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.

A Couple of Quick Finds

Today I had some errands to do near the Plaza and so I decided to pick up a couple of letterboxes that I had clues for. I also decided to get a little walk in while I was downtown. I really enjoy walking down Canyon Road and around the Plaza. So I parked on Canyon Road not too far from the intersection with Paseo de Peralta and I walked up Canyon Road as far as The Teahouse. At this point I turned around and headed back to Paseo where I crossed and walked up Alameda in the direction of the Plaza. I took a left on Sandoval and ran my first errand and when I was done with that I turned around and headed back toward Alameda where I crossed that street and continued to Water St. I turned right at this point and walked past Blue Corn Cafe, Doodlets and Café Pasqual's until I reached Santa Fe Arcade. This is not a place with video games it is a shopping mall of sorts and it is home to Rooftop Pizza. My letterboxing pal - rubberpeace - planted a box outside the restaurant. I found the box and sat on a bench and stamped in. It was a nice stamp and find. I rehid the box and continued my walk. I left the Arcade and stepped out onto San Francisco Street. I crossed the Plaza and headed down Washington St. to my second errand. As soon as I was finished with that I headed back to my car. A nice little walk, don't you think.

After getting back to the car I went to find one more box before heading home. I made my way to Museum Hill. Well actually not to the Hill but to the intersection of Camino Lejo and Old Santa Fe Trail. There is a statue here that represents a Santa Fe Trail caravan as it nears Santa Fe - it is called Journey's End. Hi Desert hid a box near this statue. So I followed her clues and easily found the box. I found a place to sit and stamp in and then rehid the box.

It was a nice day of errands, walking and letterboxing - thanks rubbberpeace and Hi Desert.

Making Changes

Over my letterboxing years I have received many comments about the letterboxes I have planted. Most of the comments have been positive but there have been a number that have not been nice, some bordering on rude and a few that were outright rude. I tend to take things personally especially when it involves something I have said or done or made. I put an insane amount of time into every letterbox I make and it really bothers me when I get a rude comment.

Over the years I have realized that when I think about planting a new letterbox it seems to take me longer to get the box done. I procrastinate about every aspect of the box - from finding the right spot, picking the best image, getting a good carve and making a nice logbook. I have come to the conclusion that the reason it takes me so long to get a box planted these days is because I worry about what people will think. This has taken all the fun out of planting boxes and out of letterboxing.

I have also noticed that I get some comments about the way I list my boxes. Some people are demanding about how they think I should do things. Here is a very recent example: I posted a couple of boxes both on AQ and LbNA. When I posted them on AQ I put in some restrictions. So when someone visited LbNA it took them to a link on AQ that told them they weren't authorized to see that box. They thought it was rude of me to do that and they stated I shouldn't post boxes on LbNA if there were restrictions. Well, I loved having all my finds and plants listed on both sites - it is just something I like doing - having complete records. What bothers me is that these people feel that I should change the way I do things because it inconveniences them. I feel that because they choose to use only one site and to not log in their finds on AQ that they are rude. My feelings are that if it is a problem for you and you think it is rude when you get an unauthorized message then maybe you should change what you do instead of asking someone to change what they do just because you don't like what they are doing.

Because of all this I have decided to make some changes in the way I do things. First, I deleted all my boxes from LbNA, so if someone feels like finding any of my boxes they will have to go to AQ - I really don't care anymore if they take the time to search AQ for my boxes or if anyone at all looks for them. Second, I am starting to retire some of my boxes (a list of boxes I have retired will be at the end of this post). It just isn't worth getting rude comments while doing maintenance on a ton of boxes. Third, I will no longer log finds on LbNA or AQ - I will just keep a personal record on my home computer. And I will keep all my logbooks on AQ private except for my planted traditional boxes. I had originally thought I would make my blog private but decided that I would open it to all but not post it on AQ.

I am not sure how much letterboxing I will be doing - I will just see how it goes. There are a few in and around the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas that I haven't found yet so I may look for those during the summer. And I still have the Alaska Letterboxing Cruise that is in July. I do have one more box for my Alphabetical New Mexico series to plant but after that I will severely curb planting any boxes. I have lost the love that I had for this hobby and I don't seem to be able to find any excitement to get out and box.

