Don't Mess With Texas in Austin

I am heading to Texas to attend another TALE. This time it is TALE12 - Don't Mess With Texas. The event this year is in Austin at McKinney Falls State Park. I am looking forward to letterboxing in Texas.
March 4 - 10, 2015

A Full Day of Event Stuff

So today was event day; TALE 12 - Don't Mess With Texas. As usual I was up early but the event didn't actually start until 10:00am so I started the day by reading emails and news headlines before heading out to the park. Most of the boxes planted and logged onto AQ didn't have actual clues but I did find clues for a series of six boxes hidden by Mosaic Butterfly. I didn't have a printer so I decided I could use my phone to find the boxes. I arrived at McKinney Falls State Park and paid my fee and then headed to the camping area to park so that I could find Don't Mess With Lettres. I didn't have any problems finding the six boxes and it really didn't take all that long. So I returned to my car and made my way to the dining hall. I was about 10 minutes early so I had to wait until they opened the place. Soon someone came and opened up the place and we started setting up tables and chairs and in no time the place was packed with letterboxers. I went around saying hi to old friends and meeting new people. I got plenty of exchanges and some personal travelers. I spent the rest of the morning visiting, stamping and mapping out clues. Then at noon I had a little to eat and at 1:00pm they took a group photo and then it was time to head out and do some letterboxing. I ended up going with Bell Motel, DoubleSaj and Old Blue. We spent the whole afternoon walking the trails and ended up finding a little over 25 boxes. Throughout the day we bumped into other people on the trails and visited as we boxed. We mostly stayed on the Onion Creek Trail with a few little side trips. At 6:00pm we returned to the dining hall for the raffle. I got something to snack on and then enjoyed the raffle. I ended up winning two things. After the raffle I visited with people until it was time for night boxing. I signed up for the first group so that I could head back to the hotel for some rest. At 7:30pm I set out with Sea Maid, Gryzzled Gryphon, Frost Maiden, Trail Ripper and Puddle Splasher to find the 18 box series called Don't Mess With Texas Farms. This was a great little series that was attached to 18 trees along the road near the dining hall. The stamps were tiny (about 1/2 inch or so) and were glued to clothespins with reflective tape marking them. It didn't take us long to find them and stamp in - we set up a kind of assembly line. One or two people looked for the stamps, one person grabbed it, one person would ink it up and then we would stamp all the logbooks, then the person holding it would replace it. After finishing the series we headed back to the dining hall. I decided to call it a day and said my goodbyes. I had a great time at TALE 12 and enjoyed seeing everyone.

A Day in Austin

Today I had the whole day in Austin and I decided to do some letterboxing and to make a visit to the State Capitol. So this morning I organized my things and made a schedule of what I wanted to do. At around 9:00am I left the hotel and headed toward downtown. My first stop was at the Texas State Cemetery. I parked out front on the street and made my way through the entrance gates and picked up a map at the office. Then I sat on a bench and mapped out my time here. I walked around most of the cemetery and along the entire length of State Road 165. I visited the following areas . . . Monument Hill, Confederate Field, Republic Hill and Statesman Meadow. I specifically went to see the following graves . . . James Michener, Ann Richards, Ma & Pa Ferguson, Martin Parmer, Barbara Jordan and Stephen F. Austin. I also spent a little time at the following Memorials . . .  September 11th Monument, Vietnam Memorial, Purple Heart Memorial and Nine Men of Praha Monument. During my time here I also did some letterboxing. I looked for four boxes but only found three . . . Silver Eagle's American Sniper & Austin Treaty Oak and AnnaBee's The Short Road After a Long Journey. I really enjoyed my time at this cemetery. There is so much history and I felt a little overwhelmed at all the information I was taking in. After about an hour here I moved on to my next location - Oakwood Cemetery. I didn't spend as much time here and I really just concentrated on letterboxing. I found two boxes by Grumpy Grinch - Wisdom & Wonder and Imagination Station and on box by Lone Star Quilter - Oh, Susannah!.

Once I was done at the cemetery I headed over to the Capitol. I parked in the visitor parking garage and walked over to the Capitol. My first stop was at the Capitol Visitor Center. Here I got my Capitol Collection stamp and picked up some postcards, a snack and a patch at the gift shop. After that I did the self-guided walking tour of the grounds and while I did this I tried to find two letterboxes - but came up empty handed. Then I went inside the Capitol and did a self-guided tour of the building. I spent about an hour and a half at the Capitol and even took time to listen to a concert in the Rotunda by the Helotes Area Community Band. You can get maps online at Maps & Floorplans. I really enjoyed my time at the Capitol and I learned a lot - really worth the visit.

Upon leaving the Capitol area I headed to Assumption Cemetery. I looked for two boxes here but only found one. I found Easterbelle's No Room at the Inn. I stamped in while sitting in the car and then replaced the box. From here I decided to head to McKinney Falls State Park. I only had a few clues for boxes there but I still wanted to go just to get a feel for the park so that at the event tomorrow I would be better oriented. I stopped and paid my fees and got a map of the park. Then I headed to the parking area for the Lower Falls. I followed clues for two boxes - both by Bell Motel. I walked on the Onion Creek Trail and found Don't Mess With Texas Women and It's Mighty Reckless, to Mess With Texas.  On the way back to the car I stopped to look for another box but came up empty handed. Before going back to the car I walked over to the lower falls just for a look. Then I headed to the car and then decided to drive around the park and see where the dining hall was and to walk around that area to see where the trails went. I spent about two and a half hours at the park before heading out to a coffee shop. I spent an hour at the coffee shop and did some emails and logged in my finds and of course had some coffee. Then it was time to head over to Patsy's Café for the Messing With Texans event. Patsy's was a great place - the food and atmosphere was incredible. It was also great to see everyone. We did exchanges, personal travelers, ate some great food and talked incessantly. It was a great way to end a wonderful day in Texas' Capital City. Now I am looking forward to the event tomorrow.

