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.

Back in Cheyenne for More Boxes

Today is our last day in Wyoming and Thomas is busy most of the day and this evening with the conference. I decided to get up and drive to Cheyenne to do a little letterboxing. I wasn't sure how long I would stay out letterboxing, it all depended on my foot. So I left Laramie around 8:15am and had a nice drive to Cheyenne. I haven't encountered any traffic at all since we have been here. I arrived in Cheyenne and made my way to a little park on the corner of Yellowstone Rd. and Dell Range Blvd. and tried to find a parking spot. There is a very narrow alley next to the park and I was going to park there but my car blocked the entire alley and I didn't think that was a good idea. So I drove around the block and parked on the next street over and walked. I took a couple of pictures of a statue of an elk and then looked for the box. It took me a couple of tries to find The Hunter by Seattle Bound because it was hidden really well. I found a spot to sit and stamp in and then replaced the box. I always like it when I find the first box that I looked for that day - it makes the day feel better. Back at the car I headed over to Lions Park. I had clues for three boxes.

No. 1242 - Old Sadie

First I looked for B&O RR by Celestini. I had to be careful because just around the bend in the sidewalk (slightly hidden by bushes) were six volunteers doing some clean-up. This box is hidden in the area of an old train engine. Once I found the engine I easily found the hiding spot and of course at that same time a guy came up and hung around taking pictures. I ended up waiting a good 15 minutes until he left and then I quickly snatched the box. I took it to a nearby bench and stamped in. Thankfully when I went to put the box back the coast was clear and it was easy to rehide. Next I went to look for 8 Seconds by Seattle Bound. Unfortunately as I followed the clues I ended up exactly where the volunteers were working - so I had to nix this box. I went back to my car and then drove to the back of the park to the Cheyenne Botanical Garden.

Koi Pond - Botanic Garden

Here I looked for Irish Lullaby by Seattle Bound. I followed the clues but at some point I got confused and lost. So I started over and still no luck. So I found one landmark toward the end of the clue and thankfully I found the spot. Then of course the area got busy - so I sat on a bench and waited. Finally there was a break and I dashed for the box. It took me a couple of minutes to find the box because it was really hidden well. I took it back to a bench to stamp in and then had to wait a few minutes for a women who was walking the labyrinth to finish. Once I got the box back into its great hiding spot I returned to the car to decide what to do next. From here I drove to Lakeview Cemetery to find I Left My Heart in Wyoming by Traveling Queen of Hearts. I had a little problem finding the gravesite I needed and I spent quite a bit of time searching in one area but still couldn't find the grave. After checking every head stone in that area I moved on to the adjacent area. I found the grave just past the marker for the next section. The clue said the box was in a tree and there was a small bush next to the head stone and the box was sitting at the base of the bush and not covered. I brought the box back to the car to stamp in. When I went to put the box back in place I tried to hide it better but the branches were really dense and I couldn't push it further under the tree. So I placed it as best as I could and then went to see if I could find a rock or some sticks or something to conceal it. I wasn't able to find anything. So I left it the way it was and planned to send the placer a note. I left the cemetery and made my way to the next box - Yummy Honey by The Woodshed. The clues were spot on and I easily found the box and stamped in quickly and then put it back in place. I worked quickly with this box because the area was really busy and I had to move between cars and people passing by.

I went back to my car and looked at the list of boxes I hadn't looked for yet and nothing appealed to me so I decided to head back west and stop at Vedauwoo Recreation Area to look for a few boxes.

Vedauwoo Recreation Area

Thomas and I had wanted to go to this area yesterday but it was raining so we changed our plans. So today I took the exit and made my way to the entrance of the recreation area. There was a parking area and fee station as soon as I turned in so I parked there, paid my fee and then read the clues to see where I needed to go. One of the clues sounded like it was where I was parked but one thing seemed off. I still went in search of it and ended up looking under every rock I could find. But I didn't find the box. And while I was walking around the sky darkened and thunder rolled and by the time I got back to the car it was raining. For some reason I felt that this was just a quick little downpour and it would stop soon. So I drove into the recreation area trying to find a parking area for the Box Canyon Trail. It was like a maze and with the rain I was getting confused but with pure luck I ended up in the right parking lot. I waited about 5 minutes and sure enough the rain stopped, the clouds moved on and the sun came out. So I gathered my things and headed down the trail. For the first part of the clue I was on a paved trail and needed to get to a gravel trail.

