Personal Traveler: Love Blew In

This is my third personal traveler. I am recycling a stamp that I used in an LTC tracker because I love the stamp. This stamp represents my dog, Love Blew In, who I named after I wrote the poem/song. She has truly brought more love into my life. To acquire this stamp, tell me what breed Blew Girl is.

Personal Traveler: The Ride

Since I am in the process of planting letterboxes that were inspired by poems I have written, I thought maybe I should include the poems/songs that inspired my personal travelers. 
"The Ride" started out as a poem, but evolved into a song. I have recorded the songs I've written on the computer, mostly so that I wouldn't forget what the tune for each song is...because I find I cannot transfer my tunes to a musical staff. My aunt by marriage, Marianne, wanted to hear my songs, so I sent her a CD. She is very musically gifted and wrote me a letter telling me that "The Ride" was her favorite song. Here it is in all its scrap booked glory:

 

To obtain this personal traveler, ask me "What is Marianne's favorite song?

CMW Poem Series: Above the Clouds

Sunrise above the clouds at Haleakala, the picture behind the poem.

View of Henry's Lake from 30 steps off the survey marker.

Since I planted this letterbox on July 4, 2013, I guess it is about time that I post the clues to find it. I actually took this letterbox with me on my trip to St. George in April, but didn't find a suitable place to plant it.

Sawtelle Peak is about as far above the clouds as you can get in Island Park. To get to the top, find Sawtelle Peak Road off of Highway 20. It is the last crossroads heading north from Ashton before you reach "the flats". There is a Chevron station on the south east side of the crossroad, and a Subway located on the north west side. The road heading east is called North Big Springs Loop Road, and the road heading west is Sawtelle Peak Road.

                                                                                     CLUE:

Follow this road clear to the top of the peak, and park in the large parking area near the "No Unauthorized Vehicles" sign. Make your way to the knoll behind the radar, it doesn't matter which way you go, as long as you climb to the top of the knoll. In a pile of rocks near the top you will find a survey marker.

Stand on the survey marker and take 30 steps at 312 degrees. (Remember, I am short, so take 30 small steps!) You should be standing almost on top of the hiding place. Just in front of you and to your right is a circular cut in the cliff with a steep drop (see photo to right). If you look to your left, about two steps down is one of the many social trails. Step down onto this trail and you should see the little nook you were standing almost on top of. A fist sized rock is hiding the letterbox from view. Upon removing a couple of rocks, you will find a duct taped piece of cardboard. Behind this cardboard is the letterbox.

Someone had already found the letterbox when I went up to take the compass reading. The picture above is how I found it. I took a couple of more rocks up to help hide it, but loose rocks are hard to find at the top. Boys (including the really tall boys) find it amusing to throw rocks off the top.  :)

This is a really popular place for locals to take their friends. It is less crowded early in the morning, but take a jacket because it can be cool even on hot afternoons. Please be exceedingly stealthy when retrieving and re-hiding the box.

CMW Poem Series: Handiwork Divine

When I lived in Idaho City, we would take drives along the Boise River. The Middle Fork Drive was our favorite, we would drive up to Atlanta and hot spring, swim hole hop all the way down to the reservoir. I decided our favorite hot spring would be the perfect place to hide my "Handiwork Divine" letterbox. This is a long, slow drive along the reservoir, so take a picnic lunch and your swimming suit.

I thought it would be fun to include
some pictures of Buckblackhoof, Music Chick, and Crazy Mountain Woman in those younger times. Buckblackhoof and Music Chick pose on a rock above the pools with Whisper and Nakina. Crazy Mountain Woman and Whisper relax in the hot water. 

 CLUES:  From Boise, go north on Highway 21 to the turn off to Spring Shores. This is the road that goes to Atlanta. Drive past Spring Shores and Arrowrock Dam. You will follow this road for 46 to 47 miles to Roaring River Road. Take the bridge across the river. On the south side of the river there are parking spots on both sides of the road, park in one of them. On the left side of the road is a trail that leads to the hot springs. At the beginning of the trail there is a sign that warns "Don't get in hot water!" which lists the dangers of hot springs. Follow the trail up the river. You will first go downhill, then the trail levels out for a little bit. Before you start back up hill, there will be a large boulder on the right side of the trail. Face this boulder and look up the hill at a boulder slide. Slightly up the hill is another boulder, bigger than any surrounding it. On the south west side of this boulder you will find Handiwork Divine. (This is a fairly large stamp so bring a piece of 3 1/2 x 5-inch paper.)

There is plenty of room in this letterbox. If you would like to add a stamp that portrays the beauty of God's handiwork, you are more than welcome to add it to this box.

 To return to Boise, it will be faster to continue up toward Atlanta and take the road after the Dutch Creek forest service complex (FR 327) toward the North Fork of the Boise River. There are two ways from here to reach Highway 21. I prefer the Little Owl Creek Road which brings you to Highway 21 at the Edna Creek Campground.

CMW Poem Series: Point of View

Several years ago I used to do a lot of traveling for work. One time I had the opportunity to travel to New Mexico, where I passed by these ruins. I couldn't resist stopping to take pictures, and eventually this picture inspired a poem.

Crazy Mountain Woman and I share a birthday, so we took another birthday trip to St. George, UT, (we did the same thing two years ago). Today we journeyed back up to Cedar City to find the rest of the letterboxes in that area. We went up SR 14 and came across this beautiful vista point where you could see Zion National Park. What a great place to plant "Point of View"!

