Thanks. I can’t wait until this fall. I’m curious about hiding places. It’s easy enough here to grab leaves and sticks and spot spors but what is the ground cover like in the desert?

I did an image search of cholla. It looks so cute and fuzzy lol

Check out this picture.https://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/clue/?boxId=305714

SPOR: Rocks. Single flat rock. Fake rocks. Piles of rocks are the Most common spor. But sometimes you find them hanging in trees

Very cool!

Congratulations on your son's acceptance to a doctoral program!

I always carry a retractible back scratcher in my letterboxing bag that I can use to poke under rocks or stir leaves that might be covering a box. A walking stick or other stick works well, too. I also use gloves often, especially if I am in an area where cactuses are abundant. The desert really isn't scary... you just have to keep your eyes open for hazards, just as you do in CT.

We look forward to having you find some local boxes!

Ruth/ ArnoldZiffel

Thanks - so looking forward to it!

Oh, yeah, definitely watch out for this guy, especially when walking below cliffs:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bgUwKZk1pqA

I went to college at NMSU and loved Las Cruces. I grew up in Albuquerque and and still live there now. I still go back around once a year to Las Cruces and surrounding areas to letterbox/geocache and to hang out. :) The heat is one of the worst things about boxing in the desert...wear sunscreen!! Been lucky and haven’t run into any snakes, but have stepped/kicked/kneeled in cactus when I wasn’t paying attention. Have fun and enjoy!!

And beware the cute Yucca -- the pointy leaves are sharp as razor blades.

Hi everyone - just wanted to post a couple of box updates-
1- Funhog’s El Venado box near Santa Fe is alive and well (and only on LBNA), I recently re-found it after many years of thinking it was long gone, it was really buried under a lot of dirt and is easier to find now. She mentions 4 tall arboreal non-conformists and now there are only 3, one fell down.
2- Go-Kazan has been relocated so if you have printed out the clues, please reprint them. Box was in an area that is now closed so it has been moved to a nearby spot.
Happy trails!

Just got back from a vacation through Colorado. Have been inspired to carve a series of college mascots and would like volunteers to plant them. I can provide financial help if needed to offset costs. If you are willing to plant any of the following you can respond on this board or reply in AQmail.

I also have an interest in D2 schools having graduated from Fairmont State in WV and have followed Shepherd from the eastern panhandle who have made the NCAA final four three years in the last 12 years including last year. Both Shepherd and Colorado Mines (Golden, CO) lost in the semi-finals last season. So I propose to carve the football mascots of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

The one school in New Mexico is
New Mexico Highlands in Las Vegas, NM

Hi everyone - a few lb updates-
1- there are a few lbs along the Rail Trail at the end of Nine Mile Road, they reference birdhouse numbers. They keep painting over the numbers, we will get out there soon and repaint a few of the numbers again, as the numbered birdhouses are a good landmark...
2- I just looked at a current map of the Galisteo Basin Preserve near Lamy, there are a lot of new trails out there and consequently most of the Junction numbers have changed. Grrr. I know the clues for Bell Motel's and my boxes all need to be changed, I assume other boxes out there may have to have their clues changed as well. I can probably change the junction numbers in the clues by looking at the new map and compare it to my old map, but I'll try and go out there in person soon to confirm everything. I'll note on the clues when the numbers have been updated....
Happy trails.

We went out to Galisteo Basin today and the situation isn’t so bad. The map online has totally different numbers than it did before, but when you are out there, all the signs and post numbers are the same as they used to be. So all is well for now but I am suspecting that in the future, it will all change if we are to believe their newest online map. So box on :-)

Howdy Astro D, glad to see you are still keeping on top of things in New Mexico! Hope to see you at a future TALE again some day.

Silver Eagle

Howdy Silver Eagle!! I recently printed out clues for one of your Hangman boxes up near Buena Vista, CO but then didn't have time to go find it. I saved the clues for a future trip up there! Hope to see you at a future TALE as well. Happy trails!

