A Planting We Will Go

Well today is International Plant a Letterbox Day. So what do you think I did - I planted two letterboxes. I started planning these two boxes about a week ago. One of them I had started carving months ago but never finished because of work and some home renovation projects. I decided that this would be perfect to finish and plant today. The other was kind of a spur of the moment sort of thing - I just wanted to plant more than one letterbox today.

Both of these boxes are now planted on Hyde Park Road. One on the Chamisa Trail and the other across the road in a little secluded wooded area. I am very happy with the carvings and placement of both these boxes.

One of the boxes is very special - I placed it as a thank you to Astro D for teaching me how to marble paper. This box is called The Art of Ebrû. The logbook is made from paper that Astro D and I marbled together. The other box is in honor of my favorite comic strip characters. Calvin and Hobbes - I love Calvin's imagination and who couldn't use a fuzzy little tiger as a best friend. So if you are a fan of Calvin and Hobbes or if you would like a couple of good friends make plans to find A Boy and His Tiger.

A Mini Meet in Albuquerque

Today Astro D, rubberpeace and I had plans to meet with Triple T & SHH in Albuquerque as they make there way on a 6200 mile Field Trip. We made sure to also invite Twinville Trekkers in order to complete the list of northern NM boxers.

The morning started out early for me. I wanted to get to Albuquerque before the morning traffic got too heavy. My mission was to find the Rattlesnake Box that I missed on my last trip due to too much traffic in the area. For more on that story go to Bittersweet Letterboxing. Well it worked - there was no traffic and I was able to get the box without anyone seeing me. My next stop was to be at a section of the Petroglyph National Monument. I had some time so I thought I would go for a short hike. But alas, it wasn't to happen. I was too early and by the time the gate would be open I wouldn't have the time for a hike since I was meeting all these wonderful boxers for coffee. So instead I went to the meeting place and had some breakfast and coffee and did a little reading until everyone else arrived. It wasn't long before Astro D and rubberpeace showed up. We chatted for a little bit and then Triple T & SHH arrived. Almost immediately the exchanges and stamping began. I received three exchanges, 15 personal travelers and two LTC's. Triple T and SHH had an amazing amount of stamps and all of them were fantastic carves. Cowgirl was also there and joined in the fun of stamping and talking. Twinville Trekkers (well not all the Twinville Trekkers - only Lisa and Jackson were able to make it) arrived and were quickly caught up in all the merriment. It was great fun meeting these letterboxers as they travel across the country and we appreciated them taking the time to stop and visit with us. Today they were headed for Carlsbad, NM and the caverns. So we said our goodbyes and wished them luck and safety on their trip. Astro D and rubberpeace also headed out to do a little letterboxing and Twinville Trekkers and I stayed a little while longer and talked about letterboxing in NM, AZ and UT. Eventually we left so that I could finish my plans for the day.

I wanted to replant two of my boxes that I had removed last year. So now BioPark and Black & White are in place. It was such a great day that I decided to spend some time at the BioPark and the Zoo. I walked around the BioPark and enjoyed the flowers and warm weather. After about an hour I was ready for the zoo. I had wanted to ride the train that goes between the two but it doesn't run on Mondays. So I drove over to the zoo and had a great time walking around. It was a nice day - not too crowded and the weather was perfect. And I was able to get some great pictures of the lion - he was spread out on a rock enjoying the sun. At about 3:00pm I was ready to go home. I have to say it was a pretty wonderful day.

A Day on the Trails

This morning I decided I needed to get out and get some fresh air. I decided to hike the Chamisa Trail. I have been putting in a lot of hours at work - it has been busy and the hospital is short handed - so I have taken more hours than I would normally take. I worked the past five days and today is my only day off and tomorrow I start another five day run. So I wanted to get out and do something.

