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ALLIE WATCHED THE GROUND get closer as the plane came in for a landing at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. It overjoyed Allie that Drake had given her the window seat since she loved to watch the clouds roll by the plane. She also liked to doze off occasionally and enjoyed the cool feel of the plane’s fuselage she leaned her head against. Drake had lucked out because even though the middle seat was his assigned one, the aisle seat was unoccupied, so he sat in that one and left the middle one empty.
“Everything okay out there?” Drake asked.
“Yep. Looks like the city is still standing, so I think we’re good. You ready for the big adventure?”
“I’m ready to get off this plane. It’s been a long ride.”
It was only a four-hour flight from Nashville to Phoenix, but since Drake didn’t like to fly in the first place, it seemed like forever to him.
“The flight wasn’t that long,” Allie said.
“You’re only saying that because you slept most of the way.”
Drake clutched the armrests as the plane touched down. Then, unlike most of the people on board, he waited until the plane came to a complete stop at the terminal before undoing his seatbelt and standing up. He removed his backpack from beneath the seat and slipped it over his shoulders. Afterward, he opened the overhead bin and removed his and Allie’s carry-on luggage and placed them in the aisle, one in front of him, and one behind him. He waited patiently for the people in front of him to leave, then grabbed both bags and carried them off the plane.
Drake stopped once he got onto the jet bridge, extended the luggage handles, and passed Allie’s case over to her when she caught up with him. Together, they walked through the terminal and down the escalator to the baggage claim area.
When they got to the bottom floor, Allie spotted a man with a sign. “Hey, look. Decker, Ashe, and Beasley. That must be us.”
Drake and Allie approached the man, and Allie waved to him when they got to within six feet.
“Hi. I’m Drake Decker, and this is Allie Ashe. You are waiting for us?”
“Yes, I am. I’m Andy Johns. I’ll be driving you out to Cacheland. If you can take a seat over there by the wall, we’re waiting for one other group who should arrive shortly.”
“Okay, sure,” Drake said.
Allie and Drake wandered over to the seats and sat down to wait. After fifteen minutes, Drake watched as two men stepped off the escalator and approached Andy. They all shook hands, then Andy waved at him and Allie to join them at the door.
“Come with me,” Andy said as he gathered the group.
The gang of four followed Andy out into the Phoenix day, across the pickup area, and into the short-term parking garage. He led them to a white Ford eight-passenger van. “Leave your luggage at the rear and climb aboard. There’s a cooler with bottled water in there if you like.”
While Andy loaded the luggage into the back of the van, Drake and Allie took the bench seat behind the driver, and the two men climbed into the row behind them.
“Hi. I’m Drake Decker, and this is Allie Ashe,” Drake said, as he turned in his seat and offered his hand.
“We’re the Beasley brothers. I’m Brandon, and this is Ben.”
Drake could tell they were brothers, since they were almost identical twins. They had the same oval-shaped face, same brown eyes, and same build. Both had brown hair. Brandon wore his cut short, Ben wore his longer, pulled into a ponytail in the back.
“Are you avid cachers?” Allie asked.
“I’ve been into it for a few years. Brandon just picked it up like six years ago,” Ben answered. “Where are you from?”
“We’re from the Nashville area. What about you?”
“Youngstown, Ohio,” Brandon answered.
Andy slid into the driver’s seat and donned his seatbelt. “We’re ready to go. Anyone want to find a few geocaches along the way?”
“How long is the ride to Cacheland?” Brandon asked.
“A little over an hour, depending on traffic.”
“Where is it, exactly?” Allie asked.
“It’s a little less than halfway between Phoenix and Yuma, not too much off of I-8.”
“I don’t know where that is.”
Andy laughed. “Not too many people do. Bruce will explain the layout over dinner tonight, and you should have a bit of time to wander around, so you’ll get a feel for the area. Now, what about those caches?”
“Yes! Let’s do it!” Ben yelled from the backseat.
