Free Treasure Hunt Adventures on the Cistrail

Goodboys and Itstwinsanity at Carl Cowan Park

2009-06-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Itstwinsanity and Goodboys headed to Carl Cowan Park to do some cisting, have a picnic and play in the Splash Pad. Overall, the day was a little disappointing. We started off looking for Shortcut's Hidden Trail Cist and after following numerous hidden trails and looking around tons of boulders we finally found the right trail and boulders, thanks to the girls!!

When we were looking we found this rope swing and Big Boy couldn't help scaring us all to death by swinging on it.

Luckily, he didn't fall in, but it scared us all to death when someone jumped in the water nearby and we thought it was a kid falling in!

By the time we found this cist, we were already tired, hot and hungry so we stopped in the shade for our picnic. While eating we realized the Splash Pad wasn't working and the kids lost interest really fast. Not to mention, I was having spasms in my lower back.

There's nothing like PB&J and Goldfish crackers to fill your tummy and your energy!

Say Cheese! (4 kids hold up cheese sticks) below

After lunch, we did some monkeying around......

and some more monkeying around......

you guessed it......

Okay, one more time......

Below is Itstwinsanity, Princess Hope, and yours truly in the shade watching the kids trying to fall in the lake after finding the "Quilt for June Bug" cist. We ended up finding 3 or 4 cists each before I wimped out and we got tired of listening to the kids whine about leaving. It wasn't a very productive day but we had fun.

Hopefully it won't be so hot next time and we will be able to do a marathon day!!

The Highest Point

2009-05-20T17:36:00.001-07:00

Today, the boys and I went to the highest point in Knoxville to look for a cist. We could not find it. Unfortunately, I think it is missing, but we did enjoy the view while we were up there.

Little Boy was excited to see the Sunsphere and they swore they could see our house even th0ugh it was on the other side of the mountain behind us!! We also managed to hide 3 cists while we were there.

We had a great time and can't wait to get out and hide some more cists (and hopefully find some too)!!!

Cisting in the "Gardens"

2009-04-20T11:11:00.001-07:00

The Goodboys went to the Arboretum on Friday to do a little picture-taking. We didn't do any cisting while we were there. Mainly because we have found almost all of them, all of the close ones anyway. We didn't have time for a hike. We had a great time and got some good pictures.

Then we went by an undisclosed location where we have been wanting to hide a cist for a long time. Once we hid one there we found a lot of other places to hide them. The kids started whining after a while to go home. I would tell them, "Just one more." until we ended up hiding all that we had with us.

big Boy hid all of them while I wrote the directions out and took pictures. It really is handy to have a pair of 9-year-old legs around in cases like this. Little Boy wasn't much help though. He had fallen at the Arboretum and pled a disability.

We had a great time hiding and I can't wait to get out and do some seeking. We just need to dry out a little and not have any ballgames for a while!

Turtles, Skunks, and ticks! Oh my!

2009-03-10T12:33:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, GoodDad and I took the boys to the Arboretum to do some cisting and some exploring. We had a little trouble finding a few of the cists we were looking for, but I think they were missing. I believe our final tally was 2 found, 3 missing, and 3 hidden. The whole time we were out Big Boy kept saying how much fun he was having. He said more than once, "This is great!"

We encountered some geocachers while we were out. They found the Snuffalupagus (spelling?) cist after we did. We went over to ask them if they were cisters and they said they were "Mom and daughter." It turns out there is a geocache hidden where the cist was and Big Boy ended up helping them find it and returning the cist to it's hiding place. I told them about cisting and gave them the website but I don't think the ever figured out I was saying "cisters" instead of "sisters."

We went up the Heath Cove Trail to the top of the hill where the shelter is. We spent probably an hour up there exploring. The boys found lots of cool bushes to crawl under. We even found a weather station up there. The view from the top was amazing.

Little Boy was pretty worn out by the time we left. He kept trying to get GoodDad to carry him back to the car. This if often the case when we are out of new bridges to find. He is not as motivated to put forth the effort to walk.

In the car on the way home, Little Boy found a tick crawling on him and had a major freak out. I think he is still traumatized from the seedtick incident last summer (see our Backwoods Trail story for details). The picture above was after that freak out.

We all had a great time and I am really glad to be out there cisting again. I am looking forward to a summer of new hides and finds. Hope to see you all out there on the cistrail!!

We're back.....

2009-03-05T09:58:00.001-08:00

Okay, I admit it. We are fair-weather cisters. Even though we didn't let a little lightning strike slow us down at Panther Creek, we did let the cold chase us indoors. Well, actually, Big Boy would be outside at 50 below if I would let him. Little Boy and I are wimps though.

So, even though it has been a long, cold winter with no cisting being done (by us anyway), spring has sprung. Little Boy has been asking to go treasure hunting for weeks, but it hasn't worked out for us to go. Today, I did it. I gathered up all our containers we have been saving and got out our bin of small junk.

As you can tell from the picture we have supplies for quite a few cists. I am sure I have a bag of baby food jars around here somewhere too.... if I could just remember where. Nevertheless, we are getting out there again and, with a little luck and fair weather, more cists will be popping up really soon.....so stay tuned!!!

Diggin' Up Bones

2008-10-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Today, Big Boy's class had a field trip to the Gray Fossil Museum and Dig Site in Gray, TN (close to Johnson City). I couldn't believe we had to drive 2 hours to a field trip but the boys were very excited to go. On the way, we passed the sign for the Davy Crockett birthplace, and I told Little Boy there was a cist hidden there. He freaked out because he thought I was going to skip the field trip to go cisting. If I had the clue with me I would have been tempted!!

