Creating a Halloween Letterboxing Adventure

Here in Santa Fe we have hosted two Halloween themed events . . . Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event (October 6, 20017) and Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event Resurrected (September 23, 2017). Because of these two event we have quite a few Halloween themed boxes. So after this year's event we decided to take all those boxes and find a place to plant them all. I have to say that the idea came from a similar thing in Texas. They have Telge Park in Cypress that is host to lots of Halloween themed boxes (many of the boxes may be missing now after hurricanes have flooded the area).

Anyway, today four of us set out to plant boxes all in one area where letterboxers can spend a day "Trick or Treating" for letterboxes. Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga, Highwayman and myself got together and headed to ǝʌɹǝsǝɹd uısɐq oǝʇsılɐƃ to plant all these boxes. We ended up planting 22 boxes. We all went our separate ways so they are spread out on different trails and to get them all you may have to walk between five and six miles. That sounds daunting but the hikes are more moderate and the inclines are gentle. One thing to remember is that the area is open and exposed so in hotter weather remember to bring sunscreen, hats, sunglasses and plenty of water. A trail map would also be helpful and I suggest downloading one from the internet and then printing it out. We tried to use trail intersection markers for most of the boxes so the map would definitely help to keep you oriented and on track.

Another thing is that we ended piggy-backing the clues. So you will need to read all the clues to see where to start and then where to continue. This will help you to sequence the clues and that way you can just go from one box to the next.

We had a great time planting all the boxes and we now have updated the clues and they are ready to be found. Listed below are all the boxes by owner (meaning they are not in the order to be found) and a link to a trail map. We hope everyone enjoys our new Halloween Park.


Special Notes:

It would be extremely helpful to print out a Trail Map before you head out.  

***Here is a list of all the boxes planted at Halloween Park.

Bell Motel: Batter RIP; Posada's Calavera (3)  

Astro D: Scary Monster and Super Freak series (2); Bob Bob Bobbin; Day of the Dead: Cancion de Amor; Halloween Carve; I wnt 2 suk yor bl%d  

lionsmane: Halloween Icons; Creature Feature (3); It’s Haunted . . .; Roosting; A Little Scare; Double, Double Toil and Trouble; The Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow; Araneae; Something Wicked (2)

A SPOOKtacular Event Day!

Well, today was the day - the Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event Resurrected has gone off without a hitch. I was up early to get my potluck dish complete and to get all my things together. Then I was off. Before getting to the event I made a quick stop to check on one of my boxes. Once that was done I headed to the event. When I arrived there were already people milling about. I brought in my dish, put my clues on the clue table, and hid a HIPS box.

Then I gathered any clues I needed and made a plan. I was a little concerned about the weather because it was overcast and a little windy. Thankfully, the rain held off except for a few drizzles at different times of the day. After saying hi to a few people Astro D, Bell Motel and I headed out to find one box just out the back gate on the trail. When we tried to find the box it wasn't there but as we turned to leave someone was walking up returning the box. So we sat and stamped in then replaced the box. At this point we all went our separate ways. I returned to the house to get a seven box series hidden around the outside of the house. When I finished this series I decided to sit at the event stamp table and stamp into those since there was no one there. I was about halfway through the boxes when I was joined by a few people. I had carved the event stamps for this event and our first SPOOKtacular event back in 2007 so that was three boxes I didn't need to stamp into. But I ended up getting the following event stamps . . . All Wrapped Up, Dobby the House Elf, and Mr. Pumpkin Head by ArnoldZiffel; Learning New Things That Might Be Helpful and Scary House by CorgiLover; Creepy Cryptex and Mr. Potato Head by Seekers Two; Booooo! and Spooktacular by C4; and Spooky Santa Fe by Kit. All great stamps. I then did some exchanges and personal travelers before finally taking a break and having a little lunch. After eating I headed out to the trails for one new box. I met up with Astro D and Bell Motel at the box and we all stamped in together. Then they headed off for more boxes and I returned to the house. I finished getting exchanges and personal travelers and then spent some time visiting. Then rubberpeace asked me to take her to my boxes on the furthest trails. So I drove her to those boxes and she stamped in while we talked. Then we returned to the house to finish off the day.

