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.

Another Mini Meet in Santa Fe

This morning Astro D and I met some visiting boxers for coffee and letterboxing talk.
Front Range Hiker (who visited us earlier this month for the SPOOKtacular) and Grosse Point Wine Lover were in New Mexico and specifically Santa Fe for a little boxing. We met them at one of our favorite coffee spots - PD Bean. It was really convenient for them since their hotel was right next to the coffee shop. We had a great visit and always enjoy meeting other boxers. I got the feeling that they both enjoyed their time in Santa Fe and also enjoyed the boxes they found. After a couple of hours they headed out - they wanted to find a few more boxes before getting to the airport - now that is the sign of a true letterboxer.

Picacho Peak

It was a cold and windy morning . . .

OK, I will spare you - but it was really cold and windy when I met John & Mark (otherwise known as the Weeny Boys) and Chris to hike up to Picacho Peak. We all met at the parking area to the Santa Fe Nature Preserve. There were already five or six vehicles when we arrived. I thought that was a lot for such a cold morning. Anyway, we headed out for the Dale Ball Trails and our destination - Picacho Peak. I have a letterbox hidden at the peak and John was searching for it - he would be the first finder. The hike was pretty uneventful, I mean it was just a very pleasant and relaxing hike. Of course this hike offers excellent views of the Santa Fe area. We made it to the top easily enough. But there was a little problem with the clues to my box. You have to take quite a few steps from a sign and I guess that over that distance it puts you off a little. In the end John found the box and stamped in. We then made our way to the peak and enjoyed the views - but only for a little while. It was a little cold so we headed back down the trail. All four of us counted the steps and came up with different numbers but all very close. So I will update the clues with an average of what we found. I will also probably add a few other landmarks just to help verify where you are when you take the appropriate steps. In a short time we were back at the parking lot and parting ways. This was a great hike for a brisk fall morning and as I am writing this it is now snowing. I guess it was a good thing we went hiking this morning.

New Mexico A to Z

For a while now I have been thinking of doing a series of letterboxes that would highlight the state of New Mexico. I have been doing research looking for interesting places, people or events that would give people information about The Land of Enchantment. The series will be called Alphabetical New Mexico. Almost every letter has been decided upon (decisions on a few still remain) and I am looking for images to carve. So far I have carved five stamps for the series and yesterday two of those were planted. The letters "V" and "E" are now placed and ready for finders. The boxes will not be placed in alphabetical order since placing these boxes will require traveling throughout the state. So the boxes will be placed depending on where I can travel to and when I can get there. This series will not be placed all at once - I feel it will probably take me at least six months to get them all done. So stay tuned and I hope you enjoy.

Enchanted Circle

Yesterday I took a quick trip to Albuquerque to pick up my friend Regina at the airport. On the way I made a detour to the Bosque to search for Coronado's Campsite. I arrived at the parking area and made the short walk to find the box. It was a nice find in an interesting place, except that there was some construction going on in the near area. And there were a few construction vehicles that passed by me - a little uncomfortable and noisy. Once I stamped in and replaced the box I headed for the airport. Regina arrived right on time and we headed back to Santa Fe. We spent the afternoon and evening talking and just catching up.


Today we decided to drive the Enchanted Circle. This drive starts in Taos and goes along Hwy 64 to Angelfire and on to Eagle Nest. Then takes Hwy 38 to Red River and Questa. The circle completes in Taos via Hwy 522. I wanted to look for two letterboxes and plant two letterboxes. Around nine this morning we left Santa Fe and headed to Taos. From there we drove on to Angelfire to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We walked around and took pictures and looked for a good place to hide my letterbox. It was very windy and a little cold. Eventually we found a spot and hid the box. (I will get the clues posted soon.) We visited the chapel and the memorial - which was nice since it was warmer inside. We left the memorial and went to find the Elliott Barker Trail and the Angelfire letterbox. Once we found the trailhead we took the short half mile hike to a small pond. Along the way we saw a couple of hawks flying around. At the pond we followed the clues and easily found the box. I sat and stamped while Regina walked around - she was trying to stay warm. (She lives in McAllen, TX and says the temperatures this past week have been in the 90's.)

