Heading to Disney Mania in Colorado

In about a week I am heading up to Colorado to attend the Disney Mania Colorado Style letterboxing event in Parker. The event is being hosted by The Woodshed and is boasting about 470 boxes. The boxes are divided into series with different Disney themes, they will be hidden in three different locations and will be available for three days over a long weekend. The Woodshed has planned two nights of night boxing with a dinner of pizza on one night and BBQ then other night. I have attend a few other events hosted by The Woodshed and they are always fun. I am really looking forward to the event and if you want to read about my trip to Colorado go to Disney Mania Letterboxing in Colorado. Hopefully, I will be able to write a post each evening but with so many boxes I may get behind a little.

Monumental Trip Comes to an End

Well, our trip to the Dakotas has come to an end and we are now home. We did a ridiculous amount of things. You can see our list of things we did and saw at Dakota Trip Stats. If you are interested in reading about our trip you can go to A Monumental Letterboxing Trip. This was our first trip to the Dakotas and there were three states I needed to find letterboxes in (North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska) to add to my letterboxing map. And we completed that quest - I can now add them to my map and now I only need three states (Virginia, West Virginia and Hawaii) to have letterboxed in all 50 states. This particular trip was amazing and I loved everywhere we went - this is an amazingly beautiful country and I so enjoy exploring it. Between everything we did I was able to find 35 letterboxes  on this trip and now I am 38 boxes shy of 5000 - another big letterboxing milestone.

A Monumental Letterboxing Road Trip

Thomas and I are headed out on another road trip that will include 11 states (NM, CO, WY, SD, ND, NE, KS & TX [MT, IA & OK - just a bit]); 16 National Park Units (Fort Laramie NHS, Devils Tower NM, Mt. Rushmore NM, Jewel Cave NM, Wind Cave NP, Badlands NP, Minuteman Missile NHS, Theodore Roosevelt NP, Fort Union Trading Post NHS, Knife River Indian Villages NHS, Homestead of America NHS, Brown v. Board of Education NHS, Tallgrass Prairie NPres, Fort Larned NHS, Albates Flint Quarry NHS, & Lake Meredith NRA); 4 State Capitol Buildings (SD, ND, NE & KS); adding 3 states to my letterbox map (SD, ND & NE); and numerous, interesting, scenic, beautiful roadside attractions and areas. We will be on the road for about two weeks. It should be busy and fun. We will be traveling June 9 - 21, 2018. If you want to follow along you can go to A Monumental Letterboxing Road Trip to read all about our adventure.

Colorado Letterboxing Trip Comes to an End

Well, I am back from my letterboxing trip to Castle Rock for the Walk Like An Egyptian Colorado Style event. I had a great time, hiked some beautiful areas, found some wonderful boxes and visited with some incredible letterboxing friends. The trip was a little rough - I had low blood pressure during the entire trip and it caused me to be light headed and dizzy at times. That caused me to have to cut my letterboxing way down to rest and regain my bearings. I even took one day to rest, spending the day at the hotel reading and sleeping. But in the end, the trip was wonderful and I enjoyed all of it.

Heading To An Event In Colorado

On Wednesday I am leaving for a trip to Castle Rock, CO to attend the Walk Like An Egyptian Colorado Style event. I am making this a letterbox trip and I will be there for six days. There are plenty of boxes in the Castle Rock area so I should be able to keep myself busy. I am also looking forward to being outside and doing some hiking. As usual, I will keep a blog of my trip and you can read about it at Walking Like An Egyptian Colorado Style. I will try to write a post each day and keep up with the trip.

One More Day of Boxing in Parker

Yesterday I attended the 5th Annual Kick Off the Holidays - Gingerbread House event and Thomas and I had made plans to stay one extra day to some letterboxing in the area. So this morning we slept in and finally got moving around 8:30am.

After getting dressed and the getting some coffee and breakfast we headed out to do some letterboxing. Our first stop was to find Smiting Sprites - Tripping Trickster. I won't say where we found this box since it is a mystery, but it was a nice location and we saw two bucks and eight does in the area. It was a great way to start our morning. Once I had stamped in and replaced the box we headed to our next location.

We parked in the parking lot at Gateway Mesa Open Space in Castle Rock.  We took Chuck's Loop and walked in a clockwise direction. As we walked the 1.8 mile loop we looked for and found five boxes - Douglas County Open Space: Box 3 Wiley Coyote; Mayflower; Keys; A Mother Panda's Love, Two; and Flowers for Chanda's Panda. This was a great walk and we enjoyed looking for the boxes. After we left Gateway Mesa we headed to Parker Rd. and N. Pinery Pkwy. and parked in the lot for the Cherry Creek Trail. On this trail, we looked for six boxes but only found five.

We found Symbols of Colorado #3 (four boxes) and Scrat Gets His Nut! and we were unable to find Daisy...Bicycle Built for Two. By the time we finished this trail we were hungry and it was past lunchtime. So we headed north on Parker Rd. and ended up stopping at Takoda Tavern. We had a good lunch and a short rest before we continued on with our letterboxing.

The next and last stop of the day was at McCabe Meadows (which is part of the Cherry Creek Trail) to look for five boxes. We easily found the first box and while I was stamping in Thomas noticed that the area had gotten busy and he saw a woman heading our way. He said we may have to take the box with us to the next box and then replace it on the way back. Turned out that all the people cleared the area and the woman approaching us happened to be The Woodshed coming to check on the box I had found because she had gotten a notice that someone couldn't find it earlier that day. So it turned out we had nothing to worry about and we were able to replace the box and then move on.

We continued south on the trail and next found Symbols of Colorado #1: Colorado Blue Spruce. Once that box was back in place we headed back north on the trail where we found Old Fashioned Roller Skate Key, Musical Whimsy and Symbols of Colorado #1: Rocky Mountain Columbine. By the time we replaced the last box and made our way back to the car the temperature had dropped to 39° and the sun was starting to set.

We left McCabe Meadows and decided to fill the car with gas so that we could head out in the morning without having to worry about tomorrow. Now we are back in the hotel, showered and warm and we have packed some things for our trip home tomorrow. We both want to get an early start so we can get home and relax. We had a great time in Colorado and has some good weather. I also got to find some incredible boxes - thanks to The Woodshed for a fantastic event.

