While on our way to Ft. Smith we stopped for the night near Conway, Arkansas. Shortly after getting the chairs out to enjoy the view, a young man from a site behind us wandered over and begin to ask about the Casita. It seems most folks have never seen one and have all kinds of questions about it. Does it have a bed? A bathroom? How long can you travel together in there, etc. We usually just ask if they would like to see inside. After a short tour, most walk away surprised, as this young man started to do.
As he was walking away, he turned and asked “do you look for gold?” Surprised by the question, I said no, and also that I didn’t think there was any gold to be found in the state of Arkansas. That’s when it got weird.
He fixed me with a stare, looked over both shoulders to see if anyone else was around, and said: since you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, and we’ll probably never see each other again, I guess I can tell you!
He then started telling this story.
When I was a boy a neighborhood gentleman (old uncle Tom) came by and told my mom that he was going to take me for a ride. I was about 9 or 10 years old at the time. We loaded up in his old pickup truck, bout a 62 or 63 Ford, and took off. He drove for a long time, then turned off the main road and down a narrow logging trail. Eventually we reached a creek and I thought we were going fishing. We got out and began walking. When I asked about fishing poles, he said we didn’t come to fish. Just come on.
We walked upstream for a mile or two and came to a large waterfall. We then climbed up to the top, and there were three creeks coming together to make the one stream over the falls. Uncle Tom said to pay particular attention to which creek we followed as the others dried up after a ways. We took the middle one. Soon, we came to a large cave, of which the stream was pouring out the mouth.
Another look over both shoulders, and a check skyward for the black helicopters.
You know what was in that cave? Buildings, like at that Mesa Verde place. And that’s not all. There was gold laying around on the ground. Lots of it. I picked some up and put it in my pocket. And artifacts; you know, Indian stuff. I picked up some of them, too, and put them in my other pocket. But the most amazing thing was the footprints. Footprints in the rock. Like human footprints, but with 6 toes, and a rear claw.
I smiled and said something to the effect of, you’re kidding, right? Another look around and he continued.
No way! I took my gold and sold it. Got $6.48 for it. Took some of the artifacts over to the University of Central Arkansas. I thought they was going to keep them when I wouldn’t tell them where they came from. They said they had never seen anything like them. And then, when I told them about the footprints and the gold, they went ballistic. They said that I had to tell them in the name of science. They wanted to know who owned the land, but I told them I didn’t know, probably National Forest. They then again told me I had to tell, but I didn’t. Got to get back there and get that gold. Got all the information in my GPS.
I then told him that he should file a claim on the gold and let the researchers in. A find like that could rewrite the history of North America, if not the World. He then said:
I’ll tell them on December 22, 2012. You know, the Mayan calendar says the world ends on December 21, and if it does, it won’t matter. If it doesn’t, then I’ll tell them where to find it. I’ll have all the gold out by then.
Another close look around, high and low, and he walks away. Wanda and I look at each other and say WHAT?
He was, without a doubt, the best bull******* I’ve ever met; or the nuttiest. Maybe he just liked to see peoples reactions to his tales.
So there you have it. If, sometime after December 22, 2012, when the news breaks about a new prehistoric find in Arkansas, you can say that you knew it was coming.
OBTW! Did I mention the Crystal Skull?