The event turned out great. It was a smallish gathering but extremely fun. The traditional boxes I found today were . . . Batter RIP, Posada's Calaveras, and Cozy Cone Motel by Bell Motel; Bob Bob Bobbin, A Halloween Carve, and Scary Monster & Super Freak by Astro D; Wild Things, Raven, Creepy Critters, Evil Eyes, and Devil's Tower by ArnoldZiffel; Dr. Frankenstein's Monster and Quoth the Raven by BirchMoon; Count Floyd by Wronghat; and La Llorona by Sunny Delight. The Exchanges I got were . . . Kit, ladyval, NMLeisa, CorgiLover, californiabluefrog, and sparkyNM. The Personal Travelers I received were . . . Corgis Were Here by CorgiLover; and Winter Solstice and Tiny Travelers by californiabluefrog. The attendees at the event were . . . Kit, NMLeisa, californiabluefrog, rubberpeace, CorgiLover, Sunny Delight, C4, Seekers Two, Wronghat, Semicolon, Wisconsin Hiker, Martini Man, ladyval, sparkyNM, Highwayman, The Great Wuga Wuga, Bell Motel, BirchMoon, Agent 86, ArnoldZiffel, Astro D, and lionsmane. It was a great group and a great event.

A Visit to Cochiti Lake and Tent Rocks

Today I had an incredible outing with a few fellow letterboxers. Astro D, Bell Motel, californiabluefrog and I headed south from Santa Fe and drove to Cochiti. Astro D and I had already found all the boxes in the area so we were just hanging out with Bell Motel and califoniabluefrog while they letterboxed. So our first stop was Cochiti Lake Visitor Center. We took the nature trail and they found Tent Rocks by Mim and Mim's Lagniappe by Wronghat. While they stamped in, I enjoyed the views of the lake. When they were finished we returned to the car and then drove a short distance up to the overlook. At this spot they found Pueblo de Cochiti by Wronghat. I walked to the overlook while they stamped in. Once they were finished we left the Visitor Center and made our way to Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

It was around noon when we arrived in the parking area for Tent Rocks so we decided to grab a picnic table and eat our lunch. We spent about 20 minutes relaxing and eating before we headed out on the trail. We decided to do the Canyon Trail first. Just beyond the junction for the Cave Trail we stopped and looked for Osiris' Secret. Unfortunately, we weren't able to find it. So then we just continued along the Canyon Trail. This is one of my favorite hikes. The trail and views are beautiful. You go through a couple of slots and pass some of the tent rocks. It is about a mile and a half trail that goes up to the top of the plateau for some awesome views. Most of the trail is easy but there are a couple of spots where you have to scramble over some rocks and then the ascent to the top is a little work as well. But the hike is so worth doing. Along this hike we looked for El Corredor but again we didn't find the box. After completing the Canyon Trail we took the Cave Trail so that they could look for El Ladron. We walked the trail and when we got to the cave Astro D and I sat and visited while Bell Motel and californiabluefrog went and searched for the box. When they returned to meet us we headed back to the car and left the monument heading back to Santa Fe.

Apache Tears

On NM16 we stopped at one of the Historical Markers for them to find New La Bajada Hill by ArnoldZiffel. This was a quick stop and we were on our way. We got on I25 and headed north up La Bajada Hill. Then we stopped at the rest area for them to find Harry Potter Horcrux Series #1 - Tom Riddle's Diary by ArnoldZiffel. Another quick and easy find and then we were back on the road. Last we made one more stop at Santa Fe Brewery for them to find Plant A Beer 2017: Santa Fe Brewing by ArnoldZiffel. Once they were done with this series of boxes they dropped me off at home.

It was a great day of hiking and letterboxing and we had a lot of fun. I really love Tent Rocks and it had been a while since I had been there so this was a perfect outing.