All Things Gingerbread

Today was event day! The 5th Annual Kick Off the Holidays - Gingerbread House event in Parker, CO. As per my usual M.O. I was up early, it was still dark. I got up and dressed and somewhat organized my day. Then I went down to the breakfast room next to the hotel lobby and Thomas and I had some breakfast. After eating I returned to the room and got my things and headed out for a day of letterboxing. Thomas wasn't coming to the event with me, he was spending the day with a friend from high school.

The event didn't officially start until 10:00am at event headquarters (aka The Woodshed's House) but I had the clues for the boxes and there were some hidden outside the house and I decided I would go and start with those. So I got my letterboxing things and the clues and started searching the yard for stamps. I would find two or three stamps and take them back to a spot I used to sit and stamp and then return them to their hiding spots. While I was out there Agent 86 walked up, coming back from taking his dog for a walk. We talked for a minute or two and then he went inside and I continued my search for stamps. ArnoldZiffel came out and joined me for a while and then went inside for some breakfast. Not long later I found my last box and had now completed the Santa's Busy Elves series of 15 boxes and found In Between Box Nov 2016: Snoopy as Pilgrim Hunter. I then went inside (even though it was only around 8:30am) and checked in. I got my name tag, gift bag, registered for the door prize and had a pancake & coffee. After that I got a few of the event stamps - Gingerbread Forest (the actual event stamp); White Camellia, 1938; and Christmas Cryptex #2. I also did a couple of exchanges and got some personal travelers before deciding to head out for more boxes. The last thing we did before heading out for some letterboxing was to watch a demonstration on  image transfer using wintergreen oil. For this type of transfer, you need an image made from toner; wintergreen, tea tree, or lavender essential oil (100% pure) and a clean (washed with soap and warm water) piece of rubber. There a few steps and some waiting but this method really worked well and I will definitely try using it on my next carve.

Sometime around 9:30am I left headquarters with ArnoldZiffel, Lampwick, and HowD Girls and we headed for the Parker Library. At this location, we were searching for a series of 15 boxes called Gingerbread House Decorations. These were different candies and treats that are used to decorate a gingerbread house. We had a page where we could stamp the image on a grid and we had a page with the outline of a house that we could use the images to decorate it. At the end of the day, we were to turn in our decorated house and they would be judged and prizes would be given out. So we would find two or three stamps and then stamp them onto our sheets and then move on to other stamps. By the time we found all the stamps we had completed decorating our gingerbread houses and were ready to move on to the next location.

We all left the library and headed out to the Cherry Creek Trail. On this trail, we were looking for two series of stamps for the event and an older series that was in the vicinity. We started with Trail of the Gingerbread People (a series of 18 stamps). We would read the clue, find the stamp, stamp in (almost like an assembly line), rehide the stamp and then move on to the next stamp. While we were at stamp #2 another boxer showed up at stamp #1.

Since she was by herself we invited her to join us, so our group of four increased to five with the addition of Angel from Angel & Demon. After we found the 11th stamp in this series we took a break from gingerbread people and found the older series - Make Yourself Smart. We found three of the four boxes in this series and one of the boxes eluded us, so we moved on. We finished the Gingerbread People series and then went right on to the Trail/Story of the Gingerbread Man (this series had 12 stamps). This series took us off the main trail and onto side trail and we found all of these stamps without interruption. While looking for this series we passed another group of boxers that were already done and we asked them about the box we couldn't find. They had three adults and two children in their group and we had five adults in ours. It turned out that eight adults couldn't find the box and an eight-year-old kid could - not our finest moment. So when we finished the last series we returned to the area of the box we missed and with a hint we found the box. Now that we had found 34 stamps and completed all the series we headed back to headquarters. The remaining boxes we needed to find were all at that location.

Once we arrived back at headquarters there was one box on the outside of the house I needed so I worked on that first. I found the first box in the Gingerbread Forest series then I went inside and looked for the final three boxes for that series. I found all of those along with a bonus box for the series. Next, I moved on to the final series - Trail of the Gingerbread Houses (a series of 15 stamps).

These didn't have clues, you had to search around the main rooms of the house to find them (10 were upstairs and 5 were downstairs). These stamps were hidden in boxes that looked like gingerbread houses, a tin gingerbread man, and other 'gingerbready' type containers. It took a little time and a lot of searching to find them all but I finally finished the series. Now that I had all of the boxes for the event I still needed a few other things. There was one more event stamp that I got, a couple more exchanges, a word of mouth box and a few personal travelers. During this time I turned in my decorated gingerbread house, had some snacks and visited with other boxers. Then we all gathered for an event photo, then the drawing for the door prize, then the gingerbread house decoration awards, and finally the gift exchange. I actually won 3rd place for my gingerbread house. Once all of that was done a group of us went to El Trio for dinner.

After a long and fun day of letterboxing, I returned to the hotel around 8:30am tired and with inky fingers. Now that I had a shower and logged in things I am ready for some sleep. Tomorrow the plan is to letterbox in the area but at a much slower pace.

Off to Another Event

Tonight we are in Parker, Colorado to attend the 5th Annual Kick Off the Holiday - Gingerbread House Event in the morning. This morning we woke to overcast skies that quickly turned into snow. We got the car packed for the drive to Colorado and left the house around 8:00am. I had a dentist appointment and after that we were heading out. Thankfully, the snow stopped by the time my appointment was done and from Santa Fe to the Colorado border we only encountered a few snow flurries. But once we were in Colorado the snow picked up a bit but was still not bad. When we reached Trinidad we exited the interstate and made our way to the Carpios Ridge area of Trinidad Lake State Park. Across the road from the entrance to Carpios Ridge we stopped and found Happy Campers 2016 at Trinidad Lake placed by TeaMomOwlGirl. This was a quick and easy find and we only had to deal with light snow flurries. I did bring the box to the car to stamp in since it was only 29° at the time. After stamping in and replacing the box we made our way back to I25 and continued north.
Between Trinidad and Colorado Springs we had snow off and on the entire way.

Monument Rock

And as we entered Colorado Springs the traffic became worse and we moved through the city at a snail's pace. Finally, at the north end of Colorado Springs the traffic abated but the snow was still there. I had a clue for a box in Monument but because of the traffic and the snow I told Thomas maybe we should wait until we were heading back home to find it. But then the snow stopped and we decided to give it a go. So we exited the interstate and followed the clues. It didn't take us long to find the spot to park for the box. A few minutes later we had found CO State Flag by HowD Girls and Lampwick. There were flurries again so I brought the box back to the car to stamp in. Once I was done and had replaced the box I took a few pictures of the area. This box is hidden in Monument, Colorado near a huge rock that gave the city its name. I am glad we stopped for this box since it gave us a chance to see some beautiful views.

