It Was a Wild and Fun Rodeo!

We are home from our six day letterboxing trip. We had a great time and really enjoyed the 15th Annual Tucson Gathering: Rodeo! at Catalina State Park. The event was fun and it was nice to see old letterboxing friends and to meet some new ones as well. There were lots of great boxes and stamps and I enjoyed the hiking and hunting. The park is beautiful with many miles of trails and incredible views of the Catalina Mountains. Wisconsin Hiker and Martini Man put on a great event and were the perfect hosts. During the trip Thomas and I hiked a little over 40 miles in those six days and we found 75 boxes. Besides the big event on Saturday we also enjoyed the NPTC Western Meet-up and the Padre Kino's Quest at Tumacácori National Historic Site. You can read all about our trip at Letterboxing Rodeo in Tucson.

Heading to a Letterboxing Rodeo in Tucson

Tomorrow Thomas and I are headed to Tucson for the 15th Annual Tucson Gathering: Rodeo! being held at Catalina State Park in Oro Valley. Hopefully, we will get to letterbox along the way - there are a few boxes I need to find and a few of my boxes that I need to replace or update. We will also be attending Padre Kino's Quest on Friday (the day before the annual event) at Tumacácori National Historical Park about an hour south of Tucson. Besides the two event days we will have two other days to just letterbox around Tucson. I always have fun in Tucson and always find great boxes - I am really looking forward to this trip. If you want to read about our time in Tucson go to Letterboxing Rodeo in Tucson.

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.

A "Comic"-al Event Day

Well, today is event day! I am staying in Sierra Vista and the event is in Sonoita. Before heading to the 14th Annual Tucson Gathering: It's "Comic"-al event I wanted to get some letterboxes outside of the event area. So I decided to leave early so I had enough time to get those boxes and then make it to the event on time.

I had my things ready and was in the car by 6:30am. I left Sierra Vista on AZ92 and then turned onto AZ90 and followed this highway to Huachuca City. Once in the city I stopped at an historic marker to look for One For the Boys by Desert Flower. The box was located about 50 yards from the marker even with a mile marker sign. So I parked there instead of at the marker. I easily found the box and brought it back to the car to stamp in. While I was sitting there a cop pulled up along side of me and asked if I needed help. I told him I was okay and had just needed to stop to make a call and I held up my phone. That satisfied him and he headed off. I finished stamping in and then replaced the box and continued on my drive to Sonoita. I continued on AZ90 to Whetstone and then took AZ82 heading west. When I reached Sonoita I turned onto AZ83 and headed north to the turnoff for Las Cienegas National Conservation Area. I drove into the area and began my search for five boxes . . . D is for Deer, F is for Frog, M is for Mosquito, R is for Raven and P is for Prairie Dog - all by FamilyTreeShaker. While I was at the first box a car pulled up and stopped but didn't stay, they just stared for a bit. Then I headed to the second box and here I met up with that car again. Turned out to be Lee from leeandnancy and CherryOnTop. We visited for a short time and they headed out and I needed to finish the two boxes at this spot. Once I had stamped into these two and replaced them I headed out to find the last two. I had no problems finding them and I didn't run into anyone else. Now that I was finished with all the boxes in this area I headed for the event.

