Making Our Way Back to Santa Fe

Today we head home, so we decided to get an early start. We were up at 5:00am and on the road by 5:30am. It was dark and the road was empty so we made good time. We did stop for coffee about an hour into the drive and at this time Thomas decided to take a nap in the back seat while I drove. It was actually a very relaxing drive along US54 for a few hours and then just before Plains we turned west onto US 160. We drove directly west on US 160 for a short time and then headed south and southwest on US 83 then took KS 51 west into Hugoton. We decided to stop here and use the restroom and get a little breakfast. Forty minutes later we were back on the road - I was still driving and Thomas was still resting in the back seat. From Hugoton we headed southwest on US 56 driving through the Cimarron National Grasslands and Elkhart before crossing the border into Oklahoma. We continued going southwest on US 56 until we arrived in Boise City.

We stopped in Boise City to find a couple of letterboxes and to take a little break. First we drove to the Cimarron Heritage Center to find jb kokopelli's North to Alaska: Bombing of Boise City. This was a pretty easy find and I stamped in while sitting in the car. I replaced the box and walked around to take a couple of pictues - one of a large tinman and one of a lifesize metal dinosaur. Then we drove to the Boise City Cemetery to find To OK From CO by Tai Chi and Chai Tea. This was another quick and easy find and again I stamped in while sitting in the car. Now that we were done with boxing in Boise City it was time to continue our drive. I continued to drive so that Thomas could read (I guess the book he is reading was getting good). We continued on US 56, crossed into New Mexico and made our way to Clayton. Since we were here I wanted to check on my Alphabetical New Mexico: K ("Black Jack" Ketchum) box and to find To NM From CO Purple Mountain Majestical Greetings by The Woodshed. We were successful on both counts - I found the To NM From CO without a problem and my box was safe and in good shape. We left the cemetery and drove into town to fill the car with gas and then make the last leg of our drive home. The rest of the trip was uneventful and we didn't make any stops until we arrived home. We had a great trip and found some nice boxes but as always we are glad to be home with our dogs. And now I have added Kansas to my letterboxing map.

Lights, Cameras, Action

On Saturday we were both up early - so we showered, dressed and grabbed some breakfast. Today was the Movies at Murray! event. By 7:30am we were out on the trails looking for letterboxes. The event didn't start until 10:30am so we had quite a bit of time to do some hiking and letterboxing. We first stopped at a rock shelter that is on the main road of the park and we quickly found Out of Sight. After rehiding the box we drove over to the Pecan Grove area and hiked the trail that goes from Pecan Grove to North Boat Ramp. We were in search for six boxes in the 80's Movie Series - these boxes had stamps carved by different boxers from around the country. We found The Naked Gun, Teen Wolf, Movie Time, Overboard and Steel Magnolias. We didn't find Princess Bride - I think we were in the right place because all the landmarks made sense but there was no box. At this point since we were at the North Boat Ramp we decided we had time to do the For The Kids Series. So we crossed the parking area and headed down the trail. There were six boxes in this series. We had a great hike and found Movie Tickets, Harry Potter's Whomping Willow, Scooby Doo, Yakko, Mini Remy and Dumbo. It was time for the event to start so we made our way back to the car.
We drove to the Elephant Rock/Cedar Cove/Tipp's Point Area and paid the entrance fee and found the Cisco Pavillion. There were already a few people there. We said hi to some familiar faces - Viewfinder, Puddle Splasher, Gryzzled Gryphon and Batty Girl. We talked with Penguin Patrol for a bit and she gave me some information on a good spot to hide my boxes. So we decided to head out and plant the boxes to get that over with. There are two trails at the entrance to this area and they start just before the spot where you pay (so to find these boxes you don't have to pay an entrance fee). My two boxes are hidden on the trail on the right of the road. Thomas and I hiked and quickly found two good spots to hide the boxes - so Harry James Potter and Movie Treat! were ready to be found. I wrote out the clues and double checked them and then we returned to the pavillion. The first thing I did was to recopy the clues and make sure they were correct and then put them out for everyone to get. Then I started to get some exchanges and personal travelers. I met shiloh and got his personal travelers and I exchanged with Penguin Patrol and got her personal travelers. Batty Girl also had two new travelers that I got. Once all that was done we just sat, visited, ate and stamped the event stamp as well as some traveling event stamps. I also got a few pictures (the last event I attended I got so busy that I forgot to take any). Now I was ready to get back out on the trails to find more boxes. We headed out to the Duke's Forest area to find boxes that were in two Temporary Series. We found four boxes in Temporary Series 1 - The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tim Burton, Cry Baby and Chocolat - all excellent carvings. Then we crossed the road and headed down the opposite trail and found the boxes in the Temporary Series 2. This series had 11 boxes - The Green Mile, Vertigo (one of my favorites of the day), James Dean, Phantasm, Shag, Schindler's List, Belle, Flounder, Spongebob Squarepants, Frosty the Snowman and Aladdin's Rajah. During the hike for this series we bumped into Puddle Splasher and Viewfinder. And at some point Thomas got tired of letterboxing and retreated to the car to read while I finished the series. When I returned to the car there were three letterboxers waiting for me - losin some fat, Raven Queen and The Monkey Bunch. I missed them at the pavillion and they wanted to do an exchange. So we made the exchanges and they got my personal travelers. Once that was completed they headed down the trail to get the boxes I had just finished and we decided it was probably time to head out.

