Touring Texas, Visiting Friends & Letterboxing

This trip will take me through Southwest Texas down to the Valley, then up through Central Texas from Houston to Dallas.
January 22 - February 5, 2008

Touring Texas Slide Show

I covered quite a bit of area on this trip and consequently I took quite a few pictures. It took me a long time to work my way through all the photos and pick the ones I liked the most. I also had to keep going over them to whittle them down to a manageable amount. I think I did a good job and finally got a slide show together. If you want to see it just click on the photo and I hope you enjoy.

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I was up early and ready for my journey back to Santa Fe. The trip has been amazing! I have seen a lot of Texas, visited two good friends and did a whole lot of letterboxing. But as I always say when a trip comes to an end - "It sure is good to be back home."

My last blog was on Friday when I did a little letterboxing and sightseeing in Dallas while Eddie was at work. Eddie and I did a bunch of things on Saturday and Sunday. Both days we slept in and didn't leave the house until around 10:00am. Saturday we went to the Highland Park area and we found a small park with these huge teddy bears. They were really nice. From there we headed to the Nasher Sculpture Center and enjoyed walking around the place - there were some neat sculptures and some very weird scupltures. Now that we were done with culture we headed to McKinney Avenue and did a little shopping. Our last stop of the day was Victory Park and the West End. Dallas had its own version of Mardi Gras on Saturday night - it was called MystiQal. They had booths set up and they were selling masks and beads. They also had boiled crawfish, hurricanes and beignets. After walking around Victory Park for a while we headed to the West End and had dinner at Landry's. Eddie and I were both hungry for seafood. I had crawfish etouffe and fried crawfish and Eddie had fried shrimp. It was all really good. After eating we headed back to Victory Park for the Mardi Gras parade. It was nice but nothing like New Orleans - I guess I am a bit biased when it come to what makes a great Mardi Gras parade. Once the parade was done we headed home for the night.

Sunday we had a late breakfast and then headed out to the Dallas Arboretum. We spent two to three hours walking around.The weather was perfect. There were quite a few plants in bloom and it made for a very enjoyable and relaxing walk. We sat out in an open area that overlooked White Rock Lake and watched sailboats going by. Now I was ready for some ice cream and I wanted to go to my favorite ice cream place of all time - Marble Slab Creamery. I had my usual of Sweet Cream Ice Cream with mixings of butterfingers in a waffle cone - yum! Once full we headed home and watched the Super Bowl. I also took some time to get my things together so I would be ready to leave in the morning.

This morning I left Dallas early so I would beat the rush hour traffic - and I was glad - I got through Dallas and Denton in record time. But by the time I reached Decatur a heavy fog settled in. I decided to slow things down and take my time - better safe than sorry. The fog last all the way to Wichita Falls. And unfortunately just before Wichita Falls the police were out and had closed one of the lanes. I originally thought that they did this to slow people down in the fog - but I soon saw the reason - an accident. It was a single car accident, I read just a few minutes ago that the drive lost control, went into the median and hit a light post, he was ejected from the car and he didn't make it. We we passed the accident the truck looked pretty bad and I thought I saw a body bag next to the truck but I wasn't sure. But since I read that the man didn't make it - I guess I saw correctly. Luckily, the fog cleared just as I got into Wichita Falls and the drive home from there was really nice. There was very little traffic the whole way, even I40 in New Mexico wasn't its usual congestion of 18 wheelers. I was home for about half an hour and then the snow started. It has been snowing steadily ever since. I feel lucky to have made it home before the storm started.

I should also mention that I did do a little letterboxing on the way home. I first stopped in Denton at the hospital and found one box, I did try for another box near a hotel but it was still dark and I was unable to find the landmarks. There were three boxes in Amarillo that I wanted to get - one was an easy drive by at a rest area, one was at a roadside attraction and the third was at the Helium Monument. I was able to get them all. My last stop for a letterbox was in Vega, Texas at a small cemetery and I was able to find that one without a problem So I grabbed five boxes on the way home - not too bad.

