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Intrigue at Aiden Lair Series LbNA #5954

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Sep 12, 2003
Location:
City:Somerset Center
County:Hillsdale
State:Michigan
Boxes:7
Planted by:Munchkin Stamper
Found by: ypsitucky queen
Last found:Jul 17, 2016
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Nov 15, 2016
Letterboxes Placed by: The Four Clovers

November 2013 - - - Only 2 boxes are currently active, boxes #1 and #2. We do plan on replacing all the rest of the boxes but some of the bridges have been altered which we used in some of our clues....this is sad to see.

NOTE: This park is rather small but well worth the trip. The bridges are simply amazing. Pack a picnic lunch and stay awhile.

Items to bring with you: compass, ink, pen or pencil (consider bringing a camera too).

This letterbox series contains "hand carved" stamps. Please do not put any containers that are "Lock-n-Lock" into baggies. These containers are air tight and baggies promote moisture and also critters can run off with them. Thanks.

INTRIGUE AT AIDEN LAIR SERIES

This series is located at McCourtie Park in Somerset Center, MI (intersection of US-12 and Jackson Road). The park entrance is off of Jackson Road. The historical setting is a true gem, tucked away in the quiet rolling hills along the Old Chicago Road that served as the main route between Detroit and Chicago. There are seven boxes located in this small park. A covered pavillion and picnic tables are available, so plan to enjoy the beautiful setting while you are there. Don't forget to bring your camera. You'll want to document the amazing historic structures that are the showpieces of this park. (Some say it's haunted) You'll have plenty of opportunity to view and cross the many spans over Goose Creek, which gently winds its way through the area.

This park is a very open setting, so please be discreet when retrieving and replacing boxes. Please be sure to rehide these boxes well. Most of the boxes have large rocks, sticks and logs on top of them that should be placed back on to them for safe keeping. Be on alert for poison ivy.

CLUES

CHAPTER 1 - The Mystery of McCourtie Park - (this letterbox is currently missing however you should follow the clues to get to the rest of the boxes.)

At US12 & just a stone’s throw west of Jackson Road, Honey Springer pulled her bicycle off of the small, worn, asphalt driveway skirting the east end of McCourtie Park.

She had a strange feeling that there was more to this quiet little park than its unassuming appearance would initially lead one to believe.

Leaning her trusty bike against a small bench at the entrance, she immediately knew that this was not going to be a typical walk in the park. For one thing, the small bench wasn’t what it appeared to be. Upon closer inspection, what she thought were tree limbs forming the seat & back of the bench, were in actuality constructed of concrete.

"I wonder what else is not what it appears to be on this property?" Honey thought to herself. "There must be a reason for all of this. Who and what would cause someone or something to go through the trouble of trying to fool the public?"

Honey reflected back on what had brought her to this park. After all, she had traveled this stretch of the Old Chicago Road many times over the past two years, and had never noticed the park before. It wasn’t until her very observant and clever friend, Maki Kohlrabi, had mentioned the park that Honey actually began to pay attention. Maki had mentioned the fact that something off to the north side of this scenic stretch through the Irish Hills just seemed a bit out of place. Honey knew better than to discount Maki’s incredible sixth sense.

So here she was, determined to find answers to the unusual area that Maki had detected. Honey began to walk along the concrete path that led her further inside the park. Looking ahead she spotted what appeared to be a large cement terrace.

"What on earth is that?" she wondered out loud. Her curiosity led her closer to the terrace until she was standing in the middle. The panoramic view of the park was quite beautiful from that vantage point.

However, she was not one to be distracted easily from her task at hand. "Why would there be a huge expanse of concrete on the side of the hill? And why are those windows & doorways behind me, leading underground? And further more, why in the world were there two large pools located below the terraced area?"

Not one to be overwhelmed by mysteries, Honey looked out over the expanse and determined that if she walked up the narrow stone steps to the right of the windowed wall, she could read the large green sign on the top of the hill. Maybe the answer could be found there.

Upon climbing the steps & arriving at the large green sign, Honey realized that it was a historical marker containing a wealth of information on both of its sides.

"Hmm, the people of the State of Michigan thought that it was important enough to place the sign on this spot & declare the park worthy of historical recognition." Honey pondered. "But, why? Perhaps there are answers within the words & numbers. I simply must try and decide what they are."

Since it was still early morning, Honey found that the light on one side of the sign was better than the other side. She decided to start there first.

