Arizona To Cranmere

The Adventures of lionsmane and Astro D on their way to A Century from Cranmere Letterboxing Event in Gilbert, AZ.
July 11 - 15, 2007

Arizona Letterboxing Trip Slide Show

We made it home safely and I am getting back into the routine. We had a great time and I took a bunch of pictures during the trip. I have spent quite a bit of time going through my pictures trying to pick the best ones that represent the trip. It took some time and a lot of decision making but they are now together in a slide show that I hope everyone will enjoy. Just click on the picture to view the slide show. I feel that the slide show really gives a clear picture of the trip.

The Adventure Ends

Astro D and I left Phoenix yesterday morning and headed for Santa Fe. We had a list of boxes that we wanted to look for along the way. After a quick breakfast we drove north to Pioneer, Arizona (A 19th century village) to look for Azroadie's Pioneer letterbox.The box was a quick drive-by and soon we were back on the road. Our next stop was another of Azroadie's boxes - Agua Fria. After a short walk and a little searching we found the box. We stamped in and rehid the box and headed for the third Azroadie box of the morning. We arrived at the Red Tank Draw area and took our short walk for the box. The views were terrific! After enjoying the views we found the box and stamped in. So far it had been a great morning and we were enjoying ourselves. The weather was nice, but was starting to get hot.

We were headed for Flagstaff at this point to look for artTrekker's Native Design boxes. I had found Box #1 last November but wasn't able to get Box #2 (later I found out it was missing). So Astro D searched and found Box #1 and once she was done stamping in we went to look for Box #2. The area where the box was hidden was pretty busy. There were two men sitting on a bench facing the area we needed to look for the box and and on the next bench over were two people having lunch and not too far from them was a group of people just watching the trains go by. We waited a few minutes before looking for the box, but no one was moving, so we casually started searching. We thought we were in the right spot but we weren't able to find the box. So we started searching all around and even went to a different area just in case we were at the wrong place. Finally we gave up and returned to the car. I took out my laptop and opened the clue on the internet just to see if maybe we had printed out the clue wrong. We had all the right info and I noticed that someone had found the box on June 28, 2007. So we decided to go and give it one more try. This time we weren't so worried - we really got to searching. We found a bunch of old socks but no box, we found empty liquor bottles but no box, we found the newspaper from two days before but no box, we found empty coke cans but no box, we found candy bar wrappers but no box - do you get the point. I really hope we just had trouble finding the box because I would hate it if this box was missing for a second time.

Now that we were sufficiently bummed we decided to fill the car with gas and get a bite to eat. Once all that was done we entered I-40 and headed east. We stopped in Winona and found our fourth Azroadie box of the day - Don't Forget Winona 66. Astro D had clues to a box in Winslow and I had never been there - so we decided that would be out next stop. We arrived at Renaissance Park and found the Winslow Train Park letterbox. We stamped in, took some pictures and then went to do some sightseeing. First, we stood on the corner in Winslow, AZ and took pictures and then bought some postcards in a little shop. We also wanted to visit La Posada Hotel. We walked around the hotel and sat in the gardens and just relaxed. Unfortunately that didn't last too long - we needed to get back on the road so we wouldn't get back too late.

One last Azroadie box - Navajo 66 and another box in Gallup, NM for Astro D and our letterboxing adventure came to an end. We decided to drive to Albuquerque and have a little dinner before driving the last little bit to Santa Fe. We arrived just a little after 9:00pm, I thought I would have the energy to unpack, log my finds and write a little blog, but after a quick shower I was exhausted. I climbed in bed and fell asleep almost immediately. So today was spent getting all those things done. Now I am pretty much caught up except for organizing my pictures. Once I have done that I will get a slide show posted.

It was a great letterboxing adventure and I really enjoyed my trip with Astro D. The event we attended was so much fun and we met some nice letterboxers. I am looking forward to the next adventure.

Stamps, Stamps and More Stamps!

There were so many boxes available at the gathering yesterday - there were 100 boxes planted in honor of Cranmere Letterbox's 100th anniversary. Here is a complete list of the stamps I collected at the event.

Exchanges
Captain Groty
Cold Front
Gadabout
MickeyMouse
TeamSz
Warm Front
Wildstar

Personal Travelers
From State to State
Guinea Pig Box
Locum Tenens
Lost My Keys
Lost My Keys, Too
Pete's Flag
Snarkle Snort Snurfft
The Man With the Yellow Hat
Who Am I?

