Bucket List Adventure #8.1:Being Brown In the Wrong Town? Geocaching: Will It Get Me Arrested? LOL!
I made a decision that in 2019 I would take on more adventures and accept invitations to try new things. Many times I fall into a nice slumber of chilling on my own and doing me--which is what I am most apt to do most days. David, skilled Geocache-er, new friend, asked me if I wanted to go geocache. I had no earthly clue what I was getting myself into. So, what I understand geocaching to be is a worldwide scavenger hunt with coordinates. There are multiple societies dedicated to creating puzzles to help you find a pill sized capsule that you locate and add your name to. Now, this is not necessarily my jam but David was geeked and I said I would try it after a lot of side-eyeing about doing this in a nice tepid 35 degree temps. He wanted to travel to Nahant Beach, MA for his next badge of honor. As we found ourselves in the seaside town, he guided us by GPS to the Beach reservation, which is generally for residents only. My hope and prayer in being two men of color on this hunt was that we didnt get arrested for being Brown in the wrong town. I followed him as he used GPS and sheer will to locate a forested space near the water with giant rocks. It felt like we were in Game of Thrones. We traversed all through the woods and to this space looking for something the size of a hot dog. The clue read: "You will find me between a rock and a hard place". Now I really thought this was kinda cheeky that the clue felt more like a horoscope or fortune cookie message than it did a clue. But we pressed on. In fifteen minutes, he pressed through crevices, climbed rocks, and finally found it located under a non-descript rock. There was nothing special about this rock or the place he found it. But this army camouflage bottle was there. David flashed a huge smile; opened up his Geocaching kit, located his stamper, and marked his name on the small roll of parchment inside the bottle. He took a photo with the bottle and cursed those who weren't patient enough to locate it themselves (many claimed it was too cold to locate this "find". I laughed. I would've probably been one of those people he cursed out. I am not sure how the hell he found it to be honest with you. We would continue onto one more location in Lynn before we called it a day. I am learning that we have to be patient, enjoy the small moments, and really look for the light or good in the moment and the person you are with. I am not about to tell you that I will enjoy geocaching in my near future--but I am not turning it down either. There is something remarkable about looking for something in places and spaces people neglect or overlook. It keeps me mindful that opening myself up to something new isn't as awful as one would think.
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Bucket List Adventure #16: Louisville, Kentucky Bourbon Trail
I have come to enjoy a nice Bourbon Whisky in my life. Notes of caramel, smoke, vanilla, and berry tickle my fancy quite a bit. There is nothing more enjoyable than a nice Cuban and a Dewars 12 year old. As part of my Bucket List extravaganza, I decided that I would learn more about the liquor that has become part of my chill down experience at home. Louisville Kentucky is known for Bourbon, the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Fried Chicken, the Louisville Cardinals and more. However, Bourbon was on my mind. I decided to stay at the Brown Hotel, which is a historic hotel in the center of town. I believe the hotel is almost a 100 years old and is comfy and in the mix of everything. If I were to ever visit Louisville again, I would stay there. I was treated well. This is not Travel Advisor so I am going to move forward. Right after checking in, my Ace, Kal, and I found ourselves at a 2 p.m. visit with the Old Forester Distillery. Old Forester's claim to fame is being the "First Bottled Bourbon" in America. There you experience a round education on bourbon being used for medicinal purposes especially during Prohibition. We have an opportunity to see how the barrels are created on the property that would later be charred and home to the aging and loving process of Bourbon. During the tour you have a chance to experience how to expand your palate by tasting the O.F. 1910, 1920, and a rye version home to the company. Our guide shared how we could close one nostil and smell the same glad on each side and experience something completely different. This was mind-blowing. In my left nostil, I received all of the sweetness, hearty flavors, etc. On the right side, I got nothing but gasoline it seems. Imagine that I carried this tactic to the other distilleries we visited as well. Each tour we experienced ended in the gift shop because--they want you to buy product. Because Kal and I have become connoisseurs of the Bourbon, Whisky, Scotch experience--we figured we could do a nice little search at home and find most of them for a much cheaper price. The experiences at Evan Williams, Bulleit, and even Doc Crows Smokehouse (which was super tasty delicious) we went to revealed more notes that caramelized why I enjoy bourbon the way I do. It feels mature and manly. LOL! However, by itself its nice and refreshing and does not give me headaches like Vodka does. If I were to ever go back to Louisville (highly doubtful), I would travel to Bardstown where we could experience Makers Mark and a few local homes where people are collectors and master mixers of Bourbon based cocktails. If you want more in-depth details--hit me up. By the time you do--I will have a nice glass of something in hand. |
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