Planting Boxes for the Event

This morning I met with Astro D and ArnoldZiffel and Bell Motel joined us to plant boxes and get last minute things done for our Santa Fe SPOOKtacular Letterboxing Event Resurrected. We spent a little time talking about things and stamping in to some of the boxes. Then we all hit the trails and went our separate ways to plant the boxes. I hid three of my boxes around the outside of the house before we left for the trails and then I planted my next box just a short ways from the house on one of the closer trails. My last three boxes I walked to the furthest trail from the house and planted them there. Once I was finished and I had made notes I made my way back to the house. When all of us were back we spent some time putting together some goodie bags and then discussed what we needed for the event on Saturday. By the time I left everything was in place and we are now ready for a SPOOKtacular event.

Cross Country Without Skis

This morning Astro D and I headed up Hyde Park Road for a little hike and some letterboxing. We had talked about doing this a week or so ago and made our plans for today.

I met her at her house at 9:30am and we headed up the mountain. Our first stop was at Hyde Memorial State Park to look for a box that was planted at the beginning of the month. This box is Fennboree 2017 by Brave Bonnie Bonsai and Miley Mystery Machine. We parked across the street from the entrance to Group Shelter 3 and walked over to the shelter. We followed the clues and made our way to the grill. This is where the clues started. Next we were to go down some stairs and then take 26 steps. But right away we encountered an obstacle. A very large tree had fallen and had landed across the stairs and over the bridge next to them. So we climbed over the tree and followed the rest of the clues. I was a little confused because there was a picture of a tree with a sign next to it and I assumed that that was where the box was hidden. But I was wrong, and Astro D continued along with the clues and found the box. We found a place to sit and stamp in. The box was nice but the stamp is double sided and by the time we finished I was covered in ink. After stamping in and replacing the box we made our way to the car. Once in the car I used two wet wipes to clean my hands and still ended up looking like I washed my hands with ink. Oh well, one of the hazards of letterboxing. We continued on . . .

We continued our drive up the mountain and made our way to the NorSki Trail parking area. This trail is for cross country skiing but makes for a great hike for the summer. As we were getting our things to head up the trail two vans parked next to us and then a gaggle of little kids climbed out. I was hoping upon hope we wouldn't have to be stuck with them on the entire hike. Our plan for this trail was to hike it (because I hadn't done that), check on a couple of letterboxes and plant one letterbox. Before we left the car Astro D stamped in to the box I was going to plant just to make things easier. So by the time we hit the trail the kids were gone. We took the trail from the kiosk and walked in a counterclockwise direction. Just a short ways down the trail we stopped to check on Inching Along One Letterboxer at a Time. I had originally planted this box for PineTree and had found a large squarish boulder a little off the trail. But the boulder is now gone. Astro D found the box back in November of last year and she realized the boulder was gone and she found the box just laying out in the open. So she found a new spot for the box and sent the new clues to PineTree. But the clues to the box haven't been updated so she is going to try sending another note. We didn't actually check on the box at this point, we just wanted to see what happened to the boulder. We hypothesized that they used it (they had to have broken it up) to line the edge of the trail. So we continued our walk. Now I needed to look for a place to hide my new box. So as Astro D help me to navigate the trails and point out things. We reached a point that I thought would work out well but decided to wait and see if what the rest of the trails held. The trail system is really just one big loop with smaller loops and crossovers. The back part of the trails seemed really confusing to me so I decided to hold onto the box until we arrived back at the first spot we encountered. The hike was really nice - large areas of aspens, lots of wildflowers and peace and quiet. There were trail maps and letters (alphabet) on trees at points were there are crossovers that take you from one side of the loop to the other. When we reached the crossover that is marked with 'D' and 'K' we stopped to look for a good hiding spot for my box. There are lots of aspen in this area so I thought it would make a nice and enjoyable spot for someone to find the box and sit and stamp in. So I planted the box, it is called sci di fondo. I think that the round trip hike to the box is about a mile (maybe more, maybe less). After getting the box planted we continued on to check on the other box already planted on this trail. We arrived at the landmark and checked on Twinville Trekkers' Beatles Series #6 "In Spite of All the Danger". Thankfully the box was there and in great shape - waiting for more finders. Now we continued on and returned to the first box and this time we actually checked to make sure the box was still where Astro D had placed it. We found it and she rewrote the clues so that she could send another note to Pine Tree. It was only a short distance to the car from here and then we were done.

