Letterboxing the Enchanted Circle with Astro D

About two weeks ago I was going through letterbox clues for boxes that were within a day trip distance. I put together five stacks. On June 1st I took a road trip from Santa Fe to Adrian, TX and back to find letterboxes along I40.

Jesus Nazareno Cemetery

Then on June 2nd I got an email from Astro D asking if I wanted to make a road trip to Red River so she could check on one of her boxes. Of course I said yes. Going to Red River (well really driving the Enchanted Circle) was one of my stacks. I had a few clues for boxes in that area and I needed to replace a couple of my boxes that had gone missing. So we planned to go letterboxing today. I had everything ready last night and had arranged what I needed to get done to match the drive. So this morning I went to Vote at 7:00am and then after that I met Astro D at her house. Around 8:30am we left Santa Fe and headed north on US285 driving through Pojoaque and Espanola.

Dennis Hopper's Gravesite

In Espanola we turned onto NM68. We made a quick bathroom stop in Pilar at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center. Then about five miles past the Visitor Center we turned onto a dirt road so that Astro D could do some maintenance on one of her boxes. We parked immediately after we turned onto the dirt road. Then we followed her clues and walked up the dirt road to the box. She wasn't happy with the hiding spot so she picked up the box and checked it and added some things to it and then she found a better hiding spot for Staurolite. Once that was complete we drove up to Rancho de Taos so that I could find her Honorary Mayor of Taos letterbox. This box is about Dennis Hopper who is buried in a cemetery off of NM518. When Astro D wanted to do this box she asked me to carve the stamp - I found an image, carved the stamp and gave it to her to plant.

Cross near a grave.

She said she had a hard time finding the cemetery as there are no signs leading to it. We drove into the cemetery and made our way to an area in the back where you can park. We went and found the box and brought it back to the car to stamp in. When I was done I put the box back in place and then we spent some time walking around and taking pictures. The cemetery is named Jesus Nazareno Cemetery and is listed as being on La Canada Road (off of Espinoza Road which is off NM518). It is a very interesting place and a great spot for a box. We left the cemetery around 11:00am and went to the Trading Post Café for lunch. Astro D was taking me out for a birthday lunch. We ended up sitting out on their patio and had some fantastic food and a great visit. After eating we continued on our letterboxing journey.

We continued a short way up NM68 to NM64. This is the start of the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway. Our first stop along this road was at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. My Alphabetical New Mexico: V (Vietnam Veterans Memorial) letterbox went missing and I finally had it ready to replant.

Eagle Nest Lake

I went back to the same area where the original box was planted but soon decided that I didn't want it there. So we walked around the area and soon found a great spot. I got the box hidden and we sat and wrote out the clues and I took some pictures. With that completed we continued on to the next stop at Eagle Nest Lake State Park. My Alphabetical New Mexico: E (Eagle Nest Lake) box seemed to be missing - so last Fall I went and checked and figured out that the trail had been redirected. After about 20 minutes of searching I found the box. I was going to just replant it there and then but the logbook was soaked. I decided to take it home and make a new book and then go back and replace it. Then winter came and it had to wait. So today I was able to get it back in place with the help of Astro D. I am so happy that these two boxes are back in action.

From Eagle Nest we went from NM64 to NM38 towards Red River.

Mines in Red River

Once we arrived in Red River we made our way to Pioneer Road and drove to the end of the road and parked in a lot behind the Black Mountain and Arrowhead Lodges. This is also the lot for the Red River Ski & Summer Area. We were here to check on Astro D's The Dykes of Red River letterbox. Last year she got a note that the box was missing. So Astro D read the clues and I followed them - I easily found the box - the clues were spot on. So she did a little maintenance and then she put the box back in place. Thankfully it was there - if you haven't gone up there to find this box I think you should make plans to go - it is a beautiful area and a great box.

Okay, we now had one more thing to do to end the day.