She Almost Made Me Pee in My Pants

So I am walking along and enjoying the scenery and not too far up ahead I could see the gravel. I was focusing on the gravel trail and all of a sudden I was brought back to where I was because of some loud noise and movement in the bushes to my right. I froze in place and turned to my right to look and a mama moose and her baby came from around a gigantic boulder through the bushes about ten feet from me. The mama looked at me but didn't seem concerned but I didn't want to take any chances. So I went off the trail on the other side and squeezed between about 25 trees all standing close together. I felt that if she did want to charge to protect her baby she probably couldn't get through. (Please don't tell me I was wrong about that because thinking I was safe in the trees is the only thing that kept me from peeing in my pants. At this point I decided I didn't want to continue looking for the box alone and was going to return to my car. But guess what - both the mama and baby were actually standing right in the middle of the trail blocking my path to the car. A few minutes later a couple came from the gravel trail and they stopped and talked to me. They had seen another moose on the trail where they had just come. That sealed the deal - there was no way I was going on that trail by myself. We ended up waiting almost ten minutes for the moose to move far enough away that we could pass safely. Once I got back to the car I decided it was time to call it a day. I partly used the excuse that I had been walking too much on my foot without my boot and I needed to get to the hotel and put it on.

The first thing I did when I got back to the hotel was to take a shower and then I got the boot on and finally felt relaxed. Then I got some things packed and ready so I don't have too much to do in the morning and we can get an early start. I had fun letterboxing in Wyoming and found some great boxes - thanks to all who placed boxes in Laramie and Cheyenne.

Mosquitoes and Wind and Rain . . . Oh, My!

This morning I woke up with some pain in my right foot (for more info you can read my post from yesterday about my right foot) so I decided to take it easy this morning and wear my boot. I ended up hanging out at the hotel and did some reading which was fine because I was going to meet Thomas after lunch anyway since he didn't have any meetings at the conference this afternoon. He had a lunch meeting so I ended up eating some leftover pizza we had from dinner last night (we ate at a place called Roxie's on Grand - they have really tasty brick oven-fired pizza) and then he returned to the room around 1:00pm. We then headed out to do some letterboxing,

View overlooking I80.

We drove east on I80 from Laramie to Exit 323 for Happy Jack Road. I was at this exit yesterday because this is the same exit for the Summit Rest Area. Today we traveled on Happy Jack Road to find three boxes - Only in Wyoming (RAC) & State of Equality by preboxed and Happy Jack by team tiger pride. We were fortunate because we found all three. We found Only in Wyoming first and from the hiding spot we had some terrific views and also lots of mosquitoes. And as soon as I took my logbook out the wind got crazy and I had to sit on the clues, baggies and logbook from the box so they didn't blow away. It all worked out and nothing got lost. After putting this box back in place we continued along Happy Jack Road and stopped at the Happy Jack Recreation Area for Happy Jack. I got out of the car and left the door open while I got a pay envelope and I heard Thomas close the door. When I got back to the car he told me that in a few seconds the car was infested with mosquitoes. So I took out some bug spray and we coated our arms, necks, faces and ears - I also had Thomas put some on my back (I seem to attract more mosquitoes than Thomas). As we were getting ready to head down the trail a man and his two daughters were going for a bike ride, he told us about the trail and he asked if we had some spray for the mosquitoes - we said yes and asked if he needed some.

