The Tyler Park Boxes

Battle of the Bands - Taking Care of Business

Difficulty level: easy
Time: about 30 minutes
Placed: November 6, 2004

Elvis was looking for something...he didn't exactly know what it was but he knew that when he found it,he would know it. He made up his mind I DON'T CARE IF THE SUN DON'T SHINE because of the EARLY MORNING RAIN. I BELIEVE IN THE MAN IN THE SKY and I need to find what I am searching for. So he decided to take a trip in his LONG BLACK LIMOUSINE with his HOUND DOG in beautiful Tyler State Park. He started by driving past the fields that reminded him of the GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF HOME and that today were filled with GIRLS, GIRLS, GIRLS and EARTH BOYS playing soccer. I GOT MY MOJO WORKING today, he thought, I can feel it! Ahhh! Look at that sign; it says "Maze" which reminds me of one of my favorite songs - AMAZING GRACE. This must be an omen so I will park here and FOLLOW THAT DREAM.
Look, there is a trail at the end of this parking lot, the Tyler Drive Trail that looked like a LONG LONELY HIGHWAY to Elvis. But he decided to try it out. He took the path at 285 degrees and crossed a little stone bridge. On his right, he then noticed a drinking fountain. I GOT A FEELING IN MY BODY that I may need that a little later. He then walked through two yellow posts and past the Dallons Grove Picnic Area sign. "HOUND DOG," he said, "IF YOU TREAT ME RIGHT we will bring our lunch and eat it here."

He reached a little circle then and after choosing the clockwise direction, he noticed A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER. Another omen, he thought. Let's STOP, LOOK AND LISTEN to the water passing through here. Upon reaching the other side of the bridge, Elvis noticed a cylinder shaped object and thought "if I touch that, I MIGHT GET STUNG by those bees flying around. So I will head up the path behind the sign that says 'Nature Trail Start'. I am getting closer to my goal, he thought, I GOT A FEELING IN MY BODY. Look at that large JAILHOUSE ROCK on the left - IT FEELS SO RIGHT here." He walked a few steps further to a smaller rock on the left and took a little look at the downed tree behind it. SLOWLY BUT SURELY this SMOKY MOUNTAIN BOY looked for a fork in the downed tree and there he found what he had been looking for. And best of all, he thought, I DID IT MY WAY!
After he was through TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS, he GENTLY rehid his treasure and began to retrace his steps humming VIVA LAS VEGAS but knowing in his mind that the words should be Viva Pennsylvania.

If you have to figure out how to get around the tree in the path, you have gone too far.
Words in capital letters are actual names of Elvis songs.


Battle of the Bands - Hound Dog

Difficulty level: Easy
Time: about one hour for both boxes
Placed 11/6/2004

It was a beautiful day when Elvis and Hound Dog visited Tyler State Park in the Long Black Limousine. After a nice picnic lunch at the Dalton Grove Picnic area, Elvis stretched out for a little nap. Hound Dog, being a typical hound dog, had to investigate every new smell in the area. Before he knew it, he had wandered the whole way down to the Plantation Picnic area. He stopped to watch the children playing on the swings before he continued sniffing along the Quarry Trail. Then he spent a few minutes watching the frisbees flying back and forth on the disc golf course. But there were more places to investigate so nose to the ground, he continued. He noticed pungent odors coming from the little house on the right, so he hurried by that and made a right hand turn onto Tyler Drive Trail. Meandering along, he got excited as he began to hear the sound of water to his left. Just before the curve in the road, he spied some benches on the left. The first one was occupied so he walked past it around a little bend and found an empty one right on the bank of the creek where he could enjoy the view for a while. By this time, Hound Dog was getting a little tired himself, so he looked at the little patch of woods behind him and saw a great area to take a nap. Directly behind his bench, deep in the little wooded patch was a downed tree with a large arm pointing up to the sky. He nested himself into the roots and began to dream of Elvis and his happy life with the King.

Battle of the Bands - Blue Suede Shoes

Hound Dog awoke from his nap and noticed that the sky was getting dark. He must have slept longer than he meant to and now it was time to get back to Elvis and the Long Black Limousine. However, he was now totally disoriented and didn't know how he was going to do this. "Hound Dog", he said to himself, "you ARE a hound dog, blessed with a magnificent sense of smell. You just need to sniff your way back to Elvis."
So putting his nose to the ground, he went back out to the Tyler Drive Trail and headed left on it. Sniff, sniff, sniff, he passed a set of double benches on his right. He hadn't picked up a good scent yet but he did smell water and when he saw a drinking fountain down a little path on his right, he decided to take a drink. After quenching his thirst, he figured that he might be able to take a shortcut to where he had last seen Elvis. He headed into the woods behind the drinking fountain, heading north on the faint trail that was there. After taking about 23 human size paces (left foot, right foot = 1 human pace) he noticed a really familiar smell in the leaning tree with the exposed roots. Could he have found Elvis? If not, where of where could he be? And what WAS that smell?
Update 10/23/10:  Taking Care of Business and Hound Dog are probably missing.  Blue Suede Shoes has been moved slightly "7 double paces NE of the big root ball. ".  Thanks to The Soul Mates for the update and repairs to the Blue Suede Shoes box.