There were already a few cars in the parking lot for the trailhead when I arrived. But there were no people to be seen. So I had the trail to myself. I took my time and paced my self slowly. I was in no rush - I literally had all day. It was an uneventful walk - no wild animals attacked, I didn't fall down an incline, I didn't even trip over a rock or log - I like it when it is like that. When I got to the saddle I encountered my first humans, they were headed back to the parking lot. We said hi and goodbye and I continued on my way to the creek. Once there I found a boulder next to the creek and just sat for a while. After about fifteen minutes I decided to check on my Western Blue Flag box. Everything was perfect - the poor lonely box has only had two visitors - it would like to see more. Hint!Hint! So then I went and sat in the meadow and took some pictures, relaxed and had a snack. I then thought that I should check on my other boxes that are in this same vicinity - well actually about a mile away. But it is a beautiful hike and so I headed up the Windsor Trail. I first checked on Ribbit! - no problems - he has had three visitors - and he would also like to see more. Once he was back in his hiding spot I continued up the Windsor Trail and checked on my Bad, Bad Black Sheep box. He was the winner for most visitors - he had four! I put him back in place and then returned to the meadow off the Borrego Trail. I sat for a while and then started my journey back to the Chamisa Trail. I am really glad I started early - I only saw two people on the way in - it was such a peaceful way to start the day. On the way out I encounterd eleven people at different points on the trail. I had a great hike and was glad that all my boxes survived the winter snow and freezes up in the mountains.

Bittersweet Letterboxing

I decided I wanted to go to Albuquerque to do some letterboxing today. I picked a bad day! First I got stuck in traffic in Albuquerque, then I had to deal with a whole lot of wind and then there was a little incident. But let me go in order of the day.

I left Santa Fe and headed to Albuquerque and ended up stuck in the morning rush. Eventually I arrived at my destination. I wanted to look for a letterbox that I had attempted before. This box appears to be missing but I decided to try anyway. Unfortunately I came up empty handed - I think this is my last attempt - it wasn't a good start to the day. So I headed to the next location. I felt uncomfortable at this spot. The box was suppose to be located in the median of the road. First there was really no where to park and second there were cars coming by on a regular basis. So I pulled off to the side and read the clue. I then waited for the road to clear. I left the car and went to the median and looked for the box, I was having a difficult time finding it. I have to admit that I was nervous, cars kept passing by and I was right out in the open. Then I heard a horn - I looked up and there was a road up on a hill above the area I was in. There was a police car up there. So I returned to my car without the box and drove off. I went up the road and found a place to park and I walked around and took a few pictures. I then decided that I should just not worry about the box. So I got in the car and drove back down the road. When I passed the location where I had been, there was the police, looking in the area where I was looking - I hope the box is safe and still there - I feel horrible for not being a little more careful. This is the weirdest letterboxing situation I have been in. Time to head to the next spot on my list.

On Monday, May 12th Triple T's and SoHillHendersons will be in Albuquerque. Astro D, rubberpeace and I (and hopefully TwinvilleTrekkers) are meeting them for coffee and exchanges. They are staying at a hotel in Old Town, so I drove to that area to look for possible meeting places. Astro D had found a Starbucks located on Rio Grande Blvd. on the internet. So I went by and that does look like the best place to meet. Now I need to email TTT & SHH to see if that is okay with them.

Now half the day was gone and I still haven't found any letterboxes. The Green Girls have planted a series of letterboxes based on Birds. I had found all of them to date except for two that they planted on April 20th. I headed to the Piedras Marcadas part of the Petroglyph National Monument. The first box was just a little ways up the trail. I found it easily enough - it was a nice stamp and there was a bonus of a hitchhiker. In the logbook of the first box there was a clue letting you know where to go for the next box. So I walked up the trail and found the spot I needed and then followed the rest of the clues. I found this box easily enough. Surprisingly I wasn't the first finder of the first box but I was for the second box - not sure why the people didn't go to the second one - oh well. During the hunt for these two boxes the wind kept blowing - there was sand everywhere and I had to chase my clue sheet at one point and a couple of baggies at another. By the time I returned to the car my backpack and logbook were covered in sand and so was my hair.

I decided that the day was over. I headed for the Interstate and Santa Fe. I couldn't wait for a shower. All in all I think this may have been one of the worst letterboxing days I have ever had.