The event was being held at Kentucky Camp off of AZ83. The camp is about five or so miles from AZ83 on a well maintained dirt road. When I first turned off of AZ83 there was a pullout on the right, so I stopped and read the clues for a couple of boxes that I remembered to be located before the camp. The first box was at a pullout on the left. So I drove up the road a bit and parked. I tried following the clues but they didn't work, so I gave up thinking I could stop again after the event. I continued on the road until I came to a split and then pulled off again to look for a second box. I followed the clues but didn't find the box. Then I read the clues again and there was another clue at the parking area for the camp. I guess they moved the box but didn't remove the first spot. Anyway, when I arrived at the parking area I easily found Kentucky Camping by blacksheep 1&2. After stamping in and replacing the box I started gathering my things to walk down the road to the camp. At this time Lee and CherryOnTop showed up. They told me about two more boxes in the parking area. So the three of us searched for and found Kentucky Bird in Arizona by Azroadie and Arizona Wild Things: J by Desert Flower. Once we were done with these two boxes we all gathered our things and started down the road. The event planners placed a series of four boxes along the road as a treat for having to walk from the parking area. We found Veronica, Archie, Betty and Jughead from the Archie Series. At the camp there was one more box for the series - the logo. Now that this series was completed I could meet a few people and visit with old friends. I also got the event stamp and some clues of boxes that had just been placed that morning. Then I found a quiet spot to map things out. Boxes were hidden on the Arizona Trail that runs through the camp and on another trail at the camp and at various spots around the buildings. I decided to hike the Arizona Trail and get the boxes out there first and then return to the camp to finish things up. I followed the trail and found the six boxes in the Dick Tracy series. Sometime during this series I bumped into Wronghat, Kaw and RNR. When I finished this series I picked up the next series and continued on. This was the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? series. There were six boxes in this series with the last box being at the top of a hill where you were rewarded with some incredible views. When I finished this series I returned the way I came and when I reached a certain spot I began a third series of five boxes. This was the Peanuts Gang Visits Arizona series of five boxes. I was working backwards on this series so I found the last box first. And then when I went to look for the fourth box I bumped into ggghiker and EdieSoCal. They were stamping into Got a Quarter? by the man with no name. They invited me to join them and then when that box was replaced we all looked for the fourth box in the Peanuts series. I found the box and we all stamped in. They continued on to the fifth box and headed in the opposite direction for the third box. I then bumped into Dawgdok. After visiting for a few minutes I continued on and finished the Peanuts series.

I then returned to the camp and got something to eat and also got a couple of exchanges and personal travelers. I also found Celebrating Leprechaun, The Rose & Le Pew and Lil' Abners: Spiderman. After this Lee, CherryOnTop and I headed to the other trail and went in search of two series and a single box. We found five boxes in the Favorite Comic Series by Wisconsin Hiker, and eight boxes in the Guardian of the Galaxy Series by Trishee and Steve Canyon by Martini Man. It was a nice hike and some nice boxes. We then returned to the camp and visited for a little while. Then it was time for me to head out since I had about an hour's drive back to Sierra Vista.

On the way out I stopped again for the box at the beginning of the road - this time I realized my mistake and found the right pullout and easily found Ghost of the Forest by Waneta Wench. Now it was time to get back to the hotel, take a shower and relax. I had eaten before leaving the camp so I didn't need to stop for food. Once back at the hotel I showered and then decided to get some things packed. I am ready to head home. So after logging some finds and then packing most of my things I wanted to get this post done. Now I am ready for the morning to head home. I had a great time in southeastern Arizona and the event was so much fun!

A "Comic"-al Trip Begins

I am heading to Arizona for their annual letterboxing event. This year the event isn't in Tucson, it is in Sonoita. The theme for the event is comics. The event is the 14th Annual Tucson Gathering: It's "Comic"-al. Little did I know that this trip would be comical almost from the beginning.

This morning I headed out early and my plan was to letterbox along the way and get to Willcox at a decent hour. I left Santa Fe in the dark and when I arrived at my first stop (Bosque del Apache) the sun was just coming up and it gave me enough light to find my first box of the day - Bosque del Apache by Jaybirders. This was a quick and easy find and when I was done stamping in and got the box back in its hiding spot I headed for the driving loop. I drove the north loop and stopped at the Farm Deck. I was updating my Alphabetical New Mexico: S (Sandhill Crane) box. I took the old box and placed the new one (same image and location, just updated). I finished driving the loop and the got back on I25 and continued my drive south. My next stop was at Elephant Butte Lake State Park. I drove to NM177 and made my way to a pullout with an historical marker. From here I followed the clues for Elephant Butte by Baqash. At first I had a hard time locating the landmark shown in the photo for the clue, but eventually I was able to locate the area. So I started making my way up and over some rocks. It wasn't a pretty site - I tripped multiple times and you could swear I had no coordination at all. It took me about 10 minutes to climb about 20 feet, it was ridiculous!. But finally I made it up to the tree. Then I searched for the box, and I searched for the box, and I searched for the box. After 15 minutes I gave up. I had no luck finding the box, I think it is missing and so I climbed back down the rocks and made my way back to my car to continue my trip.