I Made It To Austin

Yesterday was pretty stressful driving for hours in freezing rain but I relaxed once I arrived at the hotel. And I got a good night's sleep. This morning I woke up to about an inch of snow on the ground with a sheet of ice below the snow. I wasn't in a rush to get on the road because I was hoping that it would warm up enough to make the roads easier to drive on. But the temperatures didn't seem to be getting too high and around 9:00am I decided to head out and it was only 24° but the sun was up and I was optimistic that the drive to Austin wouldn't be too bad.

Getting out of Abilene was slow. The roads were very icy so I kept my speed to a minimum. Thankfully the roads started clearing about 15 miles outside of Abilene and by the time I arrived in Coleman they were markedly better. So in Coleman I decided to stop for a box. I followed the clues and found Baby Bear's Camp Colorado box. I didn't have any trouble finding this box and I stamped in while sitting in the warm car. Only a couple of people have found this box so I was glad I went and found it so it wouldn't get too lonely. After rehiding the box I continued my drive toward Austin. As I drove further south the roads really cleared up and I was able to relax and enjoy the drive. My next stop was in Goldthwaite at the cemetery. Here I found Walksfar's Bambi letterbox. I easily found this box and stamped in again while sitting in the car. After replacing the box I got back on the road. I had clues for more boxes along the way but for some reason my heart wasn't in it for letterboxing today. I am not sure if it was the cold or just the stress from driving in the ice and snow but I just didn't feel like stopping for boxes.

When I arrived in Austin I exited at Spicewood Springs Road and was going to search for the color series boxes. I stopped first at the library and easily found Clear but then I went to Tanglewood Park and didn't find Pink. At this point it was around 3:30pm and I decided I didn't want to get caught in rush hour traffic trying to get to my hotel. And again I just wasn't in to letterboxing today. So I made my way from the northwest part of Austin to the southeast part of Austin. Thankfully it didn't take me long to get to the hotel. After checking in I went to get some dinner. I realized I hadn't eaten since breakfast and I was hungry. The guy at the hotel who checked me in suggested Hill's Café. So that is where I went. It was pretty good and I enjoyed my meal. After eating I returned to the hotel and got settled. I am hoping my letterbox energy returns tomorrow so I can find some great boxes.

The Journey Begins with a Ton of Cold

This morning I was up early so I could start my journey to Austin. It was still dark, the temperature was at 21° and the skies were clear. The drive started out well but as soon as I hit I40 at Clines Corners it began to get foggy. As I made my way east toward Santa Rosa the fog thickened and made the drive a little uncomfortable. The good thing was that there wasn't too much traffic. Not long after turning off of I40 onto US84 the fog cleared but soon after I passed through Fort Sumner it started to drizzle. When I arrived in Clovis I stopped to fill the car with gas and get some coffee. When I got out of the car the wind was blowing and it was still very cold. The car thermometer told me it was 29° and I think it was pretty accurate. So I continued my drive and as I entered Texas the drizzle became rain. When I arrived in Littlefield I went in search of a letterbox off of US385. This was a drive-by box at an historical marker. When I parked in front of the marker I read the clues and then quickly ran over and found the box (RIclimber Visits Texas) and then jumped back into the car. I stamped in while sitting in the warm car and when it was time to replace the box I had to wait a minute because the rain was coming down harder and I realized that it was freezing rain and I could hear the tapping on the top of the car as it hit the roof. After a few minutes it subsided and I quickly replaced the box. I looked up at the car and noticed that the sides were covered in ice. Time to crank up the heat and head out. From here I continued my drive on US84 through Lubbock and noticed that ice was forming on my side mirrors. Thankfully the roads weren't icy and the driving wasn't too bad. I had intentions of going to Colorado City and Westbrook to look for a couple of boxes but with the freezing rain and cold I decided I just wanted to get to Abilene and rest for the night. My Garmin led me to my hotel and I noticed it was only 1:00pm and check in wasn't until 3:00pm and I was hungry. So I pulled in at Rosa's Café. As I was turning off the car two women walked along side of me and gave me a thumbs up - I was confused. They went into the restaurant and I got my coat and then headed in after them. As I got out of the car I realized what they were looking at. The front and sides of my car were encrusted in ice. It was the only one like that in the lot. I quickly took a picture with my phone and then went inside. I had a nice meal and enjoyed the warmth of the place and texted Thomas to let him know that me and "the ice mobile" had made it to Abilene. Around 2:30pm I headed out to the hotel. Two people were out front when I pulled in and they also commented of the frozen car. They asked where I had come from and when I told them I had driven from Santa Fe through Lubbock they said that people from Lubbock were cancelling. I guess the weather got worse after I passed through. I didn't have any problems with ice on the roads I felt safe during the drive. While I was checking in I asked about the weather and found out it might snow here tonight and that the temperature is suppose to drop to 19° and the roads will be bad. I am hoping that I can get to Austin tomorrow. I may have to leave later in the morning and just drive slow. I write tomorrow about the day and hopefully it won't be too bad.