Day 1 - Santa Fe to Flagstaff

Well we are off for our Arizona adventure. We were up early and got everything loaded into the car quickly. We left Santa Fe in the dark and cold as we headed south to Socorro. After an uneventful two+ hours we arrived in Socorro and made our way to the library. Here we were looking for Strangelove's Check It Out letterbox. The library wasn't open yet and that was good - the box was hidden outside and I didn't have to worry about people inside looking out. Unfortunately after about a 15 minute search I came up empty handed. Hopefully I just missed the box and it is there - I wrote to the placer and I hope they will check on it and let me know. So we got back on the road and headed for Pie Town. Driving US60 is wonderful - great scenery, very little traffic and relaxing. It took us about an hour and a half to get to Pie Town but we made a stop a little ways outside of town at the Continental Divide to look for Wronghat's Pie Dichotomy box. I was a little surprised to find that I was the first finder on this box considering that it was planted last December. It was hidden well but easy to find. I brought it back to the car to stamp in since it was a little chilly to sit outside in the wind. I stamped in, snatched the first finder card and then rehid the box. Soon we were back on the road. We continued along US60 as we passed through Pie Town then Quemado and soon crossed over into Arizona.

After about an hour's drive we arrived in Springerville and made our way to Becker Lake Wildlife Area. We quickly found Azroadie's (carved by Milk Money) The Wrangler box. It was still windy but not as bad as in Pie Town so I sat near the hiding spot and stamped in. Once the box was hidden again we continued our drive. From Becker Lake we drove to Lyman Lake State Park. After paying the day use fee we parked near the dam.

Lyman Lake

With the clue and letterboxing gear we walked across the dam to find Squatchis' Arizona County: Apache County. The wind had really picked up here and I had to hold tight to the clue so it wouldn't blow away. Once we were across the dam we followed the clues and after traversing rocky terrain we found the box. I sat behind a huge boulder to stamp in so that I would have some protection from the wind. After stamping in and putting the box back in place Thomas and I walked around the area and I took a few pictures. We didn't last long because the wind was making it cold as it blew across the lake - so we quickly walked back across the dam and got into the warmth of the car. Our next stop was in Show Low.

Our first stop in Show Low was to gas up the car and then secondly we needed some lunch. So after consulting google we headed over to The House. We both got the Chicken of Club sandwich with homemade chips and iced tea. We took our time and had a nice relaxing visit. While we ate it drizzled on and off but by the time we were done eating it had cleared. So we headed out to find our last box of the day. As we parked at the trail head for the Blue Ridge Cave Trail it began to drizzle again.

Meadow along the Blue Ridge Cave Trail

It wasn't bad but with the wind and the rain it was getting cold. So we donned caps and jackets and started down the trail. Thankfully the rain stopped and we enjoyed our walk to the box. The area was beautiful and serene. During our walk we crossed a stream and watched horses walking around on the neighboring property. We easily found Azroadie's Ice Cave box. I didn't dawdle stamping in because I wanted to get back to the car before the rain began again. Once back at the car we took our caps and jackets off and then got back on the road.

A Rainbow to end the Day!

Five minutes later the rain started again and it was more than a drizzle - I was glad it held out while we were finding the box.

Now that we were done with boxing for the day we were headed to our final destination for the night - Flagstaff. The drive was interesting - first it rained, then the sun came back out and the wind picked up, then the rain started again and slowly turned into snow. A short way before Flagstaff the snow stopped and it was clear as we made our way to the hotel. It was a great day. I am now complete with Apache and Navajo counties for both Azroadie and Squatchis' series. We will get some much needed rest so we can continue our adventure tomorrow.

Do you see a lion face in these rocks??? Or is it just me???

Today's Stats . . .
Starting Time: 5:45am; Ending Time: 5:10pm
Total Time for the Day = 11 hours 15 minutes
Miles Driven = 513
Roads Taken: I25 ➛ US60 ➛ US180/191 ➛ AZ77 ➛ I40
Weather: Dark & Cold → Sunshine & Wind → Drizzle → Sunshine → Rain → Snow
Temperatures: AM ▸ Santa Fe = 34°; Noon ▸ Springerville = 58°; PM ▸ Flagstaff = 30°
Letterboxes Found = 4; Letterboxes Attempted = 5