Last night, we made up 2 cists to hide today while we were there and after the buses left to head home, Little Boy and I looked for a place to hide them. It was slim pickings, I tell you!!

We wanted to hide one by the pond at the entrance (above) but the only spot was the access for the water pipes, and we decided it wouldn't be safe there.

Little Boy thought this (above) looked like a good spot but ultimately decided it might be too wet there!
Little Boy did a lot of exploring in these culverts (above). You can just see him peeking over the side of the closest one. We finally found a couple of places but one of them may not stick around long so you better hurry on up to find them!!

We had a great time today and I can't believe it has been so long since we have been cisting. I am eager to get back out on the cistrail again!

Where is everybody?

2008-10-06T09:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the weather has cooled down and the leaves are starting to change. It is my favorite time of year. So why is it so hard to get myself motivated to go cisting? Things have been slow on the cisting front lately and it is not just me. The forum is dead and it seems most everyone is taking a break from hiding and seeking. The news about the State Parks hasn't helped the situation much either.

So, I challenge myself and all of the other US Cisters to go out at least twice this month and enjoy the wonderful fall weather and scenery. (and send me a posting please!!!)

Hopefully we will see you on the cistrail!

....and if that fails, I hope to see you at the fall cister's picnic. Watch the forum (see link on right) for information on date, location, and time!

Itstwinsanity and Goodboys have some cisting fun!!

2008-09-07T11:30:00.001-07:00

Today, Itstwinsanity came up and we went out to Farragut to do some cisting. We didn't get to do any "power cisting" because we had Thing 1, Thing 2, Little Boy and Little Girl (I babysit her) along. Big boy was in school today. We did about a mile hike finding 5 for her and 4 for me and we jointly hid 8. She was nice enough to let me log the hides because while I know I will never get up the list far in finds, I am doing well in hides. Thanks Leah!!!

BELOW: (from left to right) Little Boy, Little Girl, Thing 1, and Thing 2

We started at Carl Cowan and walked the trail to Admiral Farragut Park and back again. We had a great time and found many "treasures" along the way. Thing 2 was collecting bird feathers for a school project. Thing 1 was collecting rocks. Little Boy was collecting bottle caps, and airsoft beads. Little Girl was collecting bottle caps. Of course, we managed to find some cists in between all of the collecting.

ABOVE: Little boy had trouble keeping hold of all his collections. He kept dropping them and spilling them.

While we were at Admiral Farragut Park, we stopped at the shelter to rest in the shade and the kids found some paintballs that didn't pop. Itstwinsanity proceeded to climb on the picnic table followed by all four kids and try to pop the paintball so they could see it splatter. Her theory was the added height may help it to pop. It did pop but didn't really splatter like we had hoped.

We also spied a lot of vandalism on the shelter as is usually the case. We thought this was kinda funny.

We all had fun but the kids were getting tired and wanted to go to the splash pad and cool off. They were all tired and hungry at this point.

So, off to the splash pad we went for some cool, wet fun and a snack. Because we have learned that all cisting and no playing makes for cranky kids.

ABOVE: Thing 1 and Thing 2 enjoy a snack in the shade.

ABOVE: Thing 2 fills up a water bottle to use as a weapon.

ABOVE: Thing 1 targets Little Girl and her new friend.

ABOVE: Little Boy pulls up to get a view of his opponent.

ABOVE: Thing 2 and Little Girl play in the water.

After a little while of cooling off it was time to finish hiding our cists so we could pick Big Boy up from school. We found a few more hiding spots around the park that we really liked. One was this tree which had grown by this picnic table. Unfortunately, people had been using it as a trash can and we were afraid a cist wouldn't last long there.

After we finished at Carl Cowan, we headed back toward my house to pick up Big Boy and Big Girl from school. After taking the Goodgirls home, we headed out to do more cisting, but on the way Big Boy got sick all over my van. We made a quick stop and cleaned it up the best we could then headed out again with Big Boy insisting he wanted to go on. We stopped at the Turkey Creek walking trail to find one of the cists hidden there. We found it but decided that Big Boy just wasn't up to cisting after all. Little Boy was pretty tired too. We decided to call it a day and head on home. We all had a great time though. I can't wait to do it again soon. Hopefully we will meet some of you on the Cistrail!!!

The End

Goodboys visit Fort Dickerson and Ijams

2008-08-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

So we got up this morning and decided to go out and do a little cisting. We debated where to go and ended up deciding on Fort Dickerson because we thought the boys would really enjoy that and we haven't ever been there before. I am discovering a lot of places I have never been before since we started cisting. We took along the clues for Ijams and Island Home Park in case we had time for those.

When we got to Fort Dickerson the boys were disappointed that it wasn't a big wooden fort like they were picturing. They really enjoyed the cannons though. Good Dad and I enjoyed reading all the historical information. I learned a lot of cool stuff. The boys didn't want to be bothered with the educational stuff of course. We found one cist while we were there and hid 3 more.

On the way out we stopped at the overlook not realizing it was THE Lambert Quarry. The view was spectacular and I got some pretty good pictures of the boys sitting on the wall enjoying the view. It was funny because Little Boy pointed out a "path" going down toward the water which may have just been from water runoff and he called it the "path of death." It was pretty steep. I wouldn't want to attempt to go down it. When I realized this was THE Lambert Quarry where a cist was hidden I called Trikkerider to give me the clues over the phone. Since it was missing we decided to hide a couple here as well. One of them is pretty tricky to get to, so be CAREFUL if you go find it.