Honey’s keen fascination with numbers and data kicked into high gear. "Maybe if I add up the sum of all the digits in this person’s year of birth and death, they’ll come in handy later."

As she calculated, Honey chuckled to herself at her passion for facts and figures. She knew her friends regarded her as a bit eclectic with regards to her "mental compendium of useless information." But Honey knew that the occasional mental flicker of an obscure trivial fact had helped supply the group with a key piece of information needed to solve more than one of their mysterious capers. Hesitant to discard anything that could potentially serve as a clue, Honey stuffed the piece of scrap paper containing her calculations into the front pocket of her dungarees.

Going around to the other side of the sign, Honey began to read some words in Spanish.

"Wow, could those italicized words have something to do with the small bench near the front entrance to the park?" exclaimed the super sleuth, "and, why of course, just look at the two towering pillars! I believe that I’m really on to something!!"

While concentrating on the written words, something caught the corner of her eye. Peering off to her right around the sign, Honey couldn’t help but notice a lone pine tree. Was there something within the numbers on the sign that would indicate she should head in that direction? What if she was wrong?

Not one to be easily discouraged, Honey decided to try. "Yes, yes, that’s it!" Honey cried out, even though there was no one around to witness her success. She eagerly pulled the scrap of paper out of her pocket. Sure enough, there was the answer, practically jumping off the page. She was absolutely certain that the mathematical total of those digits came into play. Mentally thanking her high school geometry teacher, Honey proceeded to advance along the shortest distance between two points.

Arriving at her destination, Honey puzzled over her next move. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to earlier in the day. Before heading out to the park, Honey had received a disjointed voice mail message. Only a fraction of the message was audible and she couldn’t be sure who was on the other end of the line. She didn’t think much of it until this very moment.

". . . once you are beside (bzztt crackle) needles (crackle) East 45 paces to (crackle crackle) elephant tree (bzzz crackle) stand on (crackle) largest (bzzt bzzt) toes. (crackle bzzt) With back against (crackle crackle) smooth pachyderm skin (crackle crackle) look (bzzt bzzt) hedge and follow west. (Crackle) Stop at 3rd bush just before the hedge row ends (with the hedge on your left) at the man-made standing wood.

Looking up from where she was standing, she was positive that the rather cryptic message was directing her to a very specific spot. Honey just needed to concentrate on what was audible. It would not be too hard to fill in the blanks. Besides she could always go back to the sign and try again until she solved the clues.

Sure enough, there it was. Honey practically dove in to grab the object. Luckily, she was able to catch her balance before she tumbled head over heels. "Thank goodness no one is around to see that bumbling attempt at gymnastics!" exclaimed Honey. Her friends frequently teased her about her lack of grace. She certainly would have been eating humble pie had they been here to see her less-than-Olympic stunt.

She looked around again. Certain that she was alone, Honey retrieved the object. Opening the container, she reviewed the contents. "Hmmm, how interesting." The item she viewed contained words that she had just read a few minutes earlier. Honey took mental note of the objects she found, then securely replaced them in their hiding spot.

Honey realized that, yet again, Maki Kohlrabi’s magnetic ability to attract unsolved mysteries was in overdrive. After all, it was Maki who had first spotted the unusual features of this isolated park. "McCourtie may have had the luck of the Irish, but I won’t give up until I discover all of the secrets hidden in this park."

Thankful for her wonderful friends, Honey thought, "It’s definitely time to phone the Four Clovers! We can put our heads together and continue on. Something tells me there’s much more to this park than initially meets the eye." END Chapter 1


CHAPTER 2 - The Puzzle of the White Paint

W.H.L. McCourtie was an interesting fellow, that much Honey could attest. Following her discovery of Aiden Lair, she reasoned that the more she found out about this area and the man, the more interesting the day would become.

Standing on the top of the hill between the two towering trees and an "official looking" green sign, Honey decided to phone Petunia Press, Tori Grand, & Maki Kohlrabi – steadfast friends known collectively as the Four Clovers. This was simply too exciting not to share with the gang. Besides, she always depended on them for their creative input and they enjoyed solving mysteries together.

Heading west from the Historical Marker and walking along the ridge, Honey began to speak to Petunia on her cell phone.

"You’re not going to believe where I’m at" Honey began "And you’ve got to join me." She directed Petunia to McCourtie Park via US-12, turning north on Jackson Road and quickly turning left onto a small asphalt drive along side the park entrance. Honey warned her not to cross the river.

