Unfortunately I didn't check before I left the hotel but the park didn't open until 9am and I was about 15 minutes early and wasn't able to enter the park. So I drove a little ways up the road and found a doughnut and coffee shop and had a cup of coffee while I waited for the park to open. I also decided to review some of the clues for some boxes that were planted in the park years ago. I had read that the park has undergone ownership a few times and I also knew that things in the park had changed including the entrance. The park was originally a Girl Scout camp and part of it was owned by a paper company. The state of Texas then bought the land and created Lake Houston State Park. But now the park is owned by the city of Houston and they have begun to make changes including moving the entrance from Baptist Encampment Road to FM 1485. Even with the changes I figured I could find some of the boxes and that the clues would still be appropriate. When the park opened I paid my fee and drove to the parking area near the nature center. I picked some clues that said to start at the large bridge that crosses the creek so I headed in that direction. I continued down the trail from the bridge and started to look for boxes but I was having trouble and the clues weren't really making any sense. Then I bumped into Mosaic Butterfly who was placing boxes along that same trail. We talked for a bit and then she asked if I would go back and start to find the boxes she had placed and make sure that they were easy to find. So I did just that. I found the first box and continued along the trail looking for pie tins that she was leaving along the trail to denote an area where she had placed a box. I thought this was actually a very clever idea and an easy way to hide the boxes and not have to write clues. So we did this until she had placed all the boxes and I had found them. Then we talked about some of the clues for boxes that were in the park because we still had a little bit of time before the event actually began. So we took off looking for boxes but because of the changes in the park, some of the trails did not start where they originally had been. We looked at a couple of places but we were having no luck and decided that we needed to scratch this for now and try again later. So we started to head in the direction of the dining hall where the event was to be and along the way decided to grab a box since we had found a landmark and could easily follow the clues. We were able to find this box so we found a bench and we stamped in and were glad to have started our letterboxing for this event. After returning the box to its hiding place we crossed the bridge and walked down the road to the dining hall.When we arrived at the dining hall only Open Space was in the dining hall ready to greet boxers as they arrived. She informed us that Gryzzled Gryphon and Bell Motel had already been there and were on the trails looking for boxes. So Mosaic butterfly and I got our clue booklets and found a spot to sit and started mapping out boxes. There were a few that were puzzles and had to be solved before we could find them so we took some time to try to get the answers. There was also a series of boxes where you had to talk to other people to get different parts of the clue. This series had four boxes in it and the clue for each box was divided into two parts so that meant you had to find eight different people to get a full set of clues. So we figured out most of the clues and we had mapped out which trails they were on and we set out to find boxes.
We started on the Hoot Owl trail. We found about seven boxes along this trail before getting to a junction with the Magnolia trail. On the Magnolia trail we found about five boxes. Toward the end of the trail (actually the beginning since we came from the opposite direction) we bumped in to Silver Eagle and Baby Bear. At the time we were looking for Baby Bear's Texas Twilight box but were having no luck since some signs were no longer there. Thankfully they were able to help us since they were also looking for that box and trying to redo the clues. We were able to find the box and it was nice to be able to add this early Baby Bear carve to my logbook. We parted ways and Mosaic Butterfly and I headed to the trail head. Here we found another box and then we got a call from screamin' meemie and we waited there for her to join us.
Next we decided to head to the north part of the Peach Creek Loop trail. As we were heading in that direction we met up with Bell Motel and she joined us. There were a few boxes on this trail and there was a series of boxes where you had to find words and then decipher the last clue for the final box. So we were on the lookout for that. Since we were trying to find multiple boxes at one time we each took a clue and followed it looking for landmarks. When someone arrived at a landmark we needed we stopped to find the box and then stamp in. Then we continued on to the next box. It was a great system and we had a great time finding all the boxes - including figuring out the final clue for that series I mentioned. We returned to where we had started to find that final box and ended up finding 9 boxes along that trail.
Next we headed south on the Peach Creek Loop trail to find a couple of more boxes before heading back to the dining hall for dinner. On this trail we found two boxes - aye, aye, aye, aye letterbox (a great carving by Astro D) and The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Silver Eagle. Mosaic Butterfly and screamin' meemie continued on the trail so that screamin' meemie could get the Pie Palooza series (which me and Bell Motel already had) and the two of us went back to the Hoot Owl trail to get a couple of boxes we had missed. Then we returned to the dining hall for a BBQ dinner. We ate and visited and talked about the day's letterboxing. All in all it was a fantastic day. We did get a little drizzle for about five minutes during the day and then it rained while we were eating but other than that it was a beautiful day. After eating I had to walk back down the trail and cross the bridge and get to the nature center for my car. Luckily I had a flashlight and it was a pretty straight walk on a paved path and I got to my car without a problem. But man was it dark! So I left the parking lot and got to the first turn but there wasn't a sign to tell me which way to go to exit the park. I ended up going left and after a little while encountered a sign for the exit. I followed it and then it was a little while longer before I found the next sign and then the exit. I was glad to be at that gate. I kept thinking I might have to sleep in my car in the park.
Now I am back at the hotel and got a chance to look at my logbook. I got some great carved images and when I counted I had found 39 boxes today. It was a wonderful day and I had a great time but I am very tired. Time to get to sleep so I have energy for tomorrow.
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