From here we headed toward Eagle Nest to look for another box and to plant another box. On the way we stopped at a historical marker to find The Lazy Wheeler letterbox. This was an easy find just off the highway. Our next stop was Eagle Nest Lake - I had another letterbox to plant. When we got to the lake it was hard to find a spot to hide the box. But I was persistent and eventually found somewhere to hide it. (Again, I will post the clues soon.) Today was a nice day, the sun was out and the drive was beautiful - the only problem was the wind. Now that the letterboxing was done for the day we headed to Red River to get something to eat. But we were soon distracted - we stopped to see Elizabethtown. This is a ghost town on Hwy 38 between Eagle Nest and Red River.

It was interesting - we walked through a small museum, took pictures of the old courthouse and visited the cemetery. Now we could head for Red River to find some food. Unfortunately it is the slow season in this area and all the restaurants were closed until around 5:00pm. So we did a little walking around in Red River but succumbed to hunger pangs. We decided to head back to Taos and find an open restaurant. The drive to Taos was beautiful. Wheeler Peak has snow on it already and there were still plenty of trees with fall colors. Once we had eaten we headed back to Santa Fe. It was a great day, a beautiful drive and a relaxing adventure.

The Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Event Slide Show

Hi all! Thanks for a great day of letterboxing and visiting. Here are some pictures that I hope you enjoy. I may be adding pictures in the next few days. I need to see what pictures The Great Wuga Wuga captured. I am hoping he got some that I missed. But anyway, here is what I have so far. Just click on the picture to see the slide show.

A SPOOKtacular (and SPECtacular) Event

Well, The Santa Fe SPOOKtacular is history!

First I would like to say thank you to Astro D, rubberpeace, rbrhorno, The Great Wuga Wuga and Highwayman. If it had not been for all their help the event would not have been as successful. And second, I would like to thank everyone who attended our event. (Azroadie, Warm Front, Cold Front, AZJokester, artistamp, Azobox, Lisa from the TwinvilleTrekkers, Chris, preboxed, Front Range Hiker, y-nought, La Paloma and Elros) I had such a great time just visiting and talking with everyone. We had a small group but everyone who was there was so enthusiastic and appreciative. So thanks for attending our event and I hope we made your trip to Santa Fe a memorable one.

The morning started out a little cold but rbrhorno got us all warmed up by building a nice fire in the fireplace at the shelter. With all the visiting and stamping going on I don't think anyone really even noticed the cold. All in all the weather turned out to be perfect and we could not have planned it any better. The Great Wuga Wuga and Highwayman took good care of all of us by getting all the soup heated up. I think everyone enjoyed the food because I came home with two empty pots. And thanks to all the attendees for the chips, breads, crackers and desserts. We enjoyed a great spread. Once everyone had been fed people headed for the trails to find the boxes that we had planted.

Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga and myself were all of a sudden left alone at the shelter. We cleaned up a bit and organized things and then just talked about how things were going really well and very smooth. After a while I decided to walk the trail and check on everyone - you know they were all searching for letterboxes in a haunted wood. Really! As I walked the trail I encountered large spiderwebs with equally large spiders, severed hands, flying bats and boxes where ghost had stolen the stamp. I was happy to find all of our attendees were safe and sound and really seemed to be enjoying themselves amongst all the ghouls and goblins. So I returned to the shelter to relax.

Soon enough everyone had returned with logbooks covered in SPOOKy images. Then another round of eating and visiting ensued. I was extremely happy to hear that all had enjoyed themselves thoroughly. Everyone then helped us to clean up and get the shelter back to its original state. The event had come to an end and I headed home. As I sit and type this blog I am happy to have spent the day with my letterboxing friends and to have made a few more.

I need to thank one more person. Funhog graciously sent us a letterbox to place for our event. We really appreciate you thinking about us even though you could not be here. Your box (Flight 1007) is now permanently placed in Hyde Park thanks to The Great Wuga Wuga.

Changing Colors

It seems that all is taken care of for the event. I've gone over my list and everything is checked off except for a few things that will have to be done on Friday night and Saturday morning. So I decided to take a drive this afternoon up Hyde Park Road. From my house I have a great view of the Sangre de Cristos and it looked like things were turning golden up there. I enjoyed my drive up to the ski basin even though there was much more traffic than normal. I parked up at the trailhead for the Windsor Trail and hiked about a mile. The aspens are definitely changing and I am hoping that they will still be as colorful on Saturday for the event. The chair lift is running and I debated on whether I should ride it or not. I opted not to. The chair is running from 10:00am to 3:00pm and cost $10 for a round trip. As I headed back down the mountain I stopped at the Aspen Vista Trail Head. The parking lot was full. I hiked another mile and enjoyed the views (but I've never seen so many people on the trail at one time). It was a very beautiful afternoon and I hope Saturday for the event is as nice. Even though as I write this it is storming outside. I have to say that at 2:00 this afternoon it was 55 degrees at the ski basin, so I hope everyone coming to the event dresses appropriately. I also hope that everyone will take the time to drive from Hyde Park to the Ski Basin and enjoy the changing aspens. Can't wait until Saturday to see everyone. To all that are attending the event have a safe trip to Santa Fe!

