Disney Mania Letterboxing in Colorado

I am heading out to Colorado for about a week to attend an event. This event is in Parker, CO and is being hosted by The Woodshed. The event is Disney Mania Colorado Style and will have about 470 boxes that I can look for over a three day period. I love Disney and I love letterboxing so this should make for an incredible week. There are also other boxes in the area that I will be looking for on days before and after the event.
August 1 - 7, 2018

On My Way Home

This morning I woke up at 6:30am and got ready to head home. After getting everything packed and loaded into the car I had a little breakfast before leaving the hotel. On the way home I decided to stop and do some letterboxing at Lincoln Mountain Open Space. On Wednesday, on my way up tot the event I had stopped here to look for a series of boxes and for some reason couldn't find them. I chalked it up to a long drive and getting an early start this morning. So I decided to give it another try this morning.

I parked, grabbed my letterboxing bag and the clues and started my search for a series of 12 boxes . . . aMAZEing Trail by The Woodshed. This time I had better luck. I found 11 of the 12 boxes. The one I couldn't find was the one with the logbook for the series. It was box number 9 of the series. I spent about 25 minutes total looking for the box. I spent about 15 minutes when I first got to the area and then 10 more minutes on my way back to the car. Not sure what I did wrong but I just couldn't find it. So I called it quits and returned to the car. Now it was time to make my way home.

The drive from the park was pretty much non-stop. Well, one stop for gas and the bathroom and then it was back on the road. It was sometime around 5:30pm when I arrived home.

It was a fun and manic trip to Colorado and it was an excellent event. On this trip I found a total of 511 boxes - 470 of those were at the event. Thanks to The Woodshed, Taken to the Woodshed, Gypsy Fiddler and tigerlilly for an extremely fun time.

The Mania Winds Down

Today is the last day of the event and it goes from 9:00am to 6:00pm. Yesterday I finished all the letterboxes for the event so today will just be visiting and hopefully some last exchanges. Also, I decided that I will heading for home tomorrow so I need to start getting things packed up. So I spent a good part of the morning reading and lounging and then I got some things packed. Around 10:00am I headed to The Woodshed's house. There wasn't many people there yet so I visited for a short time and they asked if I could come back around 1:00pm and help pick up some of the boxes.

From the house I decided to head to Castlewood Canyon State Park. I didn't go to the main part of the park I went to the west entrance which is just west of Franktown on Castlewood Canyon Rd. off of CO86. Here I spent some time hiking and enjoying the area. I ended up hiking parts of the following trails . . . Cherry Creek, Homestead, Rimrock and Creek Bottom. I didn't hike the entire trail on these, just small parts. Afterwards I returned to Parker and got some lunch. It was 1:30pm before I got back to the house. After visiting for a short time a couple of us headed to Castle Rock and picked up all the boxes there and then took them back to Parker. A little more visiting and some helping to clean up and then I left again and returned to the hotel.

Back at the hotel I did a little more packing and organizing. Then around 6:00pm I made my way to Hickory House for dinner with a few of the boxers that had attended the event. There were 15 of us that showed up for dinner and we had a nice time visiting and talking about the event. At 8:00pm I returned to the hotel and relaxed for a bit. Then I spent a little time getting anything I didn't need packed away. Now it is time for some sleep so I can head home tomorrow.

Second Day of Disney Mania

Today the event started around 9:00am at The Woodshed's so I decided to sleep. I set the alarm for 7:00am and got things ready and was out the door at 7:40am. Before heading to the Woodshed's I decided to head out to McCabe Meadows to find two of the event series at this park. Following the clues I found both series . . . Live Action Disney (14) and Toon Town (11). It took me a little over an hour to find all 25 boxes. When I finished here I headed for the house.

Once parked I jumped right in to finding boxes. Yesterday I completed most of the series in the house (there were two series I needed to complete inside) so I decided to do the outside first. I began in the garage and then worked my way around the side of the house and then into the backyard. Once all of that was completed I went back into the front yard and completed the series there. So outside of the house I found the following series . . . Disney Cars (16), Frontier Land (22), Adventure Land (56), Zootopia (15), Do You Play Croquet? (4) and Epcot (27) for a total of 140 boxes.

