I am trying to find letterboxes in the area and get caught up on things before we leave for Alaska on Saturday. So this morning I left Santa Fe (and all the smoke) and headed north on US285 to Taos. By the time I got past Pojoaque the smoke was completely gone and I was breathing fresh air for the first time in a while. I continued my beautiful drive along 285 to Espanola and then took NM68 to Rancho de Taos. I always enjoy my drive along this route - passing through Velarde, Embudo and Pilar before reaching Taos.
I stopped a couple of times to watch the people rafting on the Rio Grande and let me tell you they were out in full force. I finally arrived at my first stop -
San Francisco de Asis Church in
Rancho de Taos. I walked around and took a few pictures and then went on my mission to find a letterbox - Rancho de Taos by Hi Desert. It was a quick and easy find but I did have to be a little sneaky as there were a couple of people walking around the outside of the church taking pictures, but it wasn't a big problem. I retrieved the box and returned to my car to stamp in. Once I was done it was easy to get the box back in place and I was on my way.
I continued my trip through Taos to US64. I turned left here and stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I took a walk out onto the bridge and admired the view and took some pictures. After about 15 minutes I returned to my car and continued. I drove from Taos to Tres Piedras and through the Carson National Forest (which had a lot of dead trees) and eventually arrived at US84. I headed north to Tierra Amarilla and ended up at Heron Lake State Park. 
Once I entered the park and paid my fees I drove to the Brushy Point Campground West. I parked and walked down to the cove, following the clues for Kretaceous Klam by PetroPunks. It was a short walk along the lake and I found the box without any problems. I took the box and sat on an old log near the water and stamped in. It was a beautiful day and very peaceful - not one other person was in the area where I was sitting. However, there was one problem - noseeums! I hate these little buggers. With each bite I get about a dime sized pink area with a bright red dot in the middle and they itch like crazy. My ankles look horrible - all red and puffy - and I have been putting benadryl cream on to help with the itching, so it is more tolerable today. I can't believe I forgot my Off when I went left the house this morning. Oh, well. After stamping in I returned the box to its hiding spot. It was a really cool box. The stamp was mounted on a piece of stone with clam fossils on it. So after I replaced the box I walked along the shore of the lake looking for rocks with fossils. I found a few but didn't really spend a whole lot of time searching because I still had plenty of ground to cover.
Back on US84 I headed south towards Abiquiu. I made my first stop at Ghost Ranch to find Hi Desert's Georgia O'Keeffe at Ghost Ranch. This was a really quick find. I parked at the Visitors Center and walked a little ways down the road to the Ghost House and followed the clues. The box was right where it was supposed to be. I took it to the next building over and sat at a table to stamp in. Once I was done, I put the box back and returned to my car. Back on US84 and still heading south I stopped at a picnic area at mile marker 217. The picnic area was deserted and it was easy for me to search for the box - another Hi Desert box - Entering O'Keeffe Country. I found it quickly and returned to one of the picnic tables to stamp in. I didn't sit around too long because the smoke from the fires in Santa Fe and Los Alamos was getting worse and I didn't feel like sitting out in it for too much time. I rehid the box and continued my journey. My next stop was Bode's store. I parked, followed the clues and found the box - Forgot the Pickles by Hi Desert. I did have a little trouble with one part of the clue but eventually it became 'cleary'. Once I had the box in my hand and found a good spot to sit and stamp in it started to rain. Not much but a few drops here and there. I didn't care if all my stuff got wet - we really need the moisture. So I kept on stamping - and the rain stopped about 30 seconds after it started. I got the box back in place and returned to my car and put my stuff away. I then went into the store to look around. They had some really interesting and cool things - toys, cards, candy, etc. - I wanted to spend more time but it was around 4pm and I still wanted to make one more stop before returning to Santa Fe. So back on the road I drove south a little further and eventually made a left turn onto NM554 and in a short distance made another left onto CR155. 
I made my way to Dar al Islam and parked. The box I was looking for was Hi Desert's Dar al Islam and when I got the clues off of AQ it was marked unavailable but I decided to stop any way because I like the area - Plaza Blanca - with its white cliffs and spires. So I quickly looked for the box (and didn't find it - I really didn't look too hard since it was marked unavailable and Astro D & rubberpeace had mentioned to me that they couldn't find it) then returned to the parking area and hiked out to Plaza Blanca. It is such a beautiful and peaceful area and a great way to end my day in the Abiquiu area. Now it was time to head back to Santa Fe.
Once I got into Santa Fe I decided to go for one last box of the day before heading home. So I made my way to Amelia White Park and found rubberpeace & rbrhorno's Dessert in the Desert. I sat at a picnic table enjoying the cool early evening and stamped. I put the box back in its hiding spot and then headed home. I had a really fun day driving around Northern New Mexico and letterboxing. The next post I will make will be about our trip to Alaska - WooHoo!
We parked near the guesthouse and then walked up the road toward the monastery. Just after passing the guesthouse we turned onto a dirt path and walked down to the Rio Chama. At this point we looked for Archangel Raphael at Monastery of Christ in the Desert by Kit. This was a quick and easy find and we sat near the river while stamping in. After the box was back in place we walked a little along the river and then headed back to the car and back towards US84. About five miles from the highway we stopped at the Big Eddy Boat Take-Out and took another walk along the river. After our walk it was time to get back onto US84 and continue our drive.
We turned in, paid our fee and parked. Then we went in search of War and Peace by RNR. This was a short walk and an easy find. I took the box to a picnic table to stamp in. When I finished stamping in and put the box back in its hiding spot Thomas and I walked the rest of the way to the amphitheater. We did the requisite echo-ing and just sat and relaxed for a bit. After about 15 minutes we headed back to the car and continued on. We didn't stop again until we reached Chama. Once in town we decided to stop for some lunch. We ended up eating at High Country Restaurant. Our lunch was delicious and we had a nice and relaxing time. An hour later it was time to complete our trip and start our drive home. The next box we looked for was Cumbres and Toltec by ArnoldZiffel and it was hidden just a short distance from the restaurant at the Visitor Center. We parked and I went around back, found the junipers and the box. I took it back to the car to stamp in. Once I had stamped in and replaced the box we drove on to the last box of the day. We took US64 west heading for Dulce. About eight miles or so from Chama we arrived at an historical marker for the Continental Divide. We parked here and I looked for and easily found Dulce Great Divide Alien Breeder Vats by Wronghat. Again, I stamped in at the car. When the box was back in place it was time to head home.