Ready, Get Set, Go!

Astro D, rubberpeace and myself have been working frantically to get things ready for the event. We each had certain things to work on. Things seem to be going just a little too well, you know that feeling that you may be missing something! That's neither here nor there - the important thing is that we are ready for the event. A few last minute things that will have to be done the night before and the morning of is all that remains.

This past Saturday Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga, Highwayman and myself went out to the Park and placed the boxes for the event. Astro D then went home and typed up the clues. Today Astro D, rubberpeace and I went out to find the boxes. We followed the clues and checked on all the hiding places - everything is good, the hiding spots, the clues and the boxes. We all feel that the event will be a good one with some great boxes planted. We are just waiting for everyone to arrive on Saturday. And don't forget all the other boxes in the Santa Fe area.

Just a few reminders . . .

- Remember no glass containers in the park.
- Don't pay at the fee station - give your fee to one of us ($5.00 per vehicle).
-No cell phone service at the shelter (there is a pay phone at the Black Canyon Campground).
-Dress in layers - Saturday and today were a little chilly in the morning, check here for the forecast - http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USNM0292_f.html
- Have Fun!!!!!

See you in a few days, email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Driven to Letterbox

We're home! It was a great weekend in Denver - fast and furious but great!

We left our hotel this morning and went in search of one last letterbox before leaving Denver. It was a mystery box placed by preboxed - GME II. I had worked on the clues a while back and thought I had figured it out but never had the chance to actually go and find it. So last week I worked on the clues again, did some google searching and looked at maps. Parts of the clues still had me confused but we headed to the location I thought was right and we began our search. Things slowly fell into place and after about 20 minutes of searching and deciphering clues we found the box. I was really glad since I had put a lot of time and effort into this one. Once this box was back in place we headed out to find a something to eat before heading south on I-25.

A pretty uneventful drive and to be honest, a little boring. Interstate driving is pretty mundane. So we took a break and stopped at the visitors center in Raton to grab a quick drive by box. After stamping in we decided to take a side trip to Capulin Volcano. This is a National Monument about 30 minutes east of Raton off of Hwy 87/64. We collected another letterbox at the gift shop and then watched a 10 minute video about the volcano. Leaving the visitors center we took the road to the summit and enjoyed the views of the surrounding areas. Once at the summit we took the Crater Vent Trail to the bottom of the crater. Now time to continue our drive home. We made our way to Las Vegas, NM and stopped for dinner. After eating we headed up to United World College. We didn't exactly head to the college we actually drove a little past it in search of our last letterbox of the day - Alien Landing Pad? - Random Weirdness Series #2. Another quick drive by which was good. It was already 5:30pm and we were ready to get home.

I have to say we had a whole lot of fun on our quick trip to Denver but as always Thomas and I are very happy to be home. For Thomas it is back to work tomorrow and as for me I have some things to get done for the upcoming event. I hope everyone has a good week.

A Quick Weekend Trip to Denver

One of Thomas' college friends got married today. It was important to Thomas to attend this wedding. Thomas and Cass have been through a lot together and they have remained close over the 20 years since they graduated. So last night when Thomas got off of work we made our way to Denver. We didn't arrive at the hotel until around midnight but that was okay since we could sleep in this morning.

We weren't up and dressed until 9:30 this morning. We grabbed a quick breakfast and decided to do some walking and exploring downtown. There were also a few letterboxes that were in the downtown area that we could look for. First we found Ex Libris (Denver). I had solved this puzzle a while back but was unable to get the box on that trip due to my not paying attention to when the box would be available. But this time I had checked on the times first. After logging in we headed for the 16th Street Mall. We walked the entire length of the Mall and ended up at Union Station and found our second box.