Since we had only spent about an hour at the Fort, we decided to head on over to Ijams. Little Boy and I had been for the first time the previous week. We loved it and couldn't wait to take Big Boy and Good Dad. We decided to start on the Tom Skelton Greenway and get the cist on it and the Toll Creek Cist. The Greenway cist was missing but we found Toll Creek. We also found an abandoned train track and another path that we wanted to explore but we decided to head across the road to Mead's Quarry first. There was one cist there that we wanted to find and we also wanted to explore a little bit.

The Quarry was awesome. We explored there for about 3 hours! We found many spectacular views. The boys liked throwing little rocks in the water because the fish would come over thinking it was food. Big Boy tried his hand at skipping rocks but he needs more practice! We found a "waterfall" of sorts. Just past the waterfall a little ways was a ledge where there was the most awesome view of the Quarry. It took my breath away.

By the time we made it to the waterfall, Little Boy was starting to whine about being tired and trying to get someone to carry him. We decided it was time to head back to the car and we would have to come back again soon. On the way we saw a huge black snake. Big Boy threw a rock at it and made it mad but I apologized and we went around it and left it to enjoy the rest of it's day. There were so many interesting things. There was concrete tower that may be to were collect rainwater we weren't sure and couldn't find any information on it. There was a neat little plaza with a bench where Little Boy wanted a nap. There were 3 huge kilns that concrete circles on top and dead end tunnels on the bottom with a huge metal vat inside it on rails. There was just so much to see but Little Boy just couldn't take anymore.

Good Dad walked back and got the van at Ijams and drove us back there to use the restroom and look around at the animals inside the building. After cooling off in there we went out to the pond right there and looked at turtles, frogs, and bugs, oh my! Soon it was time to go home. Good Mom and Dad were ready to call it a day. We all had a great time and although we only found 2 cists, we hid 15!!! I didn't realize until we got home how many we had hidden and after I logged them all I checked our total and was astonished to see that we had made it to 107 hides!! Big Boy was excited to hear not only are we #1 in the US but we are also the first to break 100 in hides! Little Boy couldn't care less. All in all it was a great day. We will have to go back soon to explore the railroad bed, the other trail, and the rest of the magnificent quarry.

The End

Viewing pictures on the blog....

2008-08-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know if everyone has figured this out yet but if you click on the pictures in the posts you can see the larger version of it.

Trikkerider, PrincessHope, and Goodboys visit Ijams Nature Center

2008-08-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, Trikkerider called me up to see what we had planned for the day. When she suggested we go do some treasure hunting, I was all for it. We decided to go by New Gray Cemetery so that I could check on a possibly missing cist and then head to Ijams. I replaced the missing cist at New Gray and she found the few she had missed when she was there a few days ago, then we headed off to Ijams. I admit I was feeling guilty for going without Big Boy but I will just have to make a point to take him there soon. This is one of those places I always meant to take them but since it wasn't convenient I just kept putting it off. But now I know how much they will love it and that it isn't as hard to get to as I had assumed so we will probably be visiting often. When we reached Ijams we spent a few hours "power cisting" as I have come to call it. Little Boy was a little resistant and wanted to explore so he slowed us down a little but we did cover a lot of territory.

ABOVE: PrincessHope and Little Boy pose for a picture on the bench at one of the cist hiding spots. Little Boy thought a fireplace in the middle of the woods was super cool.

ABOVE: You all must know by now how much I love the shots from behind and I took this cute one of Little Boy hiking down the trail with his "lucky stick" that he found (and brought home with him).

ABOVE: PrincessHope was pretty impressed with the totem pole. She asked if I would take a picture of her with it.

ABOVE: Little Boy uncovering a cist by one of the small ponds scattered throughout the trails. Luckily he didn't fall in although he came close once or twice.

ABOVE: Little Boy enjoying the view of the lake from one of the fences.

ABOVE: Look Mommy! They have dung!! My boys love dung (the word and the thing) so he was impressed at the collection that they had on hand.

ABOVE: Before we left, Little Boy found a friend in the pond by the main building. If you look closely you can see a big ol' frog in the lower right-hand corner of the picture. Mean old mommy wouldn't let him catch it and bring it home either!!

We had a great time and not only did I find a bunch of cists (thanks to Trikkerider) but I also managed to hide several as well. It was a good day and Little Boy, PrincessHope, and I have a new favorite spot to visit.

Goodboys visit Norris Dam State Park

2008-08-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

The plan for the day was to hit Norris Dam, Cove Lake, and the Cumberland Trail then head on up to the Kentucky Splash water park, hitting Itstwinsanity's rest stop cist on the way. It was a good plan....a bit lofty for two boys who love to explore, but good nonetheless. We DID manage to finish the Norris Dam State Park and try to find the cist at the nearby cemetery to no avail. We did have a great time exploring though. My mom and sister (Princess Hope) went with us. It was my mom's first time cisting and I must say she did wonderfully! She only fell twice and this time I didn't fall at all. She really got into hiding the cists with me, and she has a good eye for hiding spots!!

ABOVE: The cist hidden at the fitness trail was at the bottom of this magnificent tree. As you can tell from the picture, as soon as the boys saw it they took off to get close. Big Boy wanted to climb it so bad because it had all those magnificent arms reaching out from it. But unfortunately he was about 10 feet too short.

ABOVE: Here is a picture of us making a switch in the cist at the bottom of the giant tree. Little Boy found it so he got first pick and Princess Hope also chose to make a switch on this one. You will note I am actually posting a picture of myself, so a certain unnamed cister (Itstwinsanity) can quit complaining there are none of me on here.