“Great.” Andy set a destination into his navigation system and settled in for the drive. “We’ll be there in about thirty minutes. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Andy turned on the radio and the group listened to various hits from the 80s as they watched the desert race by. They followed I-10 west, then Andy turned south on state route eighty-five. He drove for a few minutes, then turned off the highway. The van threw up clouds of dust as Andy drove slowly down the dirt road to keep the plume from getting too large. A half mile later, he pulled into a turnoff and shut off the engine.
“Do you guys primarily use phone apps or handheld units for caching?” Andy asked.
Brandon, Ben, and Drake answered they used their phones. Allie mentioned she used both, depending on the environment and circumstances.
“Your phones will suffice for this one,” Andy said. “You’ll get good satellite reception here. The cache you’re looking for is called ‘Ridgeway’s Ridge Hide’. It’s a terrain three, difficulty two. Anyone who doesn’t want to go for it can stay with me in the van. Should take you fifteen or twenty minutes to find, depending on how well you navigate the terrain.”
The four geocachers left the van and checked their phone apps to look for the correct geocache.
“It’s only fifteen-tenths of a mile away,” Brandon said, being the first one to find it. “There’s no way that will take as long as twenty minutes.”
Allie looked at her compass and aligned herself in the correct direction. “Yeah, but it’s over that,” she said as she pointed to the steep slope that started about thirty yards from the roadway.
“Well, we won’t find it standing around here,” Ben said. “Let’s go.”
Ben took a step and stopped when Andy called out. “Hey! Watch out for rattlesnakes, and make sure you’ve got firm footing going up and down that thing. I don’t want any blood in the van.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Ben asked, turning his head to read Andy’s facial expressions. “About the blood?”
Andy scowled. “Of course I’m not kidding. The blood comes off the seats okay, but it’s a bear to wash out of the carpet.”
Allie glanced at Andy, who passed her a quick wink.
Ready for the adventure, the quartet headed toward the slope. The closer they got, the steeper it looked.
“Oh, man, there’s no way I can make it up to the top of that thing,” Brandon said.
Ben was quick to offer encouragement. “Chicken. Sure you can. Just lean forward, keep your feet sideways, and keep moving, and we’ll be up there in no time.”
Drake stepped forward to go with the brothers, but Allie stopped and grabbed his arm. “Let’s see how they do.”
The Beasleys started off fast enough, but about a third of the way up, they slowed considerably. At one point, Ben windmilled his arms and looked like he was going to hurtle right to the ground, but Brandon saved the day when he pushed Ben toward the slope.
“There’s got to be a better way up there,” Allie said.
Allie walked along the base of the ridge for fifty yards while Drake stayed where he was and watched the brother’s slow ascent.
“Hey, over here. Come on,” Allie called out.
Drake looked over and saw Allie beckoning him to join her, and he jogged over to her side. Allie pointed out what looked to be an old wash carved into the rock. The angle of the terrain was much less severe, but there were larger boulders to contend with.
Allie grabbed Drake’s arm. “Come on. I want to beat them to the cache if we can.”
Drake took the lead and, using his eyes, he mapped out a good trail as he walked with Allie right behind him. About halfway up, they came across a large boulder that stood seven feet high and jutted out into the channel almost to the opposite wall.
“Can we squeeze past it?” Allie asked.
Drake approached the boulder and surveyed the situation. “It looks like it goes through. There’s about a two-foot gap here. We should be able to get to the other side without a problem. Want me to go first?”
“Yeah, go ahead. Watch for rattlesnakes.”
Drake looked back at Allie and rolled his eyes. “Ha. Ha.”
He positioned himself parallel to the rock wall, then sidestepped slowly into the gap. Less than a minute later, he yelled for Allie to join him, so she did just like he did, and a few moments later, she joined him on the other side.
“Easy peasy,” Drake said. “And it looks like we’re about twenty yards from the top of the ridge. You ready?”
Allie nodded. “Ready.”
The angle of ascent lessened the farther they climbed, so they picked up speed as they scampered up the hill. Once at the top, Allie stopped them. She checked her compass and pointed off in the distance. “I think it’s in that tree over yonder.”
“Over yonder?” Drake teased as they started walking again.