On our way to Union Station we noticed that we were very close to Coors Field - I also knew that there was a box there. So once we finished at Union Station we walked the few blocks to the stadium and started looking for the box. While standing in front of the stadium and reading the clues we noticed that there were quite a few people looking at the bricks where we were. The bricks have names and dates on them - I guess you can buy a brick and put your name on it or do a memorial brick in someone's name. One of the women looking at the bricks came over to us and asked if we were part of the scavenger hunt. I wasn't sure what to say - I was wondering if she was a new letterboxer or if she was just trying to be nosy. She then told us about the scavenger hunt, which turned out to be some kind of race for some charity. There were a number of teams out all over Denver working on finding different things. Each team had to find a brick with a certain name and date on it. They asked if we would help them - after about 15 minutes of searching Thomas found the right brick and that team was so happy. They thanked us and headed off to find the next item. This allowed us to continue our search for the letterbox. We weren't paying attention to each detail in the clue and our first attempt at finding the box lead us only to find a pair of handcuffs. I looked at Thomas and said maybe we shouldn't be here. We laughed and gave it one more try to find the box. And we did - we were just off by about a foot. We stamped in, rehid the box and then found a place to have some lunch. While having lunch I read over the clues to a box that I had been working on but was having trouble solving. I had figured out parts of it and thought I might have figured out the location. So Thomas and I looked at a map and read the clues over and over. Once we finished eating we headed to where I thought the box was hidden. Well, I was wrong! There was nothing at the location that made sense with the clues. So I told Thomas that maybe I needed to research it a little more and that we should probably just head back to the hotel and rest a little before we had to get showered and changed for the wedding. As we were walking back to the hotel some things from the clues started to make more sense. Thomas pointed out a couple of things and I saw something that I wanted to investigate. Ten minutes later I was holding that dang box. I was so glad, I just love it when things come together. After stamping in and rehiding the box we had to get back to the hotel and get ready.

We made it to the church with about 10 minutes to spare. And of course the wedding was great and Cass made a beautiful bride. She looked so happy and I think that made Thomas feel good. Once the ceremony was over we headed to the reception which was next to our hotel. And thankfully so. We could have a few drinks and not worry about having to drive home. All of Thomas' college friends were so nice. I have met a few of them but there were a bunch that I was meeting for the first time. We had dinner and drinks, cake and coffee and we even danced a little. It is now just a little after eleven and we are both so tired. Tomorrow morning we head back to Santa Fe. A quick weekend trip to Denver but so much fun!

Checking Up On Boxes and Doing Maintenance

Well the SPOOKtacular event is less than a month away and things are going smoothly! Astro D and I met yesterday and went over things and made a list of what needs to be done. It seems as though everything is going well. One of the things that we have on the list is to check on boxes in the Santa Fe area and make sure they are okay. So this morning I decided to do a walk around downtown and check up on the boxes there. Astro D informed me that her Red or Green? box has gone missing (for the third time) and she has decided to retire it. Also Just Another Brick in the Wall is gone. I think the clue has been removed from LbNA. Okay, here I go - these are the boxes that I checked on today that are alive and well.

The Crow Knows

Going in Circles

Giant Rebel of Eden

Honor, Loyalty and Peace

Bear in Mind

Santa Fe Style

(Part of artTrekker's Artful Southwest Series - Little Pot and Cathedral Moon are both missing)

Canyon Oasis

City Different Walking Tour

Lizard Goes South

Art Attack #1

Calavera

I also checked on a few mystery boxes that are all alive and well and just waiting for someone to find them - HINT! HINT! Now some of these boxes have been moved or the clues have been updated. So if you have printed out the clues already you may want to check them just in case.

Other boxes in the area have been checked recently and they are okay. Here is a list of those boxes . . .

Ravens Ridge

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK

You're So Vain You Probably Think . . .

Land of Enchantment Series

Bad, Bad Black Sheep

Ribbit!

Are Your Dogs Barking?

Ski Bear

Soon a Monsoon

Is She Mary?

A Pressing Matter

Again, you may want to review the clues - I think some may have been updated. There are still a few boxes that Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga and I want to check on and as soon as we do I will write another update - please be sure to check back often. Also check on Astro D's blog (Toast Ranch Ramblings) for updates as well - she may post things there as she checks on boxes. And you may want to check the SPOOKtacular event page on Atlas Quest for updates as well.