ABOVE: While taking a picture of one of our cists, I snapped this cute picture of the boys.

ABOVE: As soon as we drove into the west Campground area the boys spotted this huge tower with steps going around it. They were very excited and wanted to climb all the way to the top. I was not so excited but we walked over there anyway and fortunately some smart person had removed the lower steps relieving me of my duty to climb up them with my children.

ABOVE: Since they were heartbroken that we could not climb to the top of the tower, we had to take a few minutes to play on the playground. I snapped this cute picture of Big Boy climbing up into the tower of the play structure.

ABOVE: Since we were just going down the hill a tad from the campground I did not make the boys buckle their seat belts for the short trip. I glanced back and saw Little Boy staring out the window longingly at the tower behind us. I thought this was too cute and had to make my mother snap a picture for me.

ABOVE: While searching in the wrong place for the Gaylor's Fishing Hole cist, Little Boy stumbled upon a wild and deadly red lid under a rock. He managed to avoid being bitten and I snapped this super cute picture.

ABOVE: Both boys enjoying the view from the Dam overlook. Thanks June Bug!! Little Boy wanted to wait and see if they would let some water out down the big "slide."

ABOVE: Another cute picture taken while photographing a cist's hiding place. This one was taken at the picnic area where another cist was hidden. Little Boy picked the place and hid it all by himself. We also found a garter snake when walking down to retrieve the cist from the split tree. Want to guess where the snake ran off to when we Big Boy tried to grab it? Yep, right into the split where the cist was. Of course, then no one wanted to stick their hand in where the mad garter snake was so Mommy had to uncover it with a stick and then quickly pull it out. Luckily the snake must have been hiding under all the leaves because I escaped unbitten.

ABOVE: Just another cute picture taken while cisting. This one was one of our cists hidden on the Lakeside Loop. Despite their desperate attempts, we managed to get back to the car without anyone sliding down the hill and into the lake.

ABOVE: This is a picture of Big Boy walking down the trail to the right of the upper Marina parking lot. He wanted desperately to hide a cist here. The trees didn't have any good spots though. I suggested he hide it beside the small wall to the right of the trail at the top of the stairs. He insisted that place was too "normal" a hiding place. He finally found one he was happy with at the bottom of the stairs between some rocks. If you go to find these cists you have to drive down to the left of this parking lot to see the view of the rock wall from the bottom. If you continue through that parking lot to the other side there is a small road that goes to the "walking trail" that we hid the cist along. You can see the very cool stone walls and buildings on this tiny little road as well.

Another funny thing that happened is when we stopped for lunch at Long John Silver's on the way home it took FOREVER for our food to come and I asked my mom if she thought they were out back catching the fish. When the food came, Little Boy asked the waitress if she got to catch his fish. Obviously he didn't get the joke and neither did she. So when we were in the van and leaving, Little Boy asked if we could drive around behind the restaurant to see the pond where the fish lived. I am not sure if he ever understood what we were saying.

We had a great time at the State Park and at the water park later. We were all exhausted and no matter how hard I tried, no one wanted to stop at Cove Lake on the way home. I guess we will be going back soon! I can't wait!!!

Itstwinsanity and Goodboys go CRAZY for cisting!

2008-08-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Today was so much fun, even if it was exhausting!

Goodboys and I went out today with a mission, get as many cists as we could in one day. And hide a lot too. I think we did a great job!

We went without Thing 1 and Thing 2, and only had Big Boy and Little Boy with us for a little bit. So we were able to cover a lot more ground that way.

We started out a little before 8 am, going to the Pellissippi Greenway. Goodboys didn't need any, so she just let me out and I quickly grabbed those.

The boys were initially mad that I was going to go without them today but got up this morning and didn't want to go. The whole time we were at Pellissippi they were climbing around in the van wanting to get out. I was glad when we were ready to move on.

Pellissippi Greenway Totals

Itstwinsanity = 3 found, 0 hidden

Next we went to Campbell Station Park. She needed a few, but I needed more. Some that I had found, she hadn't and I needed some that she had found. One we both needed. As we were searching, we would stop and hide some too. But as I was soon to learn, Goodboys is a hiding fool!! She hides more than anyone I've met!

My boys were intent on playing in the creek and exploring while we were here. They weren't used to the idea of "power cisting" and we got frustrated with them fast and they with us. They slowed us down but we managed to be productive. Another funny thing that happened was a squirrel was throwing berries at me from the tree. I kept feeling something hit me and thought it was rain dripping from the trees but then a berry splatted on my shoulder and I looked up to see a squirrel on the branch above me and I swear it was grinning at me!!

Campbell Station Park Totals

Itstwinsanity = 14 found, 2 hidden

Goodboys = 4 found, 10 hidden

After that we found Bob Leonard Park, which is where Good-dad picked up the Boys. It was our first time there, so we both had all of them to find. It was quite an adventure. On the first one I got extremely muddy!! Then we hid a couple and wound our way around, finding and hiding cists. By now it was getting VERY hot. But we were troopers and kept going. We found all of them except one (and the one we found out was there after we got home!) I didn't hide many though, I got too hot and lost interest in the hiding part of it. But Goodboys is a hiding machine! She never gave up hiding cists!

Itstwinsanity forgot to mention the fact that we had trouble finding Short Cut's "Soccer Field" cist because the birdhouse was gone. There was another row of benches going out to the side before you get to his and it had birdhouses but not on the right bench. We finally decided it was a missing birdhouse and not a missing bench and then we found it quickly. We also had trouble with Fireheart's "You are Here" cist. We couldn't find the sign that said "You are here." On our third trip by the back entrance sign I spotted "The Shed" and we figured it out but still couldn't find it. I think we looked under every bush but the right one!!

