhere. Gold coins, jewels, gold nuggets and other stuff. Neat. At that point, I took note but I was not jumping up and down, yelling, giving high fives to everyone I saw, nor was I totally overboard with excitement. That’s expending too much energy even for the most “egotestical” person on the planet. I am far from that. Plus, I was drained of excitement from the fence building excursion that was taking place.

Fast forward to March 2018, I decided to go on a trip from Virginia to Valencia, Spain in hopes to see this small wonderful city and maybe see some one special. The travel was one to test my ability to travel, my endurance level and will power. As time ticks, the travel each way pushed past the 24 hour mark. Yeah I am a light sleeper. I didn’t sleep a wink on the plane, or during the layovers, but managed to close my eyes from time to time and drift a bit and relax. Those days marked as travel days were long days. I carried a backpack that contained a 17 inch laptop, cables and some lenses to a Canon camera along with many other items. add in a rolling backpack with clothes and an additional laptop that was meant for another task.

Yeah I ached once I was in the Flat within Valencia, Spain, but it was worth the effort. The visit was to see the city of Valencia, Spain and absorb all the cultures and landmarks that the adventure could offer. I stayed in a Flat close to city center.

That was one of the smartest things I could have done. The range of attractions and distractions were all within reach. It was a fun trip and most days from 0700 to 1700 I was out and about, walking up to 5 miles each way with a backpack, cellphone with google maps in hand and a battery pack for additional power. Google Translate assisted mucho times. Technology, when used properly can make that experience even more amazing. Although I did not get to see that special person, it did not sour my journey for adventure and excitement. I spent nine days or so in Valencia, Spain and came back with a trove of photographs and memories that will last me a lifetime.

Most of the photos from the days of Valencia, Spain are here on this site within this blog.

I like traveling, and in 2019, I have a goal to go west. I told myself after recovering from the Valencia, Spain trip I would take another to the western side of the United States. My middle child has been to Colorado many times as her husband has family in that area. So, I typed in adventures in the Rocky Mountains and AGAIN, I come across an old man with a treasure box hidden somewhere. OK, who IS this guy and why does he want to hide a box of treasure for me to find? And why am I crossing paths with him once again ?

Revisiting Forrest Fenn and his hidden treasure box

It must be a calling, and not by some one rattling my phone or getting hit by lightning. On New Years Day, 2019 I decided to start researching Forrest Fenn and the placement of his semi-epic loot. I watch a few videos mainly involving Forrest Fenn and a few of his closer acquaintances. It’s sort of intriguing. But I tell myself, this all started back in 2010 time frame – no one has come out and claimed this treasure.

A memory pops in the head. I was on a coin web site. A woman offers a prize to some one who can figure out how many miles were on the European car she just bought. Details were scant at first, but she did offer a clue or two.

People were clueless, throwing numbers all around. No one was working together. The lady mentions that some people are closer than others, and I immediately think… Really thats a clue?? I look at what numbers were near a majority. I tell the people on the forum to concentrate on the 50,000-60,000 range. The lady says she was floored that I figured that out so easily and I shared it with others.

Communication starts to flow between people. All it took was a slight kick in the pants and the first to offer help. I told the lady who held the prize its the presentation of the clues not as YOU want to see it, but in the eyes of the beholder/seeker. It makes a BIG difference.

Back to Forrest Fenn and the Thrill of the Chase

I search some on the favorite web search engine. I quickly learn that this treasure hunt has a poem. All you should have to do is read the poem, read the book in which the poem is in and have a map handy. Other people tend to say that all the tools you need are the poem, a map and take it from there. I quickly chuckled and thought, those are NOT the initial intended tools.

January 2nd 2019, I decided to start digging, (no pun intended – supposedly no digging required) for good resources of general information. After several hours, I realize that MOST of these people and places aren’t going to give you their best solve to the riddle where the treasure box is hidden.

As expected, even the BEST websites and theories out there can be described in one word – Stumped. Many talk or write in circles, most at length. If a personal solution involves ANY trace of question marks what so ever, your off the trail.

Don’t expect ME to get lost in your failing theory or offer advice on what your doing wrong. if I had the answers to them, I’d have the treasure box secured. Facts people. Stop guessing.

