The 7th Tucson Event

Thomas and I are headed to Tucson, Arizona to attend the 7th Annual Tucson Letterboxers Gathering at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail, Arizona.
March 23 - 28, 2011

Our Last Day in Tucson

Our trip to Tucson has been very busy and a lot of fun. So we thought that today we would take it a bit easier. We slept until 7:00am and then slowly got ready, had a little breakfast and even read a little before heading out. I had a goal when I decided to attend the event here in Tucson. And that goal was to complete Azroadie's Geology 101 Series. As of last night when I logged my finds in I just needed two of the nine to be done. So this morning my priorities were these two boxes. So our first destination was the Sabino Canyon Recreation Area to find Geology 101: Sabino Fault. We turned into the parking area to go through the pay booth and the place was packed - it took us a little time to get through the line and find a parking place. We then stopped in to the visitors center and got a map and a little advice on getting around. You can't drive through the area to the trailheads. You either walk down the road or take a shuttle to any of the trailheads. The trail we needed wasn't all that far up the road so we opted to just walk. So we made our way down Sabino Canyon Road and eventually came to the trailhead for the Bluff Trail. (The walk from the visitors center up the road to the trailhead was actually longer that the actual Bluff Trail.) Once at the trail we followed the clues and easily found the box. We sat and stamped while enjoying the morning. We got the box back into place and then continued along the trail to find a hiding spot for a box that I had brought to plant. After checking out a few spots we found one that we really liked and got the box hidden and the clues written. So if you are in the area go and find Greetings from Arizona on the Bluff Trail. I also had clues for about five or six other boxes but they all were on long hikes (and neither Thomas nor I had the energy for that) except for one. And that one just happened to be at the end of the Bluff Trail on the Sabino Canyon Trail #30. We attempted finding this one but came up empty handed. At this point we decided to head back to the car and head to the next box. We did enjoy our time at the canyon and I hope we can go back and spend more time - and hopefully we will have more energy to explore more areas of the place.

Now we headed for Sentinel Peak (or "A" Mountain) to find the last box I needed to complete Azroadie's Geology 1o1 Series - Geology 101: Basalt. We parked, we walked, we followed the clues . . . and WooHoo!!! we found the last box in the series. I sat and stamped in and was happy as I checked off that last one on the list. Azroadie told me yesterday that if I did complete the series I would be the first person to do so. Once I was done I rehid the box and we decided while we were here at Sentinel Peak we would look for Azroadie's Sentinel Peak box. So we drove to that parking area and walked to the trail head. We followed the clues and after about 10 minutes we found that box. Unfortunately, the lid was broken and the logbook had gotten wet and was all stuck together and the stamp was starting to crumble and fall apart. I was still able to stamp in and get a pretty good image but I don't think it will last much longer. I already sent Azroadie a note and it sounds like he will do some maintenance soon.

I still had another box I wanted to hide and I wanted it to be in a certain location. So we headed up to Tucson Mountain Park. We picked a parking area and headed up the trail. It didn't take us long to find a good spot and we placed Carnegiea gigantea in its new home. I wrote up the clues and then we headed off on the same trail to find two other boxes. They are actually pretty close together so it was a quick and easy find for AZJokester's A Desert by Any Other Name . . . and Parfum Sacre's Ravens in Love. After stamping in we made the short walk back to the car. All the boxes I brought with me to plant had been planted and we had found quite a few boxes and we were really feeling the heat (I don't think I could survive a summer here in Tucson) so we decided to head back into town. We stopped for a bite to eat and then found an ice cream shop to getting something cold.

Even though it was still early and I still had clues for quite a few boxes we decided it was time to call it quits. We returned to the hotel and everything is ready for our trip home tomorrow. And I have logged in every last find, plant and exchange. And this post completes our adventure to Tucson. I hope you found something interesting or helpful in my stories and I hope it won't be long until the next adventure. Tomorrow our drive home is a straight shot - only stopping for gas, food or bathrooms - no letterboxing. We need to be home by 5:00pm for some previous engagements. See you soon!