Bob Leonard Totals

Itstwinsanity = 11 found, 1 hidden

Goodboys = 8 found, 4 hidden

When we finished at Bob Leonard, we stopped to grab some lunch, since it was already noon!! We ate lunch while still driving to the next stop, no time to waste on eating!! We were on a mission! Just before we got to the next stop, we noticed a Cemetery that Goodboys had wanted to stop at, so we swung in. There were no cists there, at least none until we were done!

We wandered around, laughing like fools, stopping frequently to drop off cists. Sometimes right next to each other! The groundskeepers probably thought we were nuts, driving around and around. Stopping to take pictures and getting in and out so much. I told Goodboys that if they stopped us and asked, my story would be that I was taking pictures of possible "real estate" for my parents!

We also saw many interesting trees there, one with a heart shaped root.

But I think the most memorable part was the tent that was up, nothing unusual there, but on the ground next to it was a coffin. Just sitting there. No one around, no hole in the ground, for hours!

When we were finally done, still laughing like crazy women, we had hidden many cists. We didn't even know the name of the cemetary until we pulled out!

I thought it was kind of ironic that it was New Gray considering all of the cists hidden at Old Gray. I also instantly thought of how to tell where to look in my riddles. "Not Old and Gray but new instead, to the cemetery you must head." I love it!!!

New Gray Cemetary Totals

Itstwinsanity = 5 found, 4 hidden

Goodboys = 4 found, 5 hidden

Now it was pretty much across the street to Ivan's Garden. I had many to find there, but since Goodboys has hidden most of those, she only had two, which were new hides. The shade was nice, since we had been baking in the sun so far. We wandered through the gardens slowly, taking our time to look. We still saw many places to hide cists, but with so many in such a small place, and still wanting to get to more places, we chose not to hide anymore today. The funniest part was when I couldn't find one of her hides, and she couldn't remember if it was there either! We did explore a new part, behind the house, since there was one hidden there. It was a nice place to hit in the middle of the day, when it was so hot!

I spent some of today taking pictures of my old hides that I had missed. I got a really cute one of the Smokey statue for that hide.

Ivan's Garden Totals

Itstwinsanity = 7 found, 0 hidden

Goodboys = 2 found, 0 hidden

After the Gardens, we had to stop at another drive thru for more to drink, boy was it HOT!! With our drinks in hand, we decided to stop at a couple of thrift stores, so I could show her my method for getting cute stuff for cists. Usually I have the kids with me, and I let them do most of the work! But basically, we go through and pick up all the little "junk" off the floor and in the bottom of the toy bins. Then I take it all up to the register and ask for a deal. Yesterday, the total from 2 stores was 50 cents, for a couple of handfuls of small stuff and 2 containers for cists!

Once we finished the shopping "lesson", we headed down the street to Victor Ashe Park. I had never been there, and I was surprised at how big it was! Again, she had found or hidden many of the cists there, so it was mostly my show. We started in the left parking lot and worked our way around, again, hiding and finding. Then we went off to the other side. I found many more hiding places over there. Shortly after we got there, I hid a cist, and we stopped at a bench. It was in the shade and a nice breeze finally kicked up, so we just hung out for a bit. Goodboys was still laughing at me for my "natural-looking hiding method" which consists of throwing detritus at the cist so that it falls naturally!!

When the breeze died down we got up and moved on. We found a few, the first two had been dragged out and chewed up by an animal! After trying to repair these, we moved on. We were constantly dodging the frisbee golfers, and sneaking around to look and hide. We stopped to hide a few more, and wound our way around until we finally ended up back at the van.

It's not so much her method of hiding that cracks me us as how funny she looks throwing leaves and dirt at her cists.

Victor Ashe Totals

Itstwinsanity = 11 found, 2 hidden

Goodboys = 3 found, 4 hidden

By now we were really starting to get tired, but we were real troopers. Dedicated to our cause, so on we went. Since we were winding down, and it was supper time by now, we started to head back. We had plans to cool down when we were done in Goodboy's mom's pool. So we went off to her house to pick up our suits. On the way to her mom's house, we stopped by to get the Karns hides. We did have some good laughs when we discovered how overgrown the nature trail behind the Karns Community Club Center was. It turned a quick trip into a real adventure. It was like we were on a safari, waving sticks to knock down spider webs and push thorn bushes out of the way. Observing the wildlife, and the rare and elusive wild Sonic cups! We also managed to sneak up on a McDonalds cup. It was really an adventure!

Karns Totals

Itstwinsanity = 11 found, 0 hidden

Overall Totals

Itstwinsanity = 62 found, 9 hidden

Goodboys = 21 found, 23 hidden

Finally, after TWELVE long hours, our adventure was coming to an end. We stopped by Hardees and grabbed some food, took it to her mom's and ate. Then, we went and climbed into the pool and cooled off. Still laughing about all the funny things that had happened. I don't know about her, but I was very content with what we had accomplished.

I have to say that I have not laughed that much in a long time. My sides were as sore as my feet! Another thing is that one of the benefits of doing this blog is that I get to pick the pictures! Note how she has many pictures of her and not one of me. I'm looking forward to our next adventure Itstwinsanity!

Written by Itstwinsanity and Goodboys

NPW02 goes to Ivan Gardens and the train tracks....

