Letterboxing and a Mini Meet in Albuquerque

This afternoon Astro D picked me up at my house and we headed down to Albuquerque. There were a few boxes we wanted to find and then we were meeting a family of letterboxers that were passing through Albuquerque. We talked about Astro D's recent trip to Farmington since I will be leaving on Tuesday for that same area. The trip went fast and before I knew it we were in Albuquerque.

We both noticed that a new box had appeared today on AQ so we decided to head that way first. We made our way to La Luz de Amistad Park. We were here to find one of Twinville Trekkers Beatles Series boxes. This one was called I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Very appropriate as this park has a state with a hand on it. The statue is called Hand of Friendship by Ted Egri. We found the box easily and parked ourselves on a bench to stamp in - it was a little windy so we had to keep hold of all the papers. It was a nice stamp and we got a first finder prize as well. So once the box was back in place we headed off to the old Microsoft Offices so that Astro D could find Fantastyk Voyager's box (I found it a while back). This is a very easy find as long as no one is around. So a Saturday was just perfect and Astro D was able to get the box and stamp in after numerous tries with the area too busy for her to retrieve it. Once that was done we headed to downtown to find two of Wronghat's boxes. All Aboard the RAILRUNNER and KiMo. I already had KiMo but Astro D needed to get it. So after a little searching for a parking spot we followed the clues for All Aboard the RAILRUNNER and found the box. Thankfully the area was pretty quiet and we didn't have to avoid prying eyes. We grabbed the box and walked a little ways away to stamp in. While stamping in we were approached by a man that asked us tons of questions but thankfully he didn't hang around (I was glad we weren't sitting right by the hiding spot). After we stamped in and were ready to rehide the box we had to be much more careful. There were some people hanging around but with Astro D blocking for me I got it back in place safely. From here we walked a few blocks and arrived at the KiMo Theatre. Astro D found this box and we sat so she could stamp in. Once she finished stamping in we got the box rehidden and realized it was time to head over to the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History to meet Wronghat and the Happy SAHD Family. When we arrived we didn't see anyone but a few minutes later Wronghat and Semicolon showed up. We talked for a few minutes and then Wronghat gave Astro D and I clues for a box that he had planted in a nearby park. So while they waited for the Happy SAHD Family we went and looked for the box. It took us a little thinking and working things out but finally got the clues figured out and found the box. This was a little tricky since right near the hiding spot they were having some sort of concert, halloween, costume, dance thingy. There were quite a few people and a lot of them were dressed up as zombies or ghouls. We were able to grab the box and stamp in without drawing attention to ourselves. Rehiding the box was a little tougher. I sat in front of the hiding spot pretending to take pictures while Astro D was able to sneak it back into place. We headed back toward the museum and met up with Wronghat. I think he was concerned that we may not have been able to figure out the clues, but we did. We all returned to the museum and met Happy SAHD, Chesire Cat, Lil' Shamrock and Sodormaniac.

We decided to go and have some dinner and do some exchanges. Wronghat and Semicolon suggested Church Street Cafe. It was a quick walk to the restaurant but they were busy and we could only get two tables that sat four each. Fortunately the tables were next to each other and we were able to visit and get exchanges and personal travelers done. We had a great meal and a wonderful visit. I am always glad when letterboxers passing through New Mexico contact us for a meet. Thanks Happy SAHD, it was nice to meet your family and we hope you have a wonderful time on the rest of your trip.