And if you are wondering what the title of this post means - - - that is how many miles I logged on this trip.

A Day in Dallas

My friend Eddie had to work today so I was on my own in Dallas for the day. I got a slow start - I had coffee and watched the news. Around 10:00am I left to go to a cemetery to find two letterboxes. One was from Boots Tex (part of the Texas Governors Series) and the other was a Puddle-Splasher box called The Mick. Both boxes were easy finds and very well done. After finishing with the boxes I enjoyed walking around the cemetery. I took some pictures and just walked. The cemetery was huge. And very peaceful.

By the time I was done at the cemetery I was getting hungry. It dawned on me that I hadn't eaten breakfast, I only had coffee. I set out to find a place to eat. There was a strip mall not far from the cemetery so I headed there. It was a lucky find - there was a Panera Bread. I had a great lunch - French Onion Soup and a 1/2 sandwich of turkey, bacon and gouda cheese. Sufficiently satiated I decided to head to White Rock Lake to do a little walking around the lake and to take some pictures. Yesterday when I was there I saw a ton of birds so I figured that I could get some good pictures. I spent about an hour and a half just wandering around. I have to say that it was such a relaxing day.

I'm back at Eddie's and he is home for work. We are cooking dinner and staying in for the evening. Tomorrow will be a busy day - there is a Mardi Gras celebration here in Dallas and we are planning to be there - it is the closest we will get to New Orleans.

Driving to Dallas

Another cloudy morning with the promise of lots of rain as I began my day in Houston. After getting the car loaded and filling my mug with coffee I headed back to Mercer Arboretum. I thought I could get a couple more boxes before the rain started. I managed to find one more box and make it back to the car before the heavens opened up. At this point I started my journey north. I drove to Conroe in a downpour and the windshield wipers were going full blast. Slowly the downpour eased to a light rain and by the time I reached Huntsville the rain had stopped completely. I was still skeptical about seeing any sunshine today.But I stopped in Huntsville anyway to seek out a couple of boxes. I stopped at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum first and looked for two boxes. I was only expecting to find one box because one had been reported as missing. It turned out that I didn't find any. So I then went to the cemetery where Sam Houston is buried and I did find Raven, Texas Governors Series by Boots Tex. I ended up spending about an hour and a half in Huntsville, learned a lot about Sam Houston and even saw a little sunshine.

Once I was back on I45 I decided that I wouldn't make any more stops until I reached Dallas. Just 15 minutes out of Huntsville the clouds disappeared and the sun was shining brightly. I thought about stopping in Corsicana, Waxahachie and Ennis - but decided just to go straight to Dallas. The main reason for coming to Dallas is to visit my friend, Eddie. I arrived in Dallas a little early and Eddie was still at work. So I made my way to White Rock Lake to check on my Lady of the Lake box. The box is still there and has had many visitors, the logbook only has a few more pages left. I decided that when I return home I will make a new one and replace it when Astro D and I return to Texas for the TX Treasures LB Event in March. After checking on my box I walked for a little while by the lake and took some pictures. But that didn't last long. It was really cold there by the water and the wind was really blowing. I got back in the car and my phone was ringing - Eddie was home, so off I went to meet him. We spent the evening talking and eating Gumbo - what could be better on a cold winter evening.

