RETIRED 28 APRIL 2006 but the associated bonus box is still there: see below.

From Wilcox Park and library in the center of Westerly, RI continue easterly on Route 1 North (up hill on Granite St. and then along Franklin St) about 1 mile to the third light on Franklin St. With the Mobil gas station in the triangle directly in front of you, bear right of the station onto East Avenue. Go exactly 1 mile to a hidden driveway on the left marked by stone pillars on either side. Although you might never have guessed, this is the main entrance to Moore Woods. Park in here next to an old brown shed (shed removed in 2002).
Walk east past the red gate (not too fast - jogging is prohibited here!), with a stonewall on your right. Pass through the first stonewall opening and curve gently right (south), admiring the variety of trees that were planted here over the years. Just before the second stonewall opening swing left and eastward onto cushy pine needles. (Going through the opening will take you onto a nice short loop through another small portion of the Moore Woods property which you might like to visit now or save for the walk back.)
With stonewall and open field on your right, soon pass through another stonewall and begin to count birdhouses. How many can you find? Turn left (north) just before a metal gate and pass more birdhouses in the surrounding fields. Turn right (east again) through the next stonewall break.
From the silver maple on your left, head generally southeast toward the big spruces. 15 steps due south from between the second and third spruces should take you to your treasure. Let us know your birdhouse count! (Hint: Further exploration of the area may lead you to more birdhouses and foundations, but be on the lookout for poison ivy when going off trail.)

"Birdhouse Heaven" has been retired, but for those still interested in looking for the little "Bonus Bird", after entering into the main part of the park past the house on the right, go to that second stone wall opening that leads to the southern part of the property. From the sign near that opening, head east along the stone wall, then south with the path. From the twin trunk cedar on the left, take about another 50 steps to another cedar on your right. Look left here low in the bottom of the stone wall behind a small trap door for the lonely little bird, wishing someone would carve a tiny little bird stamp to replace him, or keep him company!
Please close the "cage" carefully. Thanks.

Visited May 8, 2005

Blue Pond in Hopkinton, RI can be accessed from Exit 2 off of I-95 by heading briefly west, then south on Route 3 for 1/2 mile, then west again on Canonchet Rd. Follow Canonchet Rd for almost 2 miles, passing Asheville Pond on the left, to a small Fish and Wildlife parking area on the right. (A sign says that the only activities permitted here are fishing and boating, but somehow I think that just hiking in, even without a boat or fishing pole, would probably be OK!)
Follow the laurel-lined lane (quite lovely in June) east, soon catching a glimpse of an old fireplace on your left. In about 1/2 mile, reach the foundation of a small house that once stood overlooking the pond. 50 yards further will lead you onto a wedge-shaped rock jutting out into the pond - a nice view point. Returning to the southern corner of the old foundation and continuing 80 yards back the way you came, find a faint trail heading generally south to take you along and above the pond's western shore. Just as you reach what appears to be the highest point of this stretch of trail and just before a small white pine on your left, take a bearing of 250 and walk 6 steps in that direction. Your treasure is tucked low into the NW side of this particular rock.
From here, you can return the way you came or continue briefly south with the trail, passing an old campfire ring, to reach the pond's south end. Taking the dirt road that swings between south and west will soon return you to paved Canonchet Rd, and a 1/2 mile north on this usually quiet byway will get you back to your car. (The trailhead for Long Pond from which you can reach "Canonchet's Waters" is just up the road a bit on your left, and Route 138 in Rockville is about a mile past that.)

Removed by the chairman of the Kimball Wildlife Refuge on 28 February 2002.

Carolina Management Area is located on both sides of Pine Hill Road, south of Hope Valley and Wyoming, RI and north of Wood River Junction and Carolina, RI. The main hunters' parking lot can be reached by driving on Pine Hill Rd 0.7 mile east from Hope Valley Rd / Switch Rd. (north of Chariho Regional High School) or 1.6 miles west from Richmond Town House Rd (Rt. 112) just north of the "octagon house". The parking lot is on the south side of the road, along with a red DEM building, an old outhouse, and a small cemetery.

