Driving to Carlsbad

For a few weeks now I have been planning and working on a trip to Carlsbad. It has been about 20 years since Thomas and I have been in that area. Since Thomas has some time he needs to take off we decided on a trip for Christmas. I have carved five stamps and made boxes for those stamps to plant while on the trip and I am also going to do maintenance on a couple of my existing boxes. There are also a few boxes for me to look for while on the trip.

This morning we left Santa Fe sometime around 7:30am and headed out. It was cold and foggy but the drive was okay. We made a stop in Vaughn to have some breakfast and coffee and then continued on. My first letterboxing business was to stop at a rest area about 20 miles north of Roswell to replant a box. I had a box called Aphonopelma (the stamp was carved by Highwayman) planted at this rest area but it was geotrashed - the stamp and logbook were still there but the original box was taken and replaced with a soft sided CD case and trinkets. My logbook was damp and messy but I was glad the stamp had survived since it is the only stamp that Thomas (Highwayman) has carved. I had received notes about the box being geotrashed and on a trip a couple of years ago I stopped and took the stuff with me. I hadn't had time to make it back to the area until now. So we stopped and I walked around looking for a suitable spot for the box. Unfortunately, the place is well cared for and I couldn't find a decent spot to hide it. So I decided to hold off and think about it and see if I come up with a better place.

We continued on to Roswell and we were going to stop at the UFO Museum to update a box I have there but decided we needed the time for other things and we would stop on our way back home on Tuesday. So our next stop ended up being in Artesia. Here we looked for and found Love this Spot #11 by Road Junkies. I easily found the box and went to a bench to sit and stamp in. When I opened the box I only found the logbook - no stamp. As I looked through the logbook I noticed that there were only signature stamps up until July 2015 and after that there were only written names. So I figure that the stamp got taken by a geocacher. I wanted an image so I found a raised portion on a statue near where the box was hidden and did a sort of rubbing and then replaced the box. Now it was time to continue our trip.

Before leaving Artesia we filled the car with gas and then continued south on US285. About 12 miles north of Carlsbad we turned onto NM137. We had a few things to do on this route. First, we drove about 22 miles down NM137 until we reached the junction of CR409. We turned here and drove another seven miles to Sitting Bull Falls Recreation Area. We arrived at the parking area and we were greeted with lots of wind that was frigid. There were only two other cars in the lot and a forest ranger truck close by. We saw one couple just coming back from a hike as we set out for our walk to the falls. There is a short paved trail to a viewing platform and then from there you can go down a few steps and walk around the pool of water at the base of the falls. The wind was a little better here since there were some cliff walls that protected the area. So we enjoyed the sound of the water and the views, I took some pictures and then I hid a box. I planted Sitting Bull Falls and I hope that it will get some visitors. The area is really worth the drive. We left the area and headed back toward NM137 and along the way we stopped to look for Sitting Bull Falls Letterbox placed by LazyD. There had been some attempts but we decided to stop and look since we were right there. We didn't find the box so we continued on.

When we arrived at the junction for NM137 we stopped at a picnic area so I could plant my next box. This box is called NM Scenic Byways: Guadalupe National Back Country. This didn't take long and we were soon on our way again. We continued along NM137 and made our next stop at The Flying Paperboy Memorial. For years I have talked about placing a box here and now I was finally here. So after taking a few pictures we walked around and found a great hiding spot for Frank A. Kindel (The Flying Paperboy of the Guadalupes). And once that was done we continued just a short distance to Queen, New Mexico. Not much here - an RV park, a general store and a couple of other buildings. A quarter mile or so down the road from the store we found an old chimney surrounded by a fence. At this spot I place another box - Queen, NM. By the time we finished driving NM137 and hiding these boxes it was about 4:30pm and the sun was getting lower. So we made our way back up NM137 heading back to US285. It was somewhere around 6:00pm when we arrived in Carlsbad. We were both hungry (we had only had breakfast, no lunch) so we decided to stop and eat before going to the hotel.

We stopped at Pizza Inn and had their buffet. Once we were full we headed to the hotel and checked in. Now that we are settled and I have logged in the new boxes it is time for some rest. Tomorrow we spend the day at Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

Lake Valley and Chloride Letterboxing

Today is the last day of our trip and we are headed home. But there are things to be done first. I want to find a letterbox and plant two letterboxes. So this morning we packed up the car and headed out. This post is about the letterboxing part of the trip and you can read about the rest of the trip at Scenic Byways and Ghost Towns.

