Rather than visit Garden of the Gods, Brett was in the mood to explore a cave and/or a waterfall, so he did a little research and decided he wanted to check out Burden Falls, about a one-hour drive away, in the Shawnee National Forest. Mikey and I were up for anything, so off we went.
Our first attempt to reach our destination failed. GPS led us down a rocky, overgrown gravel road to a dead end. We managed to get Mini Pearl turned around and back to the main road. We stopped at a gas station to fuel up and consult our road map. The station attendant said she had seen signs for Burden Falls in the town of Delwood, to which she gave us directions. We were determined to find the falls, despite the burden.
We found Delwood and, sure enough, found the sign pointing to Burden Falls. We found what appeared to be the trailhead and started hiking. We soon happened upon a small collection of old tombstones alongside the trail.
We continued for about an hour and ran into a couple of guys heading our way. We asked them about the falls, and they admitted that they hadn't been able to find them. They told us which paths they had tried where they split off in different directions. They wished us luck, and we continued on our way. To make a long story short, we tried several routes and found nothing but "no trespassing" signs and dry creek beds. We eventually decided to cut our losses and head back. We became a bit disoriented and temporarily lost our way on the return hike. We got back on track and found our van almost three hours after beginning our trek. Ironically, Brett had chosen this destination because finding a swimming hole sounded more appealing to him than simply hiking. We never found Burden Falls, but we did find some beautiful Illinois scenery.
When we returned to the mansion, and to reliable wifi, I learned of the death of Robin Williams. He had apparently committed suicide. I was shocked. I don't want to spend much time here discussing his passing because there are plenty of other forums for that. However, the impact of the news on the rest of my day requires mentioning. It was difficult to wrap my brain around how somebody so successful at bringing joy to millions could suffer from depression to such an extant that he would take his own life (presumably). Many people around my age (42) would agree that Mr. Williams has been entertaining us since we were kids. He'd always been there, and it seemed he always would be. I only learned about his bouts with depression and his stints in rehab for drugs and alcohol as a result of looking for information about his death. I guess you never know what somebody else is struggling with in their personal life. Brett and Mikey went downstairs to spend some time with our hosts at the mansion and their kids, but I didn't feel up to it. I just sat alone in a chair against the wall as the daylight from the windows faded and the bedroom darkened.
I texted Jen to see if she could talk and we decided to use FaceTime to see each other during our conversation. So, by necessity, the lights came on. I gave her a quick tour of the mansion, and we talked for a while. It was good to see her face (and our cat, Felix). Among other things, we talked about what we did today, some future plans, and our thoughts regarding the loss of Mr. Williams. My wallet had arrived from FloydFest, so I asked her to open it for me. As I expected, it was relieved of its cash, but everything else, including my ID and debit cards were inside. I was grateful to see they would be waiting for me at home.
I said goodbye to Jen. It was a very quiet evening at the mansion (and Golconda in General). The boys cracked into the moonshine and beer and started playing Xbox in our room. They proceeded to get drunk, and I proceeded to gorge myself with food I had bought at the grocery store. And that's where today's story ends. It was a day of adventure, disappointment, sad news, and continuing on our own journeys. Tomorrow we head out to a new unknown situation and a gig in St. Louis, Missouri. I look forward to it.
Be good to yourself!
- Jon
Caring!
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