On January 3rd 2019, I decided to surf the web and try to find the book these people are pouring over, reading and trying to decipher. GEESH – after a quick search on a popular search engine, most sites where you could find these books are expensive, well over $60.00 each. Though I read that some of the funds are going to be given to a cancer victim, it hits home, as I lost my only wife to cervical cancer in the 1990’s and raised three kids all by myself. Want a true adventure – give that a shot. Add in one has a severe bleeding disorder and your coffers are never full.

Add in I retired from the military and I was blessed to have done so. I’ve always tried to pay less than retail for anything to make ends meet. This will be one of them. Forrest Fenn mentioned a book shop to purchase The Thrill of the Chase and I had to revisit the video to learn of its name. Prior to this, I did not see a clear path to purchase the books from the distributor, but eventually stumbled upon the “official” bookstore itself.

Where to buy Forrest Fenn’s book The Thrill of the Chase and his other books

This is THE place to buy Forrest Fenn publications. To me its far cheaper and I was told over the phone, even though it says they are not in stock, they always have them in stock.

https://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/forrest-fenn

I purchased four copies of Thrill of the Chase, and three copies of Too Tired to Walk. There will be three individuals involved in our brainstorming adventure. Best for each one to have their own tool, vice splitting up research and study time. I’d rather have a book available and dormant than a motivated searcher waiting their time to use a tool.

Do yourself a HUGE favor. If you decide to purchase the book(s), keep them in as pristine shape as possible. Then next owner or next visit within the pages will be just as delightful without a lot of marred distractions. I suggest do not write in them, highlight in them or physically or utterly destroy them.

I ended up purchasing a scanner and scanned in each of Forrest Fenn’s books, The Thrill of the Chase, too far to walk and Once Upon a While.

Organization will keep the chaos down to a dull roar

You can visit a local office supply store, buy some tools you can write with and write in. When your writing your notes, I suggest using pencils as thoughts can change instantly and an eraser can remove most doubts where ink will leave a mess. If you have a thought, simply write it down, fully and as intended. But have a plan. I suggest having some sort of dividers to segregate your pools of information.

Some may break up the clues in many areas such as general, about the clues, observations, references and such. It will keep it neat and organized, and semi-precise like the journey should be. Sure, you can keep notes on a tablet, PC, phone or other electronic contraption, but make sure when the notes are needed the most they are available.

Writings can add weight to the carry, but they can also be used to make notations. They are far more forgiving when dropped on a rocky surface. Don’t feel like writing til your hands fall off? Take the typed notes, print the important notes and attach them securely within your notebook. Save the hand(s) from writers’ cramp with keystrokes and a printer.

Expecting foul weather ?

Place pages within the book/binder in document protectors to keep them from altering their shape and effectiveness. Place the openings of the document protectors upside down as inclement weather travels down. This way the inclement invasion won’t be able to immediately penetrate the paperwork to create a soaked paper plastic reservoir.

I am going to create separate category for this trendy distraction so all of my Forrest Fenn treasure box notes will be in one location and not scattered across many other blog posts. Stand by for more posts as time permits.

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Where to Buy Forrest Fenn Books – The Thrill of the Chase and more

Where to buy Forrest Fenn’s book The Thrill of the Chase and his other books

This is THE place to buy Forrest Fenn publications. To me its far cheaper and I was told over the phone, even though it says they are not in stock, they always have them in stock.

Forrest Fenn memoir The Thrill of the Chase
Forrest Fenn memoir The Thrill of the Chase

The Thrill of the Chase (Hardcover) By Forrest Fenn
$35.00
ISBN: 9780967091785
https://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/forrest-fenn

too far to walk by forrest fenn
too far to walk by forrest fenn

Too Far To Walk (Hardcover)
By Forrest Fenn
$55.00
ISBN: 9780967091792
https://www.collectedworksbookstore.com/forrest-fenn

Don’t forget about the third and final Forrest Fenn memoir, Once Upon a While !

Once Upon a While by Forrest Fenn. Purchase this at the Collected Works bookstore.
Once Upon a While by Forrest Fenn. Purchase this at the Collected Works bookstore.

To get order updates, call the Collected Works Bookstore and Coffee shop Monday through Friday and ask for the shipping team. They open after 10 am Mountain Time. The number is (505) – 988 – 4226.

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Waffle House waitresses work for hard earned tips !~

Waffle-House-Photo

Waffle House offers good food, fast. But it comes with a price

it’s a stressful environment at times. Waffle House Waitresses and Waiter jobs are stressful and fast paced.