Letterboxing At Home

We are back in Santa Fe and it is nice to be home. We did have a great time on our trip but it is always good to return home. Once settled I wanted to get out and check on a few of my boxes. So I headed up Hyde Park Road yesterday morning and hiked the Borrego/Bear Wallow Trail. All the boxes out there are in good condition - I was happy about that! After a nice hike I drove up Hyde Park Road to find a couple of new boxes that were planted while I was on vacation. Both were at an overlook with great views of aspens and of the valley. I found both very easy and then headed home to relax a little before Thomas returned from the airport with a friend that is visitng for the weekend. The rest of the day we just hung out in Santa Fe and had dinner before returning home and calling it an early evening.

Today I wanted to find a couple of letterboxes that Astro D and The Great Wuga Wuga had planted back in June. I guess I have been busy since it took me this long to go out and find them. We had a pleasant walk through a wetland preserve and I found Soon a Monsoon and The Beav - both very nice carvings - and I wouldn't expect any less from Astro and Wuga. We are going in to Santa Fe again today with our friend so I have to end this blog. Hopefully I will be back soon with more letterboxing adventures.

Six State Sweep Slide Show

I worked really hard and fast on picking pictures for a slide show. I wanted to pick pictures so that the entire trip was covered. I hope these photos make you feel like you were there. Click on the photo to see the slide show

Six State Sweep

Thomas and I are off again on another letterboxing adventure. By the time we return home we will have visited six states: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. We are headed to Golden, CO for the Golden Treasures Gathering this weekend and then we head out to visit Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah before heading back home the first week of September. As always we are searching for letterboxes but since we are headed to states we haven't visited before there are tons of things we want to see and do, so letterboxing will almost be an after thought. We are on a strict schedule since we have a lot of ground to cover. I am so excited about this trip and will share my adventures. You can click on the picture to get the inside stories. I will most likely not post every night but I won't wait too long to write about the trip.

A Find and A Plant

Since I had the day off today I decided to head to Albuquerque to find a letterbox and to hide a letterbox. I have been waiting for a little free time to get to these two boxes. I have had the box to plant for about a month and the letterbox that I found today had been planted on July 11th.

So I made my way to the Natural History Museum, found Alberta and then easily located the box. There were tables near by so I sat at one of them and stamped in. I had to wait a little while to rehide the box, all of a sudden it got very busy in the area. Once the box was hidden I went inside and enjoyed a leisurely walk through the museum.

I still had one objective in Albuquerque today - and that was to clean up and rehide The Netherwood Box. I received an email not long ago saying that the box was laying exposed and the contents were a little messed up. I adopted this box back in February but just got around to fixing it. I decided to move the box to a different location - it is still in the same general area - just hidden a little better. Astro D was kind enough to carve a great stamp to go in the box, and I made a new journal. I decided to leave the old stamp in the box as well. So if you have already found this box you need to go back. It has a different stamp, different clues and in a different location. I also renamed it so that past finders could go and get the new stamp and still count it as a find. The box in now called The Netherwood Box Revisited. I hope you all enjoy!

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.

Santa Fe Event Reminder

Hi everyone! I have updated the information regarding the Santa Fe Letterboxing Event in October. I finished carving the event stamp last night and today I am working on other aspects of the event. I finally organized Astro D's and my thoughts about the event and posted them on Atlas Quest. What follows is those thoughts . . .

Astro D, rubberpeace and myself are planning a Halloween Letterboxing Event in Santa Fe, NM. We chose an early October date so that we could have it in the mountains before it gets too cold.We have reserved Group Shelter #2 at Hyde Memorial State Park. Please visit the website (http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/Hyde.htm) for more detailed information. It includes information regarding how to get there, weather, park layout and camping. There is a $5 Day Use Fee (per vehicle) - Please Note: do not pay at the designated fee station. You will need to find Astro D or lionsmane and pay one of them. We will need to collect the fee from eveyone and then pay the rangers all at once.

Please be advised that we will be in the mountains and the temperatures at this time of year can drop pretty low at night and early morning and get into the high 60’s during the day. Dressing in layers will help make sure you don’t get too cold or hot. There is a fireplace at the shelter and we will provide a fire if it is too cold in the morning.

We will be providing different soups for lunch. We are requesting attendees bring bread, chips or crackers to go along with the soups. Also any kind of desserts would be welcome. And don’t forget to bring your own drinks!

