This board is for discussing road trips—and letterboxes along various routes. Short road trips are probably best discussed on the message board for the state or region where the road trip takes place (more experts on local backroads there!), but for long-haul trips, use this board to look for route information, couch surfing opportunities, noteworthy letterboxes along a route, and so on.

Gwen & I are heading up to the Big Sur area after Thanksgiving, any takers?

Don

Be sure to stop off for my Big Sur Homestead Letterboxes! They are nice stamps and worth the effort.
-Amanda

It's in our plan, as is Pam & Scott's Way Cool.

Don

I've been up and down this road twice this month and it sure would be nice if the trip planner supported it! Hint Hint Ryan.

It's so much work to try and figure out which towns I'll be driving thru all by myself! :-)

-amanda

OK, Ryan, you've hit a homer on this one! How cool to see boxes along an entire route at once. Love it!

Cheryl
Team Mad Dawg

Does anyone know any more letterboxes along I-5 from Longview, WA to Mission Viejo, CA? HeartsEase

Any more, as in more than what shows using the trip planner here? Not that I can answer, just making sure you checked it out.

Hi there! So glad to see that you are still in the letterboxing fold. I was just talking to a friend of mine yesterday about the class you were in. He had just been up to Wake Robin and found some of the boxes there and loved the area.

There are several boxes around Shasta that are short walks, close to the highway. My Horse Creek Bridge box in Southern OR is close to the highway and has a Dairy Queen next door to boot. Do have a look at the AQ Trip Planner. It's a very useful tool. Also, you might post on the PNW Talk List for suggestions, too. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LbPNW/

Have you hidden any boxes yet? If you know anyone who might be interested, I'll be teaching the letterboxing class for Kelso/Longview Parks and Rec. again in July. I would love to get more folks in your area started. Have a good trip. Funhog

I am wondering if anyone is aware of any boxes along our route from Green Bay to the Twin Cities, which mostly is along Hwy 29 (not an interstate, so doesn't appear as an option with the handy dandy trip planner here on AQ).  We already have done the Rib Mtn. boxes and Edgar Allen Hippoe.  Any clues to boxes other than what is posted on LBNA and AQ in the Twin Cities area would also be appreciated!  If you prefer to e-mail me privately, I'm at papeseed at tds dot net.  Thanks much!  --Papeseed

I just found a pretty cool website. I had booked a room at a Hampton Inn and they have a Landmarks feature. Check it out: www.hamptonlandmarks.com

I immediately thought of Letterboxing, as usually I'd like to plant a box at someplace nobody else would think to visit, and this feature shows you some off-the-map destinations, as well as the usual tourist spots.

Thanks for sharing this 'landmarks' link.  I perused the results for our region and noticed that about 65% of them have already been 'boxed'.  The other 35% are either NPS lands or 'undiscovered'.  I tend to favor planting some of the more bizarre historical or kitschy things--I've carved a bunch of stamps for these bizarre oddities around our area--just haven't gotten a chance to plant all of them--if ever as we're likely to be moving away from the area in the next year or so.  :(  There sure are some weird things around our area, though!  Hopefully, folks could say that about most other places too.  Can't imagine all the loonies congregate in the Pac NW.  ;)

dvn2r ckr

I tend to favor planting some of the more bizarre historical or kitschy things-

ME TOO - Griswold Vacations!

Can't imagine all the loonies congregate in the Pac NW. ;)

NOPE - just google "oddball indiana" - Armadillo Jo has found a few from this list. I don't think anyone has carved the martini-swilling pink elephant yet. I just haven't added it to my list of letterboxes to create.

Let's see--I've carved the largest concrete egg in the world, the longest beach/frying pan/clam/kite festival in the world, the largest concrete bird, the biggest/longest wall in the world, the most tomb-warriors buried with a Chinese emperor, you name it.  Kitsch is what I do well.  ;)  I've got a couple others that I've carved but have never gotten the opportunity to plant--hopefully, I can get them out before we move away from the region.  I even launched a HH several years back about bananas not 'reproducing' anymore (prompted by a news wire I saw on Yahoo!) and may eventually go extinct (if plants can do that?).

I'm curious to hear what other 'odd' boxes folks have created out there.  May ignite some other folks' imaginations...

dvn2r ckr

I was hoping that I could pick up the Froggie letterbox at Sam's Gap on my way to Bristol, TN.  I go that way about 3 times a year and just haven't stopped.  That road is now 4 lanes and part of I-26.  When we drove through in April, we didn't see the path to get on the AT.  It used to be rather obvious. Anyone know about that?  If I park at the truck check point, will I see the path?  

Beachcomber 

Hi, Beachcomber.

You have to exit the new I-26 section either before you get to the NC border or at the first TN exit and take the old US hwy to the trail. I think the NC exit is #3 but I'm not sure. It's the exit that takes you to Wolf Laurel ski area. Then head toward TN paralleling the new interstate.

If you miss that one, take the Flag Pond exit in TN and head back toward NC.