After we finished here we continued on to Parker. We were lucky that the traffic had eased up and we didn't have any issues for the rest of the drive. We arrived at the hotel and checked in. And once settled we headed out again to meet some other letterboxers for dinner. The original place we met at was very busy and said it would be about an hour and a half so we ended up leaving there and headed over to Hickory House. This was a perfect place. Quiet enough to enable us to talk without screaming at each other and it had some really good barbecue. There was a good group that showed up... Agent 86 & ArnoldZiffel; The Woodshed & Mr. Woodshed; Porras Posse; Lampwick; HowD Girls; Seekers Two and Thomas & I.

It was a good time but after the drive Thomas and I were both tired. Now we are resting and looking forward to the event tomorrow.

Rock Creek Letterboxing

Thomas and I decided to take a weekend trip and head to Alamosa to spend time at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve and at Zapata Falls. 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.

On the return drive back to CO 15 we made quite a few stops to take pictures and enjoy the views. I am glad we decided to make the trip out to find this box. It was an absolutely incredible. Beautiful views, incredible rock formations and lovely scenery. It was well worth the drive - thanks Jo Z Ro Z for getting us out there, it was a fantastic drive.

Back Home After the Evergreen Event

I am now home from the Share the Love in the Heart of Evergeen event. I really had a great time on this trip. The event was incredibly fun and there were so many letterboxes planted for the event. The event hosts - Front Range Hiker and Seekers Two - did a great job. They had stamp donations from people all over the country and there were some really good carves. The area around Evergreen is beautiful and there are so many parks and trails in the area I am definitely going to have to go back. You can read all about the trip at Share the Love Letterboxing Trip and read about the places I visited. I ended up finding 201 boxes and had a fantastic time on this trip. Even though I had a great time I am really glad to be home. Now I have to plan my next letterboxing trip.

Headed to Another Event in Colorado

I have been planning and gathering clues to attend the Share the Love in the Heart of Evergreen event. The event is being held in Evergreen, CO and hosted by Front Range Hiker and Seekers Two. So I have spent the day today getting packed and ready so that I can leave in the morning and make my way to the event. I plan on letterboxing along the way and I also want to stop at Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve while I am in the area. So it will take me two days to get to Evergreen, I have reservations in Poncha Springs for tomorrow night and then the rest of the time I am staying in Lakewood. That is about 30 minutes from the event but it was the best place I could find a good hotel. I am looking forward to this trip. It has been a while since I have been in that area and from what I remember it is beautiful. If you want to follow my adventures on this trip go to Share the Love Letterboxing Trip.

On Our Way to Wyoming

Thomas has his annual WASHTO conference this year in Laramie, Wyoming so we are off on another trip. And while Thomas is at his conference I will be letterboxing. This morning we left Santa Fe sometime around 6:00am to begin our journey. There were no boxes for me to stop and get in New Mexico so we just drove along I25 until we got to Raton. We decided to take a break from the drive and fill the car with gas and get some breakfast. We stopped at a restaurant that was recommended to Thomas on one of his many work trips to Raton. This local place is called the Oasis Restaurant. The food was really good and it was a nice break from the drive. After eating we stopped and filled the car with gas and then we got back on I25 headed to Colorado.

Welcome to Colorado!

We only went a few miles and then took exit 460 to find The Woodshed's Colorado Highway Mountain Passes: Raton Pass letterbox. The box is hidden at a pullout at Raton Pass in Colorado. You can get a great view and picture of the Colorado Welcome Sign from here. When we got to the pullout there was no one there so it was easy to find the box, stamp in and then put it back in place without being seen. A nice box and a nice break along this drive. Back on I25 we drove another 18 miles and stopped at the El Moro Rest Area just north of Trinadad. The Woodshed has a series of four boxes here. I found The Art of El Moro series. This wasn't an easy task - this has to be one of the busiest rest areas I have ever seen. When we pulled in the entire lot for cars was full except for two spots. I was skeptical about being able to find the boxes but since we were here I gave it a try. I went to the area for the first box and quickly found the hiding spot but had to wait about 5 minutes for a man to move away and quit staring at me. When the coast was clear I grabbed the box, stamped in and put it back in place. The second box was very near the first one and this one was easier since I had a wall and a bush to block me from most views and I only had to watch one direction. Again I grabbed the box, stamped in and then put it back. I then went in search for the third box. Like I said the parking area was full and there were cars parked right in front of the hiding spot and there were people sitting in two of the cars and there was no way I could have gotten the box without being seen.

El Moro Rest Area - Trinadad, CO

So I left that spot and went in search of the fourth box. This one was a little easier but still took a little time. It is near the entrance to the rest area and I just sat there waiting while car after car kept coming in - I counted twenty-three cars before there was a long enough break to get the box. I grabbed it and found a spot behind a wall to sit and stamp in totally obstructed from view. Getting the box back in place was easier as I just went and sat at the spot and dropped the box back in place. I then went back to the car and we started to head out and since that third box was at the far end of the rest area I thought we could stop and see if it was a bit safer. There were only three cars parked near the spot and all were empty - so Thomas kind of blocked me from view while I grabbed the box. I took it back to the car and quickly stamped in so we could get it back in place before the owners of the cars returned. It took us about 40 minutes to be able to get the boxes with all the people hovering about. It was definitely a lesson in stealth. Then we were back on I25 heading north. Everything was going well and the drive so far was uneventful and pleasant. But then we arrived in Pueblo. We first encountered signs about road work ahead and then we saw signs that the interstate was closed and we had to detour. They had us exit the interstate and go into Pueblo, turn right and drive a ways and then turn right again and rejoin the interstate at another exit pass whatever road work they were doing. It was stop and go, moving along very slow - the whole detour took us 45 minutes. When we finally were back on the interstate and moving at the normal speed limit we were thankful - unfortunately that didn't last long. Just as we entered into Colorado Springs the traffic became increasingly backed up. We moved slow for a while and then we gained speed and then we had to slow down again and there were a few time when we came to a stand still. There was some construction but not enough to stall traffic - we never did find out why it was so busy and backed up. Not that it mattered because this traffic pattern continue all the way to Denver and beyond. The drive between Pueblo and the north area of Denver took us just over three hours (normally about a two hour drive). Once we got past the I70 interchange the traffic began to thin out. From Denver to Fort Collins was much better. We exited at Fort Collins (Exit 269) and then took Hwy 287 up to Laramie. Just before we reached the Wyoming border we stopped at a rest area to find preboxed's Wagon Ho! - Overland Trail box. This was a quick and easy find and in no time we were back on the road for our final stretch into Laramie.