Event Box
A Century from Cranmere

Letterboxes Found
Christmas Celebration: Presents
Christmas Celebration: Two Bells
Christmas Celebration: Candle
Christmas Celebration: Three Bells
Christmas Celebration: Ornament
Cozy Quilt: Hands All Around
Cozy Quilt: Anvil
Cozy Quilt: Double Nine Patch
Cozy Quilt: Ohio Star
Cozy Quilt: Lemoyne
Eat-cher Veggies: Carlotta Carrots
Eat-cher Veggies: Torpid Tomato Head
Eat-cher Veggies: Gravity Grapes
Eat-cher Veggies: Orson of Orange
Eat-cher Veggies: Cornhusker Cutie
Eat-cher Veggies: Strawglebberry Sweetcakes
Grow Where You Are Planted: Arizona Saguaro
Grow Where You Are Planted: Irish Shamrock
Grow Where You Are Planted: Scottish Thistle
Grow Where You Are Planted: California Daisy
Grow Where You Are Planted: English Rose
Grow Where You Are Planted: Perennial Posey
Grow Where You Are Planted: Hawaiian Palm
Hallowe'en Is Coming: Jack
Hallowe'en Is Coming: Spiderweb
Hallowe'en Is Coming: Black Widow
Hallowe'en Is Coming: Witches Hat
Hallowe'en Is Coming: Witches
Hats, Hats, Unmagical Hats: Mr. Top Hat
Hats, Hats, Unmagical Hats: Timmy Tam O'Shanter
Hats, Hats, Unmagical Hats: Carefree Cavalier
I Leaf It To You: Holiday Holly Berries
I Leaf It To You: Rose By Any Other Name
I Leaf It To You: Spring Means Lilacs
I Leaf It To You: Just Leaf Me Alone
I Leaf It To You: Iris, the Day-Lily Cousin
Letterboxing Is For Me: F
Letterboxing Is For Me: R
Letterboxing Is For Me: T
Letterboxing Is For Me: S
Letterboxing Is For Me: G
Letterboxing Is For Me: X
Letterboxing Is For Me: L
Letterboxing Is For Me: I
Letterboxing Is For Me: O
Letterboxing Is For Me: N
Letterboxing Is For Me: B
Letterboxing Is For Me: M
Letterboxing Is For Me: E
Letterboxing Through the Year: January
Letterboxing Through the Year: February
Letterboxing Through the Year: March
Letterboxing Through the Year: April
Letterboxing Through the Year: May
Letterboxing Through the Year: June
Letterboxing Through the Year: July
Letterboxing Through the Year: August
Letterboxing Through the Year: September
Letterboxing Through the Year: October
Letterboxing Through the Year: November
Letterboxing Through the Year: December
Shoe's on the Other Foot: Beach Baby Floppers
Shoe's on the Other Foot: Cavalier Court Boots
Shoe's on the Other Foot: Milady's Best Dancers
Solar System: Mercury
Solar System: Venus
Solar System: Earth
Solar System: Jupiter
Solar System: Saturn
Solar System: Neptune
Solar System: Pluto/Charon
Solar System: Sun
Solar System: Comet
South Mountain: Ghost
South Mountain: Rain
South Mountain: Antelope
South Mountain: Moth
South Mountain: Falcon
South Mountain: Woman
South Mountain: Rainstorm
South Mountain: City
South Mountain: T-Rex
South Mountain: Horse
South Mountain: Sun
South Mountain: Flower
What's Bugging You?: Monarch
What's Bugging You?: Purple Emperor
What's Bugging You?: Bee
What's Bugging You?: Ladybug
What's Bugging You?: Fly
Queen Victoria Hitchhiker

A Very EVENTful Day

Well it is the day after the A Century from Cranmere event and I am up early and having breakfast. Last night after a very long day at the event I was just way too tired to post a blog. That's very unusual for me! But I guess all the excitement of 100 boxes planted just for the day and the 106 degree heat caught up with me. Once I got settled in the hotel room and took a shower my eyes would stay open. I managed to log all my finds but that's as much as I could handle - I couldn't concentrate long enough to actually write anything so I just went to sleep.