Event Day

So today was Event Day - the 7th Annual Tucson, Arizona Letterboxers Gathering took place at Colossal Cave Mountain Park in Vail, AZ. I had plans to get things done before the event so Thomas and I were up early and on the road by 7:15am. We needed to get an early start for a few reasons - the event was about 40 minutes away, I wanted to get a couple of boxes before we got there and I needed to plant a couple of boxes before the event started.

We left the hotel and drove east on I-10, we went a few exits past the one for the event and ended up on the Old Sonoita Highway. We found the trail head for the Arizona Trail and walked for about 20 minutes and found Desert Flowers' Arizona Trail Cactus. It was a great way to start the day - a nice two mile walk in the cool morning air. We got back to the car and headed into Vail. We stopped at the Old Vail Post Office and found History Fans' Vail History. This was a quick and easy find - a real drive by, since I could practically grab the box from the car window. Once I had stamped in we drove the short distance to the park.

Just before entering the park we stopped so I could plant one of my boxes. I left Colossal Cave Logo Microbox a little ways before the pay station. This should be a quick find and you don't have to pay the entrance fee to get the box. I wrote down the clues and then we entered the park. With a park map in our hands we drove all the way to the end of the park to La Posta Quemada Ranch. After walking around the place a bit I found a trail and planted my Night of the Lepus box. I jotted down the clues and returned to the start of the trail and then did a walk through to make sure all my notes were correct. Now that all of these things were taken care of we could make our way to El Bosquecito where the event was taking place. We only arrived 15 minutes late - not too bad.

By the time we got to the picnic area almost everyone was there. So I jumped right in and joined all the exchanging. I got six new exchanges and got to visit with some boxers that I have met on previous occasions. It was a small group and I like that because you get the chance to spend more time with everyone. After getting exchanges and visiting I found two boxes planted in the picnic area. Burritos by Desert Flower and 7th @ Colossal by angel1551us. After that deniserows, AZJokester and I headed off to the front of the park to look for two boxes. We found Colossal Cave Park by leeandnancy and Geology 101: Limestone by Azroadie. We then returned to the picnic area and had a bite to eat. Then a group left and went in search of my two boxes. Thomas and I helped Azroadie and Desert Flower clean up and get their van packed up. We then said our goodbyes. It was a fun and relaxing time and I really enjoy visiting with the Arizona letterboxers.

Before heading back into Tucson we had clues for a series of four boxes by Azroadie - Sonoran Desert Animals 2011 Series. These were placed on a portion of the Arizona Trail off of Pistol Hill Road. The clues said it was about a 40 to 45 minute walk one way. So with water, hats and letterboxing gear Thomas and I headed out. It was a pretty easy walk, mostly flat. We followed the clues finding each box without problems (Azroadie's clues are usually spot on). I would get the box and find a spot where I could sit and not get poked by anything and then stamp in. Once that box was hidden we moved on to the next box. When I found the last box I got a First Finder Card for the series - WooHoo! Now that we had gotten the last box we headed back toward the parking lot. We ended up running into a group of four other boxers on the trail (deniserows, AZJokester, PunkSoulBrother and leeandnancy). After a little chatting they informed me that a ranger had been inspecting my car in the parking lot and I might need to hurry back and check on it. So we parted ways and when Thomas and I arrived at the car there was a paper under the windshield wiper - the one in the photo. Now I am not one to point fingers and place blame but it seems mighty suspicious that these four boxers just happen to be in the parking lot at the same time as the ranger and that the ranger even knew that the car belonged to a letterboxer - I'm just saying - LOL! ;-)