On a typical weekend, I arrive at a local Waffle House about 10 am in the morning. It is always hit or miss on how busy the location is. I quickly scan the parking lot to see how many cars are there as I pull in. I park, get inside and look for my favorite waitress. I spot her, as she drops off a load of dishes near the dishwasher, tells the staff that those are her dishes.

She then washes her hands, she goes around to the silverware area and grabs napkins, silverware and prepares a booth for another party. She smiles, introduces herself, and takes their drink order. She takes a deep breath, and is off to the races again. Take a moment to see what a Waffle House Waitress and Waiter does to make you happy.

If you have been to a Waffle House, one day make it a point to see at what length the waitresses and waiters have to go through during your short stay. Most arrive close to 7 am and their scheduled departure is near 2 pm, but they are typically out the door closer to or past 3 pm. Near the end of the scheduled shift they have to clean the place up and tally up their ticket books which is a tedious project in itself. But that is not all they do…..

Typically they clean off the tables for the next guest, they each are responsible for their own dishes. They have to wait in line and call their orders in to the cooks. They bring you your drinks and take your order. They have to refill the orange juice containers when needed, refill ice, scrub pre-wash and then run the dishes through a dishwasher.

They have to wash any plates that the cooks use, including the egg pans. The trash cans don’t empty themselves out, so that is one more task that is done. They have to take orders over the phone and have time to check people out and offer a smile and ask how their visit was.

As the day grinds on at the Waffle House, hopefully the tips they earn are sufficient for the day. As additional people enter and leave, the chaotic cycle happens over and over again. In some of the Waffle Houses I have eaten at, they have this down to a fine science. Other locations, it seems they have less enthusiasm as the tips aren’t the greatest and the potential thought process is that why hurry when the reward for stellar performance is not going to be there in the end.

The waitresses and waiters won’t mention a thing about how much they get paid per hour. Its against the Waffle House policy. But if you are like me, you can find out anything by typing about it in your favorite search engine.

What DO Waffle House Waitresses and Waiters make per hour? Thinking about an entry level job, and have plenty of energy, with a flexible schedule? How pleasing is this job ? Remember, this depends on the area in which they are employed. Some locations are more generous and managed differently than others in my opinion.

My Point is….. Tip the hard working Waitresses and Waiters at Waffle House !

In MY opinion, the ladies that I know that work at different Waffle Houses as Waitresses are underpaid, over worked and not tipped well. Like I said above, take that moment to pay attention how much activity these waitresses and waiters do in order to get a few extra dollars in tips. Tips are the livelihood of their job. Show the Waffle House waitresses and waiters some love and offer them a decent tip once in a while.

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Visit to Cherry Springs Dark Park to see the stars !

A few years ago, I decided to take a trip into the North center of pennsylvania to Cherry Springs State park. Its a dark park, meaning it is an ideal location where man made light is a a minimum.

My son, his girlfriend and I decided to take a 3 day trip to Cherry Springs and have a look at the stars in epic form. I brought a telescope, a lot of camera gear and clothing. We went to Cherry Springs over the 4th of July weekend. The days were in the mid 80’s and it was comfortable. The nights dipped down to the mid 40’s and it was a bit chilly.

I ended up staying up all night and took over 750 photographs. A lot of them I managed to thread together and put up a video on youtube showing the amazing photographs shot through a thin layer of clouds. For most of the night, it was partly cloudy, but a few hours before daylight, it turned clear and I could focus on some wide lens photography.

Here is the video I did taking photographs of the stars at Cherry Springs State park by Mission Incredible.

my adventures at Cherry Springs State Park. One of the certified dark parks to photograph massive amounts of stars !
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My outlook on The Thrill of the Chase

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest and the Epic loot.

Forrest Fenn Treasure chest awaits my arrival
Forrest Fenn Treasure chest awaits my arrival

I think I have a pretty decent head on my shoulders. I think I am smart and I have lived a life where I am semi-comfortable with the way things are. When I decided to get off my butt and go overseas to Europe on my own accord, traveling solo to experience the cultures, sights, people and places I realized that I want to do this traveling thing again some time – soon.

Crossing virtual paths with Forrest Fenn

I have had a few accidental run-in’s with the Forrest Fenn and the treasure chest over the past nine years and I have told myself – like many others have in the past – that this is something I can attempt to do with an open mind. There are other posts on here that explain the “accidental run in’s” with Forrest Fenn.

Got Analytics? Do they apply to the Thrill of the Chase?

