Victory!

Thanks to Janila, RGBisMe and I were able to find our 1,000th letterbox.

I was really exhausted when I posted this blog entry. I want to come back to add that Janila was such a gracious hostess. When it was rainy, she was up to having breakfast first. As the skies cleared, she took us to a few excellent grab-n-go boxes of which she had printed the clues out for us. She was flexible about letting us choose which boxes to go for in Nolde Forest and when we wanted to give up on a trail or lead, she didn't complain and shared stories of her enjoyable times in the same park. She gave so much of herself and then she planted a surprise for us as we were seeking our 999th box. Just as RGBisMe found it, she told me of a set of WOM clues. I followed them and there was our 1,000th box along with a bubbly treat!

We did go on to find a few more boxes, one had been giving her a few problems. That 1,0001st box was just as sweet because we could all share the victory. We laughed and chatted all day. As the skies finally cleared to a patchy blue, the temperature had dropped. I started to get tired from the hiking and excitement and I was the one to say I was all in.

As she would say, we are on our way to 2,000. What I like is looking back on the various planters who made it possible. We look forward to all of the new experiences that greet us along the way.

She planted a special Celebration letterbox just for our 1,000th find and packed a bottle of bubbly so we could pop the cork on the trail! YUM! Thanks Jan, it was a great day and we are both exhausted.

Susquehanna Valleys

After a brief 3 hours of sleep, RGBisMe and I woke up to go hiking with Janila and Sepia Slipper. We were tired but had good memories of the evening before. They say that Hallowe'en is the time that the veil between the spirit world and our own is the thinnest. The new solar lights had were dotted through the cemeteries we drove past that night and the next early morning had me convinced of that. They were spooky like they never had been before.

This was the last day before Daylight Savings Time took effect and we hoped to find a good handful of letterboxes while visiting on the trail. The drive to our destination near Halifax had us discussing geocaches and letterboxes. We wondered how the owners of either felt when the clues or write up mentions the other is nearby. I have always found that as a geocacher, if I mention in my online log that a letterbox is nearby (without naming it) it will give a heads up to other geocachers who might either want to be aware, avoid or check out the box. Awareness is a good thing so that the stamp isn't swapped out of the letterbox as a trade item by accident. When a letterbox mentions the location of a nearby geocache in it's clues it can encourage the same kind of interest or awareness but can be a spoiler if the geocache is a multi-stage cache.

With a delay getting our breakfast, we were almost late meeting Janila and Sepia Slipper. We all got to the same location as the sun was high enough to light the way but not enough to warm the mountain chill. We hiked and were successful in finding the first two letterboxes in the golden morning light.

A bit of a drive to the next location allowed me to enjoy the scenic valley. With planning for Scotia's Scary Secrets, I hadn't been too far south for a while and forgot that the trees there might still hold some color.

We drove into the parking area to seek a letterbox series called JEI Conservation Area by teachers' pet. We could hear gunshots in the distance and it reminded us all to keep on our blaze orange for our gentle hike along the many trails of the area. A few ticks started making appearances as odd moving freckles here and there. By the end of the day we knew a full body tick check would be needed.

The well paced loop took us searching for six letterboxes. We had success for all boxes we sought in this park and all were in fine shape. The trails were friendly enough that we could walk at a good pace and still freely catch up with what had been going on in each other's lives. Finally, the last box brought us near our cars and we drove on to find a snack and some gas before heading on to another park and then into Harrisburg.

We were royal slack boxers in town. We had only planned on having time to hike the trails but the speedy and efficient Janila and Sepia Slipper shared their clues with us so that we could prolong our visit and check out some boxes of the Booshmen we had been wanting to see. Speaking of the Booshmen, who did we meet right after stamping into a couple of their new boxes? The mighty Booshmen themselves! They were up for a nice visit right there on the lawn and made time to exchange with Janila & Sepia Slipper. We had been talking about them earlier on the trail as to how we felt they were such conscientious letterboxers. This showed in the way they cared for each stamp they took impressions of and didn't get discouraged if letterbox or personal traveler clues weren't quite coming together. They were careful and patient and we were glad to see them again on their own turf.

As the sun finally started to fade, we tried to find a location we were a little vague on it's starting place. My feet were tired and we had 10 more boxes than I had ever thought we would have that day, but Janila's positive, "What do we have to lose?" made us game to try. A wrong turn was fortuitous in that it dumped us right into the parking lot we were looking for but the final box was not to be found.