It was a nice outing and I really like this trail. There are some uphill areas but nothing too strenuous, so it made for a pretty easy and incredibly enjoyable hike. Thanks Astro D for a great outing.

Letterboxing the Enchanted Circle with Astro D

About two weeks ago I was going through letterbox clues for boxes that were within a day trip distance. I put together five stacks. On June 1st I took a road trip from Santa Fe to Adrian, TX and back to find letterboxes along I40.

Jesus Nazareno Cemetery

Then on June 2nd I got an email from Astro D asking if I wanted to make a road trip to Red River so she could check on one of her boxes. Of course I said yes. Going to Red River (well really driving the Enchanted Circle) was one of my stacks. I had a few clues for boxes in that area and I needed to replace a couple of my boxes that had gone missing. So we planned to go letterboxing today. I had everything ready last night and had arranged what I needed to get done to match the drive. So this morning I went to Vote at 7:00am and then after that I met Astro D at her house. Around 8:30am we left Santa Fe and headed north on US285 driving through Pojoaque and Espanola.

Dennis Hopper's Gravesite

In Espanola we turned onto NM68. We made a quick bathroom stop in Pilar at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center. Then about five miles past the Visitor Center we turned onto a dirt road so that Astro D could do some maintenance on one of her boxes. We parked immediately after we turned onto the dirt road. Then we followed her clues and walked up the dirt road to the box. She wasn't happy with the hiding spot so she picked up the box and checked it and added some things to it and then she found a better hiding spot for Staurolite. Once that was complete we drove up to Rancho de Taos so that I could find her Honorary Mayor of Taos letterbox. This box is about Dennis Hopper who is buried in a cemetery off of NM518. When Astro D wanted to do this box she asked me to carve the stamp - I found an image, carved the stamp and gave it to her to plant.

Cross near a grave.

She said she had a hard time finding the cemetery as there are no signs leading to it. We drove into the cemetery and made our way to an area in the back where you can park. We went and found the box and brought it back to the car to stamp in. When I was done I put the box back in place and then we spent some time walking around and taking pictures. The cemetery is named Jesus Nazareno Cemetery and is listed as being on La Canada Road (off of Espinoza Road which is off NM518). It is a very interesting place and a great spot for a box. We left the cemetery around 11:00am and went to the Trading Post Café for lunch. Astro D was taking me out for a birthday lunch. We ended up sitting out on their patio and had some fantastic food and a great visit. After eating we continued on our letterboxing journey.

We continued a short way up NM68 to NM64. This is the start of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. Our first stop along this road was at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. My Alphabetical New Mexico: V (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) letterbox went missing and I finally had it ready to replant.

Eagle Nest Lake

I went back to the same area where the original box was planted but soon decided that I didn't want it there. So we walked around the area and soon found a great spot. I got the box hidden and we sat and wrote out the clues and I took some pictures. With that completed we continued on to the next stop at Eagle Nest Lake State Park. My Alphabetical New Mexico: E (Eagle Nest Lake) box seemed to be missing - so last Fall I went and checked and figured out that the trail had been redirected. After about 20 minutes of searching I found the box. I was going to just replant it there and then but the logbook was soaked. I decided to take it home and make a new book and then go back and replace it. Then winter came and it had to wait. So today I was able to get it back in place with the help of Astro D. I am so happy that these two boxes are back in action.

From Eagle Nest we went from NM64 to NM38 towards Red River.

Mines in Red River

Once we arrived in Red River we made our way to Pioneer Road and drove to the end of the road and parked in a lot behind the Black Mountain and Arrowhead Lodges. This is also the lot for the Red River Ski & Summer Area. We were here to check on Astro D's The Dykes of Red River letterbox. Last year she got a note that the box was missing. So Astro D read the clues and I followed them - I easily found the box - the clues were spot on. So she did a little maintenance and then she put the box back in place. Thankfully it was there - if you haven't gone up there to find this box I think you should make plans to go - it is a beautiful area and a great box.