Clear Creek Cimarron Canyon State Park

We drove back to Eagle Nest and then got back on NM64 to Cimarron Canyon State Park. Our reason for going here was to find a Silver Eagle box. This box is a puzzle so you have to solve it to get the clues - it is one of his Game Series boxes. We followed the clues, parked and walked to the box. We found Hangman Game 82. It was a beautiful walk and a great way to end the day. We returned to the car and made a decision to drive the rest of the way through the canyon and go to Cimarron and then tak NM58 to I25 and return home via the Interstate.

The Palisades - Cimarron Canyon State Park

It was a great day of letterboxing! Thanks Astro D for a fantastic birthday lunch and a wonderful (dare I say an 'Enchanting') day. I am looking forward to taking more of these day trips to letterbox in New Mexico.

Rainy Days and Letterboxing Always Makes Me Smile

It has been a while since I have been able to take a full day and do nothing but letterbox. I decided yesterday since I had absolutely nothing planned for today that I would do a letterboxing road trip and just spend the day letterboxing.

Letterboxing I40

There were a few choices I had in where I could head out to letterbox. I ended up deciding to letterbox I40 from Clines Corners, NM to Adrian, TX. (According to Google Maps this would be a 235 mile drive taking about 3 hours and 23 minutes.) I left home about 7:00am taking I25 to US285 and then onto I40. Not long after turning onto I40 it started to rain. I had clues for five boxes in New Mexico and three boxes in Texas. I arranged the clues in driving order and made my first stop eastbound just before Santa Rosa at Exit 252 at the Anton Chico Rest Area***. Here I went in search of flat tire's I-40: Guthrie "This Land is Your Land" letterbox. I parked at the farthest picnic table and followed the clues from there. This was an easy find and thankfully the picnic table was covered so I could sit there and stamp in. That helped to keep things dry since it was still raining. Once I got the box back in place I continued on my drive on I40 heading for Texas.
My next stop was in Tucumcari at the Blue Swallow Motel. Here I was looking for Wronghat's Blue Swallow Motel box. It was raining again so I parked where I needed to be and tried to find the box's hiding spot from the car. From the clues I was looking for something of a certain color and I thought I had found it. So when the rain let up a bit and dashed to the spot and searched - but I didn't find the box. So I returned to the car and tried spotting another location from the car. My second try didn't yield the box as well. I realized that I was having trouble interpreting the clues and was so I was unable to find the box. After 20 minutes of trying I decided to send Wronghat an email and then continue on my trip knowing that I could stop here again on my drive home. I stopped to fill the car with gas and then returned to I40 to continue my day.

Midpoint Café - Adrian, TX

I drove for about an hour with on and off rain and finally arrived in Adrian, TX at the Midpoint Café^^^. There are two boxes here and I read the clues while sitting in the car waiting for the rain to slow down. From where I was parked I couldn't see either of the hiding spots. So I waited since I wasn't sure where I needed to look for the boxes and I didn't want to soaking wet. After about 20 minutes of sitting in the car and waiting I decided to go into the café and have some lunch. That way I could occupy my time waiting for the rain to stop. I had a great meal and read the clues again. Thankfully when I was finished eating the rain had slowed down to a light drizzle. So I went in search of Wronghat's Flo's V8 Café box. I pretty much figured out where I needed to start and was happy to find that I was indeed in the right spot.

Rute 66 Midpoint - Adrian, TX

From there I quickly found the box and returned with it to the car. Stamping in the car kept my logbook and the box's logbook dry and gave me a chance to relax while stamping in. When I was ready to return the box to its hiding spot the rain had stopped and I was able to put the box back without getting any wetter. And since the rain had stopped I went in search of the second box here - Wronghat's Route 66 Midpoint. I found this box quickly and took it back to the car to stamp in. When I finished I returned the box to its hiding spot and then walked around and took some pictures. Now it was time to hit the road again for my return trip home.