A Day That Ended in Murder

I woke up tired this morning so I decided to take it a little slower than yesterday. When I finally got showered and dressed I headed down to the hotel lobby for some breakfast and a whole lot of coffee. While I ate I went over all the clues I had and decided what I really wanted to do. Once I had figured things out I loaded the car, checked out of the hotel and headed for my first stop. I went to the 11th Street Nature Preserve to look for a couple of boxes placed by dewberry - one I found and the other she had removed the day before to send back to the owner. I am going to be a little vague about the next places I went to because some of the boxes I found today were mysteries and I wouldn't want to give anything away. I did have a great time walking around the places I went to. I saw a swampy area and I passed trees with spanish moss on them - I was beginning to feel nostalgic. I sat at a viewing area and just had flashbacks of growing up in southern Louisiana. It was a wonderfully relaxing 15 minutes. I also found some incredible boxes. The clues were mysteries and I thought that they were cleverly done. And when I found the boxes I also thought that the stamps were also nicely done. I even walked through mud and water to find these boxes. I found all the boxes on my list and decided it was time to head out of Houston. I actually didn't really get all that far. I ended up in Spring. I arrived at Mercer Arboretum with clues for a series placed by The Texians and a WOM box that dewberry had sent me. I parked and then went to the pavillion to read over the clues for the dewberry box - Pas de Deux/It Takes Two. With the clues in my head I headed down the trail and found the box quickly. After stamping in and rehiding the box I returned to the car and made my way to the next pavillion. Again I sat at the pavillion and read over the clues so that I could have some idea of what I was doing. I made my way along the trails searching for the boxes and rereading the clues along the way. I found all the boxes except one - I even went back once I had finished the series - I hope it was me and not the box being missing. Once I finished the series I sat at the Cypress Swamp and thought about Louisiana. I cannot tell you how incredible this series was. Murder at the Arboretum was a complete package: the story, the clues, the stamps, the logbooks and the hiding spots. It was just so well done. And ending the day with Murder turned out to be a good thing.

Memorial Park

Today's blog is going to be short and sweet, mainly because I didn't do very much. I woke up, had breakfast and then went to Memorial Park. I hiked the Mountain Bike Trails and looked for letterboxes. I think I covered all the trails in that area. Some were tricky to navigate with all the rain that Houston has had in the last week but it was okay. I even took about an hour to just hike a couple of the trails without looking for any letterboxes and of course I found one. I was searching for a blue birdhouse (you can ask dewberry about that one - Stop and Look!). While doing this I stumbled across a large glass geocache. I was sitting on the log where the geocache was hidden and I happened to look to the side. I noticed a little raised area between the log and a tree. So I checked it out. And there was a letterbox - much to my surprise - is this what it is like in Dartmoor. By the way - I never found the birdhouse.

I found twenty letterboxes today between 8:30am and 3:30pm. All of them were amazing! I would like to thank dewberry, Astro D, Wills World, Lone Star Quilter & BootsTEX, Bailey's Bunch, SandiBox and TeamKing for all the boxes I found today. Houston really has a large variety of boxers and boxes. I am having a blast.

Houston (Without Fog or Rain)

When I left McAllen it was still dark but there wasn't a cloud in the sky. I was so glad not to be in rain or fog. Now maybe I could get in a good day of letterboxing. I drove for a couple of hours before I arrive at my first stop. That stop was Evergreen Cemetery in Skidmore, TX. I found four boxes in the cemetery and enjoyed my early morning walk in such a peaceful environment. The cemetery wasn't the most interesting or the oldest that I have visited but it was still a nice stop. I left Skidmore and headed for Beesville just down the road. I stopped at another cemetery here - it was also called Evergreen Cemetery. I was disappointed because this is the oldest cemetery in Beesville but it was locked and you couldn't get in. The letterbox I found was planted outside the cemetery - which didn't make it as interesting. After logging in and rehiding the box I decided to head to Veteran's Memorial Park (even though the box listed there was reported missing). I went to the area where the box was supposed to be, I looked for it, I didn't find it. But it was still good - I walked around and took pictures of some very gnarly oak trees in the area. Okay, enough of that - I need to get to Houston and I still want to stop a couple more times.