Little Boy - Greenhill Cemetery, Laramie, Wy

We arrived at the hotel at 6;00pm - we had estimated A 3:30pm arrival with stopping to eat, fill the car with gas and letterboxing. So with the added traffic it took us 2+ hours longer. We still arrived in plenty of time for Thomas to shower and get to his conference dinner. After Thomas checked in we got our bags up to the room and Thomas jumped in the shower to get ready for his dinner and I headed out to find a few letterboxes. I drove about six blocks from the hotel to Greenhill Cemetery. I spent about 30 minutes here finding three boxes - Public Hand's A California Quail Comes to Wyoming, Grumpy Grinch's Horned Hooter and Batty Girl's Spring Flowers. This was a pleasant letterbox hunt since the place was empty. I only saw one car with two people and they were leaving as I was entering. After finding these three boxes I decided to call it a day and returned to the hotel. Thomas was at his dinner when I returned so I walked next door to the hotel to a deli for a sandwich. I brought the food back to the room to eat and I logged in my finds at the same time. Even with all the traffic it was a good day. Tomorrow I am on my own as Thomas is busy the entire day with the conference. I am sure I can keep myself busy with letterboxing.

It's Event Day!

Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer

Today is the event - the 4th Annual Kick Off the Holidays: Mystery Carols event hosted by The Woodshed. Astro D and I decided to meet for breakfast around 7:45am and then we would head out for a couple of boxes before heading to the event. When we left the hotel it was pretty cold and cloudy. It seemed like we were in for a day of winter letterboxing. We first stopped at Riva Ridge Park and took the Sulfur Gulch Trail to look for Gone With the Wind. Walking the short distance to the box was rather chilling and unfortunately we found the logs where the box was hidden but there was no box. So we turned around and headed back to the car. Along the way we came across four deer just lying off to the right of the trail - they were beautiful. Once back at the car we continued on to the next box. This one was off of Tallman Court. We parked on the side of the road and walked a few feet to the box. We found Horse of Another Carver: Cheval Volant quickly and we stamped in standing at a wall that we used as a surface to stamp on. After replacing the box it was time to head to the event.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

We drove up and parked and before we entered the house we looked for three boxes hidden in the yard. We found Practice Makes Perfect, Slippin' & Sliden' to the Woodshed and This Is My Life. Since it was a little chilly we were invited to bring the boxes inside to do our stamping. Once that was done we replaced the boxes and officially started the event. First we got the event stamp and while we were stamping in we were given name tags and a clue booklet. After getting the event stamp and visiting for a while we decide it was time to find some boxes. About a week ago we received a list of eight questions about the song The Twelve Days of Christmas - we were told we needed those answers to find some of the boxes. The clue booklets had five sheets of paper . . . gold, pink, green, red and blue. The first four were the clues which were at four different locations in Parker and Castle Rock. The last page (the blue one) was a list of Christmas carols.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

There were 66 boxes planted for the event and also nine bonus boxes. A few of the regular boxes held the clues for the bonus boxes - so we needed to write those down for later. Each of the regular boxes contained only a stamp which represented a Christmas carol. Once you had the stamp you were suppose to name the carol it represented - at the end of the event we went over the answers and the six people with the most correct answers won prizes. I was only able to get 59 of 66 correct. And I have to say that even though I now know the answers I still don't get some of them - they make absolutely no sense to me. But others were very clever and I loved seeing the way the carvers interpreted the carols. Astro D and I started at the event headquarters looking for boxes. We found most of the ones hidden inside and then we decided to head out and hit the locations in Castle Rock. At each of the location there were these three wire boxes that looked like gifts. A red, blue and purple one - these were the ones we need the answers to the Twelve Days of Christmas questions. The answers were numbers and we needed a three digit number to open the locks to the boxes to get the three stamps inside. Then there were camo bags with other stamps hidden around the location. Each stamp was numbered so that you could put down which carol the stamp represented. There were nine stamps at the gold location, 18 at the pink location, 18 at the green location and 21 at the red location (which was the event headquarters) - the nine bonus boxes where at the red location also. I was glad to have the cheat sheet list of carols to help name the stamps, otherwise I probably would have only gotten about 10 correct. We found all the boxes in Castle Rock and then returned to Parker and found the boxes at one location and then returned to event headquarters to finish finding the ones there.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Once all the boxes were found I grabbed some snacks and then got a few exchanges. Also we worked on one of the bonus box clues where you had to look at a picture of the Twelve Days of Christmas and count all the legs and once you had the answer you could get the box. Then there was a gift exchange at the end of the event if you wanted to participate. And that concluded a marathon of boxing and visiting. We found a total of 80 boxes today and got some really incredible stamps. Astro D and I left the event and returned to the hotel to rest a bit and get cleaned up. Then we met in the lobby to go and get some dinner. It was a wonderful event and a great day even though it was cold and cloudy. I now need to get packed so I can get up early and hit the road. I would like to be back in Santa Fe by mid afternoon. Thanks to The Woodshed for being incredible hosts and for a fantastic event.

Castle Pines, Franktown and Parker

This morning I slept in - I had a long day yesterday and I was exhausted by the time I got to sleep last night. So I decided that I wouldn't set the alarm and I would just get started when I woke up. And since the mornings have been freezing I wasn't in a hurry to get out in the cold to letterbox. I was awake by 7:30am and after getting dressed and gathering my things I headed down to breakfast. I ended up leaving the hotel around 8:15am. My plan was to head to Castle Pines and letterbox at Daniels Park. I had clues for nine boxes and they were hidden at different parking areas in the park. The parking areas weren't far apart but I decided to start at the first lot and work my way down the road. I parked at the first lot and wondered what I was doing. There was a lot of snow all over I wasn't sure I could find any of the boxes. So while I was sitting in the car I read the clues for the boxes at this parking area. The clues all started with a bird house.