The first place I wanted to go was the Lake Valley Backcountry Scenic Byway and the ghost town of Lake Valley. So we drove from Silver City to Hillsboro and then took NM 27 south. This is part of the Lake Valley Backcountry Scenic Byway and I wanted to plant my first box in Lake Valley. this box is NM Scenic Byways: Lake Valley Backcountry. When we first arrived in Lake Valley we encountered a locked gate. There was a sign saying the town opened at 9:00am and my watch said 9:10am. So we assumed they were closed even though the sign said they were open Thursday through Monday. Just when we had decided to turn around and leave a man showed up to unlock the gate. So we drove in and went to the school house which serves as a museum and a visitor center. We spent a little time talking with the man who unlocked the gate. When we got ready to leave to do the walking tour I decided to ask the guy if I could plant a letterbox outside of the school house. But before I could even explain what I wanted to do he blurted out "NO!". Then he said "They wouldn't want that here because it would bring too many people to the town and they would damage the structures.". I again tried to explain that I just wanted to hide the box under a bush just off to the side of the school house and there weren't any buildings around that area. It quickly became obvious that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, so I just dropped and decided I would look for a place along the highway. So we went out to do the walking tour but we decided it was too hot to walk the town so we drove to a couple of the buildings and took some pictures. While we were looking around Thomas noticed something along the highway that had potential as a hiding spot. So we got in the car and headed in that direction. It turned out to be an information sign for the Lake Valley Backcountry Scenic Byway. So we parked at the sign and looked around. Thankfully, I was able to find a good spot for the box. So I got it hidden, took some pictures and made some notes for the clues. Now that this box was in place we could head out to plant the next box.

The next box - NM Scenic Byways: Geronimo Trail - had been planned to be hidden along the northern section of the Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway. So we left Lake Valley and took NM 27 north back to NM 152. Then we took NM 152 to I 25 and then I 25 to Exit 83 for NM 52 and Cuchillo. From the exit the road is NM 181/52. But soon they split and we continued on NM 52 towards Cuchillo and Winston. As we drove I looked for a Geronimo Trail sign and hoped I could hide my box there. But we drove all the way to Winston and did not see one sign. So we decided to go to Chloride to find a box and maybe find a spot for my box. So we took Republic Rd. which turns into County Road CO06. Then we turned onto Wall St. and headed into Chloride. We passed the Hanging Tree as we entered the town and soon came upon a Geronimo Trail National Scenic Byway sign. I was overjoyed  - now my box could be near a sign on the Geronimo Trail. But first I went to find flyfishercacher's Silver Chloride box. This box is hidden in the Monte Cristo Saloon and Dance Hall Gift Shop and Gallery. I entered the shop and found the woman working there busy with a customer. So I looked around and waited. Thomas eventually came in and we talked with the woman who had no idea what we were talking about. She said her daughter probably knew and that she was next door at the museum. Thomas walked over and talked to her and they both returned to the Gift Shop. She did know about the box and pulled it out from under the counter. While I stamped we talked about letterboxing and I told her I had plans to plant one somewhere in town. Sometime during our talk she offered to host the box in the Pioneer Store Museum. I was happy about this because I knew the box would be safe and available year round since it would be inside and out of any winter weather. I went back to the car and grabbed my box. I opened the box to show her my stamp and logbook. I explained to her that I had carved the stamp by hand and she was quite impressed with my work. The stamp I found here is a custom made stamp (like they have in Dartmoor) and I explained to her that most letterboxers carve their own stamps. She loved my image and asked if I minded if she used the stamp for promoting the museum.

View as We Left Chloride

I didn't see any reason why not, so I told her she could use it for whatever she wanted. So I gave her the box and she said she would keep it safe and available in the museum. So please take some time and make the trip to Chloride to find my box (and the other one) and visit the Pioneeer Store Museum and the Monte Cristo Gift Shop and Gallery. It is well worth the trip - the drive is beautiful and the town is full of history. The two women, Mrs. Edmund and her daughter Linda Turner were quite knowledgeable about Chloride and extremely friendly. There is no charge for the museum but they would greatly appreciate any donation you feel like making.

So with all that done we were ready to head home. Once we left Chloride we didn't make any stops until we reached our house. It was a good letterboxing trip even though I didn't get everything done. I couldn't hide my boxes at the Catwalk since it was closed for the weekend and I wasn't able to update one of my boxes because we ran out of time. But that is okay - I will take care of these on another trip.

Carving - For New Boxes and Maintenance

For the last week or so I have been doing a lot of carving. Thomas and I have planned for a long weekend in the Silver City area. So I decided that I would carve some stamps to update a couple of my letterboxes and hopefully plant some new ones.

Remnants of My Week of Carving

By the time I finished carving I had seven stamps, two to update boxes and five for new boxes. So once I had the stamps carved I started working on logbooks and putting the letterboxes together. As you can see in this picture I had a lot of remnants of rubber from my carving. I really do enjoy carving. It is relaxing and makes me feel creative. Carving is a pleasure but I always have a hard time getting started. One reason is I am very picky about the images I use and another reason is just getting all the tools and stuff out and ready. But once I sit down and make my first cut it is pure joy. Maybe now that I have carved a few stamps I might be motivated to continue carving for boxes I have been wanting to plant. Just as a note, you can see an exacto knife and two gouges in the picture. I use the knife for the majority of the carving and the gouges just to remove large areas of excess rubber. I find I get sharper corners and make less mistakes with the knife than with the gouges. Maybe I just need more practice with the gouges but I feel comfortable with the knife and my carving has improved over the ten years I have been letterboxing. So stay tuned for new letterboxes from me.

Celebrating 100 Years and Moms

Today I had lunch with Astro D - just a little get together to visit and make some plans for upcoming letterboxing adventures. Eventually you will hear all about them right here at The Lion's Game. Anyway, after a great lunch and visit I went out and planted a couple of letterboxes. It has been a while since I planted a box and it was nice to get out and do that again.

