More Skitchin

The boys wanted more skitchin time so we headed to another spot. While there we checked out the great blue heron.

Unplugged

The wind died down and the temperature wasn't quite as challenging so I packed up the group and headed out of doors for some unplugged time. We took a nice hike around Lake Redman/Williams. Surprisingly, I didn't have any arguments about the hike which pleased me very much. The adventure was great but it was no wonder we weren't prepared enough. TTFN.

P. S. Does anyone know why they are (still) clear-cutting at Lake Redman?

Skitchin

Our first stop today brought us to Lake Redman (or was it Lake Williams - I never can quite tell where one starts and the other stops). It was appropriate that we brought the button since we were visiting all the dogs I've ever loved. I stamped in with one eye on the ice. It seemed pretty solid but I definitely didn't feel like saving anyone's life today.

There were some silver bells waiting for me in the box. I was so pleased for this Christmas goodie. So appropriate.

Setting Sun on Forest Beach

The perfect end to a great day was a stroll at Forest Beach as the sun started to set. So long Cape Cod. Hope to see you again soon!

Nothing to Crow(e) about at Quivet

Came up short again in Quivet. But it was a beautiful spot nonetheless.

Mermaid Princess

Our next stop was to a mermaid's birthday party. The beach was pretty enough for a princess.

Mayflower Beach

The views from Mayflower Beach were absolutely breathtaking. It was cool to see the Pilgrim monument in the distance. The Kraken was quite outstanding as well. A highlight of the day.

Wppailpaz

When we went to find the lehawpaz skkzlaygan, everything matched up perfectly with one exception. We couldn't find the happanxkt. I hope it was just "finder error."

Hallowed Ground

We were fascinated to learn about the untimely demise of some native Americans. It is a very cool spot and I was really glad the adventure brought me here.

P-town Adventure

After a very fun afternoon of shopping in Provincetown, we tried to nab the Caped Cod on our way out of town. It was dusk but we found the spot with very little trouble. Unfortunately, where it should have been there was a lot of construction and the box was missing. Still fun, though. P-town is ALWAYS an adventure!

Refreshed Evidence

Finally, I was able to get back to the rail trail today and replace the Evidence. I pulled it for maintenance back in June. It was wet inside and the logbook was full. I intended on replacing it the same week I pulled it but alas, real life set in. I was delayed a few weeks, went on vacation, then sprained my knee and have had a long recovery. I am pleased to say that it is, once again, back in place.

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Holy Ore Mine, Batman...

It was such a beautiful day we just had to get out. We brought the button and our noxer neighbors and headed out for a hike. I had messages from recent finders that some landmarks I was using had been vandalized and were missing. I updated everything and fixed the clues so hopefully now it won't be so challenging.





It was a fantastic day to be alive!

Boxtoberfest

Better late than never, TNT and I attended Boxtoberfest in Titusville, NJ. Even with as late as we were, we actually got to meet a few new folks. As it turns out, two people I met were from my home town. Funny I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to New Jersey to meet them when they probably live within a few miles of me. Anyway, shout out to Blue Delft and idlemoon. I enjoyed putting faces with your trail names and if you ever need a local letterboxing buddy, please call on me. Much to my chagrin, my usual buddies have discovered other interests so I don't get out as much as I used to.

I also met Hikers and Hounds' new member, Casey. She seemed to be settling in well with her new pack.

I was finally pleased to meet Otis' Friends since I have been one step behind him on many trails, stamping into boxes just hours after him. It was great to finally "catch up" to him.


Lotus and Celtic Cat hosted a wonderful day complete with some wonderful new stamps and boxes. I was disappointed that TNT and I were so late that we weren't able to find many. With a sprained knee, I didn't push it but instead meandered while TNT tried to catch frogs in the creek.
I sure would love to get back to this park again soon. Besides, I need to replace the leaking and cracked box for Eman's Merlin. If any of you readers are headed in that direction and are willing to replace the box for me, I'd appreciate it greatly. I can even send you a box in advance, or reimburse you, if you let me know. Thanks.

An Unexpected Stroll

Our weather at the Cape had been the best ever! I think it rained one night and was sunny and beautiful every day. Everyone was tiring of the beach so I suggested a walk at Monomoy. It is one of my favorite spots on the Cape. The group wasn't too motivated for walking but after the hike was over almost every one of them commented that they enjoyed it. I loved it because I got to check on what is probably my most favorite of all of my boxes, Coyote.



I also wanted to check in on another great box, a mystery box in this same area, but unfortunately I didn't find it this time. Too bad, it was really outstanding.