A Little Letterboxing Back in Santa Fe

Friday morning I met Astro D for coffee and catching up on our letterboxing trips. My trip was to Austin and hers was to Tucson. It was nice to sit and visit and hear about each others letterboxing adventures. After looking at our logbooks and exchanging stories we headed out on two missions. One was to find a new letterbox that had been hidden just this past week. It was an easy find. Once we stamped in and rehid the box we were on to our second mission. Rehiding a few of my boxes. I had pulled some boxes around town last November for reasons I won't go into now. I have decide to rehide them due to comments from some letterboxers I admire that wanted them back in action. So Astro D and I had a pleasant walk about town and replaced all but two. One was on a further walk than we wanted to do and one had a person painting right at the spot. It was a nice day and we celebrated Astro D's 1000th day since she found her first letterbox. WooHoo!!!!! We said our goodbyes and then I got in my car and rehid the last two boxes.

Today Astro D planted a new box that was only available for two hours. It is based on the camera obscura. There are going to be workshops in Santa Fe to learn to build these and use them. Today they had a demonstration of a camera obscura. It was fun and interesting and I got another Astro D carving. I always love her stamps and letterboxes and this one just happened to have a little extra something with the demonstration.

So the following boxes are now active again . . .
Bear in Mind, City Different Walking Tour, Honor, Loyalty & Peace, Going in Circles, Giant Rebel of Eden, Fortitudo Dei, The Crow Knows and New Mexico's Eternal Flame

More Capital Boxing

The weekend was a lot of fun. We had a great time letterboxing and sightseeing with Bellmotel and Whiz Gee. We found quite a few letterboxes and enjoyed some of the Greenbelts that Austin has to offer. So I left off on my last post at Sunday night. I’ll now fill you in on the last couple of days.Monday morning started early. Thomas had to check in for his conference and I headed over to Zilker Park. I wanted to get a letterbox planted and have a chance to walk around the Botanical Gardens. I parked and entered the gardens. At first I just walked and enjoyed all the flowers. Then I got serious about finding a nice home for my Sakura letterbox. I planned to place the box in the Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden, so I spent some time looking for a spot that wasn’t well groomed and that would be hidden enough from the public. The gardens are beautiful and I thoroughly enjoyed myself on this humid morning. Once the box was in place and I felt satisfied that it would be okay I returned to my car.

I now needed to go shopping. On Sunday afternoon my camera quit working. I am not sure what happened – it just shut down. I tried changing the batteries and that didn’t work, and I pushed every button on the camera and it still wouldn’t work. So on Monday morning I went out and bought a new camera – it is almost exactly like my old camera – just an updated version. The one that broke was five years old. Once I had made my decision on which camera I wanted I paid for it and then headed back to the hotel. I was meeting Bellmotel at 11:00 to head for Bastrop for some letterboxing at South Shore Lake State Park.

Ms. Bellmotel was a little late in picking me up due to the fact that willhime had planted a new box and posted the clues that morning. Bellmotel was determined to be the first finder (and she was!), so that put her getting to the hotel a little late. After throwing my letterboxing gear in the back seat and getting in the car we were off to Bastrop. Bellmotel informed me of letterboxes at McKinney Roughs State Park so we decided to stop there first. I am glad we did – it is a wonderful spot and we enjoyed walking around. We also found four really nice boxes thanks to Boots Tex, Lone Star Quilter, Baby Bear and Silver Eagle. Now time to get to Bastrop. We wanted to get the boxes that we didn’t have time for when we attended the Texas Treasures gathering in March, so we arrived at the park and hit the trails. We hiked two trails and collected the following stamps . . .

Just ‘in Case by WOWMOM, Texas Treasures by JBanana, GWP Series: Pancho Villa by Barefoot Lucy, TX Chainsaw Massacre by Silver Eagle, The Texas Champions Series (4) by Sandibox, and Pinch! Pinch! by WOWMOM & KoolKid.

During our little letterboxing adventure in South Shores Bellmotel found her 100th letterbox. It was Just 'in Case - WOOHOO for Bellmotel!!!!!We then left South Shores and made a stop at Bastrop State Park. We hiked one trail and looked for two boxes by Armyswmr99 – we were unable to find either box. It was getting late and we needed to get back to Austin – so we called it a day and drove the hour back to the hotel. It was a nice time in Bastrop and I thoroughly enjoyed all three parks we stopped at.