Directions:  From Cedar City, UT, take SR 14 up the canyon. Between mileposts 16 and 17 there is an overlook or view point. When we stopped there on April 25, 2013, there was a place for an informational sign, but no sign. I don't know if it is taken down for the winter and put back up in the summer or if it has been permanently removed.

Clues:  Stand facing the sign (or the view towards Zion if the sign is still gone). To your left is a tall group of aspen with four sub-alpine spruce to the left of them. There is a trail going down hill on both the near side of this group of trees and on the far side. Take the second trail, but don't go down very far. See the two fallen trees to your left? The letterbox is hidden between those to logs, about two feet from the west end. There is a knotty limb that looks like it is joining the two trees just to the east of the letterboxe's hiding place.

I do not get down this way very often, so if the box is in need of maintenance or goes missing, please AQ mail me.  Thanks!

CMW Poem Series: Carma

When I lived in Idaho City, Crazy Mountain Woman, Buckblackhoof, and I would trailer our horses up to Pine Creek to do our riding. It was always enjoyable, and if Buck didn't ride with us, we would let friends ride his horse. I was surprised to see how much the area has changed. Instead of turning the sharp corner in the clue below, you used to be able to keep going straight up the hill. Now you can barely tell there was a road there.

The fun and laughter we shared together will always be a treasured memory. Sometimes I wish I still lived there so that we could make more memories on fantastic rides. I wish I had a picture for this poem, maybe someday I will. So, Crazy Mountain Woman, here is your poem:

Carma

Remember the ride 

Where we sang as we rode

Beneath towering pines

On that old forest road?

 The sun shone so bright

In the sky, summer blue

We laughed and we chattered

As sisters will do.

We've always been close

In both mind and heart

Born on the same day

Though five years apart.

We like the same things

But we are different, too,

My hair is brown, yours is blonde

My eyes green, yours are blue.

We laugh at Dad's jokes

Though his humor is dry

And we keep Mom posted

On every new talent we try.

We like to sing together

We're sisters, so we blend

And I can truly say

You are my closest friend.

I know you'll always be there

When I need a listening ear

Sharing joy and sorrow,

Sad or happy tears.

And I will be here for you

As a sister and a friend

Because I will always love you,

Worlds without end. 

Clue to the Letterbox:

North of Idaho City approximately 9/10ths of a mile is the Bannock Creek/Pine Creek/Thorne Butte Lookout road. Turn right onto this road, cross the creek and take the right fork. Do not cross the creek again, but follow Forest Road 304 uphill. Take Forest Road 347 (about 1.4 miles from the highway). Turn the sharp corner and park in the second small pull out (1.5 miles from the highway). Off the road, downhill, to the right just in front of where you parked is a group of boulders. One of the boulders (the largest) is relatively flat. On the creek side of this boulder beneath branches and duff you will find "Carma".

Note:  This stamp is large (4 inches by 3 1/2 inches).           

CMW Poem Series: My Mountain

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a mountain in my life. In Ammon, Idaho, it was Taylor Mountain. When we moved to Boise, Idaho, it was stack rock and Mount McGowan at Stanley Lake. Then, when I was twelve years old, we hiked to Boulder Lake near McCall, Idaho, for the first time. During the next few years we backpacked and camped at Boulder Lake quite often. I loved to climb the rocky mound on the north side of the dam and sit at the top with Boulder Lake sparkling in the sun behind me, Boulder Meadows Reservoir winking below me, and far out in the valley I could see Cascade Reservoir. For many, many years, that was MY mountain.
When it came time to plant this letterbox, my mountain had once again changed. I now live in eastern Idaho, and The Grand Teton has been my mountain. In fact, it was the inspiration for this poem/song. But, I went back to Boulder Lake to plant this box because it was the first mountain that I wrote stories around.

Clues to the Letterbox:

From Highway 55 just south of McCall, Idaho, turn on Elo Road and follow it to Boulder Lake Road. Turn left on Boulder Lake Road and drive 4 to 5 miles to the Louie Lake and Boulder Lake Trailhead. When you reach the trailhead, the road will make a T. To the right is the Louie Lake Trail, to the left is the Boulder Lake Trail. The Boulder Lake trail starts to the left of the Boulder Meadows Reservoir dam. Follow the trail to Boulder Lake. When you reach the dam at Boulder Lake, turn left and follow it until it ends.

At the Northwest edge of the dam is a huge round boulder (see photo to right). Stand near this boulder and face north, looking up the rocky ridge. Follow the ridge up--there is a distinct white crack in the rock that you can use as a guide. Go to the stunted tree near the top of the ridge before it dips down (see photo to left). Stand on the east side of this tree and face south. Take 10 paces across the rock. At your feet should be a bush and some broken boulders. Take two steps slightly sideways so that you are standing on the 8 foot long boulder. Five small steps will put you above a patch of dirt with a medium sized boulder on the west. Look under this boulder, around a small corner and behind some SPOR to find "My Mountain". Crazy Mountain Woman's day pack is sitting on the boulder next to the hiding place and north of the little patch of dirt.

Enjoy your hike. I had originally planned to plant this box on September 1, 2012. Crazy Mountain Woman, Music Chick, Quilt Lady2, and I were going to find the Louie Lake Series, continue across a 2 mile trail to Boulder Lake, plant this box, then hike back down the Boulder Lake trail. We missed the short, 2 mile trail, and ended up taking a five mile trail--extending our hike by 4 miles when you include hiking from the back of Boulder Lake to the dam. We were tired and eager to get to the car by the time we reached the dam, so instead of climbing the mound to plant the box, we just hiked back down to the car. If you like long hikes, this one was exceptionally beautiful. Just be prepared with plenty of water. :)