View of the Front Range from Daniels Park

So I looked around but didn't see a bird house. So I got out of the car and walked around looking for it - I did find one bird house. It was laying on the ground at the edge of the parking area. So I read the clues looking for other landmarks but no matter where I walked I couldn't find anything. I decided to go to the next parking area and try there. I drove over and parked and again read the clues for two boxes here. This time I found the first landmark and headed there. I then followed the rest of the clues and thankfully I found both boxes here - Bank of Gringotts and Hippo Plays the Harp. So after stamping in to these boxes and hiding them again I felt more confident. So I moved on the the next parking area. At this spot there were three boxes hidden. By this time it had warmed up a bit so I got out of the car and headed down a trail on the right side of the parking area. After some serious searching I had found two of the boxes - I missed the third one but I am sure I was in the right spot - it was just that the area was covered in snow and there was ice on the ground so I couldn't move some things and I eventually gave up on that box. So here I found Live, Love, Music! and Swirling Clefs. On to the next and last parking area. The lot is blocked by large rocks so you have to park in a pullout across the road. I get out of my car and checked both directions and saw a car coming from the right but it was pretty far away and the speed limit was only 25mph so I knew I could I make it across before the car even got close to me. So I headed across . . .  I had no sooner got to the other side and the car flew past me going about 60mph. I swear that when he saw me crossing he deliberately sped up. I'm not saying he was trying to run me over but it sure felt that way. When I first looked he didn't seem to be  going fast but when he flew past me I was scared - I had just gotten to the other side. So I stood there in the lot with my heart pounding for a few minutes before looking for the one box at this area. Eventually I started looking for the box and I found it quickly and without a problem. I stamped in to Tom & Jerry and then replaced the box and then carefully returned to my car. I looked at the time and decided I still had plenty of time so I returned to the first parking area. I took the clues for the three boxes and started walking around. I wasn't even following the clues I was just kind of looking for any landmark from the clues. A couple of the clues mentioned evergreens and I happen to be standing in front of three tall pine trees - so I walked over to them and started looking around and I accidentally found Kokopelli - Spirit of Music. I sat on a rock nearby to stamp in and after replacing the box I went back to the rock and sat and read the clues for the other two boxes. One of the other two boxes talked about an evergreen so I looked around and went to the closest one and looked but found no box. I then looked around all the evergreens I could see but didn't find either of the boxes. After another 15 minutes I decided to call it quits and leave the park and go to another area.

From Daniels Park I made my way to I25 and headed south a few miles to Castle Rock. I took Founder's Parkway which eventually becomes CO86. I was going to see if the mud situation at Gateway Mesa Open Space was any better. It wasn't - so I continued east on CO86 and then turned onto Castlewood Canyon Road and made my way to the parking area for Castlewood Canyon Homestead Trail. I was here yesterday and found two boxes but I missed the third one. So I was here to remedy that. I parked and headed for the trail and I immediately knew what I had done wrong. Well not exactly wrong - it was just that the trail I needed was covered completely with snow that I didn't even know there was a trail there. Today however, the trail was more visible. Still covered in snow but at least I could make it out. So I followed the trail and quickly found Celtic Z. I stamped in standing up since there was no where to sit with all the snow and then replaced the box. I returned to the car and then back to CO86. I drove to the corner of CO86 and CO83 in Franktown. At this corner is the Franktown Cemetery. The clues stated you could open the gate and drive in or park at the entrance and walk in. There was quite a bit of mud on the road so I decided walking wouldn't be good. So I opened the gate, drove in a short ways and stopped, then shut the gate and then drove up to the cemetery. I found a place to park out of the way and started looking for boxes. I first found Grams Bear and sat on a nearby bench to stamp in. When I was done there I walked a little further into the cemetery and found Lion Plays the Violin. Thankfully there was another bench nearby that I could use. So I sat there to stamp in. This area of the cemetery has a lot of trees and is a little secluded. It was nice and peaceful - so after stamping in I just sat there for a few minutes before replacing the box and returning to the car. From here I headed north on CO83 towards Parker. I stopped about a mile north of Franktown at Whispering Pines Park. Here I looked for and found Douglas County Open Space: Box 2 Foxy Fox box. I took it to some nearby picnic tables to stamp in. After stamping in and getting my things put away I returned the box to its hiding spot and then walked back to the car. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do so while I drove back to Parker I thought about what other clues I had. I noticed a street sign for North Pinery Parkway. I had clues for boxes here so I turned there and made my way to a parking area for some Open Space. I started on the trail following the clues but I had trouble finding boxes - there was just a lot of snow and the boxes were buried and I couldn't find them. I tried for 5 boxes but didn't find any, so I returned to the car and headed into Parker. I then made my way to Cottonwood Park. I followed the clues for one box and when I got to the area I tried to look for the box. This time it wasn't snow that hindered me, it was people. The trail here is busy, busy, busy. I eventually gave up and returned to the car. I then decided to head to the hotel and wait for Astro D to call. She was driving up from Santa Fe today and we had talked about doing a little boxing when she got here. So as I was driving back to the hotel I got a call from her and she had checked in to the hotel and was ready to get out and box. So when I got to the hotel I called her and we met in the lobby.

We decided to head to Preservation Park to look for a few boxes.

Preservation Park

I think we had clues for around 12 boxes. We parked in the lot and tried for the first box. Unfortunately when they cleared the lot of snow they pushed the pile right on top of the box. We tried to see if we could get to it but it was like a block of ice and we couldn't get through. So we started on the trail and tried for the next box. We had better luck here - we found Hood House. We sat on the trail and stamped in and then rehid the box. Then we headed down the trail to the next box. We got a little confused and stopped to soon and we couldn't find the box so we continued and finally got to the actual place where the box was hidden. We easily found J. Hadyn and took it to some nearby rocks to sit and stamp in. After replacing the box we continued on to the next box. Here we had more problems - there was snow and we couldn't find the little trail we needed and we called it quits. We returned to the main trail and looked for a box right at the intersection. We had better luck and found Keep Calm and Soak. After stamping in and replacing the box we continued on. It was getting a little colder as the sun started to set so we got our gloves and went in search of the next box. We were actually following the clues for two boxes but one of them we couldn't figure out the landmarks so we gave up on that one and then continued to the other box. We had good luck and quickly found the box - G.F. Handel. We stamped in at a nearby picnic table. Then we replaced the box and headed back the way we came. Next we tried for a series of four boxes but didn't have any luck with finding the correct location and by this time it was getting darker so we returned to the car. We went back to the hotel and got cleaned up a bit and then we headed out for dinner. We ended up eating at Casa Mariachi.  I really enjoyed this place - the food was great and the staff was excellent.