My first stop is a bit of a mystery. Today marks the 100th birthday of New Mexico Statehood and to celebrate I planted New Mexico Centennial letterbox. I have been working on this one for about a month now. I had the image and knew that I wanted to get it planted today. But finding the time to carve it proved to be a challenge - but I got it done. Then I had to find just the right place to hide it. I had thought of several options but nothing seemed right. Then just the other day I ended up going out and checking a place and I had a good feeling about it. I did get it planted and I think it will work out. So check out the clues and have fun celebrating New Mexico's birthday.

After that box was in place and I had the clues written down I headed to Canyon Road to find a spot for the next box. That box is called Goodbye MOM. I haven't added the clues yet because I want Astro D and rubberpeace to get the box first (since it is in memory of their Moms). The box is actually a memorial to Astro D's Mom who passed away in November. As I was putting the box together I was constantly thinking of my Mom as well (she passed away 20 years ago) and then that got me thinking of rubberpeace and her Mom (who passed away several years ago). So this box is now in place on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. As soon as Astro D and rubberpeace have found it I will update the box information at Atlas Quest.

I had a great time today visiting with Astro D and planting letterboxes. And I am planning some letterboxing adventures for the upcoming months - I will keep you posted.

Cleaning Things Up

I recently retired some letterboxes and I have been spending time cleaning up my AQ listings. I updated the status on all the boxes and I even took time to update the clues.

Boudreaux's Hitchhiker

I do need to still do some actual checks on some of the boxes and see if they are still there and double check on the clues to make sure they still work. So not everything is done but I have made some headway. I also went through all my LTC's and I have quite a few that I can trade. After we get back from our Alaska trip I will actually present a list on the LTC board. I have also lifted most of the restrictions from my boxes but I have left a few for my own personal reasons and I won't even bother to justify why - because I know that no matter what I do or say someone won't be happy with my decision. But it is my decision and I am standing by it (just not justifing it). So if you don't like the restrictions that is something you will have to deal with - I won't be changing them or making any exceptions. I also took a little time and created a slide show of the letterbox stamps that I have retired. So here are some of my carvings . . . Retired Letterbox Stamps.

Another Milestone in Santa Fe

Not too long ago Astro D reached her 1000th find and I hid a special box for her. Astro D, rubberpeace and I made a day of it by going to find the box and then having a great lunch. Well this milestone was rubberpeace's 1000th find and Astro D hid a special box for her. I contributed one stamp and Astro D took care of the rest. She also carved a couple of stamps and found the perfect hiding spot.

We all met at rubberpeace's house and then headed out to find the box. Astro D didn't tell rubberpeace where the box was hidden she just gave her an address. She plugged the address into her Garmin and we were off. Astro D and I knew the location but it was a total surprise to rubberpeace when she pulled into the parking lot.

Astro D waited in the car while rubberpeace and I went in to find the box. Once inside it was easy to find the box. We sat on a couch and stamped in and enjoyed the stamps. After rehiding the box we returned to the car. Then we went to Chicago Dog for a quick lunch before ending the day. I really hope rubberpeace loved the box and stamps as much as Astro D and I enjoyed putting it together.

This Letterbox brought to you by the Letter 'K'

Two years ago I decided to embark on a letterboxing challenge. I wanted to do a series of New Mexico boxes related to the alphabet. I started researching and picking things related to New Mexico for each letter. So far I have eleven boxes planted in the series: B, E, G, M, Q, R, S, U, V, W and the newest box - K. This newest box in the series is about Thomas Edward "Black Jack" Ketchum. A train robbing outlaw who spent quite a bit of time in New Mexico. He was eventually caught and hanged in Clayton, NM. A very colorful character in New Mexico history and I thought he would be a great addition to this series. I haven't had the time to get out to Clayton to hide the box so the stamp has been sitting on my work table for quite a while. Recently Astro D told me that she and The Great Wuga Wuga were taking a road trip to Kansas and they would be going through Clayton. She offered to plant the box for me on their way. So I put together a logbook and box and gave it to Astro D. This morning I got a note that the box was planted and she had included the clues. I have logged the box into Atlas Quest and Letterboxing North America and it is waiting to be found. So make your way to the northeast part of New Mexico to add this letter to your logbook.

I still have quite a few letters to do and I am working on it - slowly but surely. So stay posted as each of these comes to fruition. Most of the letters have been decided but I have four that I can't seem to make up my mind about. I am adding another level to this challenge - I want to be done with the remaining boxes by next October.