My drive continued on I25 until I reached Hatch. From here I took NM26 to Deming. On NM26 about two miles from Deming I stopped at Centennial Park to find Spring House at Fort Cummings by WanderingOkieWomanj. This wasn't much of a park, it was mostly overgrown with a few covered picnic areas. There was also some police doing practice drills and there was lots of shooting. Thankfully, I was not too close to the shooting where I found the box. I used one of the picnic tables to stamp in, then replaced the box and headed out, happy to get away from the guns. Then I headed for Rockhound State Park to look for PAL Day 2017 - Thunderegg by Yaateeh. I took the Thunderegg Trail from where it starts between campsites 13 & 14. I only had to go up a short distance to a wooden bridge to find the box. There was a bench nearby that I used to sit and stamp in. Then I replaced the box and made my way back down the trail to my car. Next, I headed over to the Spring Canyon area of the park to look for Environmental Steward Series: Appalachian Mountain Club by Dawgdok. This box is hidden at the top of the Lover's Leap Trail, well maybe not quite the top but at the saddle. The clue said about two strenuous miles round trip. As I drove into the park I saw a sign stating that the park closed at 4:00pm, and it was about 2:15pm - I thought I would have time. So I parked and started on the trail. At first it was okay, but soon the climb started to get to me. I had to take frequent breaks and move slow. Thankfully, I had a full camelback of water. Closer to the top I got really tired and then I noticed the time - 3:25pm, and I still had a ways to go. I decided that I would have to head back down in order to make it before they locked the gates. So I turned around without finding the box and began moving fast down the hill. At one spot I hit some loose rocks and my feet and legs came out from under me and I landed on my butt . . . and on a cactus. It didn't really hurt at first but when I got up and started to move I felt the cactus spines in my leg and butt. So I spent a few minutes pulling the biggest ones out but had trouble with the smaller ones and the ones that weren't sticking out through my pants. I thought about taking my pants off and trying to get more of the spines but realized I needed to get back to the car. So I continued my hike down. During that time all I could think about was the scene in The Lion King where one of the hyenas goes off a cliff and lands on a bunch of cactus and the other two hyenas are laughing at him - really all I could hear in my head was Whoopie Goldberg's voice - laughing and saying "Cactus Butt". [See video below!] I pretty much laughed all the way back to my car. A comical trip indeed. When I arrived at my car the Rangers were waiting - but I made it with 10 minutes to spare.  And, I still didn't have time to get the spines out of my butt. I got in my car and drove out of the park. I decided that I would have to make the best of things until I got to my hotel in Willcox. So I continued letteboxing (cause that's what we do) in Deming. I went to three areas - Nacio Herb Brown Park, Deming Luna Mimbres Museum and Pit Park to find four boxes in the series NM Favorite Things by WanderingOkieWomanj. The first box at Nacio Herb Brown Park was missing, but I found the other three boxes - one at the museum and the last two at Pit Park. Now it was time to get on I10 and head to Arizona. Oh, but one last stop in New Mexico before making my way to the hotel. I pulled off of the interstate at the Gage Rest Area about 20 miles west of Deming. Here I easily found Mickey on Vacation by WanderingOkieWomanj. After stamping in and replacing the box I decided that I was done with letterboxing for the day and I would just head for the hotel.

So the rest of the drive to Willcox was uneventful and I arrived sometime around 6:00pm. On the way to the hotel I picked up something to eat so I wouldn't have to go out again. After checking in and getting to my room I took off my pants and started pulling spines out of my pants, leg and butt. After 30 minutes I stopped and took a shower. By this time my dinner was cold but I was hungry so I ate it anyway. I still have spines but they are so fine I can't get them out. I will just have to see how things go from here. It was a weird, funny, crazy and good day. But I need some rest so I can continue on my trip tomorrow.

It's Event Day!

Today is event day - Growing Up On Westerns hosted by SnakeDoctor. And I ended up being awake at 4:00am. I kind of expected it since I was in bed by 8:30pm last night. Yesterday was a long and fun day but I was wiped out by the time I got to my hotel room. So I tried to go back to sleep but that didn't happen. Then I decided to read for a while and by 6:00am I just couldn't take it anymore so I got up and got ready for the day. Finally, around 7:00am I left the hotel and headed out to find a couple of letterboxes before heading to the event. I drove to the downtown area and found a place to park near where the box was hidden. The area around the courthouse was blocked off for some event and that left me parking down the road about a block away from the box. The box I was looking for was Courthouse Conundrum by cezannie. The clues had you start at the courthouse and then follow around looking at statues. But I did some work on the computer at home before heading out on my trip and I knew where to go for the box. After parking I walked to the place where I had figured the box was hidden and easily found the box. I found a spot to sit and stamp in that was hidden from the workers setting up for the event at the courthouse. After replacing the box I headed to Cuppers. This is where we were meeting up for the first part of the event. When I arrived at Cuppers I put my things on a chair by an outside table and went around the side of the building to find Where's My Coffee? by Tepee-AZ. I took the box back to the table and stamped in. When I was done I put the box back in place and then went back to the car to get my things for the event.