It was another long day of letterboxing and it was a good day of letterboxing. I am sufficiently tired and ready for a good night's sleep. Tomorrow is the event and there are a lot of boxes to be had so I need my rest.

Heading to Another Event

Well I am off on another road trip to another event. This time I am heading north to Colorado. This trip is to attend the 4th Annual Kick Off the Holidays - Mystery Carols hosted by The Woodshed in Parker, Colorado. As per my usual M.O. I was up and on the road early this morning - I left Santa Fe just before 5:00am while it was still dark and a freezing 28° - I really love getting started early. There is no traffic and it is kind of peaceful. While driving I listened to an audio book - Janet Evanovich's Eleven on Top.

View of Trinidad Lake from Carpios Ridge

This made the trip go by quickly. I was also privy to a beautiful sunrise over Wagon Mound. A little after 7:30am I arrived at Trinidad Lake State Park for my first stop and letterbox. I made my way to the Carpios Ridge Campground and parked at the picnic area. I bundled up with a fleece, jacket, scarf, cap and gloves since here in Trinidad, Colorado it was only 26° and I was cold. I was really hoping this would be a quick and easy find so I wouldn't be out for too long. Thankfully the box was only a short distance from the parking lot and it was hidden near some junipers and there wasn't any snow covering the box. Oh, I forgot to mention that there was snow on the ground - nothing too deep but enough that I would have to dig for boxes if they weren't sheltered by trees or bushes. I found it quickly and there was a bench nearby that I used to stamp in. The bench faces the lake and there was a great view from where I sat. I was the first finder on Trinidad Lake Bunny placed by Aunt Sparky. After stamping in I replaced the box making sure it was covered well and then I took pictures before returning to the car. When I arrived back at I25 I decided to fill the car with gas before continuing on.

Once back on the interstate I drove to Colorado Springs (secretly hoping that I wouldn't get caught in any morning traffic).

View from Lake Gulch Trail in Castlewood Canyon State Park

Luckily it was later than rush hour when I arrived and I had no problems going through the town. At the northern end of town I exited onto Interquest Parkway and headed east. This road changes into CO83 and turns north. My next stop was Castlewood Canyon State Park. As I got close to the entrance of the park I began wondering if I would be able to letterbox because there was snow everywhere. So when I arrived at the pay window I talked with the Ranger and he said that the trails were pretty good and that there wasn't any deep snow. He cautioned me about the Inner Canyon Trail since you have to either descend by a set of stairs or take another trail down into the canyon and he said that since the canyon is shaded and there was still snow and ice it could make it a difficult descent. I decided to at least try the upper trails and see what I could get done. So I paid my fee and made my way to the Canyon Point Parking Area. I first took the Canyon View Nature Trail to look for Moose Plays the Marimba. I followed the clues and made my way to the landmark I needed. I then started to search for the box but unfortunately there was a lot of snow in the area and it was deep in places. I had a hard time finding the spot where the box was hidden and I got tired of digging in the snow. So I called it quits on this box and made my way back to the parking area and then continued on the Lake Gulch Trail. This time I had more luck. This trail is more in the open and the snow wasn't as bad. A short distance up the trail I found my landmark and with no problem I found the box. Thankfully there was a rock clear of any snow or ice where I could sit and stamp into Mushu Protects His "Castle". As I was stamping in I looked up and was rewarded with a spectacular view. After getting the box hidden again I took a few pictures, gathered my things and went back to the main trail. I decided to continue on the Lake Gulch Trail which goes down into the canyon and connects with the Inner Canyon Trail. The ranger I talked with earlier was right - the trail became more icy as I went down and I decided not to chance it and turned around and made my way back to the car. I left the park and continued north on CO83 to the intersection with CO86. I turned west on CO86 and drive a few miles to Gateway Mesa Open Space. I turned onto the short dirt road that lead to the parking lot. Halfway up the road the dirt turned to mud. There were deep ruts filled with water so I stopped and looked ahead to the parking lot and noticed that it was also muddy with ruts and water all over. I decided I didn't want to get stuck in all that mud so I backed out and got onto CO86 heading back toward the intersection I had come from. A little before the intersection I turned onto Castlewood Canyon Road. This is the West entrance to Castlewood Canyon State Park. I parked at the Homestead Trailhead. While in the car I read the three clues I had with me just to be familiar with them. I followed the clues and found Dolphins by The Woodshed. I had noticed a picnic table nearby so I took the box there and put it with my letterboxing stuff on the table and then found Origami Glider also by The Woodshed. Now I had two boxes and I stamped while comfortably sitting at the table. After stamping in I replaced both boxes and then returned to the parking area and tried to orient myself with the clues for a third box. For some reason I wasn't able to do that.

So I decided to leave and head for Parker. It had been a long day of driving and I was done with digging in the snow. Once I arrived in Parker I headed to the library to find some indoor boxes. The library was pretty busy so I was skeptical if I would be able to find the boxes. I casually went to one area and sat on the floor in front of the shelves and took a book off the shelf - as I absently thumbed through the book I glanced around to make sure no one was around and then I reached in and grabbed the box. I put the book back and made my way to the next area. This was a little easier to get even with someone around because it looked like I was taking a book off the shelf. Now that I had both boxes (Cephalopod - Inkfish and A Cappella No Longer both by The Woodshed) I found a study desk with sides that blocked what I was doing. It was nice to stamp in a warm place and on a flat surface. After replacing the boxes I left the library and punched the hotel address into the Garmin. I hadn't had any meals all day (just snacks in the car) so I was hungry. I stopped and grabbed a quick bite on the way to the hotel. Now that I had something substantial in my stomach I made my way to the hotel.

It was a good day (just really cold) and I enjoyed myself. I have all day tomorrow to letterbox in the area and then the event is on Saturday. I think I will sleep in and wake up whenever and not worry about setting an alarm.