Here is the list of the boxes that I have retired . . .
Siddhārtha Guatama
Going in Circles
"Fortitudo Dei"
Keep on Swimming
The Crow Knows
New Mexico's Eternal Flame
Giant Rebel of Eden
Honor, Loyalty and Peace
Bear in Mind
lionsmane's 5 Year Letterboxiversary
City Different Walking Tour
Thaumaturgic Escalator

Knocked Down - Again!

I was going to post about my last day in Las Cruces but I decided I don't want to write about the day.

"Boxing" Gloves

I did plant another box today but I am holding off on logging it in because I sure I will upset someone - maybe in a week or so I will post it.
When I got back to the hotel I read a post on one of the talk list that just bashed me and lots of people threw in their two cents worth. I guess I am not strong enough for the cut-throat world of letterboxing. I am thin skinned and sensitive and take criticism really personally. So I am going to take a break for a while.

Columbus, Anthony and Las Cruces

This morning I got up early so that I could drive to Columbus, NM from Las Cruces. I had two orders of business to deal with - find a box and hide a box. This was my first visit to this part of New Mexico and I have to say that it isn't my favorite. First of all it was really deserted, I think I may have only seen 4 or 5 people in the three hours I was in the area. Second, it was very dry with little vegetation and third, it was so flat - very few mountains or hills in the area. Anyways, I made my way to Pancho Villa State Park. I went to the visitors center and got a map and information of the park. Then I walked through the museum to gain a little insight to the park and area. After about an hour I headed out and decided to look for the box - Where's Pancho Villa? placed by CW Sun Seeker. It was an easy find and from the location of the box you had a great view of the entire park. After I put the box back into its hiding spot I decided to walk around the park and look for a good place to put my box. It took me a while because there aren't very many trees and not a lot of vegetation and what is there looks to be quite manicured. Eventually I found a spot that I felt would be okay - but it still may be a little iffy. But I left it there anyway. The box is Alphabetical New Mexico: P (Pancho Villa). After leaving the park I drove through the small little town of Columbus but didn't see anything that interested me so I decided to head back toward Las Cruces.

As I drove back to Las Cruces I decided to stop at a rest area just west of the city to check on one of my boxes - Alphabetical New Mexico: R (Roadrunner). I had gotten messages that it was missing and wanted to make sure whether it was there or not. And just in case it was missing I had carved a new stamp and made a new box. But the box was exactly where it should have been. So I checked the compass reading and steps and wrote them down since I didn't have the actual clues with me. When I got home I checked the clues and they were right. I think the problem may be that I stated to stand between the legs of the roadrunner and they are metal - that may throw off the compass reading. But I did get the same reading standing between the legs and five steps in front of the legs. So anyway, the box is there and the clues are right.

Once back on I10 I headed past Las Cruces to Anthony, NM. I had to go a little ways past Anthony into Texas and make a U-turn in order to get to the first rest area in the state of New Mexico. Once there I read the clues to CW Sun Seekers' Pinata box. I followed the clues and found the box easily. Once I had the box in my possession I had difficulty finding a spot to sit that wasn't sandy. So I ended up just sitting in the sand. And once I had stamped in I had to clean sand off of everything before packing my letterboxing supplies back in my bag and before putting the box back together - I think I got it all cleaned pretty good. So I walked back to my car and headed for Las Cruces.

My next stop was Old Mesilla and specifically La Posta Restaurant. The box hidden here is another CW Sun Seeker work of art. I had some difficulty finding the box because it is hidden right at the entrance. There were so many people coming in and out I had to sit on a bench and try when the coast was clear. After three tries and not finding it I waited another five minutes and then went for my last try. The box is hidden in a tall planter with a fake plant in a pot sitting in the planter. This time I lifted the plant out of the planter and was able to find the box. I took it outside to stamp in just so no one would question what I was doing if I was sitting on the bench near the entrance. After stamping in I replaced the box without a problem.

From here I headed a little ways down the road to the Masonic Cemetery to find another of CW Sun Seekers boxes. Here I had a little trouble - I followed the clues and everything fell into place and I found the tree (and it is a very large tree). But I couldn't find the box. I spent over 20 minutes looking into the tree and even parted the branches and got inside and still couldn't find the box. So then I checked the surrounding trees but still came up empty handed. So I decided to call it a day and headed back to the hotel room. It turned out to be a good day until I arrived back at the hotel and read some things on one of the talk list. You can read a little about that in the next post.