"Well, right now I’m sort of heading down the ridge at a slight angle. I’ve just passed an open structure and whoa. . . I think I just spotted a pterodactyl to my left!" she exclaimed. "There are 2 large pools that I passed on my right and I’m not sure what’s in them at the moment. I think that I’ll head to the farthest west point of this park and meet you there in a few minutes. O.K.?"

She couldn’t help but notice that in the distance and all up & down the small river were many wooden bridges spanning the water. It was hard to tell from this distance, but it appeared that they were made of all shapes & sizes of trees. She slowed her pace a little to look at the many variety of trees surrounding her.

"Someone must have taken great care to plant all of these different trees," she thought. The trees were quite tall and did not seem to be formally spaced. They must have been planted many years ago. Honey couldn’t help but think how fortunate future generations were to have all of the shade the trees provided on hot days. In fact, the many beautiful trees standing in the park were testament to their strength and ability to resist the forces of nature. It was quite apparent by the fresh woodchips and spots of bare earth scattered about that a terrible storm had recently ripped through the area. It was sadly evident to Honey that many, many great trees had fallen victim.

She continued her walk and figured that by now she had gone .8 mile from the historical marker and was about to reach the end of the park. Up the embankment she could barely see traffic along US-12. The small river entered the park from an opening underneath the road.

Just as Honey came upon a very small concrete footbridge, she saw Petunia racing over in her direction.

"What is this place?" cried Petunia. "I believe that I just spotted a dinosaur back there."

"There are many strange occurrences in this park and we’re about to discover more." Honey solemnly told her.

They wanted to crossing the small concrete footbridge but realized that on the other side of the bridge the terrain was pretty thick so they turned around and headed back in the same direction that they came from walking along the river to their left. They past a couple bridges and soon they came upon a another bridge that lead them to a cool, grassy area with a picnic table area; they crossed the bridge over the river. Nothing out of the ordinary, they thought. The grassy area led to another small bridge to cross. It seemed that they were standing on yet another grassy picnic area. But they were now on an island. Several bridges were in sight and each circled the area. On the left Honey saw a small bridge with side rails.

"Let’s cross here." she said. "And then walk to the right. I think I spotted something rather large on the other side that we should check out."

Petunia felt that something was not quite right. Weren’t the wooden side rails on that bridge all gray? In fact, most of the bridges that she saw were gray. Honey hadn’t pointed out that anything was out of the norm or particularly unusual. But then, she also knew that Honey was so focused that she might be missing some of the subtle clues.

"Oh well, I’ll just keep this in the back of my mind just in case the subject comes up." Petunia reasoned.

Soon the twosome came upon a cabin. The structure was a bit weather worn, but otherwise sturdy. Maybe the groundskeeper used it to store equipment and supplies. At least that’s all they hoped was kept inside. In the past the foursome had several close encounters with danger, and the sleuths were always glad to solve a mystery without having the bejeebers scared out of them.

Hadn’t the historical marker mentioned that McCourtie, in his effort to create a model town, gave free paint to any homeowner who needed it?

Where was the paint? This cabin was certainly in need of a facelift. Petunia’s thoughts turned to her family’s beloved lakeside cabin where they had spent every summer for the past 50 plus years. Just this past summer, Petunia and her two sisters had been very busy helping Mom and Daddy update the cabin with new siding, windows, and paint.

"Honey, have you noticed that concrete seems to factor in a lot of the situations here?" asked Petunia, whose mind had returned to the task at hand.

"Well, Mr. McCourtie established the Trinity Portland Cement Company." Honey remembered that from the sign on the ridge. Once again, Honey’s mental compendium had an important tidbit to contribute.

"Do you think that the cement area in front of this building could possibly be another clue?" reasoned Petunia.

"You mean if we stand right here on the front stoop, it could help us locate answers to our questions?"

"Couldn’t hurt."

So the two ladies decided to stand on the cabin door threshold. Petunia was an avid nature lover and outdoorsy type. She had spent many summers in the woods near the cabin, learning survival and orienteering skills. She whipped out her trusty compass, which she always carried with her. "Look, Honey! Off to the left at 310° there is a large stump with some scrubby bushes next to it."

Both felt uncomfortable thinking that something could jump out of the cabin at them while they had their backs to the door. Call it female intuition, but something nudged them into action. They quickly left the concrete area and walked 23 steps in the direction that they had just been looking. How sad that this was a spot where a beautiful tree once stood tall.