From the main parking lot, head west on Pine Hill Rd., crossing Meadow Brook, and turning north on dirt Meadowbrook Trail. If you need to make a shorter loop, you may drive up this dirt road about 3/4 mile, following the North - South Trail markers. Almost immediately after the log barrier, bear left on the unmarked Jerue Trail, while the N/S Trail arrows point right. Just past where the Gardiner Trail branches right and where you will notice one of several aberrant N/S Trail markers, there is a convergence of stone walls, also on your right. Continuing to the "T" junction, turn left (SW) onto the Habrek Trail and follow this path gently downhill, passing a 10ft boulder on you right. When you see the remains of a large foundation on your right, head off trail to its southern corner, then take 15 steps to the highest remaining stone on its eastern side and sift through the leaves in the cranny below. Then continue on to the next junction and turn left uphill on the unmarked Shippee Trail. If you are doing the shorter loop, bear left onto the Essex Trail and then turn left on Meadowbrook Trail following it back to your car at the log barrier. If you are doing the longer loop, turn right at the Essex junction, then bear left onto unmarked Duprey Trail for a pleasant, easy-going mile to Pine Hill Rd., on which you briefly walk east back to the main parking lot.

Relocated June 5, 2002 due to poison ivy encroaching on old location.

From the main parking lot, bear left (SE) past the outhouse and then keep heading south along the old gravelly road, passing several wildlife clearings and side trails. After a little over a mile, turn left at the "T" junction, keeping a line of pines on your right through which you can see an open field beyond. Just before entering that field, bear left at the fork, heading generally east along the edge of a larger field, passing an old tumble-down barn, until you reach the North - South Trail opening with its blue markers. Go NE gently down this pine needle covered path, passing a canoe camp on this upper part of the Pawcatuck River reached via a short unmarked spur trail to the east. Soon the blue blazes curve N, NW, and W to take you to the white picket fence of the Kenyon cemetery on your right. Directly opposite perpendicular to the trail is a stonewall. Look behind a trap door located five or six steps along the east side of this wall. Then continue along the main path to the next junction. From here you have about a mile to go, whether you bear left on the grassy path and then right on the gravelly road you started in on, or continue on the N/S Trail to paved Pine Hill Road and then walk west back to your car.

Grass Pond Preserve protects a special RI ecosystem - a coastal plain quagmire that is home to many relatively rare insects including the bog copper butterfly, the pine barrens bluet, the elfin skimmer, and the ringed boghaunter. Because of its fragility, the pond itself is generally off-limits to the public (except for occasional guided walks). However, a short loop on the north side of Wilbur Hill Rd presently gives access to at least one "letterboxing bug"!

To reach the preserve, follow route 138 east just under 2 miles from exit 3 off I95. Then head 1/2 mile south on route 112 and 1/2 mile east on Wilbur Hill Rd to the parking spot by the sign.

Continue walking east on the unpaved portion of Wilbur Hill Rd until you see a big rock on your left with trail markings pointing north (left). Follow this trail as it swings past several lichen covered rock outcroppings, taking either branch of the kite-shaped loop at its northeastern end. At the most easterly point of the loop, where the trail makes a very sharp turn near a stone wall, take a seat on the log with your back to the stone wall. Look to your left, then take 3 steps in that direction from the end of the log and look for a bug hidden behind a trap door or two in the stone wall.

To return, complete the loop to the bottom of the "kite" and walk out on the path you came in on. You may wish to look for "Birthday Blossoms" during your journey as well.

Replaced stamp on March 8, 2007 and put in a new location, see QUEEN OF A RIVER II. A geocache moved into the area, our stamp went missing, and the rocks got grafitti. The neighborhood seemed to be going downhill so we moved our box up the road to a posher location!

Old Location:
The Queen's River is perhaps one of the most pristine in RI. The area also contains a rather rare RI example of a pine barrens environment, although this one is "logged" by volunteers to keep it from disappearing. To reach this spot in Exeter, take Rte. 2 3.5 miles south of Rte. 102 or 3.3 miles north of Rte. 138. Turn west on Mail Road 0.9 mile to dirt School Land Woods Road on the right, then another 0.9 mile to a gate and small signed pull off on the left. Walk in on the sandy lane through the pines about half a mile to the river and bridge. The box is in an alcove beneath the northern side of the middle of 3 rocks on the bridge's north side and the river's eastern bank. Return the way you came in or take some time to explore.

Checked 19 May 2007

Follow the directions to Laurette's Adventures of Tintin Letterbox in the Great Swamp. While returning on the main path straight back from the hanger to your car, start looking for holly trees after the powerline. When you see 3 large ones on your left (before you reach the first fork you took on your way out) locate a small stump just past them, and find an impromptu letterbox tucked under the 6th rock behind and to the right of that stump. Please bring your own pen and ink, since I was somewhat unprepared that day and didn't have any extras with me. It is also up to you to try to make something artistic out of the critter-carved field-stone stamp! Good luck!
Note: the hanger was moved to Richmond Airport in Sept. 2004 to make a museum.

