Our Last Day in Massachusetts

Well today is our last day visiting Deanne and Dave in Massachusetts and I have to say that this trip has been fantastic.

Fishing at Rauscher Farm

This morning we all loaded into the car and headed out for one more letterboxing outing before we leave tomorrow. We drove to Clinton and more specifically Rauscher Farm. We were here to find justintim1999's Nature Adventure at Rauscher Farm - this is a series of 10 boxes placed on a two mile walk. So we all headed out and started looking for boxes. Thankfully we found all of the boxes and two bonus boxes. The walk was fantastic and this was a great place and I have to say that a couple of the hides were really clever. We enjoyed our time at the Farm and then we started our drive back to the house. On the way we pulled into a rest area - visitor center along MA2 and while here I found one more box. The box that I found is Basket of Apples by lazy letterboxer. This box was placed in honor of Johnny Appleseed and was placed for the Great Northern Tier Geocaching/Letterboxing Tournament. After getting this box we headed back to the house and began packing before we headed out to dinner. We had a great time visiting with Deanne and Dave and we found some great letterboxes while we were here. I look forward to our next visit to Leominster.

Lincoln Woods in Leominster

Most of today was spent relaxing and reading and visiting with Dave and Deanne. Then in the afternoon Deanne asked if I wanted to go and find a few letterboxes. I said I would love that and I asked Thomas if he wanted to go with us and he decided it would be nice to get out for a walk. So Deanne, Thomas and I headed out to Lincoln Woods Wildlife Sanctuary to find four boxes. We were only at the Sanctuary for a short time and we probably walked about two miles. During our walk we looked for and found all four boxes - Drunk-Box 2012 by Epicus Ratticus; Native Son Series: Thomas Pecorelli by lazy letterboxer, Lincoln at Lincoln by lazy letterboxer and Perry by JEM2013. All the boxes and stamps were fantastic and we enjoyed the afternoon outing. I am loving these quick letterboxing trips to find a few boxes and then taking some time to just relax. We are really enjoying our trip to Massachusetts - Deanne and Dave have been incredible host.

Dinner and a Letterbox

Tonight Deanne and Dave wanted to take Thomas and I out to dinner at one of their favorite restaurants. The restaurant is a wonderful little Italian place called The Gondola. When we arrived Dave and Deanne talked with their favorite waitress and we were shown to a booth. We ordered drinks and Deanne asked the waitress to bring the letterbox she planted here at the restaurant. So the waitress brought the box to the table and I opened and started stamping in. There were quite a few stamps in the Go, Go, Go to the Gondola letterbox and it took me a while to stamp in. Deanne has placed a few boxes in restaurants and pubs around the area and she modeled them after the boxes you find in pubs in Dartmoor. I was glad to get this box and the wonderful stamps that were in it. And we had a fantastic dinner with some great food. Thanks to Deanne and Dave for taking us to this great place.

We're Back in Leominster

Today we drove back to Leominster from Orange after having a fun few days at the camp. After getting settled at Dave and Deanne's I decided to take a walk a couple of blocks away to find a letterbox that Deanne has at a free little library close to her house. Thomas decided to stay at the house and read. When I mentioned to Deanne that I was going to walk to the library she decided to come along so she could check if it needed more books. So we took the short walk  and I found LFL 15314. While I stamped in on the adjacent bench Deanne reorganized the books and made a note about how many books she could put into it. Once we had the box back in place we walked back to the house and then she said she would take me out in Leominster to find a few more boxes.

A Guardian Angel

This time we got in the car and she drove us to a trail with two boxes that she planted as an honor to the letterboxingham's guardian angel. Let me give a little clarification here. Dave (the letterboxingham) was doing some volunteer work clearing the trail. He was working on the last tree of the day when he started cutting it and it fell on him. He was pretty banged up and was taken to the hospital. Thankfully he was alive but ended up needing surgery and has recovered nicely. So Deanne and I walked a short way up the trail to a snag - which is the scene of the accident. Near here I found the first box and stamped in. While I was sitting on a rock stamping in Deanne swatted something off my pants. She said it was a tick. Once the box was back in place I checked to see if there were any others on me. I didn't see any so we continued up the trail another 12 steps to the second box. Again it was an easy find and I sat on a rock and stamped in. These two boxes are a series called The Letterboxingham's Guardian Angel. Deanne carved two guardian angels but the letterboxingham only has one - the boxes represent 1) What Deanne wants Dave's guardian angel to look like and 2) What she thinks he really looks like. It was a nice series. When we got back to the car Deanne checked the back of my pants and I checked the front - I found one more tick. I was hoping that was all there was.