There will be a few boxes planted just for the event. Clues for these boxes will be available in a goodie bag that you can pick up when you arrive at the event. But remember this is a Halloween themed event and you must provide the magic words in order to receive the clues. And if anyone is planning to plant a box of their own in Santa Fe remember to write out the clues and bring them to the event. We will have a spot to post these clues.

Here is a list of boxes already planted along Hyde Park Road:

Raven's Ridge

Ski Bear

Aspen Vista

Land of Enchantment Series

Bad Bad Black Sheep

Ribbit

ev·o·lu·tion

Western Blue Flag

El Pino Solo

El Pueblo Vista

You might want to take the time to check out these clues!

October 6th is also the start of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Go to their website for more information. http://www.balloonfiesta.com/

We really hope to see you there! If you have any concerns about directions, if you need help locating a hotel or if you just have general questions please feel free to email me here at Atlas Quest.

Arizona Slide Show

Well I have finally gotten all my photos organized and created a slide show. The slide show consists of photos taken by Astro D and myself while on our letterboxing trip to Arizona. The main reason for the trip was the A Century from Cranmere letterboxing event. So to see the photos we took click on the photo to the right.

Off on Another Letterboxing Adventure

So after returning home about a week ago and barely getting unpacked I have repacked and hit the road again. This adventure is taking me to Gilbert, AZ to a letterboxing event. This time I am traveling with my letterboxing buddy - Astro D. Our first day on the road was great - great weather, great boxes and great fun. To read more about our adventures clicked on the picture.

Photos from Southwest Texas

Now that I am home I have created a slide show of some of the pictures I took during my trip through Southwest Texas - I hope you enjoy! Click on the photo to view the slide show.

Southwest Texas Letterboxing Trip

This trip is taking me to San Antonio to visit friends. I am traveling throughout Southwest Texas on my way there. I am hoping to find a few boxes in some out of the way places. Some of these places I may never get to again so I have planned this trip carefully. To read about my adventures click on the Texas sign.

Las Cruces and El Paso Letterboxing?!?!?

Thomas and I are on our way home now. We spent the last couple of days in Las Cruces and El Paso. Thomas had meetings for work and I did some letterboxing. I haven't ever spent much time in this area (only really passing through), so it was a new experience for me. I had a good time and enjoyed a couple of hikes but I'm not sure if this is an area I want to spend more time in or not. Maybe in the winter when it isn't so hot.

We left Santa Fe on Wednesday morning headed down I-25. We made our first stop in Truth or Consequences, NM. Astro D has her Spaceport boxes here. We found the location for the first box but we were unable to locate the box. I was really disappointed because I love her carvings and just knew this stamp would be great. So on to the second box. This box was found easily. She had made this a two box series with only a logbook in the second box. When I opened the logbook she had both images stamped in there. And I was right both carvings were great. Now I was really sad that box one was missing. I stamped in and looked to see who had been there before me. rubberpeace and rbrhorno were the first finders and were lucky enough to get both stamps. Then Twinville Trekkers found the second box just two days before I was there. They also couldn't find box #1. After rehiding the box Thomas and I headed for Deming where his first meeting was. We had lunch and then I dropped him off at the DOT office. From here he was getting a state car, so I left Deming and made my way to Las Cruces. We would meet up again El Paso.

It was a quick drive to Las Cruces on I-10 and I made my way to Dripping Springs Natural Area. This area is about 10 miles east of Las Cruces. I hiked a one and a half mile trail and found the Dripping Spring letterbox. This was early afternoon and it was a little hot. Also I noticed some clouds moving in and I hoped they would pass so I could get the other two boxes in Las Cruces without getting soaked. I had passed "A" mountain on my way to Dripping Springs, so I made my way back to the parking area at the base of "A" mountain. I contemplated the cloud situation and thought about whether I could make it to the top and back down again without getting wet. There was a letterbox up there so I took my chances. The hike to the top was a little harder than I expected but because of the clouds and some wind at least it wasn't too hot. I made it to the top and quickly found the box. I stamped in and rehid the box then headed back to the car. Luckily no rain yet. One last box in Las Cruces - Las Cruces Flood Control Dam. By this time the clouds had disappeared and the sun was out again and it was getting warmer. So I headed out to walk along the dam. After about two miles I arrived at the spot to look for the box and there it was - right where it was suppose to be. So I sat down and enjoyed the views of the Organ Mountains while I stamped in. Once the box was back in its hiding spot I returned to my car. Having found all the boxes in Las Cruces I found I-10 and headed to El Paso.

