This week’s hidden place is tucked right in the middle of Biola’s campus and provides a comfortable place to do homework or play a board game undisturbed. It can be enjoyed at anytime during the day, even in midnight hours, although a lack of light can be a problem if a rousing game of checkers is your preference.

From Jesus, head toward the world famous bell towers. Turn left and down the sidewalk past the art gallery and psychology building. Once you reached the health center, turn directly left and find a concrete path that runs along the side of the library and the infirmary. Follow along the sidewalk until it veers left. Take the turn and find yourself at a brick wall and a metal gate. Walk through the gate and see a little courtyard, with rundown patio furniture and an odd tree, covered in knots.

With a quick hand dusting, the table in the courtyard is more than open to use for school activities or board game entertainment. Make sure to notice the sound of dry leaves on the ground as you explore the premises. Feel the knots on the tree and wonder how exactly they formed. If you’ve come in the middle of the day, listen for the clanking of bats from the baseball field in the distance.

Whenever it is you feel like leaving, make sure to exit past the tree at an opening in the brick wall. Follow a dirt path that is cut through small bushes. Hear the leaves fallen from a “falling” tree as they crunch beneath your footsteps.

Fallen leaves and a shady tree; hidden in plain sight.

The travel log is hidden this week below a gray trashcan in the courtyard. Please be so kind as to place the log back underneath it once you have had your say.