Back on I40, now heading west I stopped nine miles from Adrian at a picnic area to look for Bison Eidolon by Wronghat. It had started raining again so I took my clues and letterboxing stuff to a covered picnic table near where the clues started. I followed the clues from under the shelter and thought I had found the spot I need. The rain had let up a bit so I ran to the spot and searched - no box. I went back to the shelter, reread the clues and tried again - still no luck. Back under the shelter I waited a few minutes and the rain stopped. So I went to the fence line and searched around about 13 fence post. Didn't find the box. I realized that the first place I looked was the right spot so I went back there, found a stick and searched all around the post and the plant near the post - still no luck. I decided it was time to give up and continue my drive.

I checked my phone and had received an email from Wronghat giving me a little help with his box in Tucumcari. So I decided to head back to the Blue Swallow Motel. But before going there I made a stop at the New Mexico Welcome Center in Glen Rio to look for RIclimber's RI Climber Visits New Mexico box. I had noticed a comment on the clue page that someone couldn't find the box and figured it had been geotrashed. But I decided to give it a try anyway - what can I say I am a glutton for punishment. When I left the car to walk to the box it wasn't raining so I was able to read the clues and follow them word for word. And I should have put more faith in that comment I read because I didn't find the box. As I was making my way back to the car the rain started again and by the time I reached the car it was pouring. Even though the rain was adding some difficulty to my letterboxing I was still enjoying it - we can always use the moisture in New Mexico.

Blue Swallow Motel - Route 66 - Tucumcari, NM

From the Welcome Center I made my way back to the Blue Swallow Motel and this time things made more sense and I quickly found the box. There was only a slight drizzle so I didn't get too wet getting the box but I didn't want to get wetter so I returned to the car to stamp in. As always with Wronghat's boxes it was a great carve and representation of the landmark. When I went to return the box the rain had stopped which made it easier to hide the box properly. Now to continue the drive with one more stop before heading home.

After about an hours drive (with on and off rain) I arrived at Exit 252 for the Anton Chico Rest Area*** - Westbound. I had clues for two boxes here. I found a spot to park, grabbed the clues and my letterboxing stuff and set out in search of these two boxes. At this time the rain had completely stopped and the sun was out for the first time today. First I looked for Boxer Lover47's BL Stomps & Stamps in NM. I quickly found the first landmark and took a compass reading and headed in that direction to the next landmark. And voilà, I found the box. There was a nice big, flat rock nearby and I used that to sit on and stamp in. When I was done I put the box back in place and made sure it was hidden well. Then I went in search of the final box of the day - Grumpy Grinch's Forest Footwear. This was another quick and easy find but there was really no where to sit and stamp except on the ground - so that is what I did. Thankfully the ground was dry - I guess they didn't get as much rain as some of the other places I had been today. Once this box was hidden again I returned to the car to head home.

I had a really great day and I enjoyed all the boxes I found and I even enjoyed the rain. I am glad I did this trip to letterbox - it had been on my list of things to do and it made for a greay way to spend a relaxing day. Thanks to all who planted boxes along this route, it really helps break up a long monotonous drive.

***I listed the rest area as the Anton Chico Rest Area because that is what is shown on the New Mexico Department of Transportation's Rest Areas Map. But when you look on google maps it shows as the Vaughn, NM Route 66W Rest Stop. Not sure what it is really called but it is at Exit 252 with a rest area on both the eastbound and westbound sides of I40. I also found a New Mexico I40 Service by the Mile document that list the rest area as Anton Chico (I think it might have to do with it being in close proximity to the town of Anton Chico but I am not sure). This document also list the rest area as being at Exit 251 or Milepost 251. But it is in that area of Exit 252 so you really can't miss it.

^^^Here are some links to more information about Adrian, TX; the Midpoint Café and the Midpoint of Route 66 . . .
Route 66 Halfway Point
Adrian, TX: Route 66 Midpoint
Texas Legends: Adrian - Midpoint USA
Adrian, Texas: Route 66 Midpoint

Another Box in Italy

For this trip to Italy I decided to plant a couple of boxes (even though all but one box went missing from my last trip to Italy), one in Catania and one in Herculaneum.