Then I went inside to complete one series and find a second series. These two series were hidden all around the house and didn't have any clues. The first series called Hidden Mickeys were hidden all around the house and were marked with a silhouette of Mickey's head. Yesterday I found eight of these and today I found the remaining five. One of the boxes eluded me for quite a while and then I got a hint that it was actually outside in the front yard. Now that I had completed this series I moved on to the final series - Disney Oddities. All the clue said was to "Think, Think, Think". So you had to look at the title of each box in the series and then find a prop that related to it. Eventually, (and with a little help) I found all 11 boxes.

At this time I was done, except for the final night boxing that was at 8:30pm. So I spent the rest of the afternoon visiting and getting exchanges and personal travelers. At 6:00pm dinner was served. We had barbecue bratwurst, hamburgers and hotdogs, watermelon, salad, beans and chips. So, so good! Then around 8:00pm the night boxing was ready and we headed out. Tonight we found two series . . . Disney Vault (13) and Disney Villains (29). After completing these two series I spent only about 20 minutes visiting before calling it a day and heading to the hotel.

Tonight I got back to the hotel a little earlier than last night but it is still late and I really need some sleep after the last two day of letterboxing mania. Today I found a total of 223 boxes. That along with yesterday's total (247 boxes) raises my total for the event to 470 boxes. The event continues tomorrow but I have found all the boxes so I will probably go to the house late morning and hang out for a while and then maybe go and do a little hiking somewhere and then return later - we will see what happens.

A Big Milestone and the Event Begins

This morning I took my time getting ready and I relaxed a little before heading out for the day. I didn't really have a lot planned but there was one thing I was hoping to accomplish before the event started this afternoon. So around 9:00am I left the hotel and headed out to do some letterboxing. My first stop was at Hickory House. Here I looked for two boxes - Hickory Bear and Hickory Mama both by The Woodshed. I found both boxes easily and found a great bench to sit on to stamp in. It was nice to look for the boxes in the morning, there was no one around and I was able to go undetected. After stamping in and replacing the boxes I was on to my next stop.

Not far down the road from Hickory House I arrived at JS Parker Cemetery. At this location I had clues for three boxes. I was really hoping that I would find all the boxes here in order to accomplish my goal for the day. So, I started following the clues for Adinkra Symbols - CO - By God's Grace All Will Be Well by LCAB. The clues seemed fine at first but then when I found the tree I needed the box seemed missing. So I started over and arrived at the same tree. It took me a while but I finally found the box, it was really hidden well and seemed to blend in with the tree extremely well. I stamped in and put the box back where I found it and then moved on to the second box. I found this box much quicker and brought it back to the car to stamp in. This box was Colorado Cougar also by LCAB. Once that box was back in its hiding spot I moved on to the third box. I followed the clues for Grave Markings: Winged Skull by Gypsy Fiddler and easily found the box. There was a bench near by that I used to stamp in. After replacing the box I returned to the car and figured out where I wanted to go to find my next box and hopefully meet the goal I had for the day.

I left the cemetery and made my way to Railbender Park. Once I parked I followed the clues for Donald to the Rescue! by The Woodshed. I followed the path and found the landmark bench. I put my stuff down and took a deep breath hoping that the box was still there. The last logged find was back in 2016 and if the box was there for me to find it would be a milestone find. So I went to the tree, found the cement piece, moved the pine needles and WOOHOO!!!, I found the box. This letterbox was my 5000th find! The bench was the perfect place to sit and stamp in and celebrate this milestone. After stamping in and spending some time reflecting on my 12 years of letterboxing and 5000 found boxes it was time to start the event.

The Disney Mania Colorado Style event was scheduled to begin at 1:00pm today and continue on until Sunday at 6:00pm. The main site for the event was at The Woodshed's house. But since I had helped to plant some of the boxes for the event I decided to start early in Castle Rock and get those boxes out of the way. So I met scouttrekkie in Castle Rock to find the boxes located there. We spent about three hours in Castle Rock and found the following series . . . Daughters of Tritan (7), Grab a Tissue (14), Princess Promenade (40), Fantasy Land (37) and Disney Dogs (5). We ended up stamping 103 images before packing up and heading to Parker.