We both were hot and tired so we decided a nice indoor letterbox would be good to find instead of outside in the heat. So we headed into downtown Tucson to Yikes! Toy Store. While I looked for the box Thomas shopped. I found the first box and stamped in. There was a clue in the first box for the second box. So I read that clue and walked around the store - it took me a few minutes to find the box, but once I did find the box I thought that the clue was very clever. So I stamped into that box and got the clue for the third box. This one was a little easier to find as I had been standing right next to the hiding spot while I stamped in. So with all of the stamping done and the boxes back in place it was time to head out. But Thomas had found a few things he wanted - so he paid and we asked the woman for a good restaurant in the area. (Oh, by the way, the owner of the toy store is a letterboxer and everyone at the store knows the boxes are there.) She sent us to Rocco's just down the street. This place had salads, pasta and pizza. We ended up having salad and pizza and lots of water. It was a nice way to end the day.

Thanks to Azroadie and Desert Flower for a great event and thanks to deniserows, AZJokester and Lee for making the day loads of fun.

A Lazy Boxng Day in Tucson Mountain Park

Well, I think yesterday really did us in. I thought since we had done so much hiking and were out for most of the day that we would have both slept like babies through the night. But we both seemed to have a restless night and ended up tossing and turning most of the night. I was even jolted awake at one point with charley horses in both calves at the same time. I sat bolt upright and screamed "Oooooowwwwww!" and woke Thomas up. It took me 15 to 20 minutes to massage the cramps away. So this morning we both ended up moving really slow and we didn't get down to breakfast until 8:30am and we didn't get on the road until 9:30am.

I had decided last night that we would spend the day in Tucson Mountain Park. So I had mapped out our route and we set off for the first area and boxes. We were going to look for a series of five boxes and one other box on some newer trails that are an extension of the Tucson Mountain Trails. We followed the driving directions and parked at the end of this road. We got out things and started to follow the clues. The first two or three sentences of the clues made sense but after that things just didn't seem right. We were suppose to come to about five or six trail junctions and make turns as well as meet up with a sign saying "Posted. Keep Out." After about 20 minutes of walking we had only encountered two junctions and no signs. For some reason it just didn't feel right so we ended turning back and heading to the car. I think we were both just really tired and didn't have the energy to really follow such detailed clues. Once we were back in the car we looked at other clues for the park and decided to head up Kinney Rd. to Old Tucson Studios. We parked and started following the clues and about half way to the box a group of four people were walking toward us. I recognized one of those people as deniserows. With her was a family that goes by the trail name of The Rats of the West. We talked for a short time and then The Rats of the West headed off and we invited deniserows to join us in finding a few boxes. Since she had just found the one here at the Studios I went and found the box (AZJokester's "You Son of a Motherless Goat") and stamped while she and Thomas chatted. Then we all piled into our car and headed off. The first stop we made was at the parking area K26. Thomas stayed at the car and read (he needed the break, I really pushed him yesterday) while deniserows and I went and found Azroadie's Geology 101: Shale letterbox. It was a short walk to the box with a lot of going around things to get there. Pretty much a quick and easy driveby. We returned to the car and drove the short distance to the K19 parking area. Again deniserows and I took short walk up a trail and then off trail and uphill to the box. Here we found Kristal and Ron's Coati Corner. We stamped and chatted and then returned back to the car. That was another quick and easy find. We then left Kinney Rd. and drove just a little ways down McCain Loop Rd. to the M8 parking area. We started down the trail and followed the clues (well, we kind of followed the clues) and we got to a spot after counting the number of steps and low and behold there were no saguaros. So we walked back and counted the steps again and still no saguaros. After rereading the clues (3 times for each of us) we finally realized we hadn't gone far enough. So we continued on and guess what - we found the box - Azroadie's Brown Mountain. Funny how that happend when you pay attention to the clues instead of just chatting away. So we stamped in, rehid the box and returned to the car. There was still one more box that both deniserows and I needed to find before we would part ways. So we headed to the G7 parking area on Gates Pass Rd. and we headed out while Thomas read in the car. You would have thought that we would have learned our lesson on the previous box, but you would be wrong. We continued to just chat away and ended up getting confused again and realized we had gone way too far. So we turned back and this time paid attention and easily found the box - Azroadie's Geology 101: Sandstone. Now that we had gotten all the boxes that we both needed it was time to go our separate ways. We drove deniserows back to her car at the studios and said goodbye - until tomorrow for the event.

