Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Following Clues

 

One of the reasons my family enjoys letterboxing is for the unique places it takes us. The folks who place the letterboxes are excited to share their favorite locations with fellow letterboxers who enjoy exploring new places.

Our most recent letterboxing road-trip took us through south west Albuquerque, Placitas, and Corrales.

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Here are some photos from our explorations.

Me hiking the foothills of the Sandia Mountains.

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My twinlings found a ‘magical’ swing, not far from the letterbox, below Tunnel Springs.

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Climbing back up the steep scree slope.

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Jenna and Dobbie checking out the springs.

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The National Forest road is pretty rugged.

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But the views are pretty spectacular.

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On the way through Placitas, some functional equine artwork.

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And some decorative equine artwork, too.

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Then we were on our way to the Village of Corrales where we saw horseback riders riding along the ditchbanks.

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And tossed pebbles into the ditch.

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Found our letterbox and climbed a large cottonwood tree.

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And saw more horseback riders along the ditchbanks. (Very disappointing to see that gang activity and graffiti has moved into this small quaint village, though. Sadly, I suppose that being sandwiched between the heavily populated cities of Albuquerque and Rio Rancho hasn’t helped insulate the village from crime and traffic).

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We moved on from Corrales and found another letterbox, near an interesting sculpture, in Albuquerque.

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A little farther on, we strolled beneath the Route 66 bridge.

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And hiked along a trail through the cottonwood bosque.

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After finding the letterbox and stamping in, we enjoyed some views from beside the Rio Grande River looking across the Route 66 Bridge towards the volcanoes along the West Mesa Escarpment.

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And one last stop on the way home to find a letterbox placed inside the Albuquerque Expo where the New Mexico State Fair is held each year beginning on September 12th. (A train car donated from France)

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We live at 7,000 ft elevation and the weather can be very different up here than what is found in Albuquerque. Our temperature is often 10-15 degrees cooler and we receive more rain and snow. As we entered the canyon heading home, we were greeted by a segment of rainbow.

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I hope you enjoyed our little road trip!




From the Tower of,

21 comments :

lisa said...

AWesome, we want to try letterboxing, we looked it up and there is a few places here we can look! Thanks for getting us involved! Beautiful pictures as always!

colleen said...

Thanks for taking us along on your trip. There are some truly beautiful places around you.

Nic said...

So many stunning photos, you live in a beautiful area!

Gail said...

Beautiful. I have a sister-in-law and family that live near there and remember the big difference in the mountain weather. I also remember the lack of humidity. I think the country is beautiful and my favorite spot was Chaco Canyon.

Glad you had a great day out.

jacksonsgrrl said...

Lisa--Hey! What exactly is letterboxing and how might I find out about doing it locally here in San Antonio and thereabouts? There are SO many awesome things to see in South Texas (not neccessarily in San An...) that I would LOVE to do that with Miles. We are reaching a mother and son impasse' with the teenage years hitting and his dad leaving for Iraq at almost the exact moment the teenage CRUD has hit....I am at loss for cool things to do! Any advice?
:) Danka!
~Mindy

clairz said...

Loved the photos and the journey. Thanks for taking us along. I get so nostalgic listening to your current music--I keep seeing John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler and expecting him to show up in your photos with his boombox.

Carla said...

That is such a great hobby! Gets everyone out of the house and uses the mind.

Unknown said...

Very neat trip - I loved that horse sculptor with the wire mane and tail. Just really unique and fascinating.

lytha said...

we tried to find a letterbox this week and failed. we will try again and succeed!

°lytha

MaskedMan said...

Letterboxing? Is it anything like Geocaching?

Looks like ya'll had a grand time of things, and the views and pictures are fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Fabulous journey with you! Lisa, I know I speak for all your readers when I congratulate you on how far you've come in your rehab - you are really getting around beautifully! Can you even remember the long days and weeks you were confined to the tower?

Nancy in Iowa - very happy for you!

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

a fun trip, thanks

ezra_pandora said...

I always love getting sneak peeks at your letterboxing trips. They always look like so much fun, for everyone.

gtyyup said...

Such beautiful country you have down there. When we retire and load up the horses and hit the road, we're coming your direction!

LuLo Designs/Blue Eyed Tango said...

Can you explain what letterboxing is exactly and how to find them in our areas? I've never heard of it. What great photos of your kids and those trees are quite interesting.... huge! Love the horse sculpture!

The Wades said...

I did enjoy that trip of yours. I even think I see a GG volunteer in one of those pictures. Funny.

Pretty rainbow pic.

Dan and Betty said...

I think the GG volunteer Michelle is referring to is one of the three riders -- Leah.

Glad you enjoyed your visit to our little home town.

Great pictures as usual.

Dan

Reddunappy said...

You always take such fun trips! Love all the sculptures!

jane augenstein said...

Wonderful trip! Loved the kidlet pictures and Dobbie...what fun you all have.
~jane

Nuzzling Muzzles said...

Those cottonwoods are magnificent. I find it interesting that sculptures are so prevalent in your area. It must be an artsy community.

allhorsestuff said...

I love how LARGE your world is...everything is grand and spectacular in size..loved the mountains!
Looked like a wondrous trip for you and the kids! I always enjoy seeing them. Man..they have grown up so much this year!
Thanks for another great road trip!
Kac