A Mean Little Blood Sucker

He said no, he was going to give us some if we needed it because he said at this time of year this area gets tons of the little blood suckers. So anyway we walked to the Happy Jack Trailhead and headed down the trail following the clues for the box and just as we left the parking lot we started hearing lots of thunder. I hoped that any rain would hold out until we found the box and returned to the car. We weren't so lucky but it wasn't too bad - a very fine drizzle for only a few minutes was all we got. As we made our way up the trail I used the clues to wave about to try and hold off the mosquitoes. Thomas used his baseball cap to do the same and every now and then he wouldhit me on the back with it- he said that the mosquitoes were gathering on my back in herds (the term he used). When we finally found the box it was about 20 feet off the trail in a dense stand of spruce trees and for some reason the mosquitoes weren't as bad. Thomas stood near me while I stamped in and used his cap to shoo away the bugs when they did come around and it turned out not to be so bad. On the way back to the car we had to fight them off again, but thanks to the spray we got only a few bites and thankfully the rain wasn't bad at all. We got back in the car and when we closed the door there were quite a few mosquitoes in the car with us. We couldn't open the window to get them out so we had to commit mass murder - there was blood and dead bugs all over. Thankfully I had some hand wipes and we were able to clean the mess up. Once that was taken care of we continued up Happy Jack Road. Not far along we turned onto Telephone Road and traveled just shy of a mile and parked at a cattle guard. The box we were looking for (State of Equality) was about 50 yards up a small hill hidden near a tree with about a dozen small boulders around it. I easily found the box and took my things out to stamp in and all of a sudden the wind picked up and blew a baggy and the box's logbook away. Luckily they went in the direction of the car and Thomas was standing just down the hill and he was able to retrieve both of them. He brought back to me and this time I sat on them because the wind wasn't letting up. And to make things harder it started to rain. Not a down pour but more than a drizzle with large droplets. The tree helped to protect us a bit and I was relieved that there was only thunder and no lightning. I got the box back in place and we headed back to the car. I am moving slow because of my foot and I ended up getting pretty wet before reaching the car. Our plan was to head back to I80 and drive further east to Exit 329 to the Vedauwoo Recreation Area but the rain continued and we decided to head back to Laramie.

As we took the exit back to our hotel we decided to get something for dinner while we were out. I was hungry for a burger so I googled burgers in Laramie and the first place on the list was The Crowbar and Grill (they used two plays on the name of the place - a crow and a crowbar).

Nice Logo

As with any reviews there were both good and bad but for me the good outweighed the bad and we headed there. The guy who greeted and sat us was also our waiter and he couldn't have been friendlier or more helpful (some of the reviews talked about poor and slow service). They have six burgers on the menu and they are all named after birds - Thomas had the Sparrow (regular burger with cheddar cheese) and I had the Crowburger (burger and Italian sausage blend with mozzarella and basil) - my burger was incredible - the Italian sausage gave it a kick. By the time we finished eating the rain had stopped and we still had plenty of daylight so we went in search of two boxes.

First we went to look for Slumdwellaz by Half Empty. This box has an audio clue and when I was putting clues together for this trip I listened to the clue and followed them on google maps which gave me the spot we needed to park and then I made a few notes of the actual hiding spot. It worked out great - we parked right in front of the spot and the car helped to hide me while I retrieved the box. I stamped in while sitting in the car and then made sure to hide it well when I finished. Not too far from this area was the second box I wanted to get - Are We There Yet? How Far Does I-80 Go? by sunflower8 and Kokopelli Krazy. We arrived at the landmark we needed and Thomas parked (again the car helped to give me cover). I got out of the car and only needed to take about 15 steps to the rock where the box was hidden, but I only had to take about 8 steps because the box was sitting out in the open about a foot and a half from the rock. I couldn't believe it survived that. I used the back seat of the car to stamp in and when I returned the box I made sure it was more secure.

It was time to call it a day because I could feel my foot feeling a little stressed (I wasn't wearing my boot because it is too hard to walk on a smooth, level surface much less on a trail or uneven sidewalk). As soon as I got back to the room I took a shower and got my boot on. It is feeling better now and it should be okay. So tomorrow is our last day in Wyoming and Thomas is pretty much busy the entire day and into the evening so I am on my own. Not positive what I am doing but I may head back to Cheyenne for part of the day - we will seen how I am feeling in the morning.

A Little Letterboxing in Cheyenne

My plan for today was to drive to Cheyenne and letterbox there for the day. I didn't get out of bed until 8:00am and it was 9:00am before I left Laramie. When I arrived in Cheyenne I took I25 south and then took Exit 2.

