I was now convinced that the notes were genuine although I had no idea when any of this might have occurred or any clue as to what actually transpired. I left the church wondering if I should contact archaeologists or the police. I had yet to encounter any human remains and could not determine if the rubble was the result of negligence or malice. All I knew for sure was that I must now find the cave – but where to look? I decided to return to the dry creek bed and move downstream in search of cliffs that might house caves.

 

I occasionally levered boulders hoping to reveal a hidden entrance to a cave. I searched damp crannies and narrow crevices to find only spider webs and animal burrows. The banks were becoming steeper and rockier, however, so I determined to continue on downstream.

 

A short distance away, the dry creek bed turned to the right and ran into a flowing stream. A bit farther downstream a sheer rock face rose to my left. I plodded through the knee-deep water and onto the other side of the creek.