Mount Vesuvius

I planted Trinacria when we were in Catania (Planting a Letterbox in Sicily) and today I planted my second box. This box is called Vesuvio. I placed it on our visit to Herculaneum (since we weren't going to Vesuvius) and that seemed like a good place to leave it. We made our drive to Herculaneum and then went in to see the ruins. I decided not to put the box inside for two reasons - 1) there were so many people it was hard to do so unseen and 2) I didn't want to make people pay to get the box (even though it is worth the cost to see the ruins). So when we finished our tour of the ruins and we were back at the bus I decided to find a spot in the parking area. At first I had a hard time but then I noticed a spot and some landmarks I could use. So I placed the box and we will see if it gets any visitors and if it lasts for a while.

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.

A Quick Plant and A Quick Find

Back in February rubberpeace asked if I would plant a box for her. She had a stamp that rbrhorno had carved and she put that stamp and a logbook into a ziplock bag and asked if I could make a camo bag and hide it. The stamp is of a sculpture by Kevin Box. It is a representation of the game Rock, Paper, Scissors. She wanted the box to be placed out by his studio near Cerrillos. The studio is called the Kevin Box Studio (aka Turquoise Trail Sculpture Garden) and is near the Garden of the Gods pullout. In the summer you can visit the garden and take a walking tour of all the sculptures. So I finally got around to planting Rock! Paper! Scissors! for rubberpeace today. It is just outside the garden and is available even when the garden is closed. Make sure if you go out to find this box to look up clues for other boxes in the Cerrillos and Madrid areas.

After planting this box I headed into Santa Fe for an appointment. I was a bit early so I decided to look for BirchMoon's Public Art #3: Roundabout while I was in town. This was a pretty easy find even though it is hidden in an actual roundabout with cars going through at a regular interval. Fortunately I was there when the traffic was minimal. I parked on a side street and walked to the roundabout. I waited a minute until a car passed and then crossed to the center and easily found the box and returned to my car to stamp in without any other cars passing. After stamping in I returnded to the roundabout (again without any cars passing) and got the box back into place. It is a nice stamp in a challenging area for stealth.

It was nice getting out today and doing a little letterboxing - it has been a couple of months since I last letterboxed. Hopefully I will get out more as there are quite a few boxes in New Mexico that I need to find.

Replanting in Better Spots

About six months ago I pulled a couple of boxes because I didn't like where they were hidden. for some reason the area where they were would hold water and dirt and mud would cover the boxes. So when someone went to look for the box they didn't find it because it had been buried. After a few attempts I went and checked on the boxes and found the problem and pulled them and looked for a better spot. I has some trouble so I just took the boxes back home and said I would try again later. Well finally I have gotten around to replanting them. The boxes are my Paws & Purrs series. they are planted near the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and are only available during business hours (there is a gate leading to the shelter that is locked after hours). I really like these carves and glad they are back in place. So I hope someone takes the time to go and find them.

While I was out in that area of town I also checked on some other boxes and updated the clues to be clearer. I walked the trail for my lionsmane's 10 Year Letterboxiversary series - this is a series of ten boxes and I think when I planted them I lost track of distance and missed some signs. So today I followed my original clues and tweaked them as needed. I also updated the clues to my Alphabetical New Mexico: Y (Yucca) box. I am glad I got to get all this done so that anyone visiting the area will have updated information. Now I have some boxes along Hyde Park Road that I need to check on but that will have to wait until the snow melts.

One Last Day of Celebrating

Okay, I had planned on planting a letterbox to celebrate my 10th anniversary on the 16th. But alas, I didn't get it finished until yesterday. I have put together a series of ten boxes and I have them ready to plant today. I had made a decision about where I would plant them and I got everything ready for this morning. Also ArnoldZiffel placed one last box for my 10th anniversary - Rail Trail. This one is also on the Rail Trail near the ones I found yesterday. I left my house at around 8:00am and made my way to Rabbit Road. I walked the Rail Trail for about a quarter of a mile following the clues and I didn't have any problem finding the box. I was first finder and I loved this stamp - and actually I loved all the boxes that ArnoldZiffel, Astro D and Wronghat placed this week. When I finished stamping in and replacing the box I returned to my car to make my way to plant my boxes.