“Yeah. I’m breaking out my western talk.”
Drake shook his head as they stepped across the desert, avoiding the brush and watching for snakes as they went.
As they got close, Drake pointed out an oddly stacked pile of rocks at the tree’s trunk. “I’ll bet it’s right there. I’ll go get it.”
“No, wait,” Allie said. “Look at those thorns.”
Not having focused on the environment, Drake stepped closer and examined the branches. Sure enough, thorns between two and three inches long covered the full length of each branch. Rather than a normal tree that grew up and out, this tree peaked in height at just over six feet and its branches curled to the ground, like an umbrella.
“What the heck kind of tree is this?” Drake asked.
“I don’t know. A prickly one? Walk around it, see if you can find an easier way in.”
Drake did as he was told and circled the tree. On the far side of where he had been standing, he found a spot where the branches grew apart from each other. He took a breath, squatted as far down as he could, and duck-walked toward the tree’s center. Once there, he removed the top rock from the pile and set it aside.
“It’s an ammo can. Come around to this side and I’ll pass you the logbook.”
Allie moved to the opposite side of the tree. She heard voices, so she looked up and saw the brothers at last approaching ground zero.
“Hello, Beasleys. It took you long enough to get here,” Allie teased.
Brandon and Ben joined Allie. Brandon pointed at Allie, then toward the way from which they’d come. “How’d you get up here so fast?”
Allie shrugged. “I don’t know. Part mountain goat, I guess.”
“Hey, take this,” Drake interjected.
Allie looked over at the notebook at the end of Drake’s outstretched arm, took it, and signed her nickname to it. “You boys want me to hand it to you, or do you want to go in and get it?”
Ben reached out for a branch and touched the tip of a thorn. A small drop of blood appeared, and he let the branch go. “I’ll sign it here.”
Allie passed the logbook around, then handed it back to Drake, who returned it to the ammo can, then put everything back the way he found it. He got into his squat position and backed away from the tree. He stood and wiped his hands together to clear away the dust.
“Ready?” Allie asked.
“Yep. Let’s go. You guys going the same way down, or do you want to take an easier route?”
Ben answered without collaborating with his brother. “Lead the way.”
Five minutes later, the group arrived at the van. Andy had the rear door open and was sitting on the back bumper reading a book. The sunlight gleamed off his bald head, and somehow he had no trouble reading in spite of the dark sunglasses he wore. “You’re back already?”
“Have you gotten that cache, Andy?” Drake asked.
Andy slid a dollar bill between the pages to mark his spot. “Yes, of course.”
“Did you know about that wash?”
Andy nodded his head. “Yes. I went that way myself when I first searched for that cache.”
Brandon stepped forward and pointed at the ridge. “And you let us go up there? Why didn’t you tell us there is an easier way?”
Andy gave them a sly smile, closed the back door, and moved to the front. From the cooler on the passenger floor, he extracted four bottles of water and passed them out to the group. “To answer your question, I’m under orders by the boss not to give any geocacher any hints or advice to help them find a cache. That includes offering direction on which way to go.”
“And what if one of us would have slipped and fallen?” Ben asked.
“Well, in that case, I would have determined if you received any injuries. If yes, I would have either patched you up myself or taken you to the nearest hospital. If not, I would have suggested you get back at it,” Andy laughed. “My orders are to not help you find caches, not to let you die an agonizing death in the desert. Now, if you would, please get in the van. We need to get back on the road.”
The crew climbed into the van, Andy did a U-turn and headed back toward the highway.
“Do you know how many groups they invited to Cacheland?” Drake asked.
“Of course. There are ten teams, so twenty geocachers.”
“So we have a one-in-ten chance at that big cash prize,” Ben said. “I love those odds.”
Brandon hit Ben’s shoulder. “Don’t say that. You don’t know who or what we’re up against.”
“Any of the others here yet?” Drake asked.
Andy shook his head. “No. You’re the first to get here, unless a team driving in has arrived since I’ve been gone.”
“You mean we could have driven here?” Ben asked.