Lizzie Borden: The Original Girl Gone Mad

Back in the car we headed to another trail. Along this trail we first looked for The Borden Girls. A series about Lizzie Borden. This is a series of two boxes - one is called The Original Girl Gone Mad and one is called The Original Mad Cow. This is a great series and I enjoyed both of the stamps. They were both easy finds and I stamped in quickly so we could continue on for one more box. We walked the trail for a little while and the found Thomas' Toy Box. This is a box placed by the lazy letterboxer and it is one that people can add stamps to. So this box took me a little while to stamp in - there were 19 stamps in the box. When I finally finished stamping in and we got all the stamps back into the box we put the box back into its hiding spot. We made our way back to the car and then headed back to the house. After walking these two trails and finding ticks on me I decided that the first thing I wanted to do was take a shower. When I got undressed I had Thomas help me look for more ticks. We did a very thorough search and found two more - one on my right knee and one on my left thigh. After getting these off of me I felt that it was all clear so I jumped into the shower and by the time I got out of the shower I was all better and no longer worried about ticks. Even with the ticks I still had a great time and I really enjoyed all the stamps I found.

A Few Doggies and A Mini Meet

This morning we decided to go out as a group to find a series of five boxes that the lazy letterboxer had in Royalston. We weren't sure if all the boxes were there because Deanne had a couple of notes that two of them were missing. This series is called Doggie Bag Denizens and was born from a doggie bag that she had gotten from a restaurant. The bag had pictures of five dogs and she decided to carve them and plant them as a series. So Dave, Deanne, Thomas and I drove from the camp to Jacobs Hill Reservation. We parked and started down the trail and we didn't have to go too far to find the first box - Laddie. I looked for it and found it without a problem.

View of Long Pond

After stamping in and replacing the box we continued along the trail. The next box - Duke, was placed near a scenic overlook. We arrived at the area and we were rewarded with an incredible view of Long Pond. We spent a few minutes here while I took some pictures and then we looked for the box. Once we found it I took it to a nearby rock to sit and stamp in. We got the box back in place and continued our hike to the next box. As we descended the trail we followed the clues and when we found the landmark we started searching for the box.

Spirit Falls

Unfortunately Rex apparently didn't like this spot because we couldn't find him. So we continued down the trail until we reached water. At this point we went in search of the fourth box - Sparky. Again we came up empty handed and that verified the notes that Deanne had gotten about two of the boxes being gone. But we still had one more box to find. So we got back on the trail and continued on to the fifth box - Scruffy. We had better luck this time and found him without any problems. I stamped in and then replaced the box and then we all headed back to the car.  I think we did about a two mile walk - it was pleasant and relatively easy and we all had a great time.

We returned to the camp and relaxed for a while and then took showers so we could go to the mini meet that the lazy letterboxer had arranged - Meet Lionsmane and Highwayman at Herrick's Tavern. We were the first to arrive and we found a table out on the patio. Soon everyone arrived and we had a great visit and some snacks. Here I found Luvvy's Pub Box and also got a few personal travelers. It was nice to see some old faces and meet some new people. We spent about an hour and a half at the tavern just talking and relaxing then we headed back to the camp - it was a nice day of letterboxing.

Bears, Beans and Lookout Below

We spent most of the day just hanging around the camp in Orange - relaxing, reading and visiting. Then in the afternoon Deanne asked if I wanted to go do a little letterboxing. Of course I said yes and off we went. She took me to one of her series in New Salem at Bear's Den to find her Bear's Den Quartet. I loved this place - it had lots of trees that created a wonderful shady area that took you down to a small river with a small waterfall. The hike wasn't long or hard and I found all four of the boxes in the series. It was a fantastic outing and I loved the series of stamps.

