T.A.L.E. 8 - A Day of Fun

The event this morning doesn't start until 10:00am but I am usually up early and today was no exception. So I gathered my letterboxing things along with a few clues that I already had and put them in my car. I then went back into the hotel and had some breakfast. The morning was cold and overcast and I was hoping that it would clear up soon. After eating I drove to the park, paid my entry fee and parked near the entrance. I took a trail here and in a matter of minutes I had found one of Gryzzled Gryphons boxes. I was the first finder and I took my time stamping in since I had plenty of time before the event. Once the box was back in place I decided to just take a little walk on this trail before heading to the next box. As I was walking I passed a ten foot high stump off the trail on my right with the top part of the tree laying on the ground nearby. The stump was large and very distinctive and I thought - "There is probably a box there." so I walked over to it and bingo - I found a box. So I stamped in and again I was the first finder. I then thumbed through the logbook and found a bonus clue at the back. After rehiding this box I went and found the bonus box. After all this I decided to head back to the car and drive to the back of the park to get another box that I had the clues for. This box was hidden at a picnic area and once I had found the box I sat at one of the picnic tables and stamped in. It was still cold and still very overcast and I felt that it was probably going to rain any time. After stamping in I decided to go through my checklist for the events - people I needed to meet and personal travelers I needed to get. Then I put the box back in place and as I was heading back to the car it started to rain and then pea-sized hail started coming down. So I ran to the car for cover.

It was still early (about 9:00am) and when I arrived at the pavilion there wasn't anyone there and it was raining even harder. I decided to just sit in the car and used my phone to log on to AQ to check for any new travelers while I waited. Eventually a few people showed up (Silver Eagle, Baby Bear and Open Space) to set up. So I got my things and went in to help them get things ready. And before I knew it the place was packed and the stamping had begun. It rained most of the morning and started to clear up by lunch time. I spent the morning talking to old friends and making new ones, getting exchanges and personal travelers. I took a short break to grab a bite to eat and then Silver Eagle and Baby Bear started the raffle. They had a raffle this year to help off set the cost of the event. I ended up winning a prize and I think everyone enjoyed the raffle. Once the raffle was done they wanted a group picture so we went outside (the sun was now out and the rain was gone) and took the picture. Back inside I grabbed all the clues and sat down with a map of the park and marked the map. And then I hit the trails. Of course with the number of attendees we were constantly bumping into people on the trails and that was part of the fun. Boxes were hidden on every trail in the park so by the end of the day I had walked every inch of trails in the park. When I had found the last box I returned to the pavilion. There were only a handful of people there - I guessed that the others were still on the trail. So I got two more exchanges and then decided to call it a day at the park. There was one more box on a trail that was on the other side of the dam and you had to drive to another area of the park just a little ways down the road. So on my way back to the hotel I stopped and walked that trail and got that box. At the end of the day I had gotten 14 exchanges, 23 travelers, 2 hitchhikers and 19 letterboxes. But the best part was hanging out with all the great letterboxers in Texas - they are such a friendly group and it is impossible to attend a Texas gathering and not have a good time.

I arrived back at the hotel and the excitement of the day had faded and fatigue was setting in. But I am managing getting a few things done but I need my rest as I leave in the morning to head to Dallas to visit a friend.