Okay, we now had one more thing to do to end the day.

Clear Creek Cimarron Canyon State Park

We drove back to Eagle Nest and then got back on NM64 to Cimarron Canyon State Park. Our reason for going here was to find a Silver Eagle box. This box is a puzzle so you have to solve it to get the clues - it is one of his Game Series boxes. We followed the clues, parked and walked to the box. We found Hangman Game 82. It was a beautiful walk and a great way to end the day. We returned to the car and made a decision to drive the rest of the way through the canyon and go to Cimarron and then tak NM58 to I25 and return home via the Interstate.

The Palisades - Cimarron Canyon State Park

It was a great day of letterboxing! Thanks Astro D for a fantastic birthday lunch and a wonderful (dare I say an 'Enchanting') day. I am looking forward to taking more of these day trips to letterbox in New Mexico.

One Last Day of Celebrating

Okay, I had planned on planting a letterbox to celebrate my 10th anniversary on the 16th. But alas, I didn't get it finished until yesterday. I have put together a series of ten boxes and I have them ready to plant today. I had made a decision about where I would plant them and I got everything ready for this morning. Also ArnoldZiffel placed one last box for my 10th anniversary - Rail Trail. This one is also on the Rail Trail near the ones I found yesterday. I left my house at around 8:00am and made my way to Rabbit Road. I walked the Rail Trail for about a quarter of a mile following the clues and I didn't have any problem finding the box. I was first finder and I loved this stamp - and actually I loved all the boxes that ArnoldZiffel, Astro D and Wronghat placed this week. When I finished stamping in and replacing the box I returned to my car to make my way to plant my boxes.

The placed I picked to plant my boxes is the La Tierra Trails. From Rabbit Road I got onto I25 and headed south. I then took Exit 276 for NM599 and followed that for about 11 miles. Then I turned left onto Camino de los Montoyas and drove another mile to the parking area for the Calabasas Trailhead on the right. In the parking area there is a large sign with a trail map and I studied it and compared it to my printed out map. It was much easier reading the big map but the printed one ended up working just fine. I made the decision to plant the boxes on a loop following the numbers 1-8 on the map. These numbers mark trail junctions and if you follow the signs you can easily get from one number to next. To start on the trail I had to cross the road and go through the fence.

I walked a short distance along the trail and arrived at sign post 1. From here I started looking for landmarks that I could use to write clues and hide boxes. Almost immediately I realized that everything looks the same - junipers, pinons, rocks and dead trees. So I had to be creative and hopefully I could find something that I could use as a landmark. I was trying to gauge mileage using Map My Walk but soon realized that because I was going off trial and doubling back to find hiding spots I was not getting accurate distances. But I soldiered on. It was easy finding hiding spots but describing those spots proved challenging. I made sure to take good notes and pictures so that when I got home I could write the clues. I tried using the sign post at the junctions but with ten boxes to plant and only eight junctions I had to use other landmarks. The trail is wide in some areas and narrow in others and is easy to walk on. There are also great views all around. You also cross a lot of washes along the way and I tried using those but I wasn't always clear if I should call something a wash or not - so I was picky about using them. Eventually I completed the loop and got all ten boxes planted and had quite a few notes and pictures to help write the clues. The boxes have a theme and that is the Number 10. Nine of the boxes are like that - images that conjure the number 10 in some way and the last box is a lion crest with the number 10. I did a similar image for my 5th anniversary (lionsmane's 5 Year Letterboxiversary) - a lion crest with the number 5. I got the idea for using images that represented the number 10 from a conversation with ArnoldZiffel. When I first started planning these boxes I wasn't sure how I wanted to them but I had a few ideas. They just didn't seem to work, so when ArnoldZiffel mention the number 10 idea from something she had seen or a series of boxes she had found I started looking into using that. It worked perfectly! And since there are ten boxes I decided to put only one logbook and that one is in Box #10. This box is called lionsmane's 10 Year Letterboxiversay. It took me around three hours to get all the boxes planted - that was me being choosey about the locations, doubling back, taking long notes and some pictures. I am estimating that it should take between one and two hours to find all the boxes. The length of the hike (walk) is around 3.5 miles and there is only about a 250 foot elevation gain during the walk. It isn't a hard walk but it is long and the area is pretty much open space so I believe that in summer it could get really hot so it would be good to take precautions. Sunblock, hat, sunglasses and water would be a good idea. There are maps at each trail junction to help you stay oriented but I would suggest printing out a trail map before you go looking for these boxes. I had a lot of fun planting these and I hope they are enjoyed by all who go and hunt for them.