When I got back to Cuppers there were a couple of people there, so I joined them. Eventutally, more people showed up and I got some exchanges. I finally got to meet the CoVicars - an extremely nice couple. The clues for the boxes hidden for the event were given out here as well. After visiting for a bit I was ready to head out to the trails and find some boxes. So Lee suggested that he and I along with Jolly Mon, Wisconsin Hiker and Martini Man all head out together. So we drove to the Peavine Trail off of Sundog Ranch Road and parked. We got our things organized and were ready to hit the trail. We had three list of clues - two of them went to the left and one went to the right. We started with one to the left. We set out to find Growing Up On Westerns To The Left (Part 1). This series consisted of seven boxes - Conagher, The Violent Men, Bonanza, The High Chaparrel, Zorro, A Fist Full of Dollars, and The Magnificent 7. We found all of these with just one minor hiccup along the way. We used an assembly line method for stamping in. One person got the box and opened it. Then another person inked the stamp and handed it around to stamp in and then the person who found the box put it back in place when we were done. If there was a logbook then someone started with that and then we passed it around. It was a very smooth operation. Once that series was done we started the next series in that area - Growing Up On Westerns To The Left (Part 2). This series consisted of six boxes - Maverick, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Man With No Name, An American Tail-Fievel Goes West, The Outlaw Josie Wales, and Tombstone. We did the same with this series as we did with the first and when we had found all the boxes it was almost 1:00pm so we decided to head to the pavilion for some lunch.

There were a few people at the pavilion when we arrived and all the fixings for sandwiches were there and other snacks. So I made a sandwich, grabbed some chips and a banana and sat down to enjoy lunch and visit. I also drank a lot of water - it had gotten hot out on the trail. After about a 40 minute rest we decided it was time to head out and get the third and final series for the day. So we hit the trail again in search of Growing Up On Westerns To The Right. This series consisted of seven boxes - Tonto, The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman, Dances With Wolves, Have Gun Will Travel, True Grit, and Westerns. While looking for this series we also looked for Watson Lake View. We bumped in to a few people along the way and none of them had any luck finding this box but we were determined. So we found boxes from the series and between The Rifleman and Dances With Wolves we went in search of Watson Lake View. We followed the clues and looked in one area but soon decided that we were in the wrong place. So we continued a little further up the trail and tried again. We all kind of spread out and searched. But it was Lee who actually found the box. The box was a mess - they had put a pink inkpad in with the stamp and logbook and it had leaked everywhere. So Lee wiped it out with water and a few napkins, we replaced the baggies and logbook and we got a trash bag to put the ink pad and inky baggies in to throw away later. After stamping in and cleaning up the box we continued on our way to complete the series. After the last box was replaced we walked back to the pavilion, had some snacks and visited for a bit. Around 4:45pm everyone left the park. I decided to head back to the hotel and take a shower before meeting everyone for dinner. It was nice to get cleaned up after a hot day of hiking and letterboxing.

At 6:00pm I drove to Gurley Street Grill to meet everyone for dinner. It was a great place - I had a baja chicken wrap and onion rings - delicious. At 8:00pm I headed back to the hotel. I was tired and ready for some rest. It was a wonderful event and I had a great time - thanks SnakeDoctor.

Flagstaff and Prescott

Yesterday I had trouble finding some boxes and a little trouble with the trail. So I had decided last night I would go back out to the trail this morning and complete the series. I packed all my stuff and loaded the car, checked out of the hotel and drove out to the trailhead. It was 7:15am when I hit the trail. Today I decided to go backwards to find the boxes. So I followed Fatman's Loop in a clockwise direction. For some reason I didn't have any problems with the clues or following the trail. I found all the landmarks easily and in turn found all the boxes. I finished the Kachinas of the San Francisco Peaks #2 series by connecticut croaker. When I got to the area where I had problems yesterday I figured out what I did wrong. It was a great morning and I truly enjoyed the hike and the views from the trail. It was so peaceful walking in the early morning - I only saw one other person on the trail. It was a great way to start the day. Once I had found all the boxes and enjoyed the views I continued on the trail back to my car. I left the trailhead and stopped at a gas station to fill up the car before heading out to Prescott.

