The Bird Thief
While walking along the trail in one of my favorite parks, I was playing with my ring when I accidentally dropped it. Before I had a chance to pick it up, a super-fast, sneaky little bird swooped down and snatched it up!
“Hey! Give that back!” I yelled in frustration, and maybe a little bit of panic. I love that ring!
The bird glided around in a circle above my head, as if he were saying “Na-na-na-na-na-naaa!” He veered off to the south, heading away from the houses on Vassar Road behind me.
I debated briefly in my mind – “To chase, or not to chase. That is the question.”
“CHASE!!”…and off I went, pursuing the feathered thief in hopes of retrieving my Precious.
I followed the bird south, away from the houses. Soon, I came upon a cluster of trees and bushes on my right, and noticed a drain in the ground on my right. The birdbrain flitted ahead, bringing me to a circle drive. A circle drive? Why is there a circle drive in the middle of nowhere? Oh yeah! There used to be a campground here, Timberwolf Campground! And the Huckleberry Railroad used to come all the way out here and turn around. A little flutter in the air brought me back to the task at hand – where’s the birdbrain now? He veered off to the right a bit. I took the right path around the circle. The bird landed in the White Pines on my left, so I decided to take a moment for a breather. As I rested, I noticed the old Huckleberry Railroad tracks on my right. I remembered my husband telling me about coming here when he was a child. He would ride the train from Crossroads Village, and they would stop here. The kids would disembark from the train and enjoy a puppet show. Then they would ride the train back to the village.
“OH! He’s on the move again!”
“Get back here, Tweety!” I hollered.
I trailed after Tweety, crossing the old road that intersected mine. We were still heading south, towards the old campground. The avian kleptomaniac fluttered about the pine with branches cut off the bottom like he was going to land, but then changed his mind and flew into a little clearing inside three large pines on my left. There was a cinderblock sitting right in the middle of the pines, and bird perched right on top of the block. He dropped the ring on the block and started playing with MY ring! In fine Pink Panther fashion, I tried to sneak up slowly and quietly, ready to snatch away my ring. At the last moment though, the frustrating feather-brain grabbed my ring and took off AGAIN!
“My Precious!”
In hot pursuit, I followed the bird to the pile of broken concrete. He lightly landed, only to leap back into the air an instant before my hand closed around him. He’s taunting me, the cruel devil! Next, he flitted to sit atop the fence surrounding the firewood area for the parks. Again, just as I thought victory was at hand, he leapt away, just out of my grasp! He flew a little further down the road to the big pavilion. As I gave chase, I thought about all the get-togethers that must have taken place in this pavilion. This was right in the heart of the old campground.
The thief waited until I got close, then he seemed to tire of our game. He took off and didn’t look back. The cat burglar – um, bird burglar, I mean – took a turn. He headed east along an old road that used to run along the campsites, heading directly away from the pavilion. I turned left off of the road I was following and started onto the old drive. There were lots of dead trees on both sides, and I noticed lots of little birds perched in the trees, a lot of them holding shiny objects in their beaks or claws. What’s the deal? Did I stumble onto an outlaw camp of pickpockets, gathering together to show off their loot?
My bird didn’t seem too interested my pursuit anymore. He seemed like he was on a mission. As I watched, he veered to the right, down another old campground drive. I trailed along, noticing three pines on my left. As I followed, now heading south, I saw him flutter off to the right, toward a trio of old trees. There were lots of dead branches and old cinder blocks lying around the trees. The bird disappeared into the middle of the trees. I paused to consider my plan of attack, but before I even had a chance to formulate the brilliant rescue plan I’m sure I would’ve come up with, the bird rose up away from the trees. Hey! He doesn’t have my ring anymore! As the bird soared away to scope out his next victim, I presume, I headed to the trio of trees. Upon entering the shelter of the trees, I discovered the destination of my tormentor – and his horde! This bird needs an intervention! I retrieved my treasured ring, but left the rest of the treasures for any other folks who happen along and discover something they may have lost long ago.
Enjoy your visit to the old Timberwolf campground, and guard your treasures!
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This cache is one of many in a series of caches hidden for the 2015 Genesee County Parks Event. This is the fifth anniversary of this event. Be aware of any potential muggles while searching for this cache. Trade evenly when possible. Please hide the cache as you found it. Do not leave the cache out in the open! To log a find on this cache, you must actually find it and sign the log. Failure to do so will result in deletion of your online found log. Permission for its placement has been granted by the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission. Most Genesee County Parks are open from 8:00 AM until sunset. If you need assistance please contact a ranger by dialing 911 and asking for a ranger. Remember, many trails are multi-use trails for horses, bike riders, and snowmobiles in the winter. ***************************************************************************************
Thanks to Trailblazer72 for placing this cache!