Leaving Veteran's Memorial Park I kind of got turned around and I had to stop and ask directions to Hwy 59. Once there I headed for Goliad. There were a few boxes listed in Goliad State Park. When I arrived I went to the visitors center and paid the entrance fees and made a stop at the Mission Espiritu Santo. I walked around the building and walked through the Chapel. I also took quite a few pictures. After that I headed for the Nature Trail to look for some boxes. I found three and I think two were missing. Not really sure at this point. I returned to the Mission and took a few more pictures and then left the park. As I was driving down 59 I debated whether or not to stop in Victoria. Once there I saw a sign for Riverside Park and I had a couple of clues for boxes in this park. So I turned and headed for the park. I quickly found the areas for both boxes. I decided to go to the Duck Pond first. I followed the clues but couldn't find the box - missing?!?!? - I don't know - just couldn't find it. I left there and headed for the next location. I followed the clues but couldn't find the box - missing?!?!? - I don't know - just couldn't find it. Well, I came, I followed clues, I didn't find. I took my losses and now headed straight for Houston.

My plan for Houston was to check into the hotel and rest. But I got to Houston early and the hotel is just two blocks from Memorial Park. After checking in I went to the Houston Arboretum. I had clues for four boxes there. Evidently there is a rule that when I am planning to visit Houston and try and do some letterboxing and hiking it has to rain the week before so that the trails are soggy. Today the rule applied. But it wasn't all bad. I was able to navigate around the arboretum and find four great boxes. The boxes were planted by: dewberry, Baby Bear and Lucy Locket (the stamp for this box was carved by Mama Cache). Even though it was a little muddy in places I still enjoyed myself. Once done at the Arboretum I still had time so I headed to the picnic area and was able to find two more boxes before calling it quits for today.

It was really humid this afternoon and by the time I finished walking around the park I was soaking wet. My first priority when I arrived at the hotel was to shower. The second was to go downstairs and have a drink. The hotel has a happy hour with free drinks and snacks. So I spent an hour there and had two drinks, a few snacks and looked over clues for tomorrow. It was so relaxing - just what I needed after a long day of driving and letterboxing. Tomorrow I will spend the day back at Memorial Park.

McAllen and Nuevo Progreso

I arrived in McAllen on Thursday night in a light rain and I hoped that the weekend would be a little drier. On Friday morning we slept in and began our day at about 10:00am. Our first stop was to be the McAllen Nature Center to find one of Silver Eagle's microboxes. It would seem that my letterboxing is on the fritz for this trip. The Nature Center is closed for construction. With that option no longer available the weekend would be all about visiting with my friend Regina. So we ran errands, went out to lunch, did a little shopping and just talked a lot. Friday turned out to be quite relaxing and even though it was a little cloudy - a very nice day.

Saturday morning Regina and I attend a crafts fair in the morning where Regina was selling frames that she has been decorating. It wasn't the best or most exciting crafts fair I have ever seen. It was in a place where there are all these retirees that move to Texas for the winter. Very few of them actually bought anything - I think that is was more of a social occasion for them. By 11:30am things at the fair fizzled out and we left. We had some lunch, did one errand and returned home for a little rest. Later we went to Barnes & Nobles for a coffee and to look for books. We returned home and just relaxed, watched TV and talked for the evening.

Today we went over the border to Nuevo Progreso with one of Regina's friends. We parked on this side and walked over the bridge. We shopped, ate, people watched and then ate some more. There were lots of colorful things but there was also the dullness of all the dirty and run down buildings. It was also a little sad to see all the young children running around the town selling things and begging for money. It seemed to me that they weren't able to enjoy their childhood. Even with that we enjoyed our day just walking and talking and shopping. We are back at Regina's just relaxing and gettign dinner ready. Tomorrow morning I head for Houston.