When I got back to my car I had one other box to plant. That was my Alphabetical New Mexico: Y (Yucca) box. The place I originally planted it was good but I realized there were no yuccas around so I pulled it and finally brought it out to the La Tierra Trails to hopefully place somewhere that had at least a few yuccas. I left the Calabasas Trailhead parking and drove to the Frijoles Trailhead parking. I left the parking area and went through the fence and started down the trail. At first I was discouraged since I wasn't seeing any yuccas and then about a quarter mile along the trail I saw a few. I decided to continue further along the trail to see if there were more, but I didn't see any. So I turned back and planted the box near the few I saw earlier. I took a few pictures and wrote some notes and then returned to my car.

It was a great day of planting and finding boxes and I am extremely happy to have this series done. It has been an incredible 10 years and I am looking forward to 10 more.

Another Letterbox on the Rail Trail

Well, another letterbox appeared on Atlas Quest yesterday. That box is also located on the Rail Trail, a theme that has progressed all this week - first with Wronghat's Santa Fe Super Chief, then Astro D's Toy Train Story and #07, and now ArnoldZiffel's Crossing to Safety (a three box series). I decided that I would get these boxes during my walk this morning. I usually walk the Spur Trail and then turn right and walk the Rail Trail towards Nine Mile Road. But today I decided to get these boxes so that meant I had to turn left on the Rail Trail towards Rabbit Road. This walk ended up being about a ten mile roundtrip walk. This was not a problem since I usually walk between six and twelve miles per day. And there was the added bonus of finding three boxes. The clues were perfect and I easily found all three boxes (and I was the first finder on these boxes). After finding the last box, stamping in and then returning it to its hiding spot I made the return trip to my car. These boxes were also planted for my 10th anniversary. The boxes were all about railroad signs which goes along with the train and rail trail theme. Thanks ArnoldZiffel for these great boxes.

Continuing the Celebration

Last night I noticed another letterbox was planted in Santa Fe in honor of my 10th anniversary. So I printed out the clue and put that with my signature stamp, logbook and ink pad so that I could take all of that with me on my walk this morning. I left the house around 7:30am to head to the trailhead for the Spur Trail. From the trailhead it is a three mile walk along the Spur Trail to the intersection with the Rail Trail. At this point I turn right and head south on the trail. To get to this box I walked another 2 miles and the followed the clues. I found #07 by Astro D without any problem. I then found a place to sit and stamp in. When I was finished stamping in I returned the box to its hiding spot and then got my things ready for my return trip to the car. So this morning I got a great stamp by Astro D and I got my 10 mile walk in as well. A perfect morning and continued celebration. Thanks Astro D.

View from the Rail Trail looking West!

Ten Years of Letterboxing

Today marks exactly 10 years to the day that I have been letterboxing - who knew that when I found that first box this would become an obsession. That first box was Santa Fe Trail by Silver Eagle found at Amelia White Park in Santa Fe. I remember that day well. We had some snow a couple of days before so there was still some lingering on the ground. It was also a cold and overcast day. But that didn't matter - I went ahead and found that box, took it back to a picnic table and stamped in as best I could while wearing gloves. I never imagined that 10 years and 4125 boxes later I would still remember the details of that day like it was yesterday. On my 5 year anniversary I planted a box in Amelia White Park (lionsmane's 5 Year Letterboxiversary) to commemorate that first day, first box and first place where I started the hobby. This year I am planting a series of 10 boxes to mark the 10th anniversary. And they won't be in Amelia White Park - it just isn't big enough. I had planned to plant them today but unfortunately I didn't get the logbook finished yet. All ten stamps are carved, I just have to get them in boxes and then I can go and plant them - I am hoping by the end of the week at the latest.

