Letter Boxing

Last weekend I started letter boxing with my best friends. We were excited, we read up on it, we googled it, we read the clues and we headed out. One of my friends said her friend had been doing this for years and had never had a letter box not be there!

So our first clue directed us to a cemetery in Northeast Texas. My first hint at a problem should have been the sign over the road which read Zion emetery but no we headed toward our first clue - the parking lot and parked near the flag pole. We then headed toward the largest "Bull." This ended up being one of the family plots and the largest headstone. After trekking all over the "emetery," respectfully, we ended at our destination only to find that there had been vandals and our hunted box had been stolen and the prize inside destroyed and scattered around the area. This box had included shells and was "sea worthy." If you check into letter boxing you will see that many of the boxes have themes.

Disappointed we headed back home and wondered if we would letter box again. That evening we headed to a local college to discover the alumni hidden box. Upon discovering the secret location we found it empty. We actually cheated and talked to the librarian about the box being gone (you're suppose to remain spy like and not let anyone know you are letter boxing or discover the box location). He indicated that they didn't want everyone coming in and out of the library disrupting the shelves, etc. and also that the box which had been magnetized to the shelf had looked like a bomb! Disappointment once again. And to top it all off we had to run back to our car in pouring down rain, laughing all the way, drenched like rats! Now two down and not sure if we would continue we checked to see if there were more hidden boxes nearby!

We headed to the train depot where there was to be the first of a chain of boxes which would end in our having three stamps,(the result of finding your box) the engine, a car and caboose. Upon getting out of our vehicle we could smell heavy natural gas fumes. We quickly tried to discover the box but were overwhelmed with the fumes. We got back in the car and called 911 discovering that the eternal flame at the first train depot in Texas had been snuffed out by the evenings rain!

But, we are not quitters, we would not be stopped. The next morning we headed to Eisenhower's homestead and found our first box complete with self carved stamp inside a hole in a tree and left champions!!

Now, check out letter boxing online and see how exciting this can be. There are actually 13 hidden letter boxes in Springfield alone!! Happy hunting for those of you who are game. And those of you who I will be visiting get out your tennies cause we will be trekking your area soon!