Once we returned to the car Deanne took me to another one of her boxes that she has hidden at a company where they get there coffee (not like Starbucks - they get roasted whole beans in a blend made just for them that they take home and grind then brew). The place and the box was called Dean's Beans. The box is hidden near the building and there was a picnic table near the box that I sat at to stamp in. Unfortunately the Dean's Beans was closed so I couldn't go in and get coffee but maybe next time.

Before we returned to the camp we made one last stop at the Orange airport where there is a skydiving place called Jumptown. The lazy letterboxer placed the box for the letterboxingham and GingerBlue who skydived from here on September, 19, 2009. This was another quick and easy find and once the box was back in place we called it a day and returned to the camp for more relaxation and some dinner.

Letterboxing in Wendell State Forest

After sleeping in and then a good breakfast Deanne, Dave, Thomas and I packed some sandwiches and snacks and then headed for Wendell State Forest. Deanne had planned for us to do some letterboxes near Ruggles Pond. After driving for about 30 minutes we arrived and parked near the pond and then decided where we were headed first. Thomas and Dave decided to stay near the pond while Deanne and I hit the trails. We headed for the trail head at the far end of the lot for the Metacomet Monadnock Trail. We started following the white blazes and started searching for boxes. We were going to look for a letterbox at a shelter we passed but there was a park employee working there so we just continued on. Not too far up the trail we stopped and here I searched for the very first letterbox planted in Massachusetts - El Corazon originally placed by Bonita and currently owned by BlackA. This box holds the only original carve done by Bonita. There are two other boxes on this trail originally placed by Bonita but at some point they had to be replaced and now hold new carves. But back to El Corazon - this box was presumed lost after a hurricane but thankfully the lazy letterboxer and the letterboxingham were able to find the box by digging through a large pile of branches, uprooted trees and brush. They replanted it and today I found the box hidden behind a large boulder on the side of the trail. It was exciting finding the first box placed in the state. After stamping in we replaced the box and continued down the trail. I am not sure how far we walked but along the way we found the second and third boxes placed in Massachusetts - Antoine de Saint Exuprey and Letterbox Vincent. After stamping in and replacing Vincent we turned around and headed back to the parking area. Along the trail we tried for a couple of other boxes in the It's A Myth-Story series. We only found the first box which was the one at the shelter we passed early on.


Back at the car we met Thomas and Dave and then took our sandwiches and snacks to a shelter and enjoyed a nice little lunch. Then we all decided to go in search of the next boxes. First we headed up the road and took a blue blazed trail to look for Dr. Ned by the lazy letterboxer. Unfortunately we didn't find the box and Deanne said she would have to replace it. So we returned the way we came and then took the trail that loops around Ruggles Pond. Along this trail we looked for and found Spring Peepers of Ruggles Pond and Oft She Goes placed by BlackA. This was a great walk and I enjoyed it immensely. When we finished the loop we went to the car and drove up the road deeper into the park and turned on to Jerusalem Road. We parked near a sign for lookouts and Deanne and I took the very short walk to find Oh the PUNishment! #5 by Epicus Ratticus. This was an easy find and we quickly stamped in and then returned to the car.

At this time we left the park and made the drive back to Orange and the camp - we needed to get ready for a dinner reservation. It was a great time at Wendell and I hope to get back there sometime to find more boxes.

Visiting Massachusetts

Thomas and I are in Massachusetts visiting letterboxing friends (the lazy letterboxer - Deanne and the letterboxingham - Dave) in Leominster.

the lazy letterboxer

They have a little camp in Orange and today we drove up there to spend a few days. Once we were settled at the camp I found a letterbox that is hidden in the front yard of the camp. I grabbed The Coffee box and took it to the porch to stamp in. Once that was done and I replaced the box Deanne said she would take me on a hike to find a series of five boxes. So we drove a short way to the Federated Women's Club State Forest in Petersham. The hike was wonderful - not too hard and not too far and it ended in a fantastic view of the Quabbin. On this hike I found all five boxes in the CherChez Les Femmes series that the lazy letterboxer had planted here. It was a perfect way to spend part of the afternoon and I loved all the carves of the boxes. After the hike we returned to the camp for an extremely relaxing evening. I am looking forward to finding more letterboxes in the area.