The placed I picked to plant my boxes is the La Tierra Trails. From Rabbit Road I got onto I25 and headed south. I then took Exit 276 for NM599 and followed that for about 11 miles. Then I turned left onto Camino de los Montoyas and drove another mile to the parking area for the Calabasas Trailhead on the right. In the parking area there is a large sign with a trail map and I studied it and compared it to my printed out map. It was much easier reading the big map but the printed one ended up working just fine. I made the decision to plant the boxes on a loop following the numbers 1-8 on the map. These numbers mark trail junctions and if you follow the signs you can easily get from one number to next. To start on the trail I had to cross the road and go through the fence.

I walked a short distance along the trail and arrived at sign post 1. From here I started looking for landmarks that I could use to write clues and hide boxes. Almost immediately I realized that everything looks the same - junipers, pinons, rocks and dead trees. So I had to be creative and hopefully I could find something that I could use as a landmark. I was trying to gauge mileage using Map My Walk but soon realized that because I was going off trial and doubling back to find hiding spots I was not getting accurate distances. But I soldiered on. It was easy finding hiding spots but describing those spots proved challenging. I made sure to take good notes and pictures so that when I got home I could write the clues. I tried using the sign post at the junctions but with ten boxes to plant and only eight junctions I had to use other landmarks. The trail is wide in some areas and narrow in others and is easy to walk on. There are also great views all around. You also cross a lot of washes along the way and I tried using those but I wasn't always clear if I should call something a wash or not - so I was picky about using them. Eventually I completed the loop and got all ten boxes planted and had quite a few notes and pictures to help write the clues. The boxes have a theme and that is the Number 10. Nine of the boxes are like that - images that conjure the number 10 in some way and the last box is a lion crest with the number 10. I did a similar image for my 5th anniversary (lionsmane's 5 Year Letterboxiversary) - a lion crest with the number 5. I got the idea for using images that represented the number 10 from a conversation with ArnoldZiffel. When I first started planning these boxes I wasn't sure how I wanted to them but I had a few ideas. They just didn't seem to work, so when ArnoldZiffel mention the number 10 idea from something she had seen or a series of boxes she had found I started looking into using that. It worked perfectly! And since there are ten boxes I decided to put only one logbook and that one is in Box #10. This box is called lionsmane's 10 Year Letterboxiversay. It took me around three hours to get all the boxes planted - that was me being choosey about the locations, doubling back, taking long notes and some pictures. I am estimating that it should take between one and two hours to find all the boxes. The length of the hike (walk) is around 3.5 miles and there is only about a 250 foot elevation gain during the walk. It isn't a hard walk but it is long and the area is pretty much open space so I believe that in summer it could get really hot so it would be good to take precautions. Sunblock, hat, sunglasses and water would be a good idea. There are maps at each trail junction to help you stay oriented but I would suggest printing out a trail map before you go looking for these boxes. I had a lot of fun planting these and I hope they are enjoyed by all who go and hunt for them.

When I got back to my car I had one other box to plant. That was my Alphabetical New Mexico: Y (Yucca) box. The place I originally planted it was good but I realized there were no yuccas around so I pulled it and finally brought it out to the La Tierra Trails to hopefully place somewhere that had at least a few yuccas. I left the Calabasas Trailhead parking and drove to the Frijoles Trailhead parking. I left the parking area and went through the fence and started down the trail. At first I was discouraged since I wasn't seeing any yuccas and then about a quarter mile along the trail I saw a few. I decided to continue further along the trail to see if there were more, but I didn't see any. So I turned back and planted the box near the few I saw earlier. I took a few pictures and wrote some notes and then returned to my car.

It was a great day of planting and finding boxes and I am extremely happy to have this series done. It has been an incredible 10 years and I am looking forward to 10 more.