I took I40 to I17 and headed south. The drive was good, not much traffic and great weather. I took AZ169 and headed west for a while and then took AZ69 heading north and then west into Prescott. When I arrived in Prescott I headed to Goldwater Lake to look for some boxes there. The first box I tried for was Where Eagles Fly 2 by blacksheep1&2. This was a two box series with one box being at a pullout just before the lake. So I stopped there and took the trail from the parking lot following the clues. The first thing I noticed was that there had been a fire. So I wasn't optimistic about finding the box. When I arrived at the landmark area there was no landmark. It was supposed to be a log. All I found were ashes and some rocks. So I looked under a couple of rocks and found a small Altoid tin all black and covered with soot. I opened it and all the contents were ashes. So I put it back under the rock and headed into the park. After paying my fee I parked and began my search for the second box of the series. I had trouble with the clues and looked all around the area and never found the box so I called it quits on that one and headed to the trail that goes around the lake to find Arizona Sunshine by mcfarland family. I followed the clues and took the trail around the lake. I arrived at the location for the box and started looking for it. The box was hidden in a crevice in some rocks. Well, there are rocks everywhere. But eventually I found the box and took it back to a bench to sit and stamp in. When done I had to wait about 15 minutes before replacing it because a group of people where standing right where I needed to put the box. Finally they left and I got the box in place. Then I continued on the trail looking for The Lost Backpack by TLCs. I worked on this one for a while but never could find the last two landmarks and eventually gave up on that one and returned to my car. By this time I was hot and tired so I headed for the hotel to check in and rest for a bit.

At 4:45pm I left the hotel and headed for Lynx Lake Campground to meet Desert Flower and Azroadie at their campsite to hang out for a bit. It turned out to be Desert Flower, Azroadie, FamilyTreeShaker, Lee and Jolly Mon. We had pizza and snacks and sat around the campfire visiting. It was a nice evening and a good way to end the day. Around 6:45pm I left the campsite and returned to the hotel. And now after a shower I feel tired and need to get some sleep for the event tomorrow.

I did hit two milestones today. I reached 4800 finds and I reached 500 find in Arizona. So far the trip has been wonderful and I am looking forward to the event tomorrow.

Headed to an Event in Prescott

I am off on another trip to another event. This time I am headed to Prescott, AZ to attend the Growing Up On Westerns event hosted by SnakeDoctor. I headed out early this morning and planned to letterbox along the way. But the drive through most of New Mexico was dark so I didn't stop for any boxes. But by the time I crossed into Arizona it was light and I could start looking for boxes. The drive in the early morning was great. Little traffic and relaxing. I did make one stop in New Mexico at a Flying J just outside of Gallup to use the bathroom and take a break.

I made my first stop off of Meteor Crater Road. I stopped at the Mobil station and easily found Blast from the Past by Creeping Death. I stamped in while sitting in the car and then replaced the box and headed back to the interstate to continue my drive. I drove for a little while and took the exit for Two Guns. I didn't go to Two Guns, instead I turned in the opposite direction and followed the frontage road. Not too far down the road I stopped at an electric pole and found Daenery's - Queen of Dragons by RIClimber. This was a quick and easy find and I stamped while sitting in the car. After I replaced the box I continued driving down the road for another three miles. It was a rocky and bumpy drive. Eventually I arrived at the lone gravesite of Herman Wolf. Here I found Canyon Diablo by RIClimber. Another easy find. So I sat on a rock and stamped in. It was so isolated and serene - I enjoyed the peace and quiet. Afterwards I made the return drive to the interstate and continued my drive.