Denver Botanic Gardens and a Little Letterboxing

This morning Thomas and I had plans to go to the Denver Botanic Gardens to see the Chihuly Exhibition. So after a nice breakfast we made out way there. We were a tad bit early and we had to wait in line to get in. The wait was short and we already had tickets so we immediately started walking around. I was amazed and fascinated by the glass sculptures. And I love the way they were incorporated with the plants. We ended up walking almost every path, I took about 250 photos and we spent about 3 hours in the Gardens. It was wonderful and a terrific way to spend a Sunday morning. I am so glad we made the trip to Denver to see this show.  After we finished at the Gardens we started walking back to the car but took a detour to find The Woodshed's Modern Lilly hidden in the parking garage. We easily found the box and I took it back to the car to stamp in. Once I was done I returned the stamp to its hiding spot and we left the Gardens.

We next made our way to Governors Park to find preboxed's Hey Guv box. We arrived at the park and we started looking for the box. The park was filled with homeless people. I counted nine people sleeping all over the park. Fortunately I was able to find the box without being seen. I took the box back to a bench to stamp in. When I was done Thomas had to stand in front of me while I hid the box so that a couple of people sitting against a wall wouldn't see me hide the box. Once that was done we went have some lunch at a restaurant across the street. We ate at Lala's Wine Bar + Pizzeria. The food was so good and we just sat and relaxed. Two hours later we decided to move on.

We looked for two boxes in the downtown area . . . Then and Now: Denver's Chinatown and 100 Years. I had no luck with either of these boxes. The Chinatown box was confusing since there were so many buildings and so many metal boxes. We looked under quite a few metal boxes and didn't have any luck. We also spent a little time at Union Station, which they have really fixed up. We sat and had a snack and enjoyed the building. Then we went for a walk in City Park which was great - the day was beautiful. Eventually we gave up and decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we will visit the Capitol Building and then head home. We had a great time in Denver and we are l1ooking forward to our next visit.

Here are a couple of slideshows from our visit to the
Denver Botanic Gardens.

I hope you enjoy! 

Chihuly Exhibition

...

Denver Botanic Gardens

...

A Day in Denver

This morning we slept in and just relaxed. After getting showered and dressed we decided we wanted to get some breakfast - and not the complimentary breakfast at the hotel, so we headed out in search of something. Just down the block from us we found a Le Peep and headed there. We had a great breakfast and then decided to do a little letterboxing until Thomas' brother drove in from Broomfield to spend the day with us. We drove to Fairmount Cemetery to find a few boxes. Thankfully I had printed out a map off the internet and had mapped out the boxes. So we started at one box and followed the map and did a circle around the cemetery finding boxes along the drive. We looked for eight boxes and found seven. We found three of the Fairmount Halloween 2011 Series, Hello Zombie, Which? C Sharp M or A Sharp M, Memento Mori, Fairmount Cemetery: Treestone and Quoth the Raven. When we finished at the cemetery we headed for another box nearby but Thomas' brother called and we headed to The Container Store to meet them. Here we did a little shopping and the headed over to Meininger Art Store where we did a little more shopping. By this time it was around 2:00pm and we were getting hungry. So we headed for Park Burger on S. Pearl Street. We had a great meal and got to visit for a while. After eating they needed to get back home so they headed out. Thomas and I decided to try for another box before calling it a day and heading for the hotel. We drove to Four Mile Historic Park to look for Supernatural Series: Vampire. It was a short walk and a quick find. Now we are at the hotel and we are relaxing and taking it easy. We had a good day and enjoyed visiting with Thomas' brother and sister-in-law.

A Quick Find on Our Way to Denver

Thomas and I are headed to Denver to visit his brother this weekend. We left Santa Fe sometime around noon. I had a clue for a box in Raton that I had been wanting to get but haven't been up to that area.

View from the Box

So we made plans to stop on our way to Colorado. We drove from Santa Fe and didn't stop until we got to Raton. We made our way to the parking area for the Climax Canyon Nature Trail. From the parking area we had to walk a short distance up a road to the trailhead. We passed a couple of guys working in the area on erosion control and then met up with a doe and her fawn right at the trailhead. We also talked with a man who was a volunteer who helped build the trail. In the area where you park and then along the road and near the trailhead were Christmas decorations. Raton had their annual City of Bethlehem lights at the entrance of Climax Canyon. We walked a short distance up the trail to a trail junction and then turned right on the East Loop Trail and only a short distance up we found Silver Eagle's Climax Canyon box. I stamped sitting next to the tree where it is hidden and then replaced the box. The views from here were terrific and the trail was really nice. We then returned to the car to continue our drive to Denver. Thanks Silver Eagle for the break in driving and the short but wonderful walk to the box.

A Letterboxing Event in Santa Fe

Back in May of this year, Astro D, ArnoldZiffel and I met to plan a letterboxing event. We talked and came up with some ideas and then tweaked those ideas into an event. We spent the summer planning Letterboxing with Altitude. Things were divied up and we all did our part over the summer to check on boxes, carve stamps, reserve the location and send out notices. We decided on Hyde Memorial State Park and before we knew it things had fallen into place and the event was upon us. Today was the event and it turned out great. Lots of folks showed up - boxers came from all over New Mexico (Las Cruces, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Galisteo, Farmington and Tijeras) and from Colorado, Arizona and Texas.

I arrived just before 8:00am at the gate and had to wait for the Ranger to open up the area. Thomas was with me and while we were waiting a couple of people showed up as well. About 8:10am we were at the group shelter and setting up. The event was actually scheduled for 10:00am but people started arriving soon after we were set up. Everyone gathered at the shelter and visited. There were exchanges, personal travelers and event stamps. Throughout the day people would head out to letterbox and then return to visit or get exchanges. There were plenty of incredible boxes for the event and most of them are staying around.

The day turned out fantastic. We had great weather and the aspens were already showing a hint of yellow. Letterboxing in Hyde Park and along Ski Basin Road was wonderful and I recommend that anyone planning a visit to Santa Fe put that area on their list. You will find some great boxes and enjoy a beautiful area. Thanks to everyone who attended the event and for traveling to be here with us. We hope you had a great time and hopefully we can have another event in the near future.

Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park

This morning we didn't set an alarm and ended up sleeping until 8:00am. After a quick breakfast at the hotel we made our way to Rocky Mountain National Park. We entered the park on US36 at the Beaver Meadows entrance. I picked up some information and a map of Bear Lake Road at the Visitor Center and got my passport stamp and then we were on our way. At the entrance station we paid our fee and then turned left onto Bear Lake Road. I had read that the road was under construction and that there were delays but we didn't have any problems. Either the construction was over or they weren't working on a Sunday but either way the drive was nice and uneventful. We didn't make any stops along this road until we reached the parking area for Bear Lake.