Listen, I work in a high paced field, I have to analyze a lot of information in a relatively short time. So, this should come second nature to me. EXCEPT, The Thrill of the Chase doesn’t offer a clear cut methodical approach to an end. I don’t have the assistance of the tools we use on a daily basis and the online websites which can back up the potential prognosis of what I have in front of me. The typical path in the Thrill of the Chase is not clear. It is muddied by contradictory statements and an unclear path to proceed.

I served 22 years in the military. I continue to experience “The Thrill of the Chase” and have done so for the past 40 or so years. I have great memories and experiences within the autographed memorabilia products as well as US coins and silver bullion.

Analytics are fun, it chases down something in the end, most of the time. So, The Thrill of the Chase will offer scant information at first and hopefully I will be able to see if I can follow that to an end. Time will tell.

Navy Veteran, IT specialist, Gamer, and more.

I am a PC gamer as well as one that likes to travel. I was in the US Navy for 22 years and I seen many an overseas port. Back then, my only thought ( I don’t like using wishes) was that it could be a much better experience if I didn’t have a time restriction or military rules set by the ship that I had to follow.

Here is my YouTube Channel: Mission Incredible https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Xl8sHKK0PQlPOCxipE1Ow

Fate does not play by your rules or wishes

Life can come not quite as desired, or expected. Having raised three children by myself. My wife passed due to an overly aggressive cervical cancer. Let’s just say it is water under the bridge. But, it did put a damper on my ability to think too far forward as the daily routine would change in a moments notice.

Plus, add in the fact that I have a son with a special need, he has a blood clotting disorder and that has kept me on my toes for decades. Needless to say, my ability to travel, wander and enjoy the great outdoors in the past was some what limited.

Now that most of the flock has departed and the abode is occupied by only a few, I have no ties holding me back – except the job I currently hold ( which offers a decent amount of vacation time). Once I decide to retire, I want to be able to travel and see whatever sights I can. Currently, I am planning on getting the more expensive ones out of the way while I am still employed, and then the other travel opportunities in the bucket list are more manageable.

My totally awesome trip to Valencia, Spain

I DID manage to get away for 9 days and I decided to go to Spain. I researched the cities to see that Valencia, Spain is a small easy to navigate city by foot. Here is the link to my Valencia Spain Trip to include a lot of the Museums I walked to.

The What If’s of treasure hunting and lending a helping hand

SURE, I’d like to kick back and relax and indulge in a small fortune, enough to spread the wealth as needed and some as desired. I am an occasional sucker to help an authentic hand in need that I personally get to choose and when to do so. I am one of those few that has the will not to be broken, tough skinned, knowledgeable, focused only to the point where I can decide if the action should be continued or severed as the best course of action.

It’s all about the what if’s in any situation, that is how decisions are made. A Natural in Nature, so to speak I recently stumbled upon a song that stuck in my brain. It kinda mimics the views I have on life, though I am more on the thoughtful and giving side of the world than the cold hearted or eventually rich side of the house.

We can change that rich option, feel free to donate me a large wad of legimate cash, anytime. It’s a song by the Imagine Dragons called Natural. Here is the song…… Though the video doesn’t even come close to my mindset – I will place a video of my perception of this song AFTER I have traveled out west in the late summer of 2020.

It will be placed on my YouTube Channel, documented above. Here are the lyrics;

  • Will you hold the line?
  • When every one of them is giving up or giving in, tell me
  • In this house of mine?
  • Nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost, tell me
  • Will the stars align?
  • Will heaven step in? Will it save us from our sin? Will it?
  • ‘Cause this house of mine stands strong
  • That’s the price you pay
  • Leave behind your heartache, cast away
  • Just another product of today
  • Rather be the hunter than the prey
  • And you’re standing on the edge, face up ’cause you’re a
  • Natural
  • A beating heart of stone
  • You gotta be so cold
  • To make it in this world
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Living your life cutthroat
  • You gotta be so cold
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Will somebody
  • Let me see the light within the dark trees’ shadows and
  • What’s happenin’?
  • Lookin’ through the glass find the wrong within the past knowin’
  • We are the youth
  • Cut until it bleeds, inside a world without the peace facing
  • A bit of the truth, the truth
  • That’s the price you pay
  • Leave behind your heartache, cast away
  • Just another product of today
  • Rather be the hunter than the prey
  • And you’re standing on the edge, face up ’cause you’re a
  • Natural
  • A beating heart of stone
  • You gotta be so cold
  • To make it in this world
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Living your life cutthroat
  • You gotta be so cold
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Deep inside me, I’m fading to black, I’m fading
  • Took an oath by the blood of my hand, won’t break it
  • I can taste it, the end is upon us, I swear
  • Gonna make it
  • I’m gonna make it
  • Natural
  • A beating heart of stone
  • You gotta be so cold
  • To make it in this world
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Living your life cutthroat
  • You gotta be so cold
  • Yeah, you’re a natural
  • Natural Yeah, you’re a natural