I was also going to look in on one of Eman's Sea Creatures but the poison ivy was so thick, I decided to take a pass.

Would the Real Lee Baldwin Please Stand Up

When I was trying to figure out how to get to a certain mystery box, my research told me there are two Lee Baldwin trails. According to a certain Cape local, I am told there are four! Who is this Lee Baldwin?

Kent's Point

I had passed by the street sign pointing to Kent's Point hundreds of times. I finally decided to explore it. It is in the area of where I wanted to plant something and although the theme might not make sense to others, to me it does. I've passed by here so many times on my way to Nauset Beach and the "school" on Main Street that it just seemed appropriate.

Have Sig Stamp Will Travel

It probably has been close to ten years since I've hiked at the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History. I didn't even know letterboxing existed back then. I remember one hike in particular, I was there with my two oldest boys and my nieces. The younger of the two boys was old enough to hike a bit of a distance but young enough that he'd need to be carried when he pitched a fit and decided he couldn't walk any further. He is a Taurus after all. Anyway, my recollection of the hike is that it was very long and tiring so I put off my return to Wing Island. Today, finding myself with much, much less baggage, I decided it was time to look for the bird on a Wing. What a fantastic hike it was. I can't believe I waited this long to return. Definitely will remember this one as one of my Cape faves.

A Challenging Day We'll Never Forget

Cubed and I started our day or, shall I say, attempted to start our day at a place we thought we'd Never Forget. Some things had changed in the directions to get to the sandy pull-off starting point so after a good while of trying to find it we bailed out and headed to meet Alex and Friends. It took us a little bit of doing to figure out where to start here too but after some false starts, we finally got things to match up. We enjoyed the nice walk around the pond but unfortunately, we didn't see Alex or his friends. By this time we were hoping our luck would turn around and it did! T1 of the Travelers 4 answered my plea for help (Thanks T1!) with more details on the starting point that we'd Never Forget. We were so happy to circle back and find the right place. We thought for sure things would get easier but then we struggled again. We knew we were in the right place but the clues weren't matching up. We tried and tried, entertained ourselves with the tiny little toads hopping all around, then decided to give up. Just then we saw what we were looking for and we were off on the adventure. Cubed and I both agreed that there is something so satisfying about completing a challenge and seeing it though. I think it is safe to say that this is one we'll Never Forget!

Pah Wah

I've been eyeballing this place, since it is nearby and will be relatively easy to maintain, so finally I got over there and planted. It is a nice little park.

Song Sparrow

Hydeez Mom and I flew over to find Song Sparrow. It was a great walk by one of our favorite ponds.

No Time to Say Hello, Goodbye

We found a fantastic little box not too far away. It is in a community park that is quite nice, nicer than most I've seen. I was pleased to see the exceptional carving. Also in this park was a fun driveby and a "buoy" from the library service. We thoroughly enjoyed the length of the walk since it was extremely hazy hot and humid! A perfect adventure for a hot summer day.

Sea Skull Mystery

Hydeez Mom came along and we headed over to the Caped Coder's newest hide. At first we missed the little marker but I knew about where it was so we retraced our steps and found it. While admiring the swans on the pond something weird seemed to surface from the water all around them. It was like all at once a huge school of fish came up for a breath of air and actually forced several inches of their bodies up above the water line then all at once they submerged. This happened over and over again. We couldn't figure out what it was. And they seemed to move too, not always coming up for the "breath" in the exact place. It couldn't be birds because they seemed to be living in the water, although they appeared to be diving down under the water like birds. Were they toads or bullfrogs of some kind? Were they just lilly pads that the wind was blowing around? It wasn't a particularly windy day and it seemed to happen even when the wind didn't seem to be blowing. I took a picture of it but the shot doesn't do it justice. It really was an odd sight. Let me know if you have any ideas what it might be.


Once we stopped gawking at this mystery, I was elected to hike up the hill off the path to retrieve the box and on my way I had to do some high stepping over a snake! Eeeeeeeek!

Small World

HydeezMom had never been to the watershed before so we headed over to find some Pacific Northwest Natives (in the Atlantic Northeast). Seems someone had been there before us that same morning - someone from the Mid-Atlantic like us. Funny that we have to go so far to follow in the path of someone from our neck of the woods. Go figure.

50 State Challenge

Back in January of 2008 I set free one of my most favorite hitch hikers. I put a twist on it, challenging finders to help it make its way to all 50 states. I released it in Pennsylvania and it quickly made its way to Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. Someone dropped me a note telling me they were taking it to Barbados. Perhaps they changed their mind when they realized that Barbados isn't one of the 50, or maybe they did take it and it quickly made its way back to the states.

