Ready, Get Set, Go!

Astro D, rubberpeace and myself have been working frantically to get things ready for the event. We each had certain things to work on. Things seem to be going just a little too well, you know that feeling that you may be missing something! That's neither here nor there - the important thing is that we are ready for the event. A few last minute things that will have to be done the night before and the morning of is all that remains.

This past Saturday Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga, Highwayman and myself went out to the Park and placed the boxes for the event. Astro D then went home and typed up the clues. Today Astro D, rubberpeace and I went out to find the boxes. We followed the clues and checked on all the hiding places - everything is good, the hiding spots, the clues and the boxes. We all feel that the event will be a good one with some great boxes planted. We are just waiting for everyone to arrive on Saturday. And don't forget all the other boxes in the Santa Fe area.

Just a few reminders . . .

- Remember no glass containers in the park.
- Don't pay at the fee station - give your fee to one of us ($5.00 per vehicle).
-No cell phone service at the shelter (there is a pay phone at the Black Canyon Campground).
-Dress in layers - Saturday and today were a little chilly in the morning, check here for the forecast - http://weather.yahoo.com/forecast/USNM0292_f.html
- Have Fun!!!!!

See you in a few days, email me if you have any questions or concerns.

Driven to Letterbox

We're home! It was a great weekend in Denver - fast and furious but great!

We left our hotel this morning and went in search of one last letterbox before leaving Denver. It was a mystery box placed by preboxed - GME II. I had worked on the clues a while back and thought I had figured it out but never had the chance to actually go and find it. So last week I worked on the clues again, did some google searching and looked at maps. Parts of the clues still had me confused but we headed to the location I thought was right and we began our search. Things slowly fell into place and after about 20 minutes of searching and deciphering clues we found the box. I was really glad since I had put a lot of time and effort into this one. Once this box was back in place we headed out to find a something to eat before heading south on I-25.

A pretty uneventful drive and to be honest, a little boring. Interstate driving is pretty mundane. So we took a break and stopped at the visitors center in Raton to grab a quick drive by box. After stamping in we decided to take a side trip to Capulin Volcano. This is a National Monument about 30 minutes east of Raton off of Hwy 87/64. We collected another letterbox at the gift shop and then watched a 10 minute video about the volcano. Leaving the visitors center we took the road to the summit and enjoyed the views of the surrounding areas. Once at the summit we took the Crater Vent Trail to the bottom of the crater. Now time to continue our drive home. We made our way to Las Vegas, NM and stopped for dinner. After eating we headed up to United World College. We didn't exactly head to the college we actually drove a little past it in search of our last letterbox of the day - Alien Landing Pad? - Random Weirdness Series #2. Another quick drive by which was good. It was already 5:30pm and we were ready to get home.

I have to say we had a whole lot of fun on our quick trip to Denver but as always Thomas and I are very happy to be home. For Thomas it is back to work tomorrow and as for me I have some things to get done for the upcoming event. I hope everyone has a good week.

A Quick Weekend Trip to Denver

One of Thomas' college friends got married today. It was important to Thomas to attend this wedding. Thomas and Cass have been through a lot together and they have remained close over the 20 years since they graduated. So last night when Thomas got off of work we made our way to Denver. We didn't arrive at the hotel until around midnight but that was okay since we could sleep in this morning.

We weren't up and dressed until 9:30 this morning. We grabbed a quick breakfast and decided to do some walking and exploring downtown. There were also a few letterboxes that were in the downtown area that we could look for. First we found Ex Libris (Denver). I had solved this puzzle a while back but was unable to get the box on that trip due to my not paying attention to when the box would be available. But this time I had checked on the times first. After logging in we headed for the 16th Street Mall. We walked the entire length of the Mall and ended up at Union Station and found our second box.