Being the inquisitive persons they are, from the stump Honey & Petunia noticed facing west a nice wide trail to the left and then a rougher one to the right. They decided to walk "one less than a bakers dozen" on the rough path, stepping over the downed tree on the path. Looking closely in that area next to the downed tree, they found what they were looking for. Perhaps their discovery could help make Somerset Center a model town.

And looking down the incline they somehow knew instantly where to start. END Chapter 2


CHAPTER 3 - The Mystery of the Purple Martins

Standing near the front door of the cabin in the park, Honey Springer and Petunia Press were discussing their options. Any whitewashing of buildings would have to wait.

"We could head down to the river and see where it takes us." Petunia suggested.

Honey paused for a moment and then offered another suggestion. "I was thinking that we could walk N/NE for awhile instead. All of these bridges are here for a reason. Maybe we can figure out why." Petunia readily agreed. This would allow her to view all of the beautiful flora in the park. Everyone knew that gardening was her passion.

Soon the two were walking past a small bridge to their left. They decided to cross the second bridge they came upon.

"Do you suppose Tori and Maki are lost?" inquired Petunia. "Didn’t you phone them over a half hour ago?" Petunia knew that her sister, Tori, loved to travel. Petunia served as navigator, while Tori did most of the driving.

Honey let out a loud chortle. "Funny you should ask. I think that’s Tori heading our way."

Off to the right they could see a beautiful covered bridge. Tori had just emerged onto the north side of the river from underneath the structure’s interesting roof.

"Did you see that bridge?" Tori asked excitedly. "It’s amazing!"

"Yes it is quite a showpiece, but we’ll have to get back to it later." explained Honey in a rather distracted manner. "This grassy path has been maintained for a reason and I believe that we need to follow it for awhile. People don’t mow paths unless they want people to go down them."

Curiosity for the bridge was quickly replaced by the challenge of going deeper into the park. Besides, they all knew that once Honey had a bee in her bonnet, there was no turning back!

The three sleuths skirted the bog that appeared on their right. Shortly they spotted a lone conifer next to the bog. At this point, they noticed a breathtaking view of the marshy area with a massive birdhouse on a pole just beyond the vegetation. The purple loosestrife was positively gorgeous. Although an invasive plant in many wetlands, the lavender and magenta blossoms presented an impressive sight in the summer. At one time the huge birdhouse in the background had housed numerous purple martins. The house had to be the largest any of them had ever seen.

Petunia, being the avid gardener that she is, couldn’t bear to leave the spot until she had taken at least a few digital photos. Sharing beautiful flower images with family & friends was also a passion of hers.

Tori, however, was by far the most fearless and adventuresome of the bunch. While her sister was enjoying the scenery, Tori was surveying the area, eager to have Petunia finish her photography so the three could continue their quest. "I think that I see a few rocks at the thorny bush to the right of the lone tree. You could use the rocks to steady the tripod. Tori headed in the direction of the tree "All I have to do is reach carefully behind here and hope I don't get poked….." Tori’s voice trailed off for a moment. Then she yelled out, "Hey you guys, I think I found something that you’d find interesting."

Certain that Tori had found what they were looking for, the two friends rushed to the spot to see what caused Tori’s excitement.

They were not disappointed. END Chapter 3


CHAPTER 4 - The Tale of the Ten Towering Giants (this letterbox is missing but searchers should continue following the clues).

It was mid-morning and the sun was filtering through the tall willow and pine trees in the distance across the bog. Satisfied that they were able to solve three of the mysteries of McCourtie Park in a fairly short amount of time, Honey, Petunia and Tori were anxious to continue on their quest.

Just as they turned left from the impressive view of the bog and giant purple martin house, there was a faint sound of someone calling to them. It sounded a lot like the final member of their quartet.

"Hey, is that you Maki?" all of them yelled. "Where are you?"

She was near the cabin and wasn’t sure which direction to take. After telling her to head N/NE from the cabin and to pass a bridge on the left, then cross the second bridge, their dear friend was able to join them.

"Isn’t this place amazing? I wandered around the park for awhile crossing bridges here & there and decided that I probably couldn’t find you on my own without a little help." Maki confessed. "I’m so glad that you called me here. So what’s the plan? I can see that I have some catching up to do. At least this proves I wasn’t crazy when I mentioned the other day that this place seemed unusual."