It was about 2:30pm and even though deniserows had kind of boosted us with her energy we were still feeling pretty tired. We decided to try for five more boxes (two boxes and a series of three boxes) before calling it a day. We drove to the K16 parking area (because that is what the clues said) and we tried to follow the clues but they weren't making sense. As I read one of the clues it stated that the parking area was just across the street from the stop sign - but there was no stop sign at the K16 parking area. So we drove back to the stop sign and found the parking area across from it and that turned out to be K15 and the right parking area. So we hit the trail. First we found Baqash's Arizona Pug which was only about 50 yards from the trail sign. After that we took a short walk on the Cougar Trail to find angel1551us' C is for Cougar. Now time for the series. This was angel1551us' Gates Pass Trail series - with a walk of about 1.5 miles one way. So we found the first box and stamped in and rehid the box. Now I have a confession to make. While deniserows and I were finding another box she showed me where Box 2 of the series was placed so instead of walking the trail Thomas and I ended up driving to the parking area where I knew I could get to that box - so we cheated a little - we were tired, what can I say. So we parked and walked the shorter distance and found the box and stamped in. One more to go. We continued on the trail from here and found the landmark for Box 3 and followed the last bit of clue and found that box. While stamping in we discussed whether or not we wanted to try for two more boxes that were pretty short walks. We both decided it was time to call it a day. We got back to the car and headed back to the hotel. We did make one stop at the grocery store so I could get some things to contribute to the pot luck for tomorrow. We arrived at the hotel and decided to just have dinner at this Mexican Restaurant next door to the hotel. I had some great fajitas at Las Cazuelitas de Tucson. Once we were stuffed we walked back to the hotel and the first thing I did was take a nice, hot shower. I still feel tired but I did have enough energy to get this post done. Tomorrow is the event - I'll let you know how it goes.

A Day Driving and Letterboxing the Catalina Highway

Today was a day for us to sleep in. We didn't set alarms and decided to see what happened. We were up by 7:00am, got things ready, had some breakfast and were on the road by 8:15am. We left our hotel and headed for Mt. Lemmon and the Catalina Highway (aka Sky Island Scenic Byway). When we visited Tucson last year we made a couple of trips on the Catalina Highway and found many letterboxes. But there were a few that had eluded us (either for time reasons or we couldn't find them). So we had a list of nine boxes to look for and we decided to start at the beginning and work our way to the top and then have a leisurely drive back down. (It would have probably been better to drive all the way to the top and work our way down - oh well.)