2008-07-29T17:20:00.000-07:00

We went to Ivans gardens today to find some cists. The gardens were such a treat! One of my favorite things about cisting is finding the areas that are in our own backyards that we would have never known about. The boys tried to climb the monkey tree, but it was too slippery from all the rain we've had. It is hard to believe that the vine climbing the tree is real! It is so huge!

After the gardens, we went to the railroad cists. This was a lot of fun. My oldest was worried the entire time about a train coming. My husband and I were telling him how he would hear it and it would be very loud. Finally, my husband had him reach down and feel the tracks, and continued to explain that he would feel them vibrating if a train was coming. This seemed to help him ease a little, and enjoy walking down the tracks. This, too, was a nice stroll. I wish I had remembered to fix up some more cists to hide....Guess we'll have to go back!

Written By NPW02

A quick note from Bikerider

2008-07-28T13:27:00.001-07:00

Hello fellow cisters,

In the recent months that I have been cisting, I have seen some unusual things . I have found some neat places to hide cists and while looking for just the perfect spot have happened upon some other letterboxes and geocaches. I have accidently found some other cisters too. In all this big world ,to run into someone seeking treasures ,at exactly the same time as myself,is quite a treat! That is how I met Junebug and Shortcut.
The most unusual of things I have found is a set of false teeth at the War Memorial adjacent to the Old Gray Cemetary. That should have been a sign to stop right then. I started seeking at Old Gray and pulled my car over to look at the clues. I stepped out of my car and looked toward the tomb. SQUUUUEEAAKK,the gate swung open and out stepped a spooky man which I was just sure was the ghost of Old Gray himself. He said, " can I help you find something?" I told him no and got in my car and got the heck out of there. I went back on a sunny day with my sister cister , thinking that two seekers are better than one. Thank goodness Old Gray was asleep that day!!

Bikerider

Itstwinsanity goes to Kentucky

2008-07-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

We went to Kentucky today. It was a day trip, a really long day, but we did it in a day. We went up to Lexington to visit my grandmother. After the visit though, we went to a couple of parks.
The first was one I had been to many times as a kid when we lived up there. I hid 3 there, and went through the park handing out information and explaining cisting to people there. I was hoping that having cists hidden in a place they already were might help get it started in KY.

Then we stopped at a park closer to the interstate, one we had visited before. It was PACKED! I had a hard time finding places I could hide them with all people around! I did manage to hide 3 more there.I keep hoping to see that some of the people I talked to have registered or found the cists I hid. ::::::::fingers crossed::::::::

Written by Itstwinsanity

Itstwinsanity go to Panther Creek State Park

2008-07-25T14:40:00.000-07:00

Today we got to go look for all the great "surprise" cists that Goodboys and Trikkerider hid for us when they were out here 2 days ago!

The twins were so excited that we had to go hunting as soon as they were posted.
The first we found was "my" cist! How exciting to get a cist for you! And the twins were beside themselves with excitement to find the cists "especially for" them!
Sadly though, we couldn't find the one "especially for Billy". All in all, he took it pretty well though.

Hunting for the new cists was a lot of fun, but I think it was more fun to go back over the places we had been just a couple of days earlier and remember how much fun we all had!!

Written by Itstwinsanity

TheSinks and NPW02 go to Cove Lake

2008-07-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

We went to Cove Lake today, to go cisting....We started out trying to scooter on the bike trail, but it was pretty bumpy so we just ended up walking most of the way.

After finding all the cists along the trail, we took a break, and decided to let the kids do some fishing. The fish were plentiful! You could see them rising to the surface to take the bait! The kids were fishing with bread and most of the fish got away before they could hook them, but they did end up catching a few.

We found all the cists there and then moved on to find the ones at the Cumberland Trail. This was an experience! We chased our tails around Caryville, and LaFollette trying to find the trailhead. The directions on the cist were right, we just couldn't find the old highway (where's GPS when you need it?) ....So after stopping at three gas stations, and taking four trips to LaFollette and back, we finally got some directions to take Park road next to Cove Lake and turn left on Bruce Gap road from there. We found it with no problem and started on our hike. We found all the cists on the trail and headed back. On the way out, we found the old highway (which was easy to get to, by the way)...Oh well, this is part of the fun for us! We usually end up driving around....a lot!

Oh yes, and why not?.....we'll just go ahead and stop at Norris Dam on our way home! Score! More cists found! Total for today.....19

Written By NPW02

Panther Creek State Park Picnic

2008-07-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Goodboys, the Trikke crew, BettyBoop2 and skg12 all went to Panther Creek State Park to meet Itstwinsanity for a picnic and some cisting fun. We all left a little early to hide some cists before we met up with them. Trikkerider and her group went to Morristown and hid some cists there before coming on to Panther Creek. We went on to Panther Creek intending to hide several before meeting up with them. I had a hard time keeping the boys on task because they found this cool grouping of rocks that they wanted to explore. We hid one there before meeting up with the Trikke crew.

After meeting up with the Trikke crew, we had some time to kill so we set off to search for a few close cists before meeting Itstwinsanity at the playground. We found one cist, three millipedes, a box turtle and saw a deer and were only 15 minutes late meeting them. I think we did pretty well considering there were 3 adults and 6 kids on this search.

When we reached the playground the kids immediately headed for the merry-go-round. It was a big hit and the adults chatted for a while before getting lunch out. After lunch, Trikkerider surprised the kids with some water balloons and I had brought some water guns. The kids all had a great time and didn't want to stop playing to go cisting. We finally dragged them to the car and headed out for the first trail with Itstwinsanity leading the way. She was our secret weapon. We were able to get right where we needed to go and then she would let us take over with the clues. I must say the twins did much better than my boys do at not running ahead and showing us where they were all hidden.