We parted ways with Sepia Slipper and Janila. I look forward to the next time we can get together because they are not driven by number of miles or boxes but by the good times we are having during the time spent.

We ran into the Booshmen in three parks that afternoon and we waved farewell to Janila as we stood and talk to them for a good spell. The younger Booshman was interested in taking advantage of one of my PTs and I was glad to comply. It gave us a chance to get to know each other better and share letterboxing styles. I was getting hungry and asked how to get back to a nice Mexican restaurant I had seen by an earlier park. The elder Booshmen was glad to tell us that the same folks owned another restaurant just blocks away. Our initial take on them has been reinforced, they are thoughtful Booshmen indeed.

Our evening ended with a very good meal. Not even the tick I spied on RGBisMe's arm could spoil the good memories of the day. He took it outside, put it on the curb and returned to finish his warm meal as we looked through the stamp images we collected. Each one holds a different memory of a day spent in the valleys near the Susquehanna River.

Solstice Stamping

Summer officially arrived sometime Friday evening soon after our Zeno's passports reflected another summer destination. Mososo Kruppe joined us to raise our glasses to the beginning of summer. We then walked the Barghest a while and got to bed early so we could meet Janila and Dogs with Wings for a little walk on Nittany Mountain.

The longest day of the year dawned and we found ourselves bright and early at the Nittany Mountain trail head. The ladies showed RGBisMe and me their laundry list of clues of what they hoped to find. I was shocked; they had clues solved to every letterbox (that I know of) on Nittany Mountain! This was going to be a substantial hike with quite a few stamping stops along the way.

It was early enough that next to no one was on the mountain except for us and the cicadas. We grew quiet as we climbed as the cicadas grew louder. We stopped at a few overlooks, found a few stamps and enjoyed each vista all the more as the morning have burnt off. The Crayola Posse sherpas provided the service of picking up anything that anyone dropped. Dogs with Wings wanted RGBisMe to tone up those abs.

About 4 miles into the hike we realized we were going to have to leave one box unfound if we were going to meet Mososo Kruppe for lunch. Even though Janila was sharing her tasty veggies with us, our bellies were growling for some good Otto's chow. In my typical fashion, I started reciting the menu that I was looking forward to. I don't think this made any one feel better but we got down off of the mountain straight away. I even let the woman with indigo boots escape and pass by us unharmed.

Lunch was great and the conversation was even better. The best part was seeing two different groups of friends from letterboxing get to meet each other and get along well. We shared personal travelers and letterboxing stories. It was well into the afternoon before went onto PSU campus for desert; Creamery Ice Cream and more letterboxes!

Campus was nearly deserted and I used Janila's camera to document something on the Nittany Lion which I had overlooked for over 30 years - it's a boy! I don't know if she will send me the photo but you can look for yourself next time you are near the statue.

We spent the evening walking with Mososo Kruppe, Barghest and our good friend Tom Cali. By the time I got home, my feet were like ground meat even though I had changed shoe and sock 3 times that day. My friends all have way more stamina than I do and I felt like and old tired turd.

The next day was just as beautiful. The weather was great and we called Janila to ask if we might join them. She gave me the big list of letterboxes they were going to look for and I suggested that we might all go looking for Music Woman's Peter's Unfortunate Adventure. I had RGBisMe read over the clues and had determined that our car had fine clearance for all of the roads that she had planted this local series on. It also would be on the same route that Dogs with Wings and Janila had hoped to seek some mystery boxes they had painstakingly solved. I too had another box in mind I hoped to wipe off of my radar.

My day started off with another 2 - 3 mile hike and the feet were hurting right off. I was looking forward to seeing the mountains of central PA through the window of my vehicle for a bit. Peter's Unfortunate Adventure was not exactly what I had imagined. The clues were sharp and accurate, the route chosen was the best available and the little jaunts to get each letterbox was just right to work out the kinks from sitting for a while. I think we all agree this series gets a high recommendation. When you look back upon the beautiful stamps in your logbooks, you will have memories of some of the best sections of our PA woodland.

The evening wrapped up at Facia Luna for some pasta and calzones with Mososo Kruppe. We all chatted so easily with no pretense nor reason to try to impress each other. The 6 of us could have easily spent the evening talking if Barghest didn't need his walk or Janila and Dogs with Wings had to pack up and rest for their last day of letterboxing in our area. The first weekend of summer was filled with many miles walked and some letterboxes visited with a few good friends.