At The Woodshed's house I picked up my clue booklet and a goodie bag (filled with a lanyard/name tag, candy, Disney trading pins and a pen). After visiting with a few people I got to work stamping the event stamp and then making a plan to start finding boxes. With a plan in hand I began finding boxes. I started in the living room and found two series . . . Iconic Disney (9) and It All Started With a Mouse (9). Then I moved on to the back bedroom and found . . . Disney Dress Up (13). Next, I headed down to the basement and found three series . . . Tomorrow Land (25), Hollywood Studios (16) and Disney Babies (20). By this time it was close to 6:00pm and it was time for dinner. As part of the event tonight we all chipped in and they ordered pizza. So we took a break from all the stamping and had something to eat. Then after eating I spent some time getting a few exchanges and personal travelers. Around 8:00pm we started night boxing and found two series . . . Disney After Dark (19) and Quotable Disney (25). It was around 9:15pm when we finished the night boxing and then we returned to the house and visited for a while. In between all the boxes I found I also found eight of the Hidden Mickeys series. So at The Woodshed's I found 136 boxes (not including the event stamp, exchanges or personal travelers) which made my total for the event for today 247 letterboxes.

It was an incredible day - tons of boxes, visiting with other letterboxers and reaching a big milestone. I was back at the hotel around 10:30pm and it is now midnight. I need some rest because the event continues tomorrow.

Providing Help Before the Event

This morning I was jolted awake by some heavy footed people on the floor above me. They were stomping around their room like bulls in a china shop. This all happened around 5:00am. I tried to go back to sleep but I ended up tossing and turning and then I read for a bit and finally at 6:15am I got up. After showering and dressing I put together my letterboxing things and got ready for the day. Then I went downstairs to get some breakfast. At 7:30am I left the hotel to begin my letterboxing.

I went to three different places and came up empty handed all three times - I was pretty sure I was looking in the right spots but no boxes. So I just continued on. Next I went to a trail to look for two boxes and again came up empty handed - I was getting frustrated. I decide next to go to The Woodshed's house (she always has boxes hidden in her yard) and there were nine boxes (two singles and a series of seven) that are not connected to the event this weekend. So I parked in front of the house and started looking for the boxes. I first found the two singles (Lighting Up the Sky and Antique Barrel Butter Churn) and took them to the front porch so I could sit on a bench to stamp in. After putting these back I found the series of seven (Patriotic Tribute) and again stamped in while sitting on the bench. While I was stamping this series Taken to the Woodshed (Jim) came out to talk with me. He was saying that they had so much still to do for the event which starts tomorrow at 1:00pm. So I offered to help if they needed it. So he talked to The Woodshed (Patty) and they were happy to accept my offer. So when I completed the boxes I was working on I went inside to see what they needed done.

Besides Jim and Patty they had help from Gypsy Fiddler (Debbie) and she showed up while I was talking with Jim. We planted a couple of series at their house and then got some things together to go to another location to plant more series. They needed to gather some items and get some things organized and while they did that I ended up stamping in some of the boxes I couldn't find this morning. Patty told me they were missing and she had recarved them but with the event she hadn't had the time to got and replanted them - so she let me stamp them since I had already looked for them. Once they got everything organized I had finished stamping we left the house. On the way to the other location we stopped and had a little lunch. It was around 1:00pm when we arrived at our destination. Soon after we arrived another letterboxer, scouttrekkie, arrived to help. We spent a couple of hours planting four series and then we returned to Patty and Jim's house.

It was around 4:00pm when I left their house and then went in search of one more box before calling it a day. I found Stained Glass Flower by The Woodshed. Once I was done with that I decide to head back to the hotel. It had been a long (and hot [94°]) day and I was ready for some rest.

Back at the hotel I rested for a bit and then got things ready for tomorrow. Now I want sleep - it is going to be a long day tomorrow - lots of boxes including night boxing.