Well wouldn't you know that I will soon be looking for boxes at Galisteo!
I'm driving from Tucson up to Trinidad, CO for Thanksgiving and plan to stop at Galisteo Basin on the way up and back. In fact, I reserved an Airbnb in Santa Fe from Nov 29-Dec 1. It seems that I had already printed the map before the online map changed, so I should be OK, but if you have any other tips or updates in the next couple of weeks, I'd appreciate hearing about them!
Susan aka FreetheGenie,

Hi Susan- The new map is crazy and I’m glad you have a copy of the old one! I honestly cannot believe they are going to go out there and change all the posts and signs just because some bozo made a new map with the numbers all rearranged. Hopefully someone will come to their senses. I am sure the signs are not going to all be replaced in the next few weeks. Have a great trip!

Another update on Galisteo Basin and the map and trail situation. Last time we went out there, a month or so ago, all the old numbers from the old original trail map still seemed to be in use on posts etc. (that was on trails around the Cowboy Shack TH). We went out yesterday to the Cottonwood TH and their on-site trail map is still the old map but all the sign posts we encountered at the trail intersections were the numbers from the new map! Grrr. So they apparently ARE going to change all the numbers and signage. I will go to my clues and tell everyone to print BOTH maps for now because who knows what numbers you will find where. You can find links to both the old and new maps on my clues for Scary Monster and Super Freak.

I just took a look at the map on the Preserve's website. Wow! What a nice looking trail system. I'll be sure to check this area out next time I'm in the area.

They have put a lot of work into it and it's not finished yet! I think their goal is 50 miles of trails. It is also popular with folks on mountain bikes and horses.

If you happen to find yourself in southeast New Mexico on October 14th, come join Amanda and myself for some Extraterrestrial Adventures.

We can't guarantee that there will be any aliens or crashed spaceships around Roswell, NM, but the chances for some sort of extraterrestrial activities are high! ;o)

-- Ryan

I just sent you a PM with some ideas about locations. Excited to see you on the 14th!

I just drove through Utah and they have signs allllllll along the highway telling people to plan ahead because of the eclipse traffic. They expect mucho delays.

I'm thinking NM will be the same. I will thankfully be back in New York by then.

I've seen no such signs in New Mexico. We're busy now with the annual Balloon Fiesta but traffic is nothing like New York.

I didn’t say New York. I said I was just driving through Utah and saw the signs there.

There very well might be depending on where one is, but I'm strangely not too worried about it either. I keep thinking it's "just" an annular eclipse rather than a total one, so it's not as impressive and less likely to draw people out like a true total solar eclipse would.

And for the most part, I try not to be on the roads much on the day of the eclipse. I know very well how bad traffic can be, and it's much nicer just to hang around town and sight-see locally. Check out the museums in town, find some letterboxes, go out for dinner, etc.

There's also a strange phenomena that as soon as the maximum eclipse passes, almost everyone packs up and goes home. I prefer to wait until the entire eclipse is completely over. Which gives everyone else a couple of hours of a head start, but it also gives the traffic a couple of hours to clear out.

In any case, I'm not especially worried about it. Ideally, I'd just spend the night in or near the same town where I see the eclipse and do any major traveling the day before and after the eclipse itself.

-- Ryan

By some fluke of geography and astrophysics I am located within about a hundred miles of where the path of next week's annular eclipse and next April's total eclipse cross in central Texas. I have no idea what the traffic situation is going to be so I think I'll head out about 12 hours in advance (this also seems to be the middle of the night) and find a place where I am pull off the road and get comfortable.

Like PI Joe, I am very close to both eclipses here in Texas. Happiness. For this week's annular eclipse, I am going to go to Port Aransas, and for the full eclipse in April, I've got a campsite off Lake Buchanan. Both maximize the period of totality.

So we've settled on a precise location to watch the event. If you're in Albuquerque, you can catch up with Amanda and myself at North Domingo Baca Park. We plan to set up on the south side of the park by the small parking lot on Carmel Ave NE.

We plan to show up super early to watch the balloon festival (maybe around 5:00am) then hang out for the eclipse. Come visit anytime!

I'll have a small telescope set up. I have extra eclipse glasses if you need any as well.

Happy trails!

-- Ryan