The Valley

I woke up this morning with the hope that today would be better both weather-wise and letterboxing-wise. But when I looked out the hotel room window all I saw was wet. It had rained during the night and it was still drizzling when I woke up. So I packed up everything and loaded the car. I then went to the hotel lobby and had a quick breakfast. By the time I was ready to head out the rain had stopped and it wasn't long before the sun peeked out from behind the clouds and I swear there was a little blue present as well. Unfortunately, the letterboxing aspect wasn't starting off as well. The first two boxes I searched for I couldn't find. I hope that they were missing because if they weren't that means that my letterboxing skills are quite wonky at this point. Finally the third box I looked for I found and the fourth box I looked for I also found. Okay now things are going better. So far I was 2 for 4 for letterboxing. I left Floresville and headed to Elmendorf. I found a quick drive by box and then headed for a cemetery to find one last box before heading into the valley. When I arrived at the cemetery I read the clues and found the box easily. Of course the cemetery was really small and there wasn't a lot of area to search. I really liked this cemetery - it was very peaceful and quiet. It was also a very casual cemetery - not all manicured. As I was leaving the cemetery there was actually a break in the clouds and I did see blue sky.

My next stop was in Pleasanton. There was a box there and to get the clues you had to write the placer due to the fact that this was an adult themed box. I'm really glad I wrote and got the clues because the stamp is excellent - a fantastic carve. Heading south my plan was to stop in Three Rivers, Calliham, Alice, Falfurrias and Edinburg before arriving in McAllen. First stop - Three Rivers at Tips State Park - unable to find the box (now 5 for 8). So I drove to Calliham feeling a little bummed (one because I was having trouble finding boxes and two because it was ashamed that so many boxes seemed to be missing). I arrived at Choke Canyon State Park - Calliham Unit, paid the entrance fees and headed for the area where there should be two boxes. I found the trail head and started looking for the landmarks. I was unable to find either of the boxes. And by this time all the blue had drained out of the sky and it was completely clouded over and it was starting to rain - again! I drove through the park and found the next trail for one last box. I hiked the short trail in a light drizzle and surprisingly I found the box (now 6 for 11). I left the park and the rain began to fall harder. It rained on and off until I reached Alice. I stopped just south of Alice at a picnic area to look for another box - you guessed it - I couldn't find it. On to Falfurrias - this time a rest area - again I couldn't find the box (now 6 for 13) and it was raining harder. My original plan involved two more stops for boxes - my new plan was to drive straight to my friend Regina's place. I decided to call it a day for letterboxing.

I arrived at Regina's in a light rain and quickly unloaded the car. We decided to stay in tonight and avoid the weather. We talked, then ate dinner, then talked some more. In between talking I worked on my blogs. Here it is midnight and I am just finishing - thanks goodness I can sleep in tomorrow.

Texas Hill Country (Without the Hills)

Okay, where do I start - OH! that's right - exactly where I left off last night - IN THE FOG! I woke up this morning with the temperatures hovering in the 20's and a dense fog covering - well everything. My plans were to hike Enchanted Rock and to also visit Cross Mountain. Then head to Johnson City to hike in Pedernales Falls State Park. I first drove to the parking area and hiked to the Cross and found the Cross Mountain letterbox. By the time I returned to the car I was freezing. So I cranked up the heat and headed for Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. The drive was pretty boring - I couldn't see anything - but I did get a great picture of a tree (go to my As I See It blog). Once at the park I went in to the visitor's center and talked to a ranger. She told me to have a nice hike to the summit but to be careful - yesterday they had a few people get lost in the fog. My intention was to hike to the summit for a couple of letterboxes (especially since I could forget about seeing any kind of view). Unforutnately I left Enchanted Rock box-less. Now, I consider myself a pretty good letterboxer. I occasionally I have trouble finding boxes and have to try a second or third time - but today I am blaming it on the fog. I had a hard time following the trail and also locating landmarks. So I counted this one as exercise! I did have a hard time getting back down to the visitor's center - thankfully I had my compass and used it to orient myself. The hike itself was pretty intense (425' elevation in a half mile), I returned to the car pretty sweaty but I also realized that the humidity wasn't helping. I had to get a towel and dry my hair - it was like I just got out of the shower.