They showed her the various carved images in their journals and explained that there was still more to be discovered. The friends were glad to have her help. After all she had a unique perspective on things and could come up with possibilities that the others hadn’t considered. They had great respect for her vast knowledge and astute observational skills.

"This might sound a little zany, but when I arrived, there was a groundskeeper near the park entrance. He was mumbling something. It sounded like, ‘beware of the tin shoulders within view of the chimney tree’, but I couldn’t be sure."

"What do you suppose that was all about?" Tori piped in. For they all knew that Tori liked things straight and to-the-point.

Petunia thought carefully and then added, "Well, my experience with groundskeepers is that they are fairly quiet by nature while going about their tasks at hand. If he was telling you something, we need to take that seriously. It couldn’t have been a coincidence."

The four ladies continued to walk north & then east along the bog while discussing the new development. They spotted a slight opening in the brush circling the bog. Peering through the opening they saw - across the river and up the hill - the towering el trabeio rustico tree on the left side above the concrete terrace.

"Wait a minute, could the groundskeeper have meant that chimney tree?" asked Honey.

As Tori turned around and faced Northwest, she said "I don’t see any tin shoulders anywhere. I do see that wooded area in front of me. Lets head over there. They turned left now facing west with the small woods on their right. They took a few steps and saw a rough pathway leading un into the woods. Near the opening was a single maple and a lone pine around this woody area.

"This spot is clear of poison ivy and leads up the ridge. I think that we need to find out what is in there." Honey was talking as she headed through the opening.

The others began to follow just as she disappeared into the woods. Maki was grateful they could proceed along a course free of poison ivy. She was so allergic she could get a case of the itches just by looking at pictures of the infamous leaves-of-three!

Soon there was a huge gasp. It was Honey. "It’s all making sense to me now. Not ‘beware’ – it’s ‘Be Aware’. Hurry. I’m sure that the groundskeeper was telling us to be aware of the ten soldiers. Not tin shoulders!"

Sure enough, when they caught up to where Honey was standing, they could see an old wire fence on the right. Past the ten towering sentries along their left lay the answer, hidden at the foot of the tree past the last soldier at the base of #11. END Chapter 4


CHAPTER 5 - The Secret of the Knotted Bridge (this box is missing but you should continue to follow the clues on your journey)

As they exited the woods with the ten towering giants, it was evident to the sleuthing stampers that the English language sure had some twists. They vowed to analyze the written or spoken word very closely in the future. It would be difficult to catch all of the subtle signs, but they promised to give a conscience effort to do so.

"Let’s walk up along the ridge on this side of the river." suggested Tori. "It might give us a view of the park that we haven’t seen yet."

So, they turned left from the wooded area and walked along the grassy pathway for a short distance. There was evidence of an old barn or building of some sort on the left near the wire fencing. Further up the ridge to their left they could see a fenced in area that appeared to be a series of baseball diamonds. Evidence of several horseshoe irons was now to their right.

They walked farther east until they were at the top of the hill looking down. Motioning to the right, Tori directed the group. They knew they could rely on Tori’s superb organizational skills to keep them on track. "Look down there at the river. There’s a flat log bridge with large limbed twisted side rails. It’s not as large as the covered bridge, but I think that we need to go down and look more closely."

Since the walk was downhill from there, it wasn’t long before they were at the bridge.

Sure enough, there was a plaque at the base of the bridge. Written were the words ‘Made by C Cardoso Built – 1939.’ Amazed that someone could shape limbs and planks from metal forms & concrete appearing to be cut lumber; they wanted to look even closer.

Checking the planks in the middle, Petunia had an observation that she wanted to share. "Hey, Tori. Remember what Daddy always told us about sailors keeping their knots in a row? I don’t know why that thought just came to me."

"Remember what he told us about gut instincts & intuition?" added Tori as she saw Honey leaning close to the planks on the bridge. "He told us to pay attention to them. It sure is odd that there’s a specific number of knots all lined up here."

"Didn’t sailors also depend on the position of the stars and degree readings?" Maki asked.

"Sure there was math involved and the North star figured prominently but they could generally determine the direction and distance to sail using those simple facts" Tori answered.

Honey stood up straight and announced suddenly "I believe I figured out where we need to go." For it was obvious to her that the things her friends were discussing were meant to tell them something. Asking Petunia to point them in a specific magnetic direction using her compass, she then led them 27 paces from the bridge and pointed to a very large tree.