Letterboxing in the Duke City

Today Thomas and I had to go to Albuquerque to pick up a friend from Texas at the airport. So we decided to make a day of it and do some letterboxing and go to the State Fair. This morning did not look promising - when we woke up it was pretty cloudy and there was a drizzling of rain. But we got our things together and made our way to Albuquerque with letterbox clues in hand. Thankfully the weather was much better in Albuquerque than in Santa Fe. There was the Pedalin Series of boxes and a couple of others that we wanted to look for. As we made our way into Albuquerque I read the clues and decided which box to go for first - we started with Pedalin Pigtail. We had to find the sculpture of Silente Paisano on the bike trail, which we did and then follow the clues to the box. We found it easy enough and stamped in and rehid the box. Next we decided to look for Pedalin Poet, again on the bike trail but near a memorial for Harry Ives. We headed in that direction but soon realized that we probably didn't have time to find that box and make it to the airport in time to meet our friend. Thomas said he could drop me off and I could look for the box and stamp in and he would go and pick up Donna and then they would come back and get me. So he brought me to the starting point for the box and left. I walked to the memorial and took a couple of pictures and read the poem and then followed the clues to the box. I found it and sat down to stamp in. I took my journal and stamp out and then opened the box and looked at the stamp and logbook. As I was stamping in I got a frisson. I looked up and then looked over my right shoulder and about five feet away from me was a coyote. I didn't hear the darn thing walk up behind me and let me tell you that I nearly wet my pants. So I composed myself and didn't make any sudden movements. I went for my camera and that scared the coyote and he took off - I did manage to get a picture but he was already far away. I couldn't believe that I was so wrapped up in the letterbox that I didn't hear him - I decided that for the rest of the day I would be more alert. Once he was gone I stamped in and rehid the box and walked back to the area where I was to meet Thomas and Donna.

They picked me up and we headed to our next destination - the Albuquerque Biological Park. There was one box to find and one to plant. We quickly found ABC Zoo Animals: D is for Dolphin. It is hidden near the entrance to the park and luckily it wasn't crowded and we were able to retrieve and then rehide the box without problems. Once that was done I went into the the park to replant my BioPark box. I had received a few 'attempts' and since it was hidden in a pretty easy spot to locate I figured it was missing. So I had recarved the stamp and made a new box this past week and wanted to get it back out there. I decided not to put it in the same spot, so I walked around the park and eventually found a spot I think will be safe - at least I hope so. I have updated the clues on AQ and put the box back as active.

Once we finished at the BioPark we wanted to get something to eat so we opted for the Route 66 Diner. After a nice quick lunch we were back on the road to look for our next box. This one was the last box in the Pedalin Series and it is called Pedalin Papa. We found the Chris Chavez Memorial and quickly located the box. I sat and stamped in while Thomas and Donna waited in the car. Wronghat did a nice job with this series - I really enjoyed it. After this I wanted to check on another one of my boxes that had been reported missing. So we went to Roosevelt Park and looked for the box - unfortunately we weren't able to find Roosevelt. I will work on another one and try and get that replanted soon. Now that we had finished with all that we decided to head to the State Fair for the afternoon.

The New Mexico State Fair started on September 11 and runs until September 27. Wronghat hid a box at the fair grounds in honor of the fair and I decided that I could kill two birds with one stone - get a letterbox and see the fair. There is only one place you can enter at the fair so we parked and got our tickets and went in. We made our way to the area where the letterbox was hidden and I spotted the landmark I needed. The only problem was that there were quite a few people around the area and there is a building right next to the hiding spot where the police are headquartered. So I played lookout while Thomas got the box - we thought we were being so stealthy but when Thomas pulled the box out another box fell on the ground and made a little noise. I looked around and it didn't look like anyone had noticed. So I took the box off to the side to a picnic table and stamped in. When I went to return the box there were about 10 police officers hanging around the building. So I kept the box and walked around the area for a little while until the officers all left and then I replaced the box. The box that fell was a small round lock & lock and turned out to be a hitchhiker (I really don't like hitchhikers that big - it makes them hard to get rid of).

Anyway, we had a great day of letterboxing and enjoyed the State Fair. We are looking forward to the El Rancho de los Letterboxes event on Saturday, September 26 - hope to see you there.

Boxes for the Event are Ready

Well for the past few weeks I have been searching for images, putting together information, carving stamps and making logbooks. All of this is for our upcoming event El Rancho de los Letterboxes on September 26. I volunteered to carve the event stamp and I am pretty happy with the way it came out. I also made the logbook which isn't exactly a logbook - it is just one sheet of paper folded with an origami map fold (taught to me by rubberpeace - Thanks!). The cover is made with craft tin and is punched with a design so that it looks liked Tin Work. The event stamp is called El Rancho de los Letterboxes.

I then received a letterbox from Front Range Hiker. Back in July I was in the Denver area doing some letterboxing and visiting family and I just happened to bump into FRH on the trail. She volunteered to make a box and send it to me so that we could plant it for the event. She went with a Civil War theme - yes there were Civil War Battles in New Mexico. I decided to name it Battlefield New Mexico and I think FRH provided us with a great box, Thanks!

I decided on placing three boxes for the event myself. The first one I worked on was El Rancho de las Golondrinas. The stamp for this box is the logo for Las Golondrinas and after the event will find a permanent home outside of the facility (since they are closed for a good part of the year) - I will post permanent clues after the event. The next one I carved was Descansos. This box was made for a specific spot at Las Golondrinas where they have some descansos placed on the grounds - after the event I will try and find a permanent home for this box somewhere in New Mexico. And the last stamp I carved was Water-powered Grist Mill. This box was inspired by the mill they have on the grounds. I really love the water wheel and the way the whole thing operates. This box will also be placed permanently somewhere in New Mexico once the event is over. The logbooks for these three boxes have covers that are origami folds (thanks again rubberpeace). The logbooks were easy to make and look great. So all my boxes for the event are ready and Astro D and I are getting together in about a week to plant all the boxes and get the clues written out for everyone attending the event.