The past couple of weekends are what I like about getting together with letterboxers; time to chat and share and be natural. I am coming to terms with my INFJ self and recognizing that I shouldn't have to feel guilty for not throwing myself into group situations that are horribly awkward and painful for me. It is only when I get together with smaller groups of trusted friends that I do not feel the need to apologize for most of the things I say and do. It feels great that I am not pushed to a point of panicking and am hopefully less misunderstood, defensive, reclusive or rude.

Pivotal Moments

This weekend is the beginning of winter and the length of daylight will slowly increase everyday from that point until the middle of June. I haven't noticed the like of sunlight this much as in years past. I have had plenty to distract me. I have missed the longer days but the overly warm late autumn must have helped me this year.

With the returning of the the sun is the returning of our son. Tomorrow we will travel to NYC for our 23rd anniversary and to pick up our son. There are still a lot of unknowns in his situation. Paperwork delays have not allowed him to get an MRI yet but his physical therapist has allowed him to start working and putting weight on his leg since he has no pain. The work is very limited until swelling subsides; there is serious risk of re-injury until then.

Thank you to all of our friends who have sent well wishes and prayers for him. He has a lot of work ahead of him but we will at least be spending some time together at home. We feel very fortunate for all that we have and happily face the winter ahead.

Thanks to Janila for sharing this inspiring video.

RRR2

The Crayola Posse


The bike guy when he was a kid.

Team Little Dog

Jan and Barney at the final Secret Garden letterbox.

We lured Team Little Dog into visiting our area a couple of weeks ago. They stayed overnight at Poe Paddy State Park after a day of buzzing around central PA counties looking for letterboxes. Not every search ended in success (who WAS that man that sat in his car in the park 2 days in a row!?) but we hope they had fun.

They started their second day by almost being blown off the mountain at Air Sylph then cam into town for a few more urban boxes. I joined with them while they sought out some Magical Mystery Tour and Ticket to Ride boxes.


See Barney at the far end of the bridge? Sneaking away to check things out.

We went on to tackle mountains, got turned away from finding Angler's Heaven because of a scheduled target practice, and generally enjoyed the back roads of the area. I hope they will return soon so we can visit together again!

Knoebels Gathering

see more photos at this link

Cyclonic's gathering at Knoebels was a perfect blend of great folks, laughter, and well thought out letterboxes. Blessings of the International Weather Workers were upon even those of us who camped the night before.

Nothing beats a meal with Janila when there is a letterbox for desert. We stamped up at Team Little Dog's "Piece of Pizza" before we set up camping at Knoebels. Cyclonic, his sister EB, Sewsowbusy, and Hikers & Hounds were the perfect hosts on the Hawaii section of the campground. They shared their canopy and showed us a preview of the most imaginative event stamp ever. Cyclonic's 4 color image creatively used a registration frame to bring the four stamps into alignment. Judy required extra "spirit" for hers to come together.

Bright and early Saturday morning, the boxers started meeting at pavilion Q. We were happy to see Lightinin Bug again and finally get to meet Star Wars Lego Boy. They brought some fun event only boxes and we were thrilled to eventually find their "World's Largest" letterbox. JBZfarm came soon after with Rainbow Girl bearing homemade cards and gifts for many and PA Paddler sharing cookies and a beautiful event stamp! It was fun watching them find the many nearby event boxes. I will never forget Hunter/Jumper asking her daughter, "Where are you *getting* all of these?" as they stamped into Janila's perfectly carved "Whitman's" table box.

The "Feedin Frenzy" was in full swing at no time at all. So many new faces for us! We were thrilled to meet Phynstar (whom we later tortured with a ride on the Phoenix), the gracious Charmed1, Teddy Bear and Flutter Bye. The von der Insels (Dave & Diane) came from Rhode Island and we had a chance to meet Anne of Green Gables, Gerania and later Lotus and crew. It was wonderful to again to see Sprite, Sheba and Death Moose.

It was a perfect day in the park but I was glad to have come many times before because there wasn't enough time to enjoy all of the rides. There were people to chat with and letterboxes to explore. We are glad we took time to be a part of the caravan that took Cyclonic's Covered Bridge Tour; a series of 6 local covered bridges situated in some of the best central PA landscape. Cyclonic made sure his directions led us to view each bridge at it's very best. In the end, we came away with yet another print of a master carving and an experience that shared a slice of this area's history.