My plan was to head to Pedernales Falls State Park but I decided that since I really couldn't enjoy the hikes with the fog I would leave this for another visit. I still drove to Johnson City, but I stopped along the way. My first stop was the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. They have tours and films to watch which I decided would take me too long since I wanted to get to San Antonio at a decent hour. So I opted for a drive around the park and a short hike. I saw the Texas White House and a farm that represented what life would have been like when LBJ was a boy. I also saw buffalo - I am always amazed at how big these animals are. My next stop was the Benini Sculpture Ranch. It was a five mile drive off of US290 on a small road in the fog - but so worth it. I got to visit with Benini himself and he escorted me into his gallery and explained the evolution of his art. He then left me alone in the gallery to look over all the art. This was a nice change from the outdoor weather. I really enjoyed most of his stuff - there were a few things that I didn't like but they were still interesting. Then I went out on a hike to find a letterbox hidden on the grounds. There were sculptures everywhere. It is a great place and on my to do again list - when it is better weather. My last stop in Johnson City was the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. (I know I mentioned it earlier and NO I am not having an Old Timer's Moment.) This park is everywhere! This one is actually in Johnson City. I hiked a short trail and found Johnson Windmill letterbox and saw the Johnson Settlement (here there are buildings that were once owned by someone in LBJ's family).

Time to head to San Antonio, but I wanted to make one last stop on the way there. Luckenbach! What can I say - I was so close, and then there is the song, and a letterbox! So I had a tourist breakdown. But you know what - I had a great time. It was so peaceful and laid back. I walked around the place, took pictures and found the letterbox. Then I visited the post office, bought a few postcards and looked at all the pictures of celebrities hanging everywhere. I decided to take a break from the driving and I had a beer in the bar and read the Luckenback Moon. I also got to see them fixing up the dance hall for a blues fest they are having this weekend. I am so glad I took this detour to Luckenbach - even if it is a tourist trap.

I am now in Floresville, TX just south of San Antonio. I am heading to McAllen tomorrow and decided that it would be nice to be out of the big city and avoid any traffic in the morning. I really had a nice day but would have enjoyed actually seeing the hills in Hill Country - oh well I will have to return another time.

Fredericksburg or Bust!

When I left Santa Fe this morning it was cold and when I arrived in Fredericksburg it was STILL cold. The day was completely overcast and very cold - which made it very hard to stop and take pictures and to look for letterboxes. From Santa Fe to Roswell was an uneventful drive. I made my way to Cahoon Park in Roswell to look for three boxes (well actually two - one was reported missing). I found none. I hope I was in the right place, and if I was in the right place then that means that all three are missing. I was a little disappointed. So I got back in the car and headed for Odessa. There were six boxes on my list - one said it may be missing - I decided not to even check due to time constraints. The drive from Roswell to Odessa was flat and full of oil pumps and pretty much nothing else. When I finally arrived in Odessa my first stop was the Comanche Trail Park. I started my walk and passed a small playground that was flanked on its corners by concrete animals. One of them was a lion - of course I had to take a picture. That picture ended up on my As I See It blog. I found two boxes by Lone Star Quilter and BootsTex on this trail. I enjoyed my walk, but it would have been better if it wasn't so cold. Then I headed to the University of Texas of the Permian Basin for two more Quilter/Boots boxes. One was placed not far from a replica of Stonehenge and the other was placed near the first Texas home of President George Bush and Barbara Bush. All in all it was a nice tour of the campus. After finding these four boxes I looked at my watch and decided I had better get back on the road if I was to make it to Fredericksburg before it got too late. From Odessa I made my way down to I10 (mainly because that was the fastest way - 80mph - WooHoo!) and drove without a problem to the exit for US290. At this point it was getting dark and a thick fog set in. This slowed me down quite a bit. At times the fog was so bad that I had to slow down to 30mph. I would have loved to do this drive during the day - I had the distinct feeling that it is a beautiful drive. Unfortunately with the dark and the fog I had a creepy feeling for most of the way. But I arrived safely and without incident. I am sufficiently wiped out. I am going to get a good night's sleep and hopefully I will be able to do a little letterboxing in the Hill Country.