I am so going to have fun in this Quest for Forrest Fenn’s Thrill of The Chase and the solving of the riddles which lead to the Epic loot. I cannot wait to share the experiences of my travels through photos and an occasional video. Can you expect to benefit from my travels? Only if your mind is set on travel, and not questing. Think for yourself ! Its another reason to venture out on an adventure with the strong possibility of coming back with rewards – of more than one kind. Don’t doubt yourself, when you do, it takes away from your natural self. – MI

Originally Posted on January 31, 2019

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Thrill of the Chase and too far to walk books are here

Forrest Fenn memoir The Thrill of the Chase

Forrest Fenn book The Thrill of the chase

An Update on The Thrill of the Chase and too far to walk memoir order.

It’s the Wednesday before the Superbowl. I call the Collected Works Bookstore and ask to be transferred to the shipping department. I nice young lady answers the phone and she assists me with my questions. “Hummm this is a big order, I think I have enough books in stock now to get this out. How’s tommorrow sound?” .

Thursday afternoon, as promised I get the notification that the order has been updated. I get two tracking numbers for the seven books I ordered. After 9am on Friday morning, I check to see the status of the order via the shipping carrier. It was to be delivered by the end of the day.

Forrest Fenn memoir The Thrill of the Chase
Forrest Fenn memoir The Thrill of the Chase

The boxes had arrived when I was away and they were patiently awaiting my return. I brought them into the house and took the first copy of The Thrill of the Chase down to my office. The book is nice and tall, about an inch taller than a typical 8×11 printer paper. I began reading the dust cover jacket front and back. I opened up the book and started looking for anything that instantly caught my eye.

Then, I remember the wise Forrest Fenn saying in an interview, ( I’m paraphrasing – but this is close) “You know what, you have that book there right in front of you, let me tell you how to do it. First read my book in the normal manner. Then, read the poem over and over, six, eight, ten times. Then read my book a second time, this time looking for hints sprinkled in the book that can be used to decipher the meaning of the clues. Anyone can find the treasure using the poem, reading the book and using a good map. All you need to do is read, think – and analyze the information. You can find the treasure chest.”

As fast as I picked up The Thrill of the Chase, I put it down. I moaned and told myself, today was Friday and I was on a mission to get things in order prior to the weekend. I needed to run a half dozen errands and then, as a reward, I could spend as much time as I wanted after that to read The Thrill of the Chase. After the myriad of tasks were complete, I walk down to the office once again and I pick this semi hefty book up. It balanced well in my hand. When I handle books I tend to do gingerly at first, trying to save the books pages and bindings. I took the dust cover off The Thrill of the Chase and placed it off to the side to keep that as pristine a shape as I could. I carefully opened up the memoir and my eyes darted from page to page.

I had to squelch my inner desire to instantly go into the analytical phase and instantly start trying to decipher everything I saw. Once I started reading a chapter of Forrest Fenn’s life, the impulse to do analysis first faded. I noticed that though there appeared to be a decent amount of pages, the memoir has plenty of scrapbook type photos and the base font used in the book was quite big.

I paused for a second and thought, if this was without the beautiful memories inside, and only included Forrest Fenn’s words, this book itself may only be seventy or so pages long. My eyes darted towards the clock and took note of the time. It was close to 9 pm and Friday had become a long day. I quickly told myself that I did not have much plans on Friday night nor Saturday so I should be able to read most of The Thrill of the Chase this weekend. I took focus back to the book and continued to read. I flipped a page and noticed the weight of the book adjusting. I looked up to the corner of the page as I watched pass and page 50 come into view.