“Sure,” Andy said, “but we didn’t offer that option to everyone. There’s a team coming from Las Vegas, and one from Los Angeles. They were close enough that it was more convenient for them to drive. Oh, and the Texas team. They insisted on driving. Those three teams will arrive on their own, and I’ll be making two more trips to pick people up from the airport.”
“Sounds like a long day for you,” Allie said.
“I don’t mind. I like to drive.”
“What else can you tell us about Cacheland?” Ben asked.
Andy smiled. “Oh, all kinds of things, but unfortunately...”
“Let me guess,” Ben interrupted. “You’re not allowed to talk about it?”
With an imaginary key, Andy locked his lips, then tossed the key out the window. “Even if I could tell you, I wouldn’t. That would spoil all the surprises. Now please, sit back and enjoy the ride.”
Thirty-five minutes later, Andy pulled off the highway onto a dirt road. After a fleeting moment, they passed under a stone arch, supported by two columns cut from a gray granite. The arch held a sign with letters made of various colored stones that spelled out ‘Cacheland’. Almost immediately after he entered the property, Andy passed over a cattle guard, and for five minutes, they drove on as around them; the landscape changed. The scrub brush gave way to field crops on either side of the road, and where the crops ended, the old ghost town came into view. Andy drove through the town past several buildings until he arrived at the hotel, and once there, he parked, and everyone got out of the van.
“This is amazing,” Allie said.
“Yeah, not what I expected at all,” Drake added. In his mind, when he heard Cacheland was a converted ghost town, he expected old, rundown buildings with that gray, weathered look of abandonment. Instead, when he turned in a circle, he saw all the buildings that surrounded him, including the hotel, a bank, a general store, and a jail, all wore a fresh coat of paint. He stepped past the van and glanced down the street, and every building looked like it was brand new.
“If you’ll all grab your luggage and follow me into the hotel,” Andy requested.
The quartet entered the hotel lobby, and again, the sight impressed Drake. Although the furnishings and decorations looked to be right out of the old west, everything had a modern feel to it.
“May I have your name, sir?”
Drake followed the voice and realized it was the hotel clerk speaking to him. He smiled at her, then gave her his name. He noted the clerk checked him in on a modern computer, then slid a large brass key across the counter. Drake picked up the key and saw he was in room seven.
“Please drop off your key with us anytime you leave the hotel, sir. Your room is upstairs and to the right. Mr. Wiens requests you don’t leave the hotel until called for dinner, but you’re free to use the hotel parlor, which is through that archway to your left.”
Drake nodded and stepped aside so the clerk could assist Allie. As he waited, he wandered to the parlor and looked inside. In the room’s center stood an old-fashioned pool table. The far wall held a giant fireplace, with leather-bound chairs set in an arc around it. On his left, the wall held floor to ceiling bookcases, each stuffed to capacity. The view to his right surprised him. There was a table setup with two ultra-modern computers, and beyond that was a big screen LCD television hanging on the wall.
“Oh wow, cool room,” Allie said.
Drake hadn’t detected her approach. “Yeah, it is interesting. All checked in?”
Allie held up her key. “Yep. I’m number eight.”
Drake and Allie carried their luggage up the stairs, and Allie waited to get by while Drake unlocked the door to number seven and stepped in.
The room, like the lobby, contained an old west decor, complete with black-and-white photos on the walls. Drake set down his suitcase and pressed his hand against the bed. He expected an old-fashioned feather bed, but it, along with the lamps and alarm clock, was for certain modern. Although it wasn’t as large as the one in the parlor, there was a television mounted on the wall. He stepped into the bathroom. There was a rainfall shower, an LED-backlit mirror, and plush towels folded neatly on the shelf beneath his sink. He heard a tap at the door and turned around.
“You left your door open,” Allie said.
“Is your room as nice as this?”
“Exactly the same, except I’ve got pictures of old locomotives on the walls. Well, we can’t leave until dinner. What should we do?”
Drake shrugged. “Well, if you don’t want to take a nap or watch TV in your room, I guess we should head on down to the parlor.”