Boxing in Otero County

Last night I got things ready so that this morning I could head over the mountains into Otero County, more specifically Cloudcroft and Alamogordo. I had about an hour and a half to two hours of driving to reach Cloudcroft from Las Cruces. It was a pleasant and relaxing drive and I enjoyed the views.

I arrived in Cloudcroft and immediately headed to Sunspot. Sunspot is south of Cloudcroft high up in the Sacramento Mountains. I took NM130 for a short distance before turning onto NM Scenic Byway 6563 heading up into the mountains. It was about 16 miles on this beautiful winding road up to the National Solar Observatory. As I climbed higher up the temperature was dropping - by the time I reached the Visitors Center at 9200 feet the temperature was 34 degrees. I put on a jacket and hat before stepping out of the car. My first order of business was to get my Alphabetical New Mexico: N (National Solar Observatory) box planted. I walked around a little and found a nice place for this box. By the time I finished writing out the clues my hands and feet were freezing. So I decided to go into the Visitors Center and look around and see the exhibits. After about an hour up in the mountains I headed back down to Cloudcroft. Once back in Cloudcroft I made my way to Burro Street. I parked and followed the clues to find Reach for the Clouds. I found the box and went to a bench to sit and stamp in - it was a beautiful and relaxing morning in Cloudcroft. Once the box was back in place it was time to head back to Alamogordo.

As I drove NM82 I enjoyed the incredible landscape - this is such a beautiful drive. There is a tunnel you go through around High Rolls and on the west side of the tunnel is a parking area with some great views of a canyon and White Sands far in the distance. There also happens to be a letterbox there. So I took some pictures and then found the letterbox. I stamped in while in the car and then rehid the box and then continued my drive to Alamogordo.

Last night I had read through all the clues for boxes in Alamogordo and put them in a little bit of order so that I wasn't backtracking back and forth through town. I also had two boxes to plant here and do a little maintenance for Astro D. So with my plan in hand I started boxing in Alamogordo. My first stop was for The Gun. This was a quick drive by near NM82, but it was a little hard to be stealthy as the box was hidden right off the main road in Alamogordo and there were cars going by constantly. I did my best, found the box and took it back to the car to stamp in. I used my camera pretending to take pictures while retrieving and hiding the box. Next I headed up to the New Mexico Museum of Space History. This is where I had to most to do - hide two boxes, find one and do maintenance on another. I decided I wanted to get my two boxes hidden first. I walked around but it was hard to find a spot near the museum. There is an area off to the left side past all the rockets but Astro D has her box hidden there and the other box I was going to look for is almost right on top of that one. So I thought I should go away from these two boxes. I stumbled upon a wrought iron arch way that said "Indian Wells Trail" and I was elated. The two boxes I planted - Alphabetical New Mexico: X (X Prize) and Alphabetical New Mexico: H (Ham the Space Chimp) are spaced about an 1/8th of a mile apart from each other. Which means that you only have to walk a total of a half mile round trip. The trail does have some ups and downs with some stone steps here and there on the first part. All in all I would say it is a pretty easy hike with some great views. And I was glad to have found a spot away from the museum and all the people. After getting these two boxes hidden I returned to the museum and headed for Astro D's box so I could replace the logbook for her. After getting that done I read the clues for the box I wanted to find. The clues stated to start from Astro D's box and walk SW. I found this box literally ten steps away from Astro D's - I don't think that is right. I really feel that this person should move there box a little futher away. Anyway, I stamped in and rehid the box and was ready to move on.

I spent about another hour in Alamogordo finding three more boxes in town and one more box just outside of town on my way back to Las Cruces. I had a pretty enjoyable day, the weather was nice and the wind decided to take a break today. When I got back to the hotel Thomas and I went out for dinner and then back to the hotel to rest. Tomorrow - another short trip and a little more letterboxing.

Oh, and I forgot about the fire. As I was heading back into Las Cruces I could see smoke in the mountains. I stopped and took some pictures. Later I found out that this it the Abrams Fire in the Organ Mountains.

Letterboxing Along I25

Thomas has a conference in Las Cruces for three days and I decided to tag along and do a little letterboxing. The main purpose is to get some on my Alphabetical New Mexico Series planted but to also find a few letterboxes.

