This blog chronicles my letterboxing adventures. It includes posts that share my travels that are letterboxing related, the letterboxes I have found and planted as well as the people I have met along the way. There are also photos included to help give a complete picture of the fun I had.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Heroes and Monsters

In Memoriam
Three new boxes have recently appeared in Santa Fe and today I had the afternoon free so I decided I would bring all my letterboxing gear and the clues and try and nab these boxes after my morning appointments. My morning was pretty busy and I didn't finish all my appointments and errands until after 1:00pm. The rest of the afternoon was mine to just letterbox. One of the letterboxes was off of Hyde Park Road and two others were off of Richards Avenue which is close to home. I decided to take the drive up the mountain first and get that box. The box is a memorial to firefighters (especially the group who recently died in Arizona) and was planted by ArnoldZiffel, Agent 86 and Speleo. The box is called Heroes on the Line and is hidden on a small trail that isn't marked just a few miles up Hyde Park Road. I parked in the pullout on the right side of the road and gathered my things. I crossed the road and walked a short distance up the trail and found the landmark. The box was hidden well but was easy to find and once I had it in my hand I walked a little further up the trail until I found a nice place to sit and stamp in. The stamp is wonderful and I really enjoyed the box - thanks guys.

Once back in the car I drove down the mountain and made my way to Richards Avenue. I then drove to Governor Miles Road and ended at Pueblos del Sol Playground which is where the clues started for the Monster Mash series planted by BirchMoon and ArnoldZiffel. Technically these boxes are night boxes and are marked by fire tacks. When I first read the clues and thought about where the boxes were planted I was a little concerned about getting these boxes at night. Not that I was scared of the dark but I was a little concerned about walking a trail behind some houses at night, in the dark with a flashlight. I just didn't want one of the neighbors to wonder who or what was out there and the light flashing around while I looked for the boxes. I know this sounds paranoid but I have been stopped by police and security for less while out letterboxing - so now I am a little more cautious about what I will do. Another example is a series of letterboxes in Farmington planted at or near schools. I don't think I will ever get these boxes (at least not by myself) because the first thing people will think is 'What is this pervert, old, white guy doing skulking around a school with childeren?'. I am a lot more discerning about looking for boxes that may raise concern for someone. This hobby is suppose to be fun and the fun is taken away when a cop stops to question you. I really wish planters would think a little more about where they are planting boxes and if they are putting people in compromising situations. Now I am not saying that the Monster Mash boxes are in a bad spot, I am just saying that I don't want to go searching for a letterbox in a neighborhood at night - so I chose to find these boxes during the day. Maybe I am just paranoid but I want to operate within my comfort zone. I didn't have any problems finding the two boxes in the series and I loved the stamps and the theme. I stamped in while sitting just off the trail on a bench a little ways from the hiding spots of the boxes.

Sunglasses on the Trail
After I got the boxes back in place I returned to my car and headed home. It was a good afternoon of letterboxing and I got three great stamps. Hopefully in the next week or two I can get some boxes that are just north of Santa Fe that I haven't yet had time for.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

A Box on the Way

This afternoon Thomas and I had plans to meet friends in Albuquerque and then go for dinner. There is a letterbox about half way between Santa Fe and Albuquerque that I have been wanting to grab for a while now. I decided that today we were going to stop and get this quick find. The box in MacabreMobile by Wronghat and I always love finding his boxes. This was no exception. The box in hidden near a water tank that has some very cool graffiti murals on them. We pulled up and parked next to the water tank and it took me all of 30 seconds to grab the box. I decided to take it back to the car to stamp in. I finished stamping in and decided to drop a hitchhiker in the box - this should be a good spot for the little guy to be picked up and moved along. When I was done it the box was replaced and we were on our way to meet friends. Thanks Wronghat for the distraction along I25.

Cactus and Adobe
Saxophone and Guitars
Macabre Mobile

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Back from San Francisco

Well we are home from our trip to San Francisco and we had a great time.
Golden Gate Bridge South Tower
From walking the Golden Gate Bridge, touring Alcatraz, visiting Golden Gate Park and admiring the Palace of Fine Arts it was all wonderful. I also got to find a few letterboxes along the way and add another state to my letterboxing map. We did all the touristy stuff as well as some side things and boy did we walk. We put a lot of miles on our feet even though we used the public transportation system a lot we still needed to walk to some things. Highlights for me were Alcatraz, Lands End and the walk over the Golden Gate Bridge. Even though we did a lot there are things we still didn't get to and we will have to make another trip. But until then you can read about this trip at City by the Bay Letterboxing Trip.

Friday, August 02, 2013

A Visit to San Francisco

Tomorrow Thomas and I are headed to San Francisco for a week long trip. Thomas is attending the WASHTO conference which takes place from Sunday, August 4 to Wednesday, August 7. We will have a few extra days to visit the city. I have lots planned for days when Thomas is at the conference and I will also be doing a lot of letterboxing. We have planned some sightseeing tours as well - Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Sausalito and a few walking tours as well. When I find my first letterbox in San Francisco (California) that will bring my total states letterboxed in to 42 - leaving me only 8 (Nevada, Hawaii, Virginia, West Virginia, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota). We will be busy all week and I will be blogging about the trip. You can read about it at City by the Bay Letterboxing Trip.

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