I quickly rubbed my eyes, looked at the clock once more. It was approaching 930 pm and I put The Thrill of the Chase down. I stood up, stretched and I seen Smokie, the 22-pound cat sitting in the house at the intersection of the stairs and the entryway into my bedroom. I verbally greeted Smokie and I asked him if he wanted a late night kitty-cat snack. He swished his tail once, got up on the desk and I gave him a ration of his favorite treats. He looked at me as if to say “that hit the spot” and scampered off to find his water fountain.

Smokie relaxing after a third of a mile walk around the neighborhood. Yes we walk alot. LOL. He is in his small dog harness but sleeps in a large dog bed.

I picked up the Thrill of the Chase and like an after thought I said to Smokie, if he wanted to get up on the bed and sleep he was welcome. I left the door open just a crack. I got situated in bed and started reading the Thrill of the Chase once more. The heavy blankets and comfortable pillows, along with the ease of reading the book told me, if I wanted to effectively retain any of this memoir, it was be best to do so with a refreshed brain and body. I quickly looked at the unarmed alarm clock and it was past 1030 pm. OK fine, let me get some rest and see where Saturday will take me.

My eyes opened to a passing sound which was quickly fading. I instantly tried to replay the obnoxious sound back into my head to see if it merited a higher degree of concern. Apparently it did not and I sighed, looked at the alarm clock once more and a quick look toward the windows confirmed that it was still way before sunrise – it was 0130 (1:30 am). I sat up, attempted to strategically place my soft fluffy pillows in a manner that would quickly induce me back into the slumber I was enjoying. Nope. The immediate draw of the hibernation station has lost its immediate grip on me for now.

I sighed, yawned and turned on the reading light. I looked over to the ever diligent, now unarmed alarm clock, making sure it was sure it wasn’t miscalculating the time, and it was pretty much correct. I let my functions come back on line knowing that if I did so, I’d have a small battle on my hands to fall fast asleep before the bright light in the sky rises and the people and their over affectionate noise making distractions may once again interrupt my sleep pattern.

I picked up The Thrill of the Chase once more and took note of where the Collected Works book marker was. I got situated comfortably in bed and I decided to recommence reading the memoir. I took a quick break about 2:45 am and noticed that Smokie did in fact quietly clamber up on the bed and lay in a tight ball on his new blanket he received for Christmas past. I looked at the page at the end of the chapter I just finished and I was on page 103.

The Thrill of the Chase chapter, “My War for me” was well written, though I must admit, it was a bit on the long side. Since I didn’t have much sleep, I think the length of this chapter took its toll on my ability to stay up longer and finish The Thrill of the Chase in a short period of time. I quickly reminded myself that I had no time limit on when I was to complete the first reading of the book, so I placed it on the night stand. I felt Smokie adjusting himself on his assigned area on the bed, and I did a double take of him. He was in the same spot, only he shifted his rotation around. All I seen was a body, a camouflaged head which was almost upside down, and a partially open eyeball peering at my overabundance of energy at nearly 3 am which partially disturbed his sleep. I greeted Smokie a good night and shut off the reading light once again.

I awoke to another obnoxious noise. This time the playback quality was a little better. It sounded like some one knocking on the door. So I put my early morning garb on my feet and head to the door. It was some guy walking away. I peered my head out the door to hear, “I’m sorry, I just seen your no soliciting sign, I work for a soda company and I was wondering if you’re interested in some product?”. He is saying this as he heads out of the driveway and 40 feet down the road.

As he expected, I quickly shook my head as a gesture of feeling sorry for what just occurred and he took that action as a no and kept moving. I decided to look up at the clock in the living room and it reported that it was nearly 1030 am. I decided to break open a box of warm cereal and make a pot of coffee. I head down stairs to the office and place The Thrill of the Chase in the middle of the desk, surrounded by the requirements of life around it.

As I ate, I slowly read the memoir until I came to the last page. Since I have been “cheating”, trying to decipher the poem prior to the books arrival, and I hit the last word within The Thrill of the Chase, my immediate reaction was nothing. Nothing immediately stood out that was a blockbuster thought or idea. I weighed that feeling and chalked it up to trying to read the book in the evening hours, without much rest.

Honestly, I think that helped some, since the mind likes to analyze things on different scales, sometimes that dormant thought can come to life and help marry all of this into something incredible. Now as I sit here I am going to deviate from Forrest Fenn’s plan just a tad. I finished up breakfast and I am going to visit my notes prior to the memoirs’ arrival and see if I can meld the two together before I carry on and read the poem and then delve into the memoir once more.

Originally Posted on February 2, 2019