Yesterday was a great day. It turned out to be just as hot as promised but I was surprised at how well I handled it. Fortunately as we were boxing we found plenty of shady spots to use to stamp in. Astro D and I started the day with breakfast and then headed over to the event at 7:30 am. We checked in with the hosts and said hello to the few early birds that had already arrived. Once the hosts explained everything and gave us our clue books we headed out to begin finding letterboxes. I had so much fun. There were boxes everywhere. I have never been to Dartmoor so I am not sure exactly how letterboxing works there but I imagine from what I have read that it is very simialr to what I experienced yesterday. You go out to certain areas and you just begin searching sans clues. We at least had some general directions as where to look and some simple clues as to where the boxes were. At first Astro D and I read the clues and mapped out things but then later we just started searching ever bush and rock that we encountered. After about five hours of boxing we heaed back to the event site and met with other boxers and had some lunch. The hosts (night writer and star writer) gave some little awards and certificates. Astro D and I found 81 boxes and won first and second place - YEAH! We met some great people and had a blast - it was a great day! But we still weren't done. We headed to downtown Phoenix and found one last box before calling a day.
We found a hotel and had some dinner and then went back to the hotel. I am ready to get started today. We will be heading home via I-17, I-40 and I-25. Hopefully I can write a blog tonight that will be more detailed about our adventure. For now you can go to Astro D's blog and read her account of the event.

Globe to Gilbert

Astro D and I woke up in Globe to a beautiful day. After stopping at a coffee house for a little breakfast and some caffiene we headed out to Apache Gold Casino to find a Kristal and Ron box. Nice box and easy find although we did get questioned about what we were doing - thankfully we had our cameras and Kristal had put a little suggestion in the clue that helped us out tremendously. Once we had stamped in and rehidden the box we were off to find Azroadie's Aztec Peak. The drive out to the area where the box is planted was absolutely gorgeous. It took us about 30-40 minutes one way but it was worth it. We found the box, logged in and rehid it. We returned to Hwy 60 and headed for the next box, but wait - a bathroom stop and an early lunch before more letterbox hunting. Once we had taken care of the necessities we headed for the western edge of Miami so we could celebrate Christmas. We followed the clues but alas no box. We were searching for Christmas 2004 placed by Krista. I started thinking that maybe the placer mixed up north with south and east with west. So I went in the opposite direction to check out other rock piles, still to no avail. I was headed back to the boulder that was the starting point and noticed that there was a pile of rocks under the boulder in a small space. So I started moving them and lo and behold there was the box. I think the placer needs to rewrite the clues or rehide the box in its proper spot.

So now we were superior - I mean in Superior. Here we visited the World's Smallest Museum. Unfortunately we couldn't go in the museum since it closed for the day about 20 minutes before we got there. We did get the letterbox though, it is hidden outside. We made one other stop in Superior at the Oak Flat Campground and picked up a drive-by placed by wanda and pete. And then headed for Gilbert.

In Gilbert we tried to find a box named Milk. We arrived at the place and parked. Read the clues but had trouble finding the landmarks. We spent a few minutes trying to figure things out and we thought we had found the spot. So I pulled the car over to that area and a man pulled up next to us wanting to know if we needed help - it was a very uncomfortable feeling. So we feined being lost and made our escape and decided that these people are suspicious and anyone looking for the box will probably get stopped and questioned - no letterbox is worth being put into an uncomfortable and scary situation. So on to the next box!

We found a few other boxes in Gilbert and decided that since yesterday was a very long day that we would make it an early evening and rest up for the event tomorrow. After checking in to the hotel and resting a bit we found a place for dinner and then headed back to the hotel. Now that I have updated my blog and logged my finds I am headed off to sleep. Talk to you tomorrow.

Arizona Arrival

Okay, well it's late and I'm tired, but I wanted to at least get the blog started for this trip. Astro D and I left Santa Fe about 7:30 this morning and headed for Arizona. Our destination is Gilbert, AZ and A Century from Cranmere Letterboxing Event. It was an incredibly beautiful day, warm and sunny. We stopped in Pie Town so that Astro D could hide a box and then we each had a piece of delicious pie at the Daily Pie Cafe. Diane had Cherry and I had Lemon Cloud - this was our lunch. After finishing our pie we headed out. Our next stop was the Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside area of Arizona. We were in the area for a few hours and found six letterboxes. We had a great time hunting for the boxes and really enjoyed an area neither of us had visited before - another new place to add to my list. By the time we found the last box it was dinner time - so we took a suggestion from Kristal and headed to The Christmas Tree Restaurant. I had Baked Shrimp and Astro D had Chicken and Dumplings - it was all good and we were stuffed. After dinner we decided to head to Globe, AZ. We had about an hour and a half drive and it was dark when we arrived in Globe. We stopped at the first hotel we came to, only to find there were no vacancies. We took out the travel guide and started calling hotels. Five hotels later we found a room at the Budget Inn - I think the name says it all - and that's all I'm going to say. We were both tired and needed sleep so we checked in. After helping Astro D get her things to her room I headed to my room. First things first - I took a shower - needed to get the car grunge from traveling washed away. Then I was awake - so I decided to log in my finds for the day and then get this blog written. So, I'm sorry that this is cut and dry and not very descriptive of our fun day but I will try and do better tomorrow.