Grapevine Canyon and The Underwear Tree

  Although we'd begun the day hoping to dive telephone cove (Nevada side), we knew this might be very unlikely because of the holiday weekend.  We were ready for that and when it actually happened, we set off for plan B.  Grapevine Canyon is a very fascinating place with hundreds of petroglyphs and surprisingly lush plant life because of it's natural spring.  I hadn't been here for several years and it was really good to get back.  After spending about an hour admiring the petroglyphs at the canyon's mouth, we hiked a little deeper in, to the water.  The grape bushes were incredibly green and offered an amazing contrast to the arid desert surroundings. 

  I noticed a small cave just above us and it was there that we next headed.  Inside, I looked up and observed the smoke covered ceiling!  My girlfriend and brother soon joined me and together, we sat and wondered about the people who'd used this cave hundreds of years before us.  This canyon is a great place and as we headed back out, I thought "Yeah, we'll definitely be back!"  My brother and I decided to drive the rest of Christmas tree pass (where Grapevine Canyon is located) back out to the highway.  This is a fun, interesting and very scenic drive through the high desert.  Although it can be driven by car, I would strongly recommend some type of four wheel drive vehicle just to be on the safe side.  Back to the story; So there the three of us go, bouncing along the trail and what do we see?  There right along the side of the trail, a bra and panties hanging in a Juniper tree!  A light flashed in my brother's eyes and it was then I knew, my jealousy palpable for not having thought of it myself, we had to contribute to this strangely ornamented flora!  And that my friends is how our underwear ended up on the side of the road, hanging scandalously close to the bra and panties in a tree up on Christmas Tree Pass! 

You never know what you will find in the desert, or what you will leave behind...

The Phone Call

  It all started with a simple phone call.  My sister's friend had gotten her interested in scuba diving and before long she found herself in Arkansas, where her friend's family owned a dive shop.  It was through them that she became the first certified scuba diver in my family.  When she told the rest of us about the underwater world and the idea that both she and another family friend were planning a trip to Grand Cayman to experience the diving there, we were hooked.  Thinking back, I always remember the excitement in her voice, which came through so clearly in that simple and short conversation!  She said, "You guys would love it!"  My sister was right, and it wasn't long afterwards that my brother, dad and I all gained open water certification.  My mother would join the ranks just about a year later.  My brother and I would join my sister and our family friend on that Grand Cayman trip, and what a trip it was!

  That's the thing about scuba diving, it's a great reason to explore new places whether local or far off.  The thought behind writing this is the simple idea that these experiences have definitely enriched my life.  Diving has also become for me a reminder that there are great and amazing things to be found not just in our cities, but in nature as well.  And if it has done so much for me, maybe it can affect you the reader in a similar way.  Whether one dives mostly local waters, travels to far off places or simply reads, really doesn't matter.  Once you've done any of these, you become part of the adventure and that adventure must be shared.  Although I've only been diving for a little over ten years as of this writing, what stories, adventures and experiences I have gained! 

Out here, you never know what you'll find......and how do you find it if you never go looking?