Rock Formations

This took me to Terry Bison Ranch Road which then turned into the Frontage Road. I was looking for Seattle Bound's Roaming Wyoming letterbox which was on the Frontage Road near some large rock outcrops. I parked and then followed the clues. I believed I was in the right spot but I didn't find the box. So I decided to start again and see if it led me to the same spot - it did. So I returned to my car and headed back the way I came. On the way back to I25 I stopped at the Welcome to Wyoming sign (not on I25 but on the Frontage Road) and looked for VIENNA's Snow Much Fun box. There really wasn't anywhere to park so I just parked on the road (there was no traffic at all) ant easily grabbed the box. I took it to the car and then drove a little ways up the road to a gated road. I stamped in here so that I was out of the way in case anyone drove by (no one did). When I was done I drove back to the hiding spot and replaced the box - This was a store bought stamp which isn't my favorite but is was an easy drive by and I was there already. Also this box is in a small (maybe 2 inches square) little tupperware container and it was all brittle and broken. Unfortunately I didn't have any baggies or boxes to replace it. Once the box was back in place I got back on I25 and headed north and took Exit 4 to the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center. Here I looked for and found flat tire's I-25 Wyoming: Roadkill box and The Woodshed's To WY From CO Purple Mountain Majestical Greetings box.

Welcome Center Sign

One was outside the center and the other was inside the center. This is a really nice Welcome Center - they have lots of space, quite a few covered picnic tables and a walking path outside and inside they have a wonderful exhibit featuring dinosaur bones, information on the territorial prison and other things related to Wyoming. I spent about 40 minutes here and then continued on. I was back on I25 and took Exit 7. I was looking for Celestini's Gotta Go, Gotta Go box. The clue stated to go to the Welcome Center and look for "The Greeting and the Gift" which is a statue. I think that since this box was planted that things have changed. The Welcome Center is at Exit 4 and that is where the statue is. At the place the clue said to go to it is now the Department of Motor Vehicles. But I tried to follow the clues anyway but had no luck finding the box. I think these clues really need an update.

Next I went into Cheyenne and stopped at the library. I looked for Her Alligator's Picnic Perfect: Lunch Break box. Thc clue started off good and I was finding all the landmarks until I got to the last 2 things I was looking for - I couldn't find them at all and after three passes I decided to call it quits. It was a little after noon and I decided to head back to Laramie and make one more stop at a Rest Area on the way. The reason I decided to cut the day short is that about two weeks ago during my morning walk I all of a sudden had a sharp shooting pain in my right foot. I still had about a mile to go to get back to my car so I just slowed down so the pain wouldn't get worse. When I got home I elevated my foot and put some ice on it. At first I thought I had strained a ligament but after a week the pain was the same and it didn't feel like it was getting any better. So after procrastinating for that week I decided to go to Urgent Care. By this time I was pretty sure it was muscle or ligament related and I was pretty confident that I had a stress fracture and that is what I told the doctor at Urgent Care. After three x-rays it was confirmed - I had a hairline stress fracture of the 2nd metatarsal. The doctor gave me a walking boot and told me not to put wait on my foot - any time I was up walking I had to have the boot on. The first day or two I was a good patient and used the boot at all times. But then I needed to run errands and I couldn't drive with the boot on my right foot. So when I went out I wasn't wearing it.

Lincoln at Summit Rest Area

Also, yesterday and today while I was out letterboxing I wasn't wearing it. So by noon today my foot and ankle were beginning to hurt and I decided to return to the hotel and put the boot on and rest. But first I stopped at the Summit Rest Area about 10 miles east of Laramie. They have a nice information center and a very large bust of Abraham Lincoln.I looked for Grumpy Grinch's Western Work box and TaiChi and ChaiTea's Maybe We CAN all get along box. I didn't have any luck finding either of these boxes and now I was really ready to get back to the hotel.

When I got back I got some ice and elevated my foot and iced it. Then I sat and read until Thomas was done with his conference. He got back about 4:00pm and then we decided to go out for dinner. Since Thomas was driving I kept my boot on to protect my foot. As I am writing this I still have the boot on and my foot feels much better. I will have to see what I can do tomorrow.

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.

Six State Sweep Slide Show

I worked really hard and fast on picking pictures for a slide show. I wanted to pick pictures so that the entire trip was covered. I hope these photos make you feel like you were there. Click on the photo to see the slide show

Six State Sweep

Thomas and I are off again on another letterboxing adventure. By the time we return home we will have visited six states: New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. We are headed to Golden, CO for the Golden Treasures Gathering this weekend and then we head out to visit Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah before heading back home the first week of September. As always we are searching for letterboxes but since we are headed to states we haven't visited before there are tons of things we want to see and do, so letterboxing will almost be an after thought. We are on a strict schedule since we have a lot of ground to cover. I am so excited about this trip and will share my adventures. You can click on the picture to get the inside stories. I will most likely not post every night but I won't wait too long to write about the trip.