The first cists were hidden on the Ridge Crest Trail which had an awesome view from the top. After enjoying the view we headed off to find the cist. Itstwinsanity actually ended up telling us where it was though because one of the trees in the clue had fallen down. We made our switches and she moved it to a new location. We also managed to "sneak" and hide a few for her while we were there.

Then down the hill we went to the Point Lookout Trail for another cist. We managed to find that one. The kids also found a really cool vine that they could swing on. A few of them hit the tree but they just jumped up and got right back on.

By this time it was starting to thunder so we decided to go find the one by the Spoone shelter next in case it started to rain. As we were opening it up we could hear the rain coming toward us in the woods so we all started running for the shelter. It is a good thing too because it started coming down in buckets right after we got there. The kids were snacking on cucumbers and entertaining us with songs and dances when the shelter got struck by lightning....yes, lightning. There was a big crash, the ground shook, and some sparks sprayed a few feet into the shelter. It didn't hurt anyone but it scared a few of us....er, uh, them....

After the rain let up and the sun came out we discussed it and decided to keep going. I don't think anyone was ready to pack it in and go home. We cisters are a tough lot. (Maybe a little crazy too!) We headed out to the Horse trail and despite some puddles we found the cist hidden there. After that the kids piled into the creek to cool off. BettyBoop2 was kind (or crazy) enough to volunteer to watch them while Trikkerider, Itstwinsanity, and I went to find the Amphitheater cist which was a short but steep climb. After we found that one Itstwinsanity said there was another one "just a little up the trail from here" so we continued on. Well, before we were finished we had found 5 more cists and had went up one side of the mountain and down the other but they were all "just a little up the trail from here."

We made it back to the creek and the kids. BettyBoop2 had survived and all of the kids were accounted for. We visited a little more while trying to get the kids out of the creek using bubbles to bribe them. Itstwinsanity talked to one of her ranger friends and convinced him to bring the park snake down to show the kids. It was a corn snake named Wilbur and he was a big hit. All of the kids loved him. We also managed to get him (the ranger, not the snake) to take a group picture of all of us.

Back row (from left to right): Trikkerider, Trikke Kid, sgk12, BettyBoop2, Good Mom, Itstwinsanity. Front Row: Princess Hope, Little Trikke, Little Boy, Big Boy, Thing 2, and Thing 1

While Trikkerider and I were wanting to get the last few cists, we knew the kids would not be up for the steep climb and decided we would have to come back another day. We had both hidden a total of 15 more including the ones in the park and the ones in Morristown so we knew that it would be worth a trip back. Plus, the park is absolutely beautiful. In fact, my kids asked as we were leaving the park if we could come back tomorrow.

So the tally for the day included 11 cists found, 15 cists hidden, lots of new friends, 3 millipedes, 1 box turtle, lots of deer, 1 snake named Wilbur, 1 thunder storm, 1 cool creek, 1 cool merry go round, 100 water balloons, 8 water guns, and TONS of fun!!

Goodboys go the the Arboretum

2008-07-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Well, we knew it would be a long, hot hike but we headed out this afternoon to do the "Backwoods Trail" cists at the Arboretum. We started out with Central China and the Lost Chestnut and then made our way up the hill to the Backwoods Trail and the Cemetery Ridge Trail. The kids caught on real quick that we were basically looking for a cist at every bench. We found the first couple quickly and easily. Then we hit a snag with the one "behind the pine tree without a top." We were sure we had the right tree but it wasn't behind it. Big Boy and I were ready to mark it as missing when Little Boy called out that he had found it. He was so proud of himself for finding the hard one. Big Boy was proud of finding a millipede that he was going to take home (see picture below). Uh, did I mention he was taking it home in his pocket?

As we left #4, the boys were walking in the woods about 10 feet away along the trail when Little Boy started screaming, "Snake, snake!" and came dashing out of the woods onto the trail. He said he had seen a black snake laying there. Of course, Big Boy immediately runs over to check it out since he is the authority on everything but I steered them on along the trail insisting we didn't need to wake the snake up from his nap.

So it is bench #5 and they are looking under every rock they can find. Big Boy starts walking back to the bench where I am sitting waiting on them when suddenly he is surrounded by wasps. He got stung 3 times! We sat there on the trail for a few minutes for him to calm down and eventually decided that we had to walk down the trail to get out, so we might as well find the rest of the cists while we were there. Little Boy did most of the finding but I was still proud of Big Boy for being a real trooper. He was upset and hurting but he dealt with it pretty well for an 8-year-old. He insisted it was worth it to get the French coin out of the last cist. By the time we got to that one he was feeling well enough to go looking for it. Besides, he knows the rules when we are hunting is that the first to find it gets first pick at swapping and he didn't want to risk losing that coin! It didn't even daunt them when I told them to make a lot of noise and watch for snakes because the last cist was under a rocky outcropping that looked perfect for them. They found the cist and decided to share the coin. I was so proud of them.

So we headed out of the Arboretum stopping in the marsh area to play a little in the creek. As we were leaving, Little Boy almost stepped on a black snake and it zoomed past Big Boy and I. They thought that was really cool and wanted to find it again. Thinking quickly, I promised ice cream if we could get back to the car in 5 minutes or less and they took off. Whew!!!

To top off the whole day, when we got home we discovered Little Boy had about 60 or 70 seed ticks because I forgot to spray them down before we went in the woods. Bad Mommy!! Despite the snakes, wasps, and ticks we had a pretty good day. We found 11, hid 3, and got the French coin Big Boy has been going on about for weeks!

