The packing is nearly done. The itinerary details are close enough. The road trip is just around the corner.
The last time I did something like this -- hitting the road for a travel adventure, alone -- was in my 20's. I'm excited & nervous!
I'm a person who likes to be around others, so long solo trips are rare. I think this trip is a "turning 60" sort of thing to do...which is what is happening in March! Heading back to my ancestral stomping grounds will be a great opportunity for reflection about the past and the future.
Letterboxing Across Texas with You
I'm incorporating one of my favorite past-times into this adventure -- letterboxing. Clues posted online lead a person on a sort of treasure hunt to find the letterbox. In the letterbox is a rubber stamp & notebook. The finder records their find by 1) stamping their own logbook with the letterbox's stamp and 2) stamping the letterbox logbook with their own personal stamp.
I have searched the online list and mapped out more than a dozen boxes between Denver and Austin in the little towns I'll be passing through. That is part of my strategy to stay alert on the road and have something to stop for every 100 miles or so!
I also have plans to "plant" several boxes of my own while in Austin. In preparation for this trip, I have learned the basics of carving stamps! I have carved two and brought supplies to carve more on the road.
I traced a mockingbird drawing I found online (credit: Sniggle Sloth), transferred it to hard rubber and then carved the stamp. I did the same with a paisano (roadrunner) from the Adventures book jacket. The prints below are my results! I'll create clues on the Atlas Quest site and then put each of these in a letterbox and hide them in a location related to Great-Granddaddy Bedichek. I plan to carve a Mexican Primrose (Texas Buttercup), a Mexican Cliff Swallow, and an Inca Dove. As you and I travel along together, you will get to see where I end up planting these boxes!
Next post will be from the road...
Love what you are doing.