Let It Snow, and Snow, and Snow

We made it home from our Louisiana Christmas trip after getting stuck in Santa Rosa for the night due to I-40 being shut down. We had to take an alternate route to get back to Santa Fe. We were pleasantly surprised to see how much snow had fallen in Santa Fe. I have lived in Santa Fe for 17 years and this is the largest amount of snow I have seen fall at one time. Thomas and I measured 22 inches at our house. I have to say I am enjoying it very much. We got to go cross country skiing on the property - it was cold but fun. I put together a photo album and you can view it by clicking on the photo.I know this is a letterboxing blog and the snow has nothing to do with letterboxing (well it has to do with a lack of letterboxing - meaning I can't get out letterboxing due to the snow), but I wanted to document this amazing snowfall. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Headin' South for Christmas

Well, it's the holiday season and Thomas and I have decided to visit my family in Louisiana for Christmas. And of course we will have to letterbox along the way. I have my clues and maps ready. We will stop and find boxes as we can. Click on the picture to read about our adventures. We took off from Santa Fe early on Thursday morning with the roads a little icy - it was a slow start but eventually things cleared up and our first day on the road turned out great. I'll try and post about every other day. Happy Holidays!

Winter Wonderland

I had big plans today - I was going to check on my Land of Enchantment Series and get the clues corrected. To my surprise, I arrived at the area to find the trail covered in snow. It wasn't so much that I couldn't find the trail, but it was enough to make it icy. I had come prepared for the cold but I wasn't ready for the ice - but I decided to venture forth. I made it to the first box but it took a lot of effort and careful footing - I did slip once but was able to hold on to a tree, so I didn't fall. The first box was fine and the clues were good. The next box wasn't that far away so I continued. Once I got to the area and checked the clues (measurements and degrees), I went to get the box to check on it. I slipped a little down the hill but was okay and so was the box (clues need a little tweaking though). At this point I was getting really cold and knew that I still had a lot of elevation to cover - I decided to head back down. I returned to the car and drove to a spot where I knew I could get to two or three other boxes without having to navigate too many hills with ice.



The landscape was incredible with the pristine snow cover. I quickly checked on the three boxes near here and found all to be good, the clues for only one of the boxes needed adjusting. I spent the next half hour walking and taking pictures - I loved it, peaceful, crisp, clean - but then I got cold. I headed to the warmth of my vehicle and then home. All in all - a nice visit to a winter wonderland.

Hiking and Letterboxing After the Snow

Last week we had our first big snow of the season in Santa Fe. I wanted to go hiking and get some pictures but the temperatures for the days following the snow did not get above the low 40's. So today when I saw the high temperature to be 48 degrees I decided to hike the Dale Ball South Trail to get a letterbox planted by kennamtn when she attended the Santa Fe Mini Meet.

As I started my hike it was still a little cold and I was bundled up pretty good. But the hike soon warmed me up. The snow had begun to melt and in places there was none. But parts of the trail were still covered and in places a little icy. It wasn't the snowy landscape that I had envisioned but there were areas still covered and very pretty. As I made my way up to the box I just enjoyed the solitude (mine was the only car in the lot when I started my hike). After a mile I located the box and stamped in. A nice box called Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star by kennamtn - I enjoyed the stamping in and then rehid the box. I decided to continue on this trail a little further and checked in on Astro D's Pine Borer box. As I continued up to the Pine Borer box I saw this dead tree and snapped the picture - don't know why, it just caught my eye. The views from here are incredible and if you make it to Santa Fe these two boxes and the views are worth the approximately 2.5 mile round trip hike.

As I made my way back down the trail I took my time and enjoyed the areas that still had snow. I took quite a few pictures and realized that it took me twice as long to descend as it did to ascend. Oh well, it was a great morning of hiking on Upper Canyon Road. As I was driving down Upper Canyon Road I spotted this gate - boy does it just scream Santa Fe - absolutely beautiful. I pulled over and got this picture and then continued to my next destination - Old Fort Marcy Park and another letterbox. This box was placed by KAT and called Lizard Goes South. A nice easy walk and I found the box. No one around and very peaceful. I stamped in, wrote a note and rehid the box. I still had one more box to find. So I made my way back to the car and headed for my next destination.

Museum Hill! Located off of Old Santa Fe Trail, with four museums, a cafe and shops, this is a great place to visit. There are also a few trails around the area. By this time it had warmed up a little and I needed to remove one of my jackets. I gathered my clue and letterboxing gear and started my search for Art Attack! (#1) by preboxed. After a short walk and little deciphering of the clues I found the box. What a great stamp! And I got a bonus - a hitchhiker. I found Snowshoe Dog '06 by KAT. Astro D left it in this box - I promise to find it a new home soon. I sat on a nice large rock and had a blast coloring the stamp and adding it to my journal. When I finally finished stamping in and rehiding the box I walked around the area and visited two of the museums.

I had a great morning letterboxing in Santa Fe. Thanks to kennamtn, KAT and preboxed for planting three great boxes on your visit to the Santa Fe Mini Meet.