I Am Ready For The Mania

This morning I left Santa Fe and made my way up to Parker  for the Disney Mania Colorado Style letterboxing event. Along the way I did some letterboxing in preparation for a weekend long marathon of Disney mania of letterboxes. As my usual, I was on the road early and excited to be on my way.

I drove non stop until I reached Raton. Here I took a break from the interstate to look for a couple of boxes. First I looked for Tiger and Rat by Quiet Place. This was a quick and easy find. I stamped in while sitting in the car and then replaced the box. The area was very quiet with no one around and that made retrieving and replacing the box incredibly easy. From here I moved on to the second box also by Quiet Place - Raton Brothers. this box is hidden at Mt. Calvary Cemetery. Again, there was no one around and it made looking for the box easy. In no time I was done and ready to continue on my drive. Before getting back on the interstate I decided to fill the car with gas and that way I wouldn't have to stop again . . . except for letterboxes.

So I crossed into Colorado and made my next stop 30 miles into the state. I exited at Aguilar and headed to St. Anthony's Cemetery. I followed the clues and found where I needed to be. Once I was in the right area I needed to look in an evergreen in the lower branches for the box. But I encountered one huge problem - none of the evergreens had low branches, they had all been cut off. So, no box!!! {Side note: I emailed the placer and sent her pictures, I was in the right place and the box is gone.} The box I was looking for was Aguilar Blossom by Quiet Place. I did have a nice chat with an 84yo man who was born and raised in Aguilar. He was out visiting his wife's grave - she passed away only two months ago - he seemed so lost and thanked me for taking the time to talk with him. They had been married over 50 years, I can't imagine what that lost must feel like. But I enjoyed talking to him about the area. After about a 15 minute chat I headed out to continue on my drive.

Back on the interstate I drove for about 20 minutes and then exited at Walsenburg. I took US160 to CO12 and headed toward La Veta. I stopped at the first pullout on the right to look for From Texas with LOVE to the Spanish Peaks by Texas Wanderers. I found the box easily and stamped while enjoying the amazing views of the Spanish Peaks from this location. After replacing the box I retraced my drive back to Walsenburg and stopped across the road from The Bear Spot. I parked in a dirt pullout and looked for Bear Spot by Quiet Place. This was a quick and easy find and I was back on the road in no time.

I continued on my drive and this time made my way to the north end of Colorado Springs before exiting onto InterQuest Parkway and then onto CO83. Then after a short drive I turned onto Jones Road and ended up at Lincoln Mountain Open Space. I started the hike from the parking area and followed the clues for aMAZEing Trail by The Woodshed. I followed the clues and looked for the first four boxes and found zero. These boxes were found recently so I think I was having brain farts - it didn't make sense that I was unable to find none of the first four boxes. I then decided to turn around and head back to the parking lot and continue on to Parker and maybe on my way home I can try this again. And FYI - I renamed this park to Mark's Letterboxing Open Space since I was the only one there, the parking lot was empty and I didn't encounter anyone or anything on the trail. It was kind of cool having the whole place to myself and the views are amazing.

After leaving the park and getting back on CO83 I drove north to CO86 and then headed to Elizabeth. I made my way to the cemetery and quickly found Welcoming Spring by The Woodshed. After stamping in and then replacing the box I went in search of a second box in town. This one was at the Rec Center. I followed the clues and found the hiding spot but no box - the hidey hole was empty. So I left Elizabeth and drove back to CO83 and then turned north to Parker.

After about a three mile drive I turned onto Bayou Gulch Road and made my way to Pradera Golf Club to look for FORE!! by The Woodshed. I easily found the box but was also a bit confused. The clue said I was looking for a pouch but I found a square sterilite container. The logbook only had a couple of finds logged, the last one being in 2014. But I had noticed on the clue that someone logged in a find in 2015 and 2018 (but they weren't in the logbook). Not sure if there is a duplicate box out there - will have to check with the planter.

By this time I was tired. So I decided to call it a day and headed on to my hotel. Now I am settled and I need to decide what I am doing tomorrow. We will see how all this mania plays out!