I can't think of how things could have gotten any better except for having more time to visit before we had to drive back home. Thank you Cyclonic for the energy you put into making an event where we have gained new friends and warm memories.

Pinnacle & Pulpit Rock

We have been so lucky to have perfect weather for hiking lately. It made planning for and taking this trip to Hamburg, PA very easy.

We met Janila, no Team Little Dog today because of the rockiness of the trail, at the parking lot near Hamburg Reservoir and got an early start. We opted for the roadway for our assent because although we were all ready for rocky trails and climbing 1000 in elevation, keeping those 2 treats separate sounded like a good idea.

We made it to the area where the observatories are and many scouting troops were gathering (via CAR) for their day of appreciating all the area has to offer. The best it offered was a fantastic morning view of the valley. We were early enough to be the only hikers enjoying the area and snapped quite a few photos before going on to find 2 letterboxes and a geocache.


Rocky ridge running was next for us. For the next couple of miles to the Pinnacle, the best PA view on the Appalachian Trail, we hopped rocks. Other hikers passed us by and we passed other hikers. It was now a very busy morning on the mountain. By the time we got to the view it was crowded with happy day hikers. We joined the throng and found a super place to enjoy our lunches.

After a restful spell, we explored the area and found a geocache thanks to RGB(One of Us)isMe. When we found Pinnacle letterbox it was in the open and tossed around. An animal had chewed into the container and then into the log. The log was soaked, slimy and chewed but the stamp was fine. We pulled out our emergency repair kit and between the 3 of us we able to get this box back into working order.

Our walk back was filled with lively conversation. Jan brought us up to speed with many of the happenings in the letterboxing world. We swapped genealogy stories and chatted about our kiddos. At trail's end, we weren't ready to part ways so Billy Boy joined us for a meal at the nearby Cracker Barrel. I know he had a good laugh at us as we had stiffened up in the air conditioned building and we moving in a stiff jointed sort of way. It was all worth it. Thanks Jan and RGB for a day I will remember as golden.

Rubbermade Road Rally

Look what is currently adorning the center of our drawing table! Did Team Evil drop it on the way to their car? Nope, we actually came away with this smart little trinket this past Saturday from the Rubbermade Road Rally.

RGBisMe & I were lucky enough to be able to register to enter at pretty much the last second. Because of this, we had to scramble and get everything we needed together very quickly. We didn't have any specific maps of the area and had never been there before. Any other road rally we had every heard of sounded like you needed to rely on knowing the local land marks and decrypting where they might be. So we went into it with the idea that we were not going to have a chance at placing but we would have fun!

Rain was the theme of the day, thank goodness the temperature was not too low. We pulled into the parking lot and quickly hid a letterbox for the Rally Master and crew to find if they had any quiet moments. Us newbies were really nervous meeting all of the LbMA letterboxing icons. We shouldn't have stressed, LightninBug, Cyclonic ( both of Team Evil) as well as the Rally Master himself ( Natty Bumppo) made us feel very welcome the moment we introduced ourselves. Soon after came the Red Hat Boxers ( sewsowbizzy and Irene of Hikers & Hounds) and they were equally as warm and pleasant to meet.

You would think I would relax and enjoy the company but our post time being the 3rd of the morning kept me on edge. We watched Team Evil splash away as Janila and Billy Boy of Team Little Dog came in. I had written to Jan a few time so it was a pleasure to meet her. They didn't get to stick around long before they too got their clues and were off into the down pour.

I barely remember saying anything to Whisper Foot and Midnight Boxer of the Compressed Air Junkies when they came in but made a point to note their faces. "That's who will be passing our sorry butts in no time," I thought. *Gulp*, we were next. I was determined to watch the speedometer so we would not speed nor go under the judge's official run time. I was dreading what kind of clues were in those envelopes the Rally Master was handing to the teams as they left. Might it say something like, "make a left at the place where the 7th PA governor was born"? Sheesh, I was sure we were going to run a close race to last. It was lightly raining as the Rally Master gave us a friendly smile along with our clues and wished us well. We were off.