When I got back to the hotel room Thomas was there waiting. His conference dinner had finished and he wanted to walk down to Congress Avenue and see the bats. So we headed out for an evening walk. We got to the bridge and found a nice spot to sit and watch for the bats to make their evening flight for food. We enjoyed it and it was a sight watching all these bats coming out from under a bridge. On the way back to the hotel we stopped for coffee and dessert and then called it an evening.

Our original plans were to leave Austin at about 1:00 pm to start heading home on Tuesday. So I planned to do a little letterboxing and then get back to the hotel at noon and get everything ready to leave. Early Tuesday morning Thomas found out he had meetings until 4:30 pm so that gave me the whole day to letterbox. So I headed out following my map as I went from one location to the next to find boxes. I visited Balcones District Park, Allen Park, Northwest District Park, Austin Memorial Park Cemetery, Mt. Bonnell – Covert Park and Zilker Park. I saw flowers, squirrels, great views and even a few peacocks. It was a busy, fun and wonderful day. I found the following boxes . . .

Balcones Critter by rolly polly, blockhead by TheBishop, Bringing Down the Hamer & Traveler, Citizen, Writer by jb kokpelli, I’ll Fly Away by Fire Dragon, Mt. Bonnell by TheBrownKnight and Beth & Jo by Bloomin Gramma Jo.

All nice boxes and in great places around Austin. I even left time to back to the Botanical Gardens to walk around some more and take pictures. I also stopped by the Barton Springs Pool and had a snow cone. Then I met Thomas back at the hotel and we decided to go to IKEA to do a little shopping. We bought a few things and enjoyed walking around the store. Then we went out for dinner. After dinner we drove to the Capitol and walked around the inside and outside of the building. I took plenty of pictures and then we returned to the hotel to get packed for out trip back home in the morning.

Today was a pretty uneventful day. I am typing this as Thomas drives us home. We encountered a little rain but nothing too bad and we had a good drive home. We still have about two hours until Santa Fe but we are close and although we had a great time in Austin we will be glad to be home.

Lone Star Letterboxing

We have had a great weekend in Austin! We have spent the entire weekend with Bellmotel and Whiz Gee letterboxing all over Austin. Thomas is here for a conference that begins on Monday and ends Tuesday afternoon. But the weekend was all about fun!

We left Santa Fe on Friday morning with the temperatures in the low 30's. But as we headed east and south the temperatures increased. By the time we reached Lubbock it was a beautiful Spring day. We made a stop for a letterbox but unfortuantely we didn't find it. So we had a little lunch and then continued on our way. The day was mostly uneventful - just a long drive from Santa Fe to Austin. Although I made Thomas stop quite a bit. The wildflowers were everywhere and I was really excited to see a lot of Bluebonnets. So we stopped, took pictures, went a little further, stopped, took more pictures, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera! We finally made it to Austin and checked in to the hotel at about 8:30 pm. We were both exhausted. After showering, we went straight to bed.

On Saturday morning we slept in. Once up and dressed we headed for breakfast and then to Oakwood Cemetery to find Jacob's Ladder by Lone Star Quilter. It was a peaceful morning in the cemetery and another nice box by LSQ. From there we made our way to pick up Bellmotel to start our letterboxing spree. Our first stop was Arboretum Center to find two of the March girls - Amy & Meg by Bloomin Gramma Jo. Two great boxes and easy finds. >So we made our way to Switch Willo Stables to look for a box but we weren't able to find it. By this time Whiz Gee was off of work and wanted to join us. So we picked him up and we were on our way again. We headed to Old Spicewood Springs Road and started our search for five boxes. We found Buffalo Bull and Footprints in Time - both by Bloomin Gramma Jo. We couldn't get to the other boxes - the creek was too high and we needed to get to the other side for them - oh well, another time. Our next stop, St. Edward's Park, was quite close to where we were. It only took us a few minutes to get to the trailhead. It was a short walk and an easy find for our first of the 5 Kingdoms Microboxes. We found Anamalia quickly and stamped in. Once hidden properly we went in search of The Saint's Hat, another quick and easy find. Done in this park we drove just a couple of miles and parked at an entrance to the Bull Creek Greenbelt. After a short walk we found our second 5 Kingdoms Microbox - this one was Fungi. A great little stamp. So far we were having a great day and a lot of fun.