I am not sure why but they want to take tomorrow off from treasure hunting.......

NPW02 and TheSinks go to Vonore in search of the Trail of Tears Cist

2008-07-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

We followed clues to find a cist that was hidden around this tree. The real treasure today, was this tree. It was so breathtaking. As soon as we entered the wooded area we knew this had to be the one the clues were referring to. You can tell this tree has to be ancient. I would love to know just how old it is. The kids enjoyed playing on it and all the vines around it.

Written by: NPW02

Goodboys visit the Third Creek Trail and UT Gardens

2008-07-06T11:49:00.000-07:00

So, Good Dad had recovered enough from Turtle Park to go treasure hunting today as long as we didn't go into the actual woods. We decided to go to the Third Creek Trail and find the Birthday Cist of Trikkekid. Good Dad waited on the paved path while we ventured into the woods to get the cist. After we made our switch we walked down the bike path to the railroad trestle because Little Boy LOVES trains. I got this picture of the kids climbing up to hide a cist. Watch out for loose gravel when you go find this one guys!!

This one is of the guys up by the tracks pretending to be trains.

I took this one of Big Boy at the UT Gardens. I couldn't believe how big the blooms on this Hibiscus were. As you can tell they are as big as his head.

I love the story behind this bridge picture below. If you look closely you can see Little Boy peeking over the top of the bridge. We were getting ready to go and he wanted to hide just one more cist. Good Dad had already gone to get the car so I was trying to hurry them out of the garden. I asked him where he wanted to hide it and, of course, he picked under the bridge. Well, right next to it were 2 people sitting and cooling off after riding their bikes. I told him we would have to wait until they left so we could sneak the cist under the bridge. Well, he starts tiptoeing over to the bridge and acting all sneaky. The couple were laughing at him and trying to not look at him. So he edges down in the dried creek bed to hide the cist, and he keeps peeking at them over the bridge to see if they were looking. I thought they were going to start rolling on the ground laughing. I finally explained what he was doing and they were interested in hearing about the game. Little Boy came running up and said, "Shhh, don't tell them Mom! It's a surprise!"

We had a great time today. It was very hot but we managed to find all the cists we were looking for and even hide a few more. Success!!

Goodboys do some cisting on the 4th of July

2008-07-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

Today, we went to do some treasure hunting for the 4th. The unusual part is that my husband went with us for this trip. He has went before but only a couple of times and usually for the quick, easy trips to parks. We went to Oak Ridge and visited the Friendship Bell and found the treasure near it. The boys loved the big bell. I took this cute picture of Little Boy trying to ring the bell. He ended up requiring a little assistance with it. We also hid a new one near here.

Then we went to Turtle Park to find the two cists hidden there. This trail is a little footpath that is grown up on both sides and runs along a creek. The boys and I were really excited. We love when we find places like this. Good Dad not so much. He balked at first because of the poison ivy along the trail but we talked him into going in. He kept talking about ticks all the way through the trail. We found the first cist and then were walking along the creek and a snake jumps off the bank and into the water. Poor Good Dad about had a heart attack. He was ready to turn back, but we were determined to find the last cist of that trail. We did find it and then found a quick short cut out of the woods. Needless to say we were done for the day. Good Dad had had enough of nature to last him for a while.

NPW02 and The Sinks visit House Mountain

2008-07-02T20:17:00.000-07:00

We went cisting today, with our friends the Sinks, to House Mountain. I can't believe we have never heard of this place before. We had to google to find what the highest point in Knoxville was. I thought it was Sharps Ridge....LOL.... This is one of my favorite parts of cisting! We have found so many places that we would have never known about, otherwise.

Anyways, it was a little more than we were expecting (thank goodness we had our kids wear tennis shoes, and not sandals or crocs), but it was still a great time! Neither of our kids complained the whole time...I couldn't believe it because it was quite a hike. We did have to carry my littlest one part of the way and we decided to come down the other way once we found out that it was the easier route. We found all the cists but one. We laughed, because the one we couldn't find, should have been the easiest one!! We spent quite a while looking for a specific tree, and never found it! We also got to hide a couple, so even though it was a tiring day, it was a lot of fun for all of us!

Written by NPW02

Goodboys and the Trikke crew visit the Ivan Racheff House and Gardens

2008-07-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went to find the two cists hidden by Brascott at The Ivan Racheff House and Gardens on Western Avenue. Trikkerider and Little Trikke went with us. This little place is not in the best neighborhood but is one of the prettiest places in Knoxville. It is a really nice little garden and once inside we felt perfectly safe. It appeared to be completely fenced in and the gardeners were wandering around the entire time we were there, obviously keeping an eye on us. I took several pictures while we were there and thought I would share a few of them with you. We also hid several more cists there today.

BELOW: Little Boy finding one of the cists.

BELOW: The Goodboys can't resist water and they spent quite a bit of time climbing down beside these two little ponds under the bridge.

BELOW: Little boy loves trains and there were tracks right by the garden. When he heard a train coming he quickly found a hole in the fence to watch the train go by.

BELOW: The Goodboys also love climbing trees. We found this really cool tree (where of course we hid a cist) and before I knew it Big Boy was halfway up it. If you look closely you can see him peeking around it in this picture.

BELOW: A group picture with Big Boy, Little Boy, and Little Trikke. Of course it was too much to ask that they all look at the camera at the same time.

BELOW: Picture of Little Trikke on the bridge.

We had a really great time there today and will have to visit there again soon. If you plan on going remember they close at 4 and are also closed during December, January, and February. This is definitely a must see.