Straight out of a Stephen King novel...

The view from the top

 When I was a little girl, we would periodically go visit my Grandparents in Lewiston, Idaho.  That meant that we had to drive down the Old Spiral Highway.  My brother and I would always tell mom and dad to please wake us at the top of the hill.  Pretty important that we got to see the view, because we had people waiting for us at the bottom.  Some important people.  If you've even been, you know it's a picturesque highway with great views and some great hairpin curves.  One of them, I remember, had a pull out with a picnic table all tucked back in under the trees.  And it seemed every time we drove by, there was a family there.  Sitting at the picnic table, having lunch. I always wanted it to be my family that was there.  Just once.  I don't think I ever even said it out loud.  I just always wanted it to be us.  It never was.  Fast forward to 2013.  The new highway has replaced the Old Grade, therefore it doesn't get nearly the traffic it used to.  Heck, I hadn't been down it in years!  So, Jim and I had plans to go down for the weekend, and being the geocacher that I am, I found some caches on the Old Grade.  One of them was in that hairpin curve! 

Hey, I think that's a grave!

I batted my eyes, asked please and he said YES!  I was going to be able to sit at that picnic table, I was pretty excited!  As we pull up to the pull out, I notice 2 things.  First and foremost, it was still very pretty!  Second, time changes everything.  The picnic table had long since been removed or rotted away, and even though there was a table there, I wouldn't be sitting at it lol.   Oh well.  Not long into my search, I find a mound of fresh earth.  I stopped and said to Jim, "We should probably just go.  I think I found a grave."  Before we can process my words, A guy on a motorcycle stops and walks into the grassy area. Now remember from a previous post, I called Jim a muggle?  well, in true muggle fashion, he just asks "Hey are 

someone's fur baby

you geocaching?"  Yep, no stealth there at all lol.  Biker dude says "No, this place is known as the local cemetery, and I thought my cat might like it here with all the flowers and birds."  WHAT??  Pet Cemetery??  I DID find  grave!  For a large dog!  With that, biker dude seems a little embarrassed, tosses something into the grass and makes his departure.  Now we look around and see little pet markers.  A lot of them actually.  I don't know how we missed them!  Well, I did have tunnel vision, I really wanted to find that cache.  We look around a little, read some of the markers and realize that even though this isn't my special picnic place anymore, it's a different kind of special place.  A beautiful place that we got to experience.  At this point I'm done searching for the cache.   But, as I start to walk away, I stop and say to Jim, "I wonder what he threw in the grass?"  Jim just nonchalantly says, "I think it was his cat."  Huh?  Wait, WHAT?"

Yes, this is a biodegradable cat ball

 Is that a thing?  A cat ball?  Is it weird that I need to see for myself?  I look in the general area of where biker dude tossed whatever he tossed, and lo and behold, I come up with a ball.  A biodegradable cat ball. I had no idea that you could do that? Mind blown!  As I gently replace said cat ball (I couldn't in good conscience toss it), I can't help but feel bad.  I mean, had we not been here, he could have said goodbye to his cat in the way he wanted.  I feel like we ruined that for him.  As we drive off, I happen to look at my phone, and guess what?  The cache is in the next hairpin curve, just below the pet cemetery one!  We stop and I quickly make the find! All in all I think I found 4 on the old Grade.  And finding them served not only to up my numbers, but also keep my mind off of the fact that we were reaching the bottom.  You see, Time has changed more than my special picnic spot.  There is no one waiting at the bottom for me anymore.  Well, not quite true.  They have just  changed residency.  Now instead of them giving me hugs, I make the trip yearly to give them flowers.  Keeping myself preoccupied while driving down that hill was half of the reason I searched out those caches. It's still pretty hard. I'm thinking my muggle knew that,  and that's why I got the Yes to take the scenic route to the bottom.  That would be why I keep him around, even if he doesn't geocache😉