On our way to Union Station we noticed that we were very close to Coors Field - I also knew that there was a box there. So once we finished at Union Station we walked the few blocks to the stadium and started looking for the box. While standing in front of the stadium and reading the clues we noticed that there were quite a few people looking at the bricks where we were. The bricks have names and dates on them - I guess you can buy a brick and put your name on it or do a memorial brick in someone's name. One of the women looking at the bricks came over to us and asked if we were part of the scavenger hunt. I wasn't sure what to say - I was wondering if she was a new letterboxer or if she was just trying to be nosy. She then told us about the scavenger hunt, which turned out to be some kind of race for some charity. There were a number of teams out all over Denver working on finding different things. Each team had to find a brick with a certain name and date on it. They asked if we would help them - after about 15 minutes of searching Thomas found the right brick and that team was so happy. They thanked us and headed off to find the next item. This allowed us to continue our search for the letterbox. We weren't paying attention to each detail in the clue and our first attempt at finding the box lead us only to find a pair of handcuffs. I looked at Thomas and said maybe we shouldn't be here. We laughed and gave it one more try to find the box. And we did - we were just off by about a foot. We stamped in, rehid the box and then found a place to have some lunch. While having lunch I read over the clues to a box that I had been working on but was having trouble solving. I had figured out parts of it and thought I might have figured out the location. So Thomas and I looked at a map and read the clues over and over. Once we finished eating we headed to where I thought the box was hidden. Well, I was wrong! There was nothing at the location that made sense with the clues. So I told Thomas that maybe I needed to research it a little more and that we should probably just head back to the hotel and rest a little before we had to get showered and changed for the wedding. As we were walking back to the hotel some things from the clues started to make more sense. Thomas pointed out a couple of things and I saw something that I wanted to investigate. Ten minutes later I was holding that dang box. I was so glad, I just love it when things come together. After stamping in and rehiding the box we had to get back to the hotel and get ready.

We made it to the church with about 10 minutes to spare. And of course the wedding was great and Cass made a beautiful bride. She looked so happy and I think that made Thomas feel good. Once the ceremony was over we headed to the reception which was next to our hotel. And thankfully so. We could have a few drinks and not worry about having to drive home. All of Thomas' college friends were so nice. I have met a few of them but there were a bunch that I was meeting for the first time. We had dinner and drinks, cake and coffee and we even danced a little. It is now just a little after eleven and we are both so tired. Tomorrow morning we head back to Santa Fe. A quick weekend trip to Denver but so much fun!

Checking Up On Boxes and Doing Maintenance

Well the SPOOKtacular event is less than a month away and things are going smoothly! Astro D and I met yesterday and went over things and made a list of what needs to be done. It seems as though everything is going well. One of the things that we have on the list is to check on boxes in the Santa Fe area and make sure they are okay. So this morning I decided to do a walk around downtown and check up on the boxes there. Astro D informed me that her Red or Green? box has gone missing (for the third time) and she has decided to retire it. Also Just Another Brick in the Wall is gone. I think the clue has been removed from LbNA. Okay, here I go - these are the boxes that I checked on today that are alive and well.

The Crow Knows

Going in Circles

Giant Rebel of Eden

Honor, Loyalty and Peace

Bear in Mind

Santa Fe Style

(Part of artTrekker's Artful Southwest Series - Little Pot and Cathedral Moon are both missing)

Canyon Oasis

City Different Walking Tour

Lizard Goes South

Art Attack #1

Calavera

I also checked on a few mystery boxes that are all alive and well and just waiting for someone to find them - HINT! HINT! Now some of these boxes have been moved or the clues have been updated. So if you have printed out the clues already you may want to check them just in case.

Other boxes in the area have been checked recently and they are okay. Here is a list of those boxes . . .

Ravens Ridge

I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK

You're So Vain You Probably Think . . .

Land of Enchantment Series

Bad, Bad Black Sheep

Ribbit!

Are Your Dogs Barking?

Ski Bear

Soon a Monsoon

Is She Mary?

A Pressing Matter

Again, you may want to review the clues - I think some may have been updated. There are still a few boxes that Astro D, The Great Wuga Wuga and I want to check on and as soon as we do I will write another update - please be sure to check back often. Also check on Astro D's blog (Toast Ranch Ramblings) for updates as well - she may post things there as she checks on boxes. And you may want to check the SPOOKtacular event page on Atlas Quest for updates as well.

Letterboxing At Home

We are back in Santa Fe and it is nice to be home. We did have a great time on our trip but it is always good to return home. Once settled I wanted to get out and check on a few of my boxes. So I headed up Hyde Park Road yesterday morning and hiked the Borrego/Bear Wallow Trail. All the boxes out there are in good condition - I was happy about that! After a nice hike I drove up Hyde Park Road to find a couple of new boxes that were planted while I was on vacation. Both were at an overlook with great views of aspens and of the valley. I found both very easy and then headed home to relax a little before Thomas returned from the airport with a friend that is visitng for the weekend. The rest of the day we just hung out in Santa Fe and had dinner before returning home and calling it an early evening.

Today I wanted to find a couple of letterboxes that Astro D and The Great Wuga Wuga had planted back in June. I guess I have been busy since it took me this long to go out and find them. We had a pleasant walk through a wetland preserve and I found Soon a Monsoon and The Beav - both very nice carvings - and I wouldn't expect any less from Astro and Wuga. We are going in to Santa Fe again today with our friend so I have to end this blog. Hopefully I will be back soon with more letterboxing adventures.

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.