When I arrived in Flagstaff I headed to the parking area for Fatman's Loop Trail on US89. I parked and grabbed my letterboxing stuff and hit the trails. The trail goes up from the parking area for a short way and then splits. I took the left hand trail and began looking for Kachinas of the San Francisco Peaks by connecticut croaker. I found the first box - Rain Maker - and after stamping in and replacing the box I continued up the trail. After passing a wood and barbed wire fence I took a connector trail and found a single box - Dreamcatcher by connecticut croaker. I found a good spot to sit and stamp in. After replacing the box I continued on the connector trail and got on the other leg of the Fatman's Loop and continued up that trail. Soon I found Mountain God - the second box in the Kachina series. After stamping in and replacing the box I read the clues for the third and final box. I needed to head back the way I came and back toward the parking area. So instead of doing that I decided to start another series since I was headed in that direction. So I started looking for Kachinas of the San Francisco Peaks #2. After a good ways up the trail I found the landmarks and found the first box - Ogre Kachina. I stamped in and the replaced the box. I then read the clue for the next box and continued up the trail. Somewhere along the way my brain developed a decrease in synaptic firing. I had trouble figuring out where the trail went and I was confused by the clues and couldn't find any landmarks. So after backtracking and continuing a couple of times I decided to call it a day. So I retraced my steps and went back to the connector trail and then headed toward the parking area. Along the way I stopped and found the third box of the first series - Corn Maiden.  Once I had stamped in and replaced the box I headed for my car. Back at the car I called the hotel to find out if my room was ready. I was tired after the long drive and the hike and all I wanted to do was take a shower and rest.

The hotel was only a couple of miles from the trailhead so it didn't take me long to get there. Check-in was quick and in not time I was in my room. And true to my plan I jumped in the shower first thing. Now that everything is logged in and I am caught up with blogging I can now read and rest for a bit before getting a good night's sleep for my day tomorrow heading to Prescott.

A SPOOKtacular Event Day!

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

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

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

Planting Boxes for the Event

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

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.

Home From Colossal Event in Tucson

So the 13th Annual Tucson Gathering: A Colossal Event is over and this morning I left Tucson, in the rain, to head back to Santa Fe. My plan was to look for a couple of letterboxes along the way. But that plan didn't work out. It rained from Tucson until I reached Belen. I only stopped to fill the car with gas, use the restroom and get something to eat. In the end it all worked out fine and I arrived home a little after noon. It was a great trip. I found some wonderful boxes. Visited with old friends and met some new ones. And I got to visit places that I had never been to. I went on some incredible hikes and saw some amazing landscapes. Of course, I didn't get to do all I wanted but that is okay because there is always another trip to be had. I did manage to blog about my trip and you can read about it at A Colossal Letterboxing Trip. You will read about all the places I visited and the boxes I found.

A Colossal Letterboxing Trip

For the last couple of weeks I have been getting ready for another letterboxing trip. I am going to attend the 13th Annual Tucson Gathering: A Colossal Event at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail, Arizona. I have mapped out a route and planned boxes to find. I also want to check on some of my boxes and replace boxes that are missing. I am also working on finding a series of letterboxes by Desert Flower. It is here Baja Botany 101 Series. She has 12 boxes planted around southeastern Arizona. So this trip is going to take me on a vast road trip - from Safford to Portal, Portal to Benson, Benson to Patagonia, Patagonia to Tucson and on to Vail for the event. I am looking forward to this trip since I will be going to places I have never been. I will be gone for about a week and you can read all about the trip at A Colossal Letterboxing Trip.

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.

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.

Planting a Letterbox in Sicily

Thomas and I are in Italy again - but this time we are in Sicily and Southern Italy on a tour with Pinecone Adventures. It is the Southern Italy & Sicily with Pinecone Adventures event. The last time we were in Italy back in 2012 I ended up planting seven letterboxes. At present only one of those boxes is still active. So when this trip came up I had decided not to plant anymore boxes in Italy. But then I found a couple of images I really liked and decided to carve two stamps and make a couple of boxes. So today we had some free time in the afternoon and I took the chance to place a new box. We checked a couple of places but I wasn’t comfortable about hiding a box at any of them. So I finally checked a map and found a large park and decided to walk over and check it out. We arrived at Parco Villa Bellini and I knew immediately that I could find a good spot to hide a box. The park is huge and had different areas including a botanic garden. Almost immediately after entering the park I found a couple of statues and decided to use those as landmarks – so I went from these and found a great spot to hide the box. The area isn’t too landscaped so I think it will last at least a year or two. So I planted Trinacria in Parco Villa Bellini in Catania, Italy. I really hope it gets some visitors and that people enjoy the box.

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.