So Thomas and I drove back to the pavillion and said our goodbyes. Then we headed out. We wanted to at least get to Oklahoma City for the night so that our drive home on Sunday wouldn't be as long. We made one stop at a rest area as we headed north on I35 to find Penguin Patrol's Just Married!!! letterbox. The drive up was pretty uneventful and when we reached Yukon we decided to find something for dinner. We ate a good dinner and then as we were leaving the restaurant we sas a Hampton Inn and decided to call it a night. It had been a long day (a very good day but a long day) so we took showers, read a little and were asleep by 9:00pm.

This morning we woke up early again, got packed, loaded the car and then had some breakfast at the hotel. We had originally planned to go to Red Rock Canyon State Park this morning but as we were loading things into the car we both agreed that it was too cold and way to windy to actually enjoy the park so we opted to just head home. We stopped briefly to fill the car with gas and we were on our way. We made a quick stop at the Beckham County Courthouse (which made a brief appearance in the movie The Grapes of Wrath) and then headed out to Sayre City Park to find the Grapes of Wrath letterbox hidden there by rabbitrabbit. It was a quick and easy find and then we were back on I40 headed to Texas. We stopped again at a rest area near Alanreed. We looked for one box and didn't find it and I had forgotten the clues for a second box (and was unable to get internet connection to get the clue from AQ) so we didn't get any finds here. It was also incredibly windy and uncomfortable walking around looking for boxes. We were only there for a short time before heading out. By the time we reached Amarillo we were both hungry and it was time for lunch. We stopped and ate a quick lunch before heading out - there are a few letterboxes in Amarillo but we decided they would have to wait for another time - the wind was just too uncomfortable to be walking outside looking for boxes and I think we were ready to get home. I did want to stop in Tucumcari for one thing. I wanted to visit the Blue Swallow Motel. We stopped and talked to the owner and I took some pictures. Who knows a letterbox may pop up there sometime soon. After our visit we headed home - no more stops until we pulled up at the house. We had a great weekend trip to Oklahoma and enjoyed the movie themed letterboxing event.

Ooooooooooklahoma!

After work on Thursday Thomas and I hopped into the car and started our trip to Ardmore, Oklahoma to attend the Movies at Murray! event. We decided to leave today so that we wouldn't have as long to drive in just one day. We had an uneventful drive and decided to stop in Santa Rosa for a quick drive-by letterbox by flat tire - Out of Gas. We quickly found this box and once it was rehidden we decided to get some dinner. We stopped at the Route 66 Restaurant. It was an interesting place. The decor was really outdated and not like you would expect to find in a 50's era diner. And there was a mixture of Native American, Religious and Route 66 art all over the walls. But the food was pretty good. I had an incredible hamburger (one that you would expect at a greasy spoon) and Thomas had tacos that were pretty good as well. After eating we continued on our way - we decided that it was getting late and we were going to stop and sleep in Amarillo. So at 11:00pm we found a hotel and took showers and went straight to sleep.