Our first stop was the Soldier Trail. We scrambled our way the short distance to the area of the letterbox. I found the box easy enough and found a great place to sit and stamp while enjoying the views. The box we found here was Azroadie's Geology 101: Gneiss. So we got the stamp and a nice geology lesson - good times. Back on the road headed up our next stop was the Babad Do'ag Vista. We parked and walked the short distance to the trailhead. We hiked the Babad Do'ag Trail and found Kristal and Ron's Babad Do'ag letterbox. The views from this area were also wonderful. We stamped in and took in the scenery before heading back down to the car. Our next stop was a little ways past mile marker four at a little pullout separated from the road by a rock and dirt berm. We pulled in and started to follow the clues and immediately noticed tons of gun shells all over the place. And as we continued on we noticed broken skeet discs. We focused on finding the box and after a short scramble up a small hill we found it - Hez, Grumpy and Mona's Peek-a-Boo Bear. I stamped in and then replaced the box. When we returned to the car there was a man parked next to us standing at the side of his car with a shotgun. It kind of took me by surprise and we hurried into the car and out of there. I was glad he waited to start shooting until we left. Another .2 miles up the road brought us to the Molino Canyon Vista. A short walk on a level trail brought us to Rubaduc's From Australia to Arizona. We had to wait a few minutes until the area cleared (lots of muggles) to retrieve the box. I got to sit and stamp in while being serenaded by gunshots coming from the last place we had visited. The box was put back in place and we continued our scenic drive. The next place we stopped was the Molino Basin Campground. Last year we had looked for angel1551us' A Little Something by the Manzinita and didn't find it. We decided that since we were in the area we would give it another try. Well, we still couldn't find it - and we didn't really spend a lot of time looking for it. We just wanted to say we looked again. So time to continue our way to the top. The next stop was at the Gordon Hirabayashi Campground (Federal Prison Camp). Last year we hiked from the campground and found over ten letterboxes. This time we parked near the entrance and then crossed the Catalina Highway and walked up a service road, crossed a rock and dirt berm, followed a wash and climbed a short distance up a slope to an abandoned concrete reservoir that supplied the prison camp. Here we found Hez, Grumpy and Mona's Things Are Not Always As They Appear. A very fun stamp and after stamping in and replacing the box we headed back to the car. So everything we had done so far had only gotten us up to mile marker 7 and it is 29 miles to the top of Mt. Lemmon.

Between where we were and the top there were no boxes to find so we had a nice leisurely drive to the Mt. Lemmon Ski Valley and beyond. We had clues for three boxes at the top of the mountain. One was near the ski area and two were almost two miles higher. We decided to start with these. We found the parking area, got the necesssary supplies and read the clues for both boxes. They started on different trails but eventually you would end up on the same trail. So in the end we decided to take the Mt. Lemmon Trail #5 and look for Azroadie's Geology 101: Schist. We followed the trail, noting the landmarks and had no problem finding the box. We found a nice place to sit and enjoy the views while stamping in - and once we were done we reread the clues for the second box. We both agreed that if we continued the way we were going we would indeed be in the right place to find the box. So we continued up the trail. We found the intersection for the Meadow Trail #5 and the Mt. Lemmon Trail #5 with the trail marker and continued on - and on and on and on. It seemed like forever before we reached the large Arizona Trail sign with the trail marker for the Mt. Lemmon Trail #5 and the Sutherland Trail #6. From here we followed the clues and found the next landmark - a tripod formed by a gnarly tree, a fallen tree and a burnt fallen tree. I aligned myself with the fallen tree and Picacho Peak in the background and got the compass degree to match. And then I looked for the box - Kristal and Ron's Arizona Trail #5. Nothing. So Thomas went back to the trail markers and recounted our steps, we did the compass thing again and looked for the box again. Nothing. So we started searching every log and under all the rocks in the area. We never did find the box but I did find a small piece of plastic that looked like one of the rounded corners from a Lock & Lock. Not sure if that what was used for the box but that is what I found. So after about 25 minutes of searching and rechecking the clues we decided it was time to return to the car. The hike back to the car was harder as it was mostly all uphill. So we took our time and took frequent rest stops which gave us a chance to enjoy the beautiful views. By the time we reached the car we were wiped. But, and there always is a but, we had clues for one more box. So we drove down to the ski area parking and followed the clues for Azroadie's Mt. Lemmon Aspen. I found the first landmark but seemed to have trouble with the next two. But eventually arrived at what I thought was the right spot. I then took my compass directions and scrambled uphill to a fallen tree and then followed the next compass direction to a group of three aspens. I didn't find the box. By this time we were so tired and it was difficult managing the slope due to snow and ice still present and carrying all my letterboxing stuff that I decided to call it a day. So we didn't find this box and by the time we got to the car we had very little energy left. We estimated that we had probably walked between eight and ten miles today.