View of Longs Peak from Bear Lake

The lot was pretty empty so we didn't have any problem with parking. Before taking off on any hikes we talked with a ranger. Her name was Judy and she was so nice and gave us lots of good options.

Alberta Falls

We really weren't looking for a long or hard hike, we wanted something relaxing and beautiful and Judy helped us to pick a hike that turned out incredible. First we did the short ½ mile loop around Bear Lake - this is a nature trail and there are numbered sign post along the way that with a trail guide gives you some great information. There were some wonderful views of Longs Peak while walking around the lake and the mountains reflected in the lake was beautiful. Once we had completed the loop we took the trail to Alberta Falls. This trail turned out to be very active - we saw quite a few people walking here but it was worth it. The hike was a little less that a mile one way and there weren't really any major inclines so we really enjoyed this morning walk. Arriving at the falls was incredible - they aren't huge and the drop isn't long but the scene is beautiful. We spent about 30 minutes just taking pictures and enjoying the area. We were glad to have taken this walk, it was a great way to start the day. On the walk back to the trailhead we took a detour and followed a horse trail back to the parking lot which was much quieter - we didn't see any other person on this trail.

A Friend We Made on the Trail

Now that we were back at the car we headed back up Bear Lake Road and made a stop at the Moraine Visitor Center which was closed so I couldn't get my passport stamp. We made it back to the main road and turned left and decided to drive the Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitor Center. This drive is beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We made some stops along the way for pictures and just to enjoy the views.

Alpine Tundra at Rock Cut

On the drive up to Alpine Visitor Center we stopped a Rainbow Curve and Rock Cut. At Rainbow Curve we stopped and just looked at views - I think we spent 15 minutes just sitting on the rock wall staring. When we got to Rock Cut we took a short walk up a kind of steep hill to some very incredible views. It was a little rough on us since the two of us are not in the best shape but it was worth it. After Rock Cut we didn't stop again until we arrived at the Visitor Center.

Gore Range

Here I got my passport stamp and bought some postcards, a book, a patch and some pins. We noticed some people climbing up some steps cut into this hill which is only a short ¼ mile hike but you gain 300 feet in that short span.

View from Forest Canyon Overlook

Our energy level at this time prevented us from attempting this climb. After looking around the gift shop and taking in the views we headed back on Trail Ridge Road to where we started. During this part of the drive we stopped at Gore Range Overlook. For me this had the best views along the part of the road that we traveled. I really enjoyed this stop. Our next stop was Forest Canyon Overlook which is also beautiful with views of a canyon with lots of trees. Our last stop was Many Parks Curve. At this stop we actually saw and heard an elk down in the valley making bugle calls. It was wonderful! We left this overlook and we made our way out of the park.

It was a little after 2:00pm and we were hungry so we stopped at the first restaurant we say which happened to be a chinese place. After a good meal we headed out to do a little letterboxing in Estes Park. We first took Mary's Lake Road to find Viewfinder's Rocky Mt High: Music Box #12, John Denver. It was an easy find and once I had stamped in we made our way to CO7 and down to the Baldpate Inn. We took a short walk on the Homer Rose Trail to find Shark Boy and Lava Girl's Dear Sweet Matthew.

Keys at Baldpate Inn

Another qucik and easy find and after I stamped in and put the box back into place we headed into the Baldpate Inn. We made our way to the library to look for TaiChi and ChaiTea's Seven Keys . . . letterbox. I thought I had the clues figured out and I thought I knew what I was looking for but when we entered I became confused. One of the clues was 'bookcase' - there were lots of book shelves but only one thing that I considered a case. So I went there first. I read the clues again and looked where they said to look but I didn't find anything. So I read the clues again and looked again but still nothing. Anyway, we spent about 15 minutes lookng for what I thought I needed but didn't find anything so we called it quits and walked through the "Key Room". It was amazing to see all the keys hanging there and they really have taken the time to label each one and have them so organized. Now it was time to leave and head back into Estes Park. As we drove to our next stop it started to drizzle but we continued on to the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead off of MacGregor Avenue. First we found Viewfinder's Moose in the Mountains and after stamping in we found the Gem Lake Trail and looked for Gem Luck by Monkey Miller. We didn't find this box so we continued a little ways up the trail but the rain was getting worse so we returned to the car. By the time we reached the car it was a heavy downpour. We decided to head back to the hotel and rest a while and wait out the rain. We spent about an hour and a half at the hotel and once the rain was done we headed out again.

Staircase in the Lobby of The Stanley Hotel

This time we made our way to The Stanley Hotel. We decided to go through the guard gate and pay $5 to park near the hotel. The parking lot in the back of the hotel was pretty empty and that is where we decided to leave the car. There were a few boxes hidden on a trail by some large boulders to the back of the employees quarters and that is were we headed. Immediately I noticed a couple of problems.

The Stanley Hotel

One - there was really no discernible trail and two - we were unable to locate a landmark we were looking for. But we continued on and looked for other boxes. We spent about an hour out there and found the following boxes . . . Sarcasmo's Stephen King: Heeere's Johnny! and Redrum and The Stanley by TeamPumpkinKing. We found other landmarks for boxes but then the clues fizzled out and the only boxes we found were the three listed above. Next we headed into the hotel. We looked for a box near one of the back entrances but came up empty handed. Then we went in and walked around the place for a little bit and took some pictures. After about 20 minutes we headed out front to look for two boxes but we only found one - Seattle Bound's Stephen King: The Overlook Hotel. I stamped in and then rehid the box and then we walked back to the car.

Leaving The Stanley we encountered about five elk walking in the road. I snapped a couple of pictures and then we headed downtown. We parked and again encountered more elk walking the streets. During our walk downtown we looked for three boxes but only found one - ona journey's Urban Box Tribute to Preboxed. It was a little tricky finding the box but I did have some ideas of where to look and one of them panned out. We stamped in and then kept walking to find some place to eat. We had a nice meal and then decided to call it a day. Back at the hotel we got things packed so that we could get an early start in the morning to make our way back home. We had a great visit and enjoyed the weekend getaway.