"Petunia, help me out here. You know I’m such an oaf when it comes to horticulture. What kind of tree is that?"

"Why it’s a poplar. And a very large one at that. Look, it appears to have a ‘digit’ missing." They all noticed that someone had cut off a portion of the tree approximately 4 feet from the ground.

"Guys, I think we’ve uncovered another secret!" Honey exclaimed. "Within this poplar, I’m quite positive that sailors would be pleased with our find."

It came as no surprise that she was correct once again. END Chapter 5


CHAPTER 6 - The Case of the Forgotten Entrance (box temporarily under repair)

Impressed with the craftsmanship of the twisted side rails & knots on the Cardoso bridge, the stamping sleuths felt grateful that it and many of the other bridges were saved from total destruction during the recent storm. There was so much to learn from history and the people who shaped it.

The letterboxers had all enjoyed solving the mysteries thus far, but it was time for a break. They were beginning to feel thirsty and a little bit hungry.

Approximately ten minutes ago, Maki had wandered off in search of a spot for the group to rest, sip some bottled water and perhaps munch on some snacks.

"You don’t suppose that Maki is lost, do you?" Tori inquired.

"Hmm, I don’t think that’s the case" said Honey as she glanced around "I believe that I see her waving at us from that large rope bridge."

Since they hadn’t explored that end of the park, yet, they began to walk at an angle down toward her.

"I got myself a little twisted around with directions." admitted Maki rather sheepishly. "Instead of locating the picnic tables near the purple martin house, I must have worked my way east instead. But I did see this wonderful rope bridge on the way over."

There had to be more than a dozen bridges in this park, but this one stood out. The rope was huge!! Stepping closer they saw that the huge spans of rope were also crafted from concrete.

"The artisans that Mr. McCourtie hired in the 1930’s were geniuses!" exclaimed Petunia.

The others nodded in agreement as they examined the craftsmanship. Remembering that counting numbers figured prominently in some of the clues, they couldn’t help but notice the 14 knots of rope, 13 not attached lay- between-type planks, 3 steps, 4 benches with 4 backs and fancy timber joinery, noting that the joinery was faux cement art at its most convincing form. Perhaps these figures weren’t important, but they certainly had a better appreciation of the clever details that R.L. Corona added to the bridge.

Another memorial to the artisans could be located at the base of this bridge. It had numbers written in the concrete.

Something caught Honey’s eye. "Is it a coincidence that the first three digits added together total the same number of planks you cross on the bridge to get from one side to the other?"

"Is it a coincidence that we are at a bridge with inviting benches, haven’t had a snack in an hour and I’m dying to sit down and have something to eat?" Tori groaned as she settled in comfortably on a seat. They were all glad that Tori kept them on schedule!!

They looked around them and welcomed a much-needed break. There was no need for Tori to have to mention anything twice, as the rest of the letterboxers headed toward the remaining seats. They all watched as Maki pulled snacks from her backpack. While Honey was dreaming of double chocolate brownies and Tori was craving a Mountain Dew, neither complained as Maki offered granola bars, fruit, and bottled water to the group.

Honey carefully unwrapped a Quaker Oats™ bar and tried to relax in her comfortable bridge seat. But deep in thought, something drew her back to the bridge’s memorial inscription. "Do you suppose that there was more than a single entrance in and out of the park at one time? I mean, after all, there were thousands of visitors in the 1920’s & 30’s invited by McCourtie to dance, enjoy baseball, witness airplane stunt flyers and socialize. It seems to me that there had to be another way to enter the property."

With that question, the ladies paused from their snack long enough to examine their surroundings with renewed concentration.

Perhaps US-12 to the south and up the ridge offered a suitable entrance at one time. But there were hedges lining the area and parking was limited.

Their eyes followed the eastern flow of the river south of the bridge on which they were relaxing. They spotted a culvert under Jackson Road. Not many citizens would have entered from that spot, they reasoned unless they canoed or swam upstream.

Suddenly, their eyes fixed upon some tall brush and what appeared to be an old fence line to the south of the culvert along Jackson Road east of the bridge the Clovers were sitting on.

"Perhaps we are missing the obvious" cautioned Honey. "Wouldn’t this bridge make a nice welcome to visitors just entering the park?"

"It would make sense that persons visiting the park from the North would enter directly off Jackson Road." reasoned Petunia.

