It has been a while since I got out and found letterboxes in the Santa Fe area and I noticed I had clues for boxes that were planted last Fall. So last night I got those clues together and mapped them out so that this morning I could head out catch up on the boxes in the area.
This morning I left the house a little after 8:00am so that I could get an early start and finish before the temperatures got too hot.
First I stopped at
Cities of Gold Casino Hotel in
Pojoaque to look for Tewa Yiya. I couldn't find the box and I am pretty sure I was in the right place because the clues were very clear. So next I headed up towards
Chimayo for two boxes by Sunny Delight. I drove on NM 503 for a little over six miles to a pull out with a wooden crossover. Here I found Good Friday and Cross & Nails placed near a metal cross on a hill. These were easy finds and I was soon back on the road.
On the way back to Santa Fe I made a stop at the
Camel Rock Monument to find Camel Rock - another box by Sunny Delight. Again this was a quick and easy find. I did take the box back to the car to stamp in which was more comfortable. After replacing the box I continued on my way back to Santa Fe and headed to Hyde Park Road.
I arrived at
Hyde Memorial State Park and drove to the Main Campground area and parked near the playground. Children of the Forest have three boxes in this area and these have been there since last Fall and I thought is was about time I found them - I couldn't believe they had been there that long and I hadn't gotten out to look for them. So I found All Waters Lead to the Ocean and the two boxes in the Lightning Strikes series (Pichu & Pikachu). All three of these are planted on or near the
Piggyback Trail. I love this trail because it follows a stream and is very relaxing. Once I was done with these boxes I headed back down Hyde Park Road and made my next stop at
Ten Thousand Waves. Here I found Sashaburi Da Ne . . . by Stellanor. This was another quick and easy find in another beautiful and peaceful area. I sat under a tree and stamped in and enjoyed the peace and quiet.
Now on to my last box. For this one I headed over to
Museum Hill to find ArnoldZiffel's The Morris Miniature Circus. I followed the path, found the box and took it to a nearby bench to sit and stamp in. I love this stamp, a very nice carve. After replacing the box I returned to the car and was ready for home - well almost ready.
Last week I noticed that rubberpeace had reached her 10 year letterboxing anniversary.
So I decided to carve her a stamp and plant it on a trail near her house. So I drove to the
Sun Mountain Trailhead on Old Santa Fe Trail and went in search of a good spot that wasn't too far up the trail so that she could have an easy find. I planted
rubberpeace ~ 10 Years and I sent her the clues. Once she finds the box I will post the clues on Atlas Quest and the box will be available for anyone to find.
I had a great day catching up on letterboxes in Santa Fe. There are still four boxes on major hikes that I need to get but until my broken foot is totally healed they will have to wait.
So we left Santa Fe sometime around 1:00pm and headed north. We just drove (no stopping) until we got about three miles outside of Alamosa. At this point we turned off of US 285 and onto CO 370 and drove west about 14 miles to CO 15. Here we turned north and headed toward Monte Vista. Two and a half miles before we reached Monte Vista we turned west onto W Co Rd 2 S which turns into Co Rd 28. 
After about four or five miles the road turned from asphalt to gravel. But the gravel part was really well maintained and the there was no washboard surface. We drove about 15 miles before reaching the campground. the drive turned from flat farmland to rocky, hilly and forested. It was absolutely beautiful. I am glad we made the drive out to the campground. I almost decided to skip it since it was far off the main road and it was on a gravel road but it turned out fine. When we arrived at the campground we followed the clues to the last camp site and then easily found the next landmark and then the box. I grabbed Jo Z Ro Z's Rock Creek Rocks and took it back to the car to stamp in. When I was done I replaced the box and then walked over to Rock Creek and took a few pictures.