Every year since I started letterboxing I have gone out on February 16 and letterboxed and today was no different. I purposefully leave a few boxes in the Santa Fe and Albuquerque areas just for this day. I had clues for four boxes in Albuquerque and one in Santa Fe. It was somewhere around 8:00am when I left home to begin my journey. The drive down to Albuquerque was uneventful and I quickly arrived at my first destination - Academy Hills Park. There are two boxes in this park both planted by Origami Hen when she visited earlier this year. I first found High Desert Panda and took the box to a nearby picnic table to stamp in. The morning was a bit cool but the skies were clear and blue. When I was done stamping in I put the box back into its hiding spot. The other box - Howdy Kitty - was on the other side of the park. I decided to leave my car where it was and walked to that box. It wasn't very far and the walk was easy. I again had no problem finding this box and I took it to a bench to sit and stamp. I did have to be a little stealthy because there were quite a few walkers around. After getting the second box back in place I walked back to the car to continue on.

From the park I made my way to Uptown and more specifically the Albuquerque Marriott. Here I was in search of Where's George Series - Box #292: Dreamcatcher in Albuquerque by alexandria_ky and Where's George. This was a quick and easy find - it is just a magnetic key holder with only a stamp, no logbook. Once I nabbed the box I took it back to the car to stamp in. When I finished stamping I took the box back to its hiding spot. I then drove to the next box - Little Free Library Albuquerque - which wasn't very far away. I arrived and parked in front of the library, read the clue and then went and found the box. Again I stamped in while sitting in the car and then replaced the box.

So now I was finished in Albuquerque and it was time to head back up to Santa Fe. I decided to forego the traffic and boring drive on I25 and headed east on I40 to Tijeras and then took NM14 up to Santa Fe. A much prettier and calmer drive. I still had one more clue to find in Santa Fe so I made my way to the Rail Trail parking off of Rabbit Road. From the parking area it was only a short 10 minute walk to the box. It was a perfect afternoon - blue skies, light breeze and no other people on the trail. Here I found Toy Train Story by Astro D. There was a stone wall nearby and I sat there while stamping in. After replacing the box I took a few pictures and the returned to my car. It was a great day - thanks to everyone who has planted boxes in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and especially thanks to Astro D for the Toy Train Story box - fun, fun, fun! The last two days have been great and I had a wonderful 10th anniversary.

A Letterboxing Celebration

I have been letterboxing for 10 years now and I am still having lots of fun with the hobby. Today starts a celebration that will probably go on for three or four days. Every year since I started letterboxing I go out and letterbox on my anniversary as a kind of celebration. But this year is different - a milestone if you will. This morning a new clue popped up on Atlas Quest - Santa Fe Super Chief by Wronghat - the clue stated that the box was placed in celebration of my decade of letterboxing. I was excited when I saw the clue, so I printed it out and decided that sometime this afternoon I would go out and find it. But first I had lunch plans. Astro D and rubberpeace invited me to lunch to start the celebration. We met at The Ranch House (a favorite restaurant) around noon and immediately things were happening. rubberpeace gave me an LTC with images carved by both rubberpeace and rbrhorno. This LTC is a one of a kind - I have the only copy and I have a carved image by rubberpeace (she doesn't do the carving, rbrhorno does the carving). Astro D surprised me with a photo memory book spanning my 10 years of letterboxing (a very special gift) and a small logbook made from circuit boards (I will probably start using this for exchanges). And she also gave me an awesome lion card. We had a relaxing and wonderful visit.
After lunch I returned home and got my letterboxing things together and the clue for the new box. Thomas was home and he decided to come with me to find the box. This box is hidden on the Rail Trail near the Nine Mile Road access. Every morning I walk the Spur Trail to the junction with the Rail Trail and then I turn right and continue to that access point. Then I turn around and make my way back to the parking area for the Spur Trail. This walk is a 10.5 mile walk. But this afternoon I didn't walk all that way, we drove to Nine Mile Road and parked. We made our way to the trail and followed the clues to the box. We found it easily enough  and found a nice place to sit and stamp in. The afternoon was incredible - around 60° with clear blue skies. So the walk was great.