Checked 22 May 2007, "Dad's Birthday" is also OK

We must have been awfully hungry recently when we visited Peace Amy's letterbox, "Dad's Birthday Box", starting out from a small parking lot on the left just down Bates Schoolhouse Road off Arcadia road, just south from route 165. Several of the rocks we saw along the way seemed to be sporting "mouths" just asking to be fed, so we decided to return with a few little tidbits to fill them up!

The first "fast food" we planted can be reached from the red gate in just about as many steps as a "centipede" supposedly has "feet". Step lively - your "Fries" are tucked into a microbox about 2 inches to the right of a tiny white pine growing out of the jaws of a big rock on the right. Watch your fingers!

Next, if you're having a "Big Mac Attack", look for your "Burger" a relatively short distance down on your left in the small maw of a "pucker-mouth rock", about 10 steps down-trail and then 10 steps off-trail from a clump of "dated" beech trees. Hope this holds you for a while!

Continue on the loop to find Dad's Birthday Box (bent tree is broken now, so just go 30 steps and look under stones), and then perhaps you'll be ready for some cake. The trail winds quite a bit as it heads back towards the dirt road you started out on, but be on the lookout for a very hard to see rock well into the woods that seems to be grinning at you like a snapping turtle from behind a tree. Even if you do not see it, just go straight ahead about 35 steps at 160 degrees at the point where the trail makes a sharp bend left to the east. When you get down to the rock, carefully run your fingers through the pine needles and dirt in the south side crack of the rock - not in the turtle's mouth! Hope that was a "Piece of Cake"!

About 150 more steps down the trail will take you to the dirt road you came in on, and you can turn right back to your car. However, if you are still hungry or on the South Beach Letterboxing Diet, just cross the dirt road, and walk another 80 steps along the mountain bike trail to find a rock on the right with a large fish mouth. The bottom right corner harbors "Bacon and Eggs".

Head back the way you came or look for "More Hungry Rocks".

Checked 22 May 2007

Seems that those rocks around Dad's Birthday and the first Hungry Rocks series are still hungry! When we went back there recently, we couldn't even get as far as the "Fries" before they started calling out to us. The third large rock on the right about 30 steps after the red gate was growling rather loudly, so we had to stuff a slice of "Pizza" low down into the corner of its gaping maw so it would let us pass!

We safely continued past the "Hamburger and then took the yellow trail to the right. Shortly on the left we noticed a huge rock with a big dead tree trunk leaning across the middle of it, reminiscent of the straw in a giant's "Root Beer Float". We decided to leave a miniature version of that in the crack just to the right of that tree where ferns were dribbling out like foam from that float.

Continuing on a ways further, past the biker's log jump, we finally spotted the Big Monster Rock on the left with its ferny head and a mustache of black foliose lichen. Just to the left of that mustache, next to a swag of moss to the left of a piece of bark about to be chewed, you might find a bunch of grapes about to be swallowed. Tuck them back in safely near the moss after you've taken your sample, but please don't let them go all the way down! Then return the way you came, or go looking for more hungry mouths to feed!

This box used to be a bonus to our "Grass Pond" letterbox. However, to avoid confusion, we have now decided to list it as a regular letterbox. From the bottom of the "kite" mentioned in the "Grass Pond" clues, just backtrack uphill about 30 steps, hop over the stone wall to your right and look left under the middle of a rock that serves as a "sheltering roof". Please hide discreetly with leaves to cover the box, and use pink ink on both the flowers and the butterflies to preserve the metaphor. Thanks!

Checked 13 Feb 2005

This series is based on a special pillow that I once gave Pete for his birthday several years ago. The starting point is the same as for Mike and Christine's "St Anger" letterbox. Find the dirt lane heading east across the street from Browning Mill Pond on Arcadia Road south of Rte. 165. Head down it to the gate or park in the fishing access area just to the North (at "tuna rock").

To find the central box for the pillow, walk past the gate down the dirt lane to the first trail junction at 3441/4. Take that bearing about 20-25 steps, and find the main middle part of the pillow under the S side of the biggest rock in the jumble off trail to your left.

Go back to the junction and continue uphill on the dirt road, passing the trail at 1511/4. When you see a stonewall on the left, look under a small rock on the NE side of the nearby twin tree for the first of six microbox pieces that fit around the central portion of the pillow. (Can you guess what the others might be?)

Next take the trail at 2071/4 until you see a dead birch tree that is still standing (for now) on a rock on the left side of the trail. Find you next pillow piece on its back side tucked beneath the many shelved of green tinted fungus growing near the bottom of the tree.