So with all the boxes that I needed to put together being complete all that is left is to hide them and wait for the event. And hopefully we'll see you there!

A Dragonfly and A Pug

I have been planning quite a few letterboxes lately. I have carved around seven stamps in the last week. Today I decided to plant one of those stamps. This morning I backed the stamp with foam and made a logbook and got the box put together. This afternoon I headed down NM 599 to Caja del Rio and found myself at the Municipal Recreation Complex. About eight months ago I was out at the complex doing some walking after my eye surgery. I was also taking pictures for my As I See It 2008 blog and I came across quite a few dragonflies. That day I decided I wanted to place a box out here related to that. Well, I finally got a round to it and I placed Anisoptera near the pond at the complex. This area is great for walking although when soccer season is in full swing there are quite a few people in the area. It is still enjoyable just not very quiet. I hope you enjoy this box, I really like the way the stamp turned out and I hope my dragonfly isn't the only one you see.

After I finished hiding the letterbox and writing down the clues (I have to write them down right there or by the time I get home I forget what I did) I decided to go and find a letterbox. Astro D placed a box a few days ago that was sent to her by pugnasties. They want to have boxes planted in every state and Astro D offered to plant one in New Mexico. So I guess pugnasties carved a stamp, made a logbook and put the box together. They then mailed it to Astro D and she hid it and wrote the clues. Stamp in Every State: New Mexico Pug just happens to be hidden near where I had just placed my new box. So I drove about five miles to the parking area for La Cieneguilla Petroglyph Site and got my letterboxing bag and headed down the trail. It wasn't a far walk and it wasn't a hard walk - it was just perfect. It was late afternoon, the sun was getting lower in the sky and there was a cool breeze. I had the entire place to myself. I followed the clues and easily found the box. I had planned on placing a hitchhiker here that I have been carrying around since my trip to Oklahoma but alas the box was too small. So anyway, I stamped in and put the box back in its hiding place. I decided to take Astro D's advice to hike up the trail a little further and look for some petroglyphs. I wasn't disappointed either - there are quite a few up there. I spent about forty minutes walking around and taking pictures and eventually headed back to the car - it was time to head home.

I had a great afternoon - I always love hiding boxes and I also got to see a new spot in Santa Fe. I have lived here almost 20 years now and I had never been down that section of Airport Road - thanks Astro D for taking me to a new and interesting location.

Chimney Rock is Active Again

I planted my first letterbox on April 15, 2006 at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM. I remember being very excited. Thomas and I had been up to Ghost Ranch numerous times and every time we hiked the Chimney Rock Trail. The views from the mesa are spectacular. You can see the entire Ghost Ranch compound, Abiquiu Lake and Cerro Pedernal. It is amazing the beauty you can see from atop this mesa. And you get a bird's eye view of Chimney Rock. This first box - Chimney Rock - was special since it was the first box I planted. I was very happy with my carving (it was my second carving - the first being my signature stamp) and the logbook. We hiked the trail up to the top and walked aroung the mesa looking for a spot to hide the box. We found what we thought would be a good spot and placed the box and covered it with rocks. After hiding the box we made our way down to the parking area and headed home. I wondered if the box was hidden well enough and if it would last and when it would be found. A few people found it - only one person logged in a find, another person sent me an email but never logged it and a third person told me in person that they found it. So as far as I know those were the only three finders. I hadn't heard anything about the box in a while so one day I decided to drive out to Ghost Ranch and check on it. I was disappointed to find that the box was gone. Unfortunately, my inexperience in hiding boxes was evident - the spot I picked was not very good. So then and there I decided that since it was my first box I wanted to replace it. I walked around the mesa scoping out possible new hiding spots and thinking about how I could hide it better. After an hour up there I decided it was time to head home. I should have worked on the new box immediately but I guess I needed to do other things and before I knew it time got away from me and it wasn't until today that I was able to get back out there and rehide it. I worked on the stamp about a week ago and finished the journal two days ago. Thomas and I had plans to go today but then we ended up getting some snow and we almost cancelled the trip. But when we woke up this morning it was clear and beautiful and we felt that it would be okay to hike. We had a very nice drive out to Abiquiu and when we arrived at Ghost Ranch we checked in and headed for the trail. We took our time and enjoyed the hike up, we stopped often to take pictures and check out the views. We arrived at the top and we immediately checked out rocks and bushes for a good spot. We wanted to stay close to the trail but also wanted some place safe. This time I think we did a much better job hiding the box and I feel it will last longer. After getting the box hidden we walked around the mesa and took more pictures before heading back to the car. To complete the day we stopped in at the Abiquiu Inn for some dinner before heading home. I am glad we didn't postpone the trip - it was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I have updated the clues and the box is waiting to be found.

¡Bienvenidos! 2009

Well, I haven't been able to get out and do any letterboxing lately but I did carve a new stamp and I made a logbook to go with it.

For the past two years Astro D, rubberpeace and I have made an event stamp called ¡Bienvenidos! that is available when any letterboxer visits Santa Fe and meets us for an exchange. So this event stamp is ¡Bienvenidos! 2009 and will make its debut on January 2 when Astro D, rubberpeace and I meet HighDesertGlider (HDG) for lunch.