On Friday morning we were up early, had some breakfast and we were on the road again. We made a few stops in Texas to find letterboxes - Conway, Groom, Jericho and McLean. Most of the boxes we found were recently planted by jb kokopelli when she and WagTime made their circle trip through the panhandle. They did an excellent job of populating the panhandle. We stopped and saw some interesting things because of these new letterboxes - the 2nd Largest Cross in the western hemisphere, the VW Slug Bug Ranch, the Leaning Water Tower and the first Phillips 66 Station in Texas. We also took some time to visit the Devil's Rope/Route 66 Museum. It was very interesting and who knew there were that many kinds of barbed wire. Not long after visiting the museum we stopped in Shamrock, TX to get some lunch before crossing over into Oklahoma. Nothing exciting - just a quick bite to eat before continuing on our journey. I had planned to try and make it to Ardmore by 3:30pm so we didn't make any stops after eating until we reached Davis. We stopped at a rest area and found a quick drive-by and then exited at Davis to find a box near Arbuckle Wilderness and another one near Turner Falls. After these last two boxes we filled the car with gas and stopped at Original Fried Pies. Now I have heard of them but had never had one. Thomas got a chocolate and I got a pecan. Interesting little things! Now I have tried them and I don't think either of us will need to have them in the future.

From this point we didn't stop until we reached Lake Murray. The first order of business was to find Penguin Patrol at her campsite and pick up my event package with clues and park map. We drove through the park and found the campsites and quickly found Peguin Patrol. She was visiting with shiloh and Batty Girl & her LSS. We said our hellos, visited for a minute, picked up the packet of clues and then said goodbye until tomorrow. We headed over to the Lake Murray Lodge where we had reservations for the night. We checked into the lodge, unloaded the car and relaxed for a bit. Thomas decided he wanted to take a shower and relax and I wanted to go out and look for some letterboxes. I headed out and found a trail with three letterboxes - I hiked and found all three boxes. It was a nice hike, at times I was close to the lake and other times I was just in the woods. It was so peaceful. When I was done I returned to the lodge and met Thomas and we went for another hike that started near the lodge. We found two more boxes and just enjoyed the evening walk. It was close to dark when we returned to the room. After I took a shower I started to log things in and write a blog but I was too tired. After driving all day and letterboxing I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I also wanted a good night's sleep for the event tomorrow.

Four New States and a Wedding Slide Show

We made it home from our trip south. The wedding was great and we enjoyed letterboxing in four new states. Two of the states I had never been to and we really enjoyed visiting them. We saw some incredible scenery and visited four state capitals - one of the main highlights of the trip for me. You can read all about the trip by going to Four New States and a Wedding. And to see a slide show of the trip just click on the picture.

ev•o•lu•tion and Our Next Letterboxing Trip

For the past week or so I have been communicating with another letterboxer about my ev•o•lu•tion box. He found it out in the open and wasn't quite sure where it actually needed to be hidden. He also noticed some holes chewed in the box. So he contacted me and I decided to go out and try to fix it. Well a few days ago I went to the hiding spot but no box, so I searched the area but came up empty handed. I went home and contacted the letterboxer and asked it he could give me clues to where he placed it. He did and this morning I went out and fixed up the box and rehid it - I actually like the spot where he hid the box (which incidentally is about 250+ feet away from the original hiding spot. I guess some squirrel really wanted to store his nuts in my box. Anyway the box in now hiding again and the clues have been updated, so make sure you check for the new clues before heading out to find it.

This evening Thomas and I are leaving on our next letterboxing adventure. It is really a trip to Louisiana for my Dad's wedding and we decided to add a few days onto the trip and make it a little vacation and letterboxing trip. We are going to travel I40 from New Mexico to Tennessee and in Memphis we will take I55 through Mississippi into Louisiana. It should be fun - it has been a while since I have visited these states and Thomas hasn't been to three of them. To follow along on this adventure click on the map and you can read all about it.