After stamping in and getting the box back into its hiding spot we returned to the car and then home. Tomorrow is my actual anniversary and I am planning a trip to Albuquerque for a few boxes. I also have a series of boxes to get planted as soon as I make a logbook and get the boxes finished. Hopefully before the end of the week.

A Letterboxing Odyssey

Last week a group of us got together to celebrate Astro D's 10 year letterboxing anniversary. For that celebration myself, ArnoldZiffel and Wronghat created a letterbox series consisting of three boxes. To celebrate Astro D arranged a lunch for rubberpeace, Wronghat, Semicolon, ArnoldZiffel and myself. At the lunch we had the stamps and boxes so that everyone could stamp in and then I took the boxes with me so that I could get them planted somewhere. Over the weekend I thought about a few places where I could hide the boxes - I came up with the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary and the Dorothy Stewart Trail. Astro D suggested the La Tierra Trails. This morning I went to her house to pick her up so we could get the boxes planted and we made the final decision on where we would plant them. The Great Wuga Wuga pointed out that the Dorothy Stewart Trail has very little parking (like three spots) and that might aggravate finders if they couldn't park to find the box. In the end we decided on the Randall Davey Audubon Center and Sanctuary. So we made our way over there and started walking the trails. We walked the El Temporal Trail and the Bear Canyon Trail. It took us a while to get the three boxes planted because we were both being pretty picky about the hiding spots. We don't want these to go missing any time soon so we chose our spots carefully. The boxes are now in place and are ready to be found. I hope everyone enjoys them as much as we enjoyed putting this series together. Once we had the boxes hidden we headed back to Astro D's house. I dropped her off and then I left to run some errands. It was a nice time this morning and I was happy to be a part of this series to congratulate Astro D.

A Celebration Lunch

Today I had lunch with Astro D, rubberpeace, Wronghat, semicolon and ArnoldZiffel at Harry's Roadhouse. We got together to celebrate Astro D's 10 year letterboxing anniversary. She found her first box on July 30, 2005 and that box was Santa Fe Trails by silvereagle. A few weeks ago Astro D emailed me and asked is I was available for lunch on Friday, July 31 and she said that she was inviting a few of the other boxers in the area to celebrate. I emailed her back with a 'yes'. Not long after this exchange I got an email from ArnoldZiffel and she had an idea to make a box for the occasion. She discussed this with Wronghat as well. After a little back and forth we came up with an idea. And this is what happened . . . me, ArnoldZiffel and Wronghat were going to carve a stamp based on images from a box or boxes of Astro D's that we liked. ArnoldZiffel then cut a circle from Speedy Carve (the pink stuff) and then she divided it into thirds. She mailed one of the thirds to Wronghat and one of the thirds to me.

Semicolon, ArnoldZiffel, Wronghat, lionsmane, Astro D & rubberpeace

We then designed our own image and carved the stamps. We decided that after the lunch we would plant this box somewhere in Santa Fe. ArnoldZiffel also made the logbook for the box and I made Astro D a little memento book. I included some pictures of Astro D with other boxers throughout her ten years of boxing and I even threw in some statistics . . . after 10 years she has found 1665 boxes, planted 94 boxes, has had 13 blue diamonds and 2 boxes of the week. With these statistics I included some scanned images of some of her boxes - highlighting some of my favorites of her carves. I put some blank pages in the book so that we could stamp in and wrtie her a note. We had a great time visiting and reminiscing about boxes we found and places we have been. Astro D and I are going to get together and plant the box on Tuesday of next week. Once that is done I will log the box in and it will be available for others to find.

Congrats Astro D and here is to 10 more years and lots of boxes!