So we made the long drive down the mountain and got to watch the sun set and we were able to enjoy the views one last time today. As we reached the bottom of the mountain we decided to find somewhere to have dinner before returning to the hotel. We found a little cajun restaurant called Don's Bayou Cajun Cooking. Since I am from South Louisiana and pure cajun I find that anytime I encounter a restaurant outside the confines of Cajun Country in Louisiana I tend to be a real snob. And very seldom does any restaurant (not in South Louisiana) meet my standards. Don's was okay. The flavors were good but it just wasn't like home but we did enjoy our meal. Just so I am not being totally negative here are some restaurants that I have really enjoyed and do recommend - Jake's Famous Crawfish (Portland, OR), Boudreaux's Cajun Kitchen (Richardson, TX) and Heaven on Seven (Chicago, IL). Once we had eaten we stopped to get gas for the car and then headed for the hotel. Boy, are we tired. I took a nice, long, hot shower and am in my PJ's. I hope this post makes sense because I am wiped. Now to get some rest for tomorrow.

The Drive to Tucson

Thomas and I are in Tucson tonight and we are settled in the hotel after a pretty long day. A friend of ours, Louise, met us at our house early this morning and we were on the road at 6:00am. Louise tagged along with us so that she could get to Tucson to visit her mom. The first part of the drive was pretty uneventful. We made our first stop in Williamsburg at the Desert Haven Animal Refuge. We parked near the pet cemetery and headed out looking for Rainbow Bridge. I followed the clues, took my compass readings and did the triangulation. I seemed to be in the right place but didn't see the box. So then I started moving around and seeing if the degrees were right - but I kept ending up in the same place and still no box. So then I decided to head back to the beginning and start over and as I got back on the trail a man walking two dogs was coming around the curve of the trail. He asked if we were looking for a box. I said "Yes!" and he said "It's gone!". He told me that he walks everyday and knew about the box and that he checked on it one day and it was missing. Not sure if he knew that I was looking for a letterbox of if he was thinking of a geocache and I didn't think to ask until we were back at the car. So I decided to forget about that box and try to find a second box here called Reaching for Magic. This one was right were it was supposed to be and I found it quickly. I stamped in and then rehid the box and then I thought maybe I should look one more time for the first box but decided against it. I felt like I had been in the right place and I didn't see it. Maybe on the way home I can give it one more try. Time to get back on the road.

The plan was to get to Deming and find another box and then get some lunch. So we continued south on I25 until Hatch and then we took NM26 to Deming. Once in Deming we found the Dream Catcher RV Park and found the Dream Catcher letterbox. I took it back to the car to stamp in. This box was hidden in a magnetic key holder and I liked the way she cut the journal to fit perfectly in the bottom and then carved a small stamp to fit on top - it worked great. After I rehid the box we headed back into town and has a great lunch at Palma's Italian Grill. I had a wonderful bowl of spaghetti with marinara sauce and Italian sausage. After eating we filled the car with gas and got back on the interstate. There were no other boxes we wanted to find so we just drove on to Tucson.

We got into Tucson around 3:00pm and dropped Louise off at her mom's house. We were invited back for dinner at 5:30pm so we decided to get checked into the hotel (which is only about 10 minutes from Louise's mom). We freshened up and then we decided to do a little maintenance on a letterbox for a friend. Astro D got a note stating that her Saguaro Sunsets box was broken - well the latches for the lid were broken off. Since her letterbox wasn't too far from the hotel we figured we had enough time to go and change out the box and still get to dinner on time. So we drove to the box and I quickly found it and took it back to the car. I changed out the box with one that Astro D had given me and then walked back to rehide it. The box is now in a new box and is hidden well and waiting for many more finders and it is worth finding - a beautiful stamp in a great location.

We then went to meet Louise and her mom. We visited and had a little wine, then sat down to a meal of salad and shrimp fried rice. And for desert we had chocolate cake with mocha frosting and vanilla ice cream and coffee. It was a pleasant and relaxing evening. We are now settled in the hotel and ready for whatever tomorrow brings - see you then.