After the east coast, the hitch hiker turned up in Arizona. But then I didn't hear from it for a while, until today, I got a note from Tater Sue that she found it near Yellowstone in Mammoth, Wyoming - one of my most favorite places on the earth! I am so excited that my HH has visited this beautiful! I can't wait to see where it turns up next!

Extinct Pengy

I had received a message or two that trouble was afoot at my Pengy box at Reservoir Park in York. There was a rumbling about a geocache that was close. Today I decided to get the ankle biters out of the house and enjoy the beautiful day while checking on Pengy myself. Unfortunately, it looks as if Pengy has become a victim to a very closely planted geocache. In fact, the cache is an easy 10 steps away. Cachers had logged into the Pengy box, perhaps one even took my stamp since it is now missing along with the top to the box. I have decided to pull this box, at least temporarily, until I can regroup. Pengy enjoyed his spot for about 3 years. I guess that's not too bad for the life of a penguin in the mid-atlantic region.

Aye!

While in town, I checked on my Pond Pirate. He is doing well, resting in between battles.

Fairy Dust

The Caped Coder, Hydeez Mom, and I set out to Rock N Roll in the place where the fairies used to reside. Another great, great park. Love this one too! We had a lovely hike and really enjoyed the views of Pleasant Bay from the lookout. It was great fun to letterbox with these two. Let's do it again soon!

Ahoy There!

Hydeez Mom and I snuck away for a great hike on the beach to find Mouse Ahoy. We found the spot but no letterbox, unfortunately. But it was a beautiful walk in a part of Chatham that I have never been.

Mr. Hamilton's Whale

My research wasn't definitive but I took a chance and was successful in finding the Travelers 4 Maple Sugaring box. I enjoyed their landmark reference to the whale-like rock. That really is what it looked like to me too.

Operation Fun

I loved the Operation series and was thrilled when a new series, Operation Rock and Roll took its place in Volunteer Park. This is a wonderful park and I couldn't wait to make it our first stop on our Cape letterboxing tour.

Afterwards the boys took advantage of the great ball fields to work on some skills for the upcoming season.



What a perfect day! Baseball and Letterboxing, it doesn't get much better than that!

On the way

We were headed to Frederick, Maryland to see a percussion competition. The sun was shining and the snow was melting. We didn't have a whole lot of time and weren't really in the mood to get super muddy so we concentrated on two relatively simple drive-bys. The first was Slick Kitty's box that was just a little looney. And the second introduced us to a troll guarding a very cool covered bridge in the Thurmont area. I don't know about the rest of my gang but the outing sure gave me Spring fever!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane

The past two Thanksgivings we stayed with friends who live in NYC. During our brief visits we tried unsuccessfully to find three different boxes. NYC wasn't looking good for us and our muggle hosts were becoming skeptical. Fordham was closed for the holiday therefore making Peter the Fisherman unattainable, but Poor Clark Kent was only about a block and a half from our friends' home, so it should have been simple, right?! The clues said to look in and under. We looked and looked but all we could find was a strange white x877 magnet in the most likely spot. I emailed MissMoon about it. She said she thought that maybe her stamp was taken by a geocacher and replaced with the magnet. Anyway, she ended up replacing her stamp and alas, we were able to finally get our image. But a message had been left behind, presumably by the owner of the strange white x877 magnet.


Now if I can only figure out why Spook Central eluded us...

Letterboxing on Facebook

It is funny, this letterboxing thing, because it is a hobby that I quite enjoy and spend lots of time doing (less now than I did) but very, very few of my friends know that I do it. In fact, I'd venture to say that very few of my friends have even heard of it. I can't quite explain why it is but I kind of like keeping the two worlds separate. Perhaps because it seems special that way, and not something that then becomes competitive or overrun or ...? Anyway, I wanted to check out the letterboxing stuff on Facebook but I didn't want to join any of those groups under my real name because then it might give my secret away. So I created a Facebook account for my alter ego, Royal Fish. I even uploaded a profile picture of my "school" (of fish - get it?!) and me letterboxing. If you find yourself on Facebook, stop by my Royal Fish page and say hello. I'd love to hear from you!

Stone Crest

It was a beautiful winter day and we wanted to get outside. We headed over to Stone Crest and I decided to plant a temporary letterbox. Although it was always booked, the B&B needed to expand to make a profit but between the township dragging their feet on approvals, the economy going sour, and the banks calling their loans, this establishment had to pack it in. Anyway, the walk was lovely albeit short. Perfect for a cold, clear winter day.