The stamp is pretty simple - it has a line drawing of a Santa Fe wall & gate with the word ¡Bienvenidos! over the top of it and Santa Fe 2009 under it. For the journal - I made a chinese star book. I cut some individual sheets that will fit in the pockets. Each time we have a little get together everyone who attends will stamp a sheet and I will put them together with the date and place that we met. I think it will make a great little momento of all the wonderful letterboxers we get to meet throughout the year.

So if you find yourself planning a trip to Santa Fe please contact one of us so we can arrange a meet and greet and you will also be able to collect this event stamp. We look forward to meeting some great letterboxers this year.

Letterboxing Not Forgotten

Well it has been a while since I have posted on my letterboxing blog. After my trip to Connecticut I needed a little time to catch up on things at work and at home. And then I needed another eye surgery. So with all that going on I haven't had time or the inclination to do any letterboxing. And my eye doctor had me on lots of restrictions so I really wasn't able to go anywhere any ways. But a few days ago I started thinking about it and did a little search on Atlas Quest and Letterboxing North America and found that there are a fair number of boxes in New Mexico that I can look for. Unfortunately, either they aren't near me or it is too cold or snow has covered them. I am not sure when I will actually get out and do some letterboxing so I have been planning to carve some stamps that I can put into letterboxes when I get the chance. At present I have one stamp carved and four other images ready to carve. Once I get the stamps carved I will make the logbooks and the boxes and then try and get them planted when the weather or the time permits. I just wanted to post something so that my blog wouldn't feel abandoned.

Headed South in New Mexico

Thomas and I have decided to take a long weekend and get away. We are headed south in New Mexico and plan to do a lot of letterboxing. Today was a great day. The weather was beautiful, clear blue skies and warm temperatures. We had a nice relaxing drive off of the interstates and through wonderful little towns. I ended up planting four letterboxes and finding six. Who could ask for more.

The day started early and we left the house at about 7:00am. We made our way to Moriarty and had breakfast at El Comedor de Anayas. This is one of our favorite restaurants when we travel in New Mexico. After breakfast we made our way to Quarai. We both love this mission. It is absolutely beautiful. We walked the short loop trail and wandered among the ruins. I took lots of pictures and managed to get one of my Alphabetical New Mexico letterboxes planted - Alphabetical New Mexico: Q (Quarra). An hour later and we were back on the road. I had two boxes to plant in White Oaks, NM. This town is actually classified as a ghost town but does have a few inhabitants. We drove through town and took in the sights. I got pictures of the Hoyle House, White Oaks School Building, Gumm House, Watson-Lund Law Office (now the White Oaks Saloon and Social Club) and the Cedarvale Cemetery. We had a great time exploring this place and I got my Alphabetical New Mexico letterboxes planted. Look for 'W' - White Oaks and 'M' - William C. McDonald when you get the chance to visit White Oaks. We both enjoyed exploring the cemetery - not only is McDonald buried here but so is J.W. Bell (Deputy-Sheriff of Lincoln County who was killed by Billy the Kid). There were also some unique head stones in the cemetery. It is definitely worth the stop.

From White Oaks we made our way just a few miles south on NM54 to Carrizozo. We filled the car with gas and stopped for a quick lunch at a mexican restaurant. Once full we headed out again, our destination was Tularosa. A very small place - it calls itself a village. We found the public library and went inside to get the Inside letterbox - Bookworm. It was a great little presentation. Unfortunately we did not find the Tularosa box. This one was located outside and we are not sure if we were in the right area or not. Our steps did not even come close to the clues. Oh well - we must move on. A few miles down the road we arrived in Alamogordo and headed to the New Mexico Museum of Space History. We found Astro D's Let Me Play Among the Stars letterbox. Another great Astro D creation - I just loved the stamp. Once we had stamped in and put the box back into its hiding spot we walked around the grounds and looked at all the rockets and missles they had on display. It was all very interesting but our favorite thing was the Whisper Dish. There are two dishes set up opposite each other (at about 50 feet or so) and there is a metal pole with a ring on top in front of each dish. Each person faces their dish and you speak softly to the ring. It is amazing - you can hear the other person as if they were standing next to you - this could have entertained Thomas and I for hours. I don't think that we have grown up yet - who cares - we had fun! We left the museum and headed for the Toy Train Depot. Here there are three boxes hidden in the park - Alameda: Take a Walk in the Park series. We had a nice little walk through the park and found all three of the boxes. Each cleverly hidden and nice little boxes. We didn't get to see the trains since we got there after hours. Maybe next time.

Our day still wasn't over. We wanted to get to Lincoln and hide one more box - another Alphabetical New Mexico box. This one is 'B' - Billy the Kid. The box is hidden at the old Lincoln County Courthouse. Since it was late in the day there was no one around - but when searching for this box please be discreet as this place seems to be a busy tourist attraction. Once our mission was complete we decided to head to Ruidoso for the night - we grabbed a quick dinner, checked into a hotel. My first order of business was a shower - after hunting for letterboxes and trying to find hiding spots for my boxes I needed to wash off dust and a few weeds.