I left Santa Fe around 6:00am and headed south on I25. The first part of the journey was just a pleasant early morning drive since I wasn't going to stop until I reached Socorro. And thankfully I was early enough to get through Albuquerque before morning rush. I arrived in Socorro and made my way to New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. I found my way to the Macey Conference Center and parked. With letterboxing things and clue in hand I headed out. I followed the clues easily enough at first but then things went all confusing. There was a pond and I was supposed to follow it around until I reached a golf cart path that ended abruptly and then find clusters of trees. Follow the path towards the golf course but the golf course was all around. Found some trees that looked like they grew in clusters but wasn't sure, checked all of them - never found a box - things were all confused, so I gave up after about 25 minutes. Not a good way to start the day. All I could think about was that it had to get better. So I left Socorro and headed to San Antonio and the Bosque del Apache.

Not much activity at the Bosque this morning, I only saw one other vehicle the entire time I was there. After paying (and reading the signs that were all over announcing not to hike alone since there had been multiple mountain lion sightings) I headed to the Rio Viejo Trail. Thankfully the box was right at the parking area and I didn't have to hike anywhere. But I did find myself looking all around for any movement before getting out of the car. I had also read the clues and pretty much figured out exactly where the box was. So I made a quick dash, grabbed the box and stamped in while in the safety of my car. After stamping in and rehiding the box I drove around the loop to check on my Alphabetical New Mexico: S (Sandhill Crane) box. It was right where it was supposed to be but it had a number written on it (3: FWS). I guess they found it and were okay with it and just marked it for their own records. Now it was time to continue on. I made my way back to I25 and continued south.

I drove until Exit 75 at which point I headed to Williamsburg. Back in March we had taken a trip to Tucson and on the way we had stopped and looked for two boxes there. We found one but couldn't find the second one. So I decided to give it another try since I was here. I still didn't find it so I am not sure what I was doing wrong. At this point I was 1 for 3. Next stop, Veterans Memorial Park in Truth or Consequences. There were two boxes here but one has been retired so I followed the clues and found Lest We Forget. I thought it was a great hide although the park seemed desolate - all concrete and gravel - very little green or any color. It seems that they could of done something to spruce it up since it is in honor of fallen soldiers. Oh well, time to move on. Just a short way up the road I stopped near an art gallery and what should have been an ice cream shop. The sign for the building next to the art gallery was gone and I didn't see any activity in the building and couldn't tell if that had been the ice cream shop or not. But I followed the clues and found the letterbox without any problems. I walked to a bench and sat and stamped in. It was a little difficult stamping in since the wind had started to pick up. One that box was back in place I headed over to Ralph Edwards Park to find T or C. This was a quick and easy find in a very empty park. I had the place to myself which was nice - no need to be sneaky. I returned to my car to go and look for one last box before getting back on I25. I headed down Third St. to Elephant Butte near the dam. I got to the starting point and tried to follow the clues but I ended up with deja vu from this morning in Socorro. Nothing made sense, then it kind of made sense, then it didn't. I tried to make things work and looked for landmarks and checked near trees with rocks like the clue said but kept coming up empty handed. After twenty minutes I called it quits - without really feeling that I was looking in the right place. Time to leave this area and continue south.

Time to hide my first box of the trip. I took Exit 63 to NM152 and drove west for about 30 miles. When I reached Emory Pass in the Aldo Leopold Wilderness I stopped. Here you can find Alphabetical New Mexico: L (Aldo Leopold). At the Emory Pass Vista I enjoyed the views but not the wind. It was blowing so hard I had the eerie feeling that I was going to be picked up and thrown right off the cliff. After hiding the box I retraced my drive back to I25. I know this box is a little off the beaten path but the drive and views are worth it.

Okay the day is going away fast but I wanted to make one more stop before reaching Las Cruces. I took Exit 50 and drove about a mile north on NM187 to Caballo Lake State Park. I didn't have to enter the park because the box was hidden at a pullout just past the entrance. This was a quick and easy find and I was glad to be able to sit in the car and stamp in since the wind seemed to be getting worse. I got the box back in its hiding spot and then gave Thomas a call. He had attended a meeting in Roswell and was making his way to Las Cruces and I wanted to check in to see where he was. It seemed that we would probably arrive at the hotel at the same time. And surprisingly we made it within minutes of each other. Once we had checked in we headed to Lorenzo's for some Italian food. I just had spaghetti and sausage which was really good. And once we were full we returned to the hotel. Resting and planning for tomorrow. I really do hope the wind settles down so I don't have to grip my clues for dear life.