It had been a long day of driving and letterboxing, so when I arrived in El Paso I took a shower and got dressed so Thomas and I could go out to dinner. After a nice meal it was time to relax and get some sleep - you know I had to be rested to do more letterboxing the next day. I quickly logged in my finds and wrote some notes to the placers. Now off to bed

Thomas had early meetings on Thursday morning so we were up, dressed and having breakfast by 6:30am. After breakfast and coffee Thomas headed to his meeting and I headed for Franklin Mountains State Park. It was the first day of summer and I was glad I was getting an early start. Within the park there are six boxes that I knew about. I was only looking for five of them because one was about seven miles and it was too hot already to try that long of a hike. My first stop in the park was the Ron Coleman trail at the summit of Trans-Mountain Road. A short quarter mile hike took me to the first box - Franklin Mountains Letterbox by Sandibox. She placed this box in honor of her brother who passed away not too long ago. This little tidbit of information in the logbook gave a bigger meaning to the box. Thanks Sandibox!

I continued up this same trail in search of The Elephant's Trunk. After hiking about a mile and climbing to the top of a ridge I came to the landmarks I was looking for. From here I did the requisite compass reading and began my search. It took me about 15 minutes to finally locate the geocache-letterbox hybrid. It was hidden well and blended in with the rocks. The hike up to the box was a little difficult for me - rocky trail and the heat really tired me out. I sat up there for about 30 minutes enjoying the views and resting before heading back to the parking lot.

From here I headed back down Trans-Mountain Road to the entrance of the Tom Mays Unit of the Franklin Mountains State Park. Three more boxes on my list. I stopped at the ranger booth just past the entrance and parked on the side of the road. I was searching for Make the Ranger Smile. I found the box quickly and brought it back to the ranger booth where there was a picnic table with shade where I could sit and stamp in. Unfortunately there were no rangers around to make smile. So I rehid the box and headed for the Nature Walk. I walked the entire loop (about one mile) and found two letterboxes - The Nature Walk and Mogollon Mask Microbox. By this time it was noon and getting very hot. I had found all the boxes that I wanted to find so I decided to head back to the hotel and wait for Thomas. As I was driving in to El Paso the day before I saw a billboard advertising Bodies Human - Anatomy in Motion. Being a Physical Therapist and having a background in anatomy this really caught my attention. So when Thomas returned from his meeting we headed downtown to see this exhibit. I thought it was incredible and very well done. Thomas on the other hand was a little creeped out. By the time we finished the exhibit it was dinner time so we stopped and had a bite to eat. After a hot day and some hiking I wanted to get back to the hotel and rest. I logged in my finds, downloaded some photos from the camera and then went to bed early.

This morning we left El Paso early - Thomas had to drop the state car off in Las Cruces and he needs to be at work in Santa Fe this afternoon. So as we drive I am getting this blog written. Overall it was a nice trip - I found some nice boxes and saw some different places.

ABQ Letterboxing

When I woke up this morning I decided to skip the plans that I had for the day. I decided instead to head to Albuquerque. There were three letterboxes that I had yet to find and for some reason I had this urge to go letterboxing today. So I drove to Albuquerque on Hwy 14. I always love the back way - it is such a beautiful drive and avoids all the traffic on I-25. And the first box I wanted to look for was in that vicinity.

My first stop was Tunnel Canyon. What a nice spot. This was my first visit here. I was able to find the Tunnel Canyon box by 6jumpingbeans quickly and then I went on a short hike. I took some pictures of some wildflowers and cactus blooms. I enjoyed the box, the stamp was carved by a six year old. Now I was on my way to find Vikings - who would have guessed that we have Vikings here in New Mexico. I found their hiding spot and their ship but did not actually see any Vikings - maybe on another trip! I did find the box in a great location and safe from any prying eyes. I can't tell you where I was because it's a secret. My third and final stop of the day was Coronado State Monument - another place I have never visited. I took my time enjoying the museum, ruins and the views from the park before setting out to find the box. After taking in the culture I located the box and stamped in. The views of the Rio Grande and the Sandias from the box's hiding spot were terrific. Thanks to Twinville Trekkers5 for informing me about the Vikings and finally getting me to visit Coronado State Monument.

I had a great day in Albuquerque and enjoyed finding these three boxes. It is nice to have more letterboxers in the area.

Below are some pictures that I took today! Enjoy!