It was a great day and we have more planned for the next two days. Our drive today took us along some very scenic routes and we saw tons of wildflowers, a couple of hawks, antelope, a roadrunner and a rattlesnake. Tomorrow we are going on a six mile hike - it should be fun and I am hoping to see more wildflowers.

CLUE Letterbox Edition

Hey Autumn Whispers - what do you think?
This is an example of what I think you are looking for.
Am I on the right track?

Well, here is the actual carving of the top image.

I think it came out pretty good.
I hope it fits in with all the other cards.
I can't wait to see the whole set together.

Here are links for CLUE Letterboxing Edition . . .

CLUE Letterbox Edition: Maine (Location)
CLUE Letterboxing Edition Tracker

A Gallery of Signature Stamps

I have put all the images of my retired signature stamps in one place. You can click on the photo to get to the slide show of these stamps. This only includes my retired stamps - you won't see the stamp I am currently using. That is a surprise - you either have to meet me or find a box that I have found or planted using that stamp to see the image. I will add to this blog as I retire any stamp.

Meeting the Travelin Ts

I had wanted to write this post last night but I worked both Saturday and Sunday this weekend and it was busy. By the time I got home last night I was so tired I couldn't think well enough to write anything.

It has been a little slow for me on the letterboxing scene since Astro D and I returned from the event in Phoenix. I haven't found or planted any letterboxes since our return. But yesterday morning Astro D and I had the pleasure of meeting and having coffee with the Travelin Ts. They are on a road trip and stopped in Santa Fe for a few days to do a little letterboxing. We enjoyed the get together, although I had to leave early to get to work. It was still nice and I got to exchange stamps with them and trade letterboxing stories. Thank you to the Travelin Ts for making time on their trip for a little micro meet. And I hope you had fun in Santa Fe.

Even though I haven't been out letterboxing I have been connected - I have been carving a little. I have four stamps carved and ready to be made into boxes. I also carved the event stamp for the SPOOKtacular event in October. There are also plans to carve four or five more stamps in the next week or two. I am also working on journals - one was completed just before I began to type this post and two more are in the works.

Tomorrow I have plans to go and find one letterbox and plant one letterbox. It will be nice to get outside and actually do some letterboxing. Plans are also being made to attend the gathering in Golden, CO at the end of next month. Thomas and I are also planning to extend that trip and head up to Montana. We have friends that moved up there last year and they have been bugging us to go for a visit. We will stop off at Yellowstone on the way there. I am looking forward to this trip since I haven't been to that area of the country before.

So that is the jist of my letterboxing at this point. I know, it isn't that exciting but there is always another letterboxing adventure just around the corner. I'll be back soon to let you know how that adventure went.

And I would like to thank Astro D for the great little photo album/scrapbook she made me. It is all about our adventure to Phoenix for the A Century from Cranmere, It will always bring back fond memories.

Letterboxing Blog Catch Up

I am writing this post just to catch up on what I have been doing recently.

In April I was in Indianapolis and did quite a bit of letterboxing and met with JBBK2006 for a great visit and exchange. You can read about my Indianapolis letterboxing adventures here. When I returned to New Mexico, I left the airport and went in search of two letterboxes planted by 6jumpingbeans. I found ABQ Isotopes and Loma del Norte before returning to Santa Fe.

In April I also planted two letterboxes: Giant Rebel of Eden and Black and White. I was really happy with the carvings and I love these two boxes.

Maintenance was also done in April, I checked on boxes and updated clues. Some of my boxes are now unavailable. Six Feet Above, Chimney Rock and Mighty Oak are all missing and have been verified as missing. Lover's Walk is unavailable due to the tree it was planted by has now fallen and is possibly on top of the box. I also did a check on my Land of Enchantment Series and did a major update of the clues. I decided to move a few of the boxes to a more secure hiding spot so I had to rewrite some of the clues.

So far in May I have done a lot of hiking so I can scope out possible hiding spots for boxes I have created. Look soon for ev·o·lu·tion, BioPark and Waiting on the World to Change. I have done some hiking to areas I haven't been before. I've really enjoyed the hikes and look forward to planting these new boxes. The weather has been really good lately. It seems that the cold spells are gone here in Santa Fe and Spring has finally arrived.

As for finding boxes - I only have found one box (there aren't that many letterboxers in New Mexico and the planting has been slow so far) - A Pressing Matter. Astro D's newest creation. And what a find! This is an absolutely great box - everything about it (the hide, box, stamp, logbook and clues) are terrific! You are missing out if you haven't already looked at the clues and solved its location - you better get started.

This past weekend was really nice. We had great weather! I went on a hike to Picacho Peak on Saturday - what a great spot. You can see most of Santa Fe from up there - BEAUTIFUL! On Sunday I went hiking with a great group of people - Chris, the Great Wuga Wuga and Funhog (she was in Santa Fe for her biannual visit). Unfortunately Thomas and Astro D couldn't make it - but we did have dinner with them that night. It was a good hike, perfect weather and nice and relaxing. Funhog was able to find some of my boxes - Bad, Bad Black Sheep; Ribbit!; and Western Blue Flag. I was amazed at the water in Tesuque Creek. I have never seen it so high - I guess all that snow this winter has really helped.