I ripped into the envelope. The directions were totally clear! Left on this road, go so far, right onto that road!! "We can DO this I shouted!" RGBisMe smiled and said, "Which way?" We followed the directions to the first park without a hitch and were the only car in the lot. We took many paces across a very wet grassy area until we spied the bridge in the clue then ran to the blazed trail. We kept running until the 2nd blaze after the second right fork. Zip zoom, got it!! Umbrella up to stamp in. Jeep by May Day Lillies. Ooooo! There is a bonus box nearby. "Leave it!" I snapped, RGB says, "But it's just right here." Ok, ok, we got that too. RUN!! Back to the car

Well so much for reading the directions perfectly. We pulled out of the park and went the wrong way so we carefully corrected our mistake and we on to the next park. We were almost there when we were sure we made a mistake. We were to drive .2 mile farther but the road was gated. Did we go the wrong way? Should we turn around and check? Just at that time Team Little Dog pulled up behind us and we both agreed that it should be down that road. I thought we should start walking just as someone pulled up and opened the gate. We waved Team Little Dog on through and pretty much found the box, Hummer by LightninBug and stamped up with them. We waved Team Little Dog ahead as we re-hid the box. "That's the last we will see of them," I knew.

Nope, we were all reunited at the 3rd box, and went down the path to the 4th together. Both of these stamps, My Dream and My Reality were both carved by none other than Janila herself. Oooo! There was another bonus box. Jan decided to decline searching for it and we thought we would go for it since we saw we hadn't been passed yet. We then ran back to the car and Team Little Dog was long gone. Shoot, we got really turned around because the names of the roads suddenly didn't seem to make any sense. Coming in they were different that going out but they were THE SAME ROADS. Oh well, we went for what seemed reasonable and it soon worked itself out.

We knew we lost some time making it to the 5th box because Team Little Dog was no where in sight. We parked in the lot and ran like mad following the directions to the box. I was sure that Compressed Air Junkies would show up at anytime but we carefully got out our umbrella as we stamped into the first part of the very clever Tell Tail Lites by sewsowbizzy . There was a tempting clue in this box but we really felt pressed for time. "Leave it, we gotta go." We left it, re-hid it and started back. Way down the trail coming our way was one of the Compressed Air Junkies . At least we were done stamping up... wait! It wasn't Whisper Foot , it was Team Little Dog ! AW!! We talked as we passed and they had gotten turned around too. I asked if it was ok if we went ahead and they said to do so.

Off we go to box #6. The rain was off and on the whole way so we stamped up into Peugot 206 carved by Carvin Carmen of Hikers & Hounds while sitting in the car and left just as Team Little Dog arrived. The way to box #7 was long and the roads shifted around in a crazy way. The clues to find this box were a lot of fun and I was carefully reading my compass, counting my paces while RGBisMe was double checking everything and also noting which way other muddy foot prints had preceded us. We stamped into the beautifully carved The Flying Lady by Scarab of The Doubtful Guests near the building that allowed us to avoid the rain and made it back again just as Team Little Dog pulled in.

I kept a careful eye on our speed as we navigated our way back to the pavilion. "After we park, we need to run and stamp in as quickly as possible so we don't get in the way of Team Little Dog . Wow! It really started to rain as we got back. We got in, asked for the final box, the second part of Tell Tail Lites by sewsowbizzy , and finished up.

I was exhausted. I could have taken a nap. It turns out the real fun was just starting. We exchanged stamps and stories with all of the boxers that we had heard so much about. The fire and the conversation was delightful all afternoon. Teams came and went and we rooted them on. It was fun to greet the teams who had departed while we were already out on the road. We would cheer for their arrival, watch them stamp into the final box, and after they were warmed up and had a bite to eat we would follow the lead of Team Evil and line up to exchange stamps with them. Some folks went BACK out into the pouring rain to find some of the boxes that were in the park. I was too overwhelmed with everything else so I just sat around and took it all in. What a great group of people!

I felt badly when I heard some teams were having car problems and some stamps got switched. I though, "That could have been us." Everything seemed to be under control and no one was needing extra help. Two teams didn't show up at all because of the rain but finally the last of the 11 teams arrived safely back to the park. Rally Master did his figuring and tallied the times with his magic formula of merits and demerits. When all was said and done, an unbelievable number of goodies were awarded and we ended up with the 1st place trophy!

RGBisMe and I gabbed about it the whole 4 hour drive home. We couldn't believe it. How had we ever pulled that off? We didn't break the speed limits, we didn't cheat. Was it the Central PA geocaching Scavenger Hunt we had entered before that had readied us? We decided that we had 20 years experience in cooperating as driver and navigator that was our strongest point. It gave us just one more thing to add to our ever broadening smiles as we drove home that night.