I can't remember if the old road was US 19 or 23 or both. Old age... Sigh... ;-)

Knit Wit

If you're going after Froggie, check out Appalachian Quilt too. It's not that much further up the trail.

KW

Thanks for the help Knit Wit.  My husband keeps saying we should take the old road again for old times sake.  Wonder what has happened to the "quilt lady"? 

Beachcomber

"I can't remember if the old road was US 19 or 23 or both"

Having taken that route more times than I care to remember, it is US23 that became I-26 up the mountain. US19 is ten miles from the state line, down the winding mountain road. Of course, I have not been there since I started boxing regularly so I may have to plan a stop or two myself next time I go visit the family...

I may have to plan a stop or two myself next time I go visit the family...

Where does your family live?  Mine is in Bristol, TN.  So we have to make the trip from Atlanta a few times a year for visits. 

Beachcomber

If you mean Mountain Scorpia AKA VolksBoxer, who planted Appalachian Quilt, she's still around. I've corresponded with her by e-mail some and she had considered coming to Paris Mtn. but couldn't.

I keep meaning to get up to Burnsville to get an exchange with her and FINALLY get a LB of hers that I missed last time.

I have fond memories of the old road and my dad taking his half out of the middle whenever we drove it. EEK! My husband's tendency to motion sickness prevents us from taking it. :-(  Maybe I'll have to go alone one of  these days.

KW

Actually, my family is from southern Ohio but the route usually driven is just to go up 23 the whole way. So stopping for a box or two would make a long trip longer, but might be worth it just for a break.

Just as a public service to my fellow letterboxers.....you should know how to identify poison ivy.

http://www.poison-ivy.org/


PS If you can stomach it, the Grody Hall of Fame Slide Show is a pretty interesting mix of poison ivy victims.

Dipper and I had plans to go to Seattle for vacation. Neither of us had been, but we heard great things. The flights were very full, and had to go through Albuquerque, to Salt Lake City. Spent the night there to try the Seattle flights the next day. All flights to, pretty much anywhere, were full, so we rented a car and drove. The plan was to skydive in WA. , and in OR. Since we were driving thru ID., I jumped there too.!!!!
That makes the skydived in states 42, 43, and 44. Only six more states to go. (SD,ND,WY,ME,VT,NH). Two "State Highpoint" boxes were planted on this trip, in honor of the the highpoints of WA. ,and OR. We were'nt even nearly prepared to attempt a summit on either mountain, but we had a great vacation in the foothills. Beutiful letterboxing country you folks have out there.

Blue Skies,
Mooky&Dipper

I'm so jealous. I have only skydived in one state ( NY) and that seems like years ago. Wait...it WAS years ago! I first jumped in Gloversville area and then jumped at Malone while attending Clarkson University. Never made it past 20 jumps since I "settled down" and had a family but am considering taking my soon to be 18 year old for her first jump. Tell me...has anything changed in 20 years? LOL

Lock Wench

Wow! That's so cool. I've only skydived in Texas. I'd love to go again. dvn2r ckr

well... i've only been jumping for 11 years, but alot HAS changed. It's a constantly evolving sport. Gravity still works the same.

Quote

My sister and I will be in Italy for a couple of weeks this fall and I would looove to hit a letterbox or two or twelve if possible!

I don't know of any letterboxes in Italy, but there is a certain thrill to say you've planted the FIRST letterbox ever in a country! I've already nabbed Zimbabwe, Gautemala, Honduras, and Panama, so I've already gotten my fill in.... 'Bout time someone else can share in the glory! ;o)

-- Ryan

Hey, I snagged South Korea and China, as far as I can tell & was oh so tempted for North Korea but the political situation precluded me from carrying anything but my camera on that trip so I definitely couldn't leave anything like a letterbox behind. I did, however, carry a geocaching travelbug in my pocket and gave it credit for North Korea in the geocaching world. Somebody beat me to Japan with a hybrid geocache/letterbox a few months back. :( I'm game for a letterbox in Italy, though. I'm hoping to get back out that way (Europe) at least next year some time (if not the following year) as my childhood swimming team (Berlin Bear-A-Cudas) is planning a big reunion in Berlin, Germany next Summer. Long story about age group swimming team reunions but I'd attend one of those anyday over a high school reunion!!!

dvn2r ckr

We went letterboxing in Florance SC and here is an experince we had:
MonetMom went to where the fallen tree was and not knowing much about the do's and don't's of nature, she took a stick(smart girl) and poked the mound(Be CAREFUL of Mounds!!!) where she was sure the box was. Yes she found the box and showed it too Hummingbird Hannah and Sponge-Crazed, but what they didn't know was that the face she wore was of finding a SNAKE! MonetMom is sure it was a Dimond Back. So, we all went runing to the car, there we stamped the log book and said we excaped with our lives.
What would you have done to return it? We went behind the tree and threw it. And yes we wrote the placer.
Was MonetMom brave or what?