"I’m just wondering." Honey said thoughtfully. "If we focus our direction toward the bush along the fence line close to the bridge on the SOUTH side of the stream and this bridge along the road we may discover something." "I think that you're on to something" Tori chimed in as she jumped from the bench and began walking from the base of the bridge 7 paces south and east toward the bush along the road. "I can hardly wait to see what we may find."

It didn’t take long before she found her answer. END Chapter 6


CHAPTER 7 - The Pursuit for Gilbert Chocolate

The four friends agreed that McCourtie Park was proving to be quite fascinating. Whether it was crossing one of the seventeen bridges, or examining the nooks and crannies of the park, it held a great deal of interest for them.

Following a much needed snack on the last bridge near the east end of McCourtie Park, the foursome rose from the benches. It was time to set off once again. They felt that there had to be at least one more mystery to solve before leaving.

You know, we haven’t walked along Goose Creek very much” Petunia commented as she wandered in a westerly direction. "I’d like to look at the bridges close up and personal for awhile."

The group, feeling refreshed from their break, agreed with their friend. They were ready to take a leisurely walk in a predetermined direction this time. Recent rains had increased the stream of water, but not enough to overflow the riverbank. The small river flowed merrily along as the Four Clovers cheerfully recounted their latest adventures.

As they passed 3 bridges, they noticed that the air was getting misty. The sun, although high in the sky, was now barely visible behind then, wispy clouds. There was a sudden change to the atmosphere of the small valley. Layers of gray settled over the grasses ahead of them. A light mist caressed their cheeks.

"Gosh, the weather sure changed fast," observed Honey, "I don’t recall seeing any clouds while we were setting off in this direction." Honey’s family members were avid sky watchers. Keeping track of activity in the heavens came natural to her. The ladies slowed their pace and nodded their heads in agreement.

Also, some of the earth was soft underneath their feet as they walked. The recent storm had left large holes in the ground from uprooted trees. Gigantic trees had fallen during the massive wind gusts. Scattered about were mounds of sawdust from chainsaws. The park caretaker had made sure that the holes were filled in. But, the soil hadn’t settled and their shoes were making deep depressions as they walked. Petunia had a sinking feeling that her new clogs were filling up quickly with sand.

"Did you just feel a chill?" Tori asked warily as she quickly caught her breath. "It went completely through me!" Suddenly she wondered if they should be standing on the lattice bridge. It almost felt like the railing would not release them.

"O.K. let’s not lose our heads." Although feeling an increasingly ominous presence surrounding them, Honey was determined not to panic. She knew that the group needed to stick together if they were to succeed. Far ahead, one of the two large pools could be seen through the haze.

Attempting to change the subject, Maki let out a snort. "Have you ever seen such a tall white ash tree in your life? It must a least 30’ tall. She was pointing SE @ 150°, up the ridge toward US12 and to a couple of trees. There was evidence that there used to be other trees next to these.

Honey felt more confident checking a tree identification manual, but assumed that Maki knew her tree species. Besides, she sensed that Maki was merely trying to divert everyone’s attention away from the looming dread and foreboding that seemed to be overwhelming them. So really, what did it matter if it was a white ash or not if it took their minds away from chilling sensations?

But, Maki wanted to prove her point.

She walked up the hill toward the trees. "Fraxinus Americana – white ash. Isn’t she a beauty? Just look at the pinnately compound leaflets." Her friends walked toward her trying very hard to look impressed. It wasn’t easy.

"You can also identify a mature white ash by its interlacing ridges and furrows on the bark. In the fall it is one of the first trees to turn beautiful shades of orange, yellow, red and purple." Maki continued on as if she were a tour guide. "In summer months, the sparsely serrated leaves are a dark green…."

Despite being fed more information than they’d ever need about a tree, and without realizing it, they were all feeling much better about their surroundings. The gray, gloom of the past ten minutes was quickly lifting. Distracted, Petunia looked at the remains of a bush or shrub. Still half listening to Maki’s horticulture class, Petunia reached down near the roots.

"You guys, as much as I hate to interrupt, I believe that I found something quite pleasant." She called out.

Looking around the tree to where Petunia was crouching, they agreed that they were quickly feeling much better about their situation.
END Chapter 7

We truly hope you enjoyed the journey of Aiden Lair! We will be replacing all of the missing boxes in the spring (or maybe before).