With plenty of daylight remaining we made our way to Emma Long Park. We parked at the trailhead for the Turkey Creek Trail. We didn't have to go far before we found our first box in the Let's Have a Picnic Series by Mama Bee. We spent the next hour looking for all seven boxes in this series. And what a great series it is - all the stamps are wonderful and when seen all together it is fantastic. With this series completed we continued along the trail to find X Marks the Spot and then to our third of the 5 Kingdoms Microbox - this one being Protista. It was getting late but we had one more that we wanted to get. We drove up Big View Road and found Deba-Bocho Eel. I unfortunately did not play a big part in finding this one due to the fact that there was poison ivy all over the area. It was growing all over the ground and all around the tree where the box was planted. So I let someone else get it from its hiding spot. So we decided now that the sun was going down that we should call it a day. As we were driving down Big View Road we stopped and sat on a bench to watch the sun set - a great way to end a letterboxing day. Once the sun set we were all hungry, so the four of us headed to County Line for some great barbeque. By the time Thomas and I dropped off Bellmotel and Whiz Gee and then returned to the hotel it was close to 11:00 pm. A quick shower and off to bed.

We started today with breakfast at Bellmotel's house. Whiz Gee cooked us some great pancakes and sausage. We also had some wonderful fruit. Once full, we did some exchanges and then headed out to find more letterboxes. I had tried solving a clue before we left Santa Fe but wasn't having any luck. I talked to Bellmotel about it but we still were having trouble. This morning before we left the hotel I looked at it again - and voila, it came to me and I solved the puzzle - we knew where the box was and now had the clues to find it. So we headed there. Unfortunately we didn't have any luck finding the box. We spent about an hour and read and reread the clues - we tried everything but ended up leaving empty handed. It wasn't a good way to start the day. But we persisted and headed to the Barton Creek Greenbelt off of Scottich Woods Trail. The clues said it would be about a fifteen minute walk to the box. We had such a hard time following the clues. We kept stopping to try to make sense of them but the more we looked at them the more confused we became. We eneded up at Sculpture Falls - a beautiful area, but way beyond where we were supposed to be. We headed back the way we had come and then saw something that was in the clues, kept reading the clues and eventually ended up at the spot. Even when we were at the right place it still took us a little while to find the box. After an hour and a half we were on our way again. I have to say that thankfully the hike was good and there were spots along the trail that were great or else this would have been a bust - the box, stamp and logbook left a lot to be desired. Thomas had wanted to visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center so we headed there next. There were also three boxes in the area that we could look for. We enjoyed our leisurely walk through the Wildflower Center. Plenty of wildflowers in bloom and a wonderful place for a relaxing stroll. So we left the center and found the three quick and easy drive-by boxes - Lady Bird's Wildflower by Viewfinder, Butterfly Block by Lone Star Quilter and Mellow Velo Microbox by Silver Eagle - all three boxes are wonderful. We were all very happy to find these since our day hadn't started out that great. We next tried for Austin Scoops Letterbox but didn't have any luck finding it but we did find a place to eat. So we had a quick dinner, relaxed and talked. From here we headed to another section of the Barton Creek Greenbelt to find our fourth box in the 5 Kingdoms Microbox Series. This one is Monera. This series has been terrific. Thanks RayRay for some wonderful boxes. There were three other boxes on this trail - we found Barton Creek Greenbelt and Porky Pig - we didn't find Hiking Pug. It was starting to get dark by the time we returned to the car so we drove Bellmotel and Whiz Gee back to their home and then returned to the hotel.

Now that I have showered, logged in all my finds and written this blog it is time for some sleep. Tomorrow I want to try and hide a box and then Bellmotel and I are headed to Bastrop for some more letterboxing. I also need to buy a new camera. Today mine just stopped working. So I wasn't able to do my picture of the day - I took pictures before it stopped working but I wasn't able to download them - hopefully by tomorrow I will be able. So check my As I See It blog in a few days to see if it is up to date.