Entering West Texas

Day One of this trip is now history. I am nice and cozy in my hotel in Abilene. I had beautiful weather today which made the driving and letterboxing wonderful. So lets go over what I did today.

Well, I left Santa Fe in the dark with a temperature of 19 degrees. Not too bad - I had the heater on and a nice hot cup of coffee and I was on my way. I made my first stop in Santa Rosa to find Wronghat's Blue Hole letterbox. I was also on a mission to replace the stamp. Someone of the "other" treasure hunting persuasion took the stamp a while back - fortunately the logbook and the camo bag were still there. So I stamped in with the new stamp that I already had in my possession and then searched around for a better hiding spot. I hope I succeeded and that the box will be there for a long time. (I emailed the new clues to Wronghat just a bit ago, so make sure you check for new clues before heading out if you already printed them.) It was still pretty cold when I stamped in - about 33 degrees - but I still enjoyed the find.

Once I was back on the road I didn't stop again until I reached Lariat, TX. I stopped at a rest area just outside of the town and found two boxes. One by Froginater and one by deniserows. This was a nice place to get out of the car to stretch my legs and find two quick boxes. I enjoyed the break. I then drove the short distance to Muleshoe. (By the way, did anyone see Muleshoe on Ace of Cakes?) I made my way to the Chamber of Commerce and tried to find Mule Shoe by Prada placed by deniserows. Unfortunately I couldn't find it - this place seems to eat letterboxes. I had placed a box here a couple of years ago and it went missing. I replaced the box today and had a hard time finding a good spot. I picked one that I thought might work but I am having doubts - I do hope it lasts. After getting the box in place I returned to my car and got back on the road. A short while later I left the highway and entered Anton. I made my way to the Community Museum to replace my AT&SF box. This was a quick stop as I pretty much already knew where I was hiding the box thanks to some pictures that Astro D had taken of some potential hiding spots. I was back in my car in no time and headed for Lubbock.

When I entered Lubbock I found my way to Mackenzie Park to find Tortilla Jones and the Carnie Crusade. By this time the day had warmed considerably and I had shed my jacket and was basking in the warm weather. (Santa Fe is still pretty cold.) I took my time stamping in and was enjoying being out of the car. But as usual all good things must come to an end and I needed to move on. But thankfully Wag Time had placed a box in Post at a wonderful little picnic area high on a hill. I parked, went and found the box, and brought it back to a picnic table . I sat and stamped in and enjoyed the view. Once I had the box back in place I sat for a little while longer and had a little snack - again enjoying the weather and the views. After about 20 minutes I left the picnic area and return to Hwy 84. There was one more box I wanted to find before making a beeline to Abilene. That box was near a wind mill farm close to Fluvanna. I found jb kokopelli's Llano Estacado Winds and stamped in. I then walked up to the gate to the farm and took a few pictures before heading out.

The rest of the drive was uneventful and I arrived in Abilene about an hour ahead of what I anticipated. It was nice to have a hot shower and now I am just relaxing and thinking about the great day I had. I am now looking forward to tomorrow when I make my way to Waco.