Astro D and I have started planning an event to be held in October. Go here for more information and remember to check back occasionally as we will add more details as we finalize plans.

Thomas and I are going to go to Denver over the Memorial Day weekend. I hope to find a few boxes while we are there. I will post about that trip when it happens. We are also going to spend a weekend in Cloudcroft, NM - that will probably be in early June. I'll let you know about that trip as well.

I think I have covered everything but who can be for sure - if anything comes up I'll be back to post it.

Black and White

Today I had planned to go on a hike and check on my letterbox series Land of Enchantment. Well I changed my mind. I had found an image that I wanted to try and carve. I have been working on it for a couple of days. I felt I did a good job on the carving and was anxious to get this box planted. So this morning I completed the log book and the box. It is now planted! I can't go into detail of what I did today - since this box is a mystery. I hope you have fun searching for this box. Click on the picture to view the clue!

Los Alamos Letterboxing

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I looked at the Atlas Quest event list today and boy are the letterboxers busy – there were five events listed for today. I hope everyone had a great time.

Astro D and The Great Wuga Wuga returned home from their trip to Thailand earlier this week. Astro D and I were able to get together yesterday for coffee and talk about the trip and letterboxing. The trip sounded like a whole lot of fun and they got to relax as well.

Eventually the topic turned to letterboxing. First, Astro D and I are involved in a postal letterboxing ring called Friends Carving Friends. You had to carve a signature stamp for your friend interpreting their trail name. The ring started March 15th. So we got to exchange the stamps we carved for each other. She did a totally different lion than I had been doing – and of course I love it (but then again I always love her carvings). Now we mail these off and wait for other stamps to arrive in the mail. I also showed her the State Insects that I carved for that postal ring. And I showed her the stamp that I carved and sent to the Hoosier Heart Gathering (which incidentally happened today) – I hope they all liked the stamp.

We also talked about the new boxes that have been placed in the Albuquerque area. I placed three! And there seems to be a couple of new boxers in the area . . . 6jumpingbeans and Twinville_Trekkers5. I hope they continue to be involved – they have each planted two new boxes in Albuquerque. Maybe Astro D and I can go next Friday and get some of these new boxes.

After talking for a while we decided to go for a hike. But first we replanted artTrekker’s SF Trail box. The place where it was hidden had been manicured and the box was completely exposed. We found a better hiding place and sent the new clues to artTrekker – we wouldn’t want this box to go missing – it has an incredible stamp. We then headed to the Dorothy Stewart Trail. Astro D and I had a great walk and talk. Such an enjoyable and relaxing time. The weather was also great – my only worry of the day was the Junipers. They are full of pollen and I couldn’t keep myself from worrying about my allergies – so far I’m okay. I’m not sure how long we were out on the trail, since we found a couple of benches and sat and talked for a while. I always have a great time visiting with Astro D. And sometimes we get carried away talking and the entire day slips by – sorry John and Thomas.

I returned home yesterday afternoon after my visit with Astro D and I got to play with my new stamp image that Astro D had carved for me – then I boxed it up to mail it to the next person. Thomas and I then talked and decided that this morning we would head out to Los Alamos to look for a couple of Astro D’s boxes.

We awoke to a spectacular sunrise and I just knew the day would be fantastic – and I wasn’t disappointed. After a short and uneventful drive to Los Alamos we arrived at the Mitchell Trail. There were a few cars but it didn’t seem too crowded. We ended up only seeing two people during our hike. Our goal – a natural arch and Astro D’s Crackle Pop Rattle Hiss letterbox. Not long into the hike Thomas was jumping a stream crossing and twisted his knee (it was already a little injured). It was a little sore but he wanted to continue so we kept on going. The first part of the hike wasn’t bad but eventually there was some rock scrambling. This didn’t hurt his knee but he did have to take things a little slow. Finally we made it to the arch. Thomas found a place to sit and rest his knee while I climbed up under the arch and began my search for the box. Pretty easy to find – Astro D always gives great clues!!!





Let me tell everyone – if you are in the Santa Fe area make time to go and get this box. The hike is incredible (you go through an area that was burned in the Cerro Grande Fire in 2000), you get spectacular views of Los Alamos and the surrounding area and you get a beautifully carved stamp image. I have found most of Astro D’s boxes and I am pretty certain that this one is my all time favorite. She will have to work hard to beat it – all aspects of the box work great – the hike, the views, the image, the carving and the experience. THANKS ASTRO D! We made it back to the car without problems and figured out where we need to go for the next box. I read the clues for the next box and Thomas drove. Once we parked, we headed for the trail to Deer Trap Mesa so we could find Astro D’s Deer Trap letterbox. This was an easy and leisurely hike with terrific views of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in Santa Fe. Thomas found this box and then we found a nice spot to sit and stamp in. Another great stamp and experience! We ended up sitting atop the mesa for about a half hour or more. The sun was shining, it was warm with a gentle breeze – if we had stayed a little longer I may have been able to fall asleep and take a little siesta.

We decided to call it a day and wanted to get something to eat for lunch. We stopped at The Hill Diner. We had a great lunch following our perfect day of hiking. Tonight we are taking it easy and will probably do the same tomorrow. I just love letterboxing!