Continue on trail to a 4 way intersection where you go 2231/4 At the next junction, take the trail at 1741/4 up to the top of the ridge to a big boulder. Going back downhill the way you came a few steps, you will see a rock that is being engulfed by its neighboring tree to the right side of the trail. Find your next piece tucked into the bottom of that rock.

Now you have a relatively long segment just to walk and enjoy the trail, paying special attention to the rocks and logs that can be rather slippery when wet. At the T, turn to 2841/4 and proceed until you spy a large rock about a dozen steps off trail in the midst of pine needles near a squirrel midden. Look under the NE corner of the rock closest to the trail. (Listen carefully, you might hear Metallica playing nearby!)

Continue along the trail until you reach a sharp left turn marked by a tree on the left hand side with double yellow blazes on both sides. There is a beech tree at 701/4, and just to the right of that another tree with a sweet little pillow piece resting at its base under a small rock corner covered with leaves.

To finish your pillow, continue on yellow, then turn right on white until you see a stone wall on the left with a triple trunk tree just beyond. About 10 steps back the way you came, find 2 small trees growing on a rock and twisting around each other for a kiss. At the foot of the larger one, hidden under moss and a stone, find your last piece of the pillow. Continue on to close the loop and head back down the dirt lane to your car, perhaps pausing once again at the pillow base to comment on your journey. Hope you find a lot of love along the way.

April 10, 2005 This box went missing before anyone (except the vandals) found it!

Find a chapel in the pines tucked behind a donut shop not far from the 4-corners of Dunn off Route 1. From there wind your way down to the pulpit in the pines, then carefully wind back up westerly through the rows of benches to the last big boulder before the stone wall. From this rock, a dozen steps northerly gets you near the end of your little journey - a small low rock sanctuary sheltering a scallop shell, symbol of the many wanderers who have for centuries made pilgrimages to the shine of Santiago da Campostela! May letterboxing provide you with many sweet pilgrimages also and opportunities to share your heart as well ... ojala!

Retired.

Just a tiny little "v" stuck on the end of a Cherokee rose that we brought back from Oklahoma recently, but if you happen to be in the area checking out the art festival going on in Wilcox Park in the center of Westerly, RI on Saturday and Sunday, May 28 - 29, 2005, between 10AM and 5PM, you might as well stamp into this microbox, too! After wandering around through the park, once called New England's largest "village green", head over to the northernmost corner, closest to the entrance to the YMCA on High St. (parking sometimes available here near Other Tiger book store) Take about a dozen steps south along the fence/stonewall border to a big hole in the wall at foot level. Above this cavity is a quarry rock with 5 notches cut into it. On the top left corner of this big rock, under a slender piece of concrete and some oak leaves, find the microbox, then please replace it discreetly exactly as found!

Both the Whale Trail and this box were retired in Nov 2005

To find this tiny whale, make your way to the center of Westerly and locate a place to park somewhere along Broad St (Rte 1) or High St (heading north from Rte 1). At the intersection of these two streets note the eyes on the flowery cetaceous fellow adorning the center island. Then head generally east across the road, taking the path between the post office and the library, then curving behind the library toward the fountain, and then hopping over to the Runaway Bunny. From the big bunny, head south to the pillar of the stone wall where the wall joins the iron railing paralleling the sidewalk. (A white lucky numbered house is just across the street.) To "get whale soon", very discreetly look at about 5 ft eye level under three small stones on the left side of the pillar while facing the street. Please replace this little box very carefully so that nothing looks disturbed!

Retired

For "Shakespeare in the Park", find a place to park somewhere around Wilcox Park in the center of Westerly, RI. If you are circling through downtown Westerly northbound on Rte 1 you can turn left at the light onto Rte 3, and usually find a place to park along here or on Wilcox Avenue, the short road on your right. After parking, carefully cross Rte 3 at Wilcox Avenue and enter the park, heading generally north. If you come around 8PM any day except Monday through the end of July, you can catch this year's Shakespeare offering - "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Walk behind the set and then around either side of the very tall water lilies to the light post in the far northeast corner of the park. Go up 7 steps and walk toward the next set, but stop before taking them. Instead turn east and take about 12 steps to the "cave" in the stonewall. Look on the left side of the big stone atop the cave, taking careful note of 2 small pieces of concrete and a triangular rock, so that you can remove them, take out the microbox, and afterwards replace them exactly the same way. Thanks for visiting "Shakespeare in the Park".

See numbers 68 - 70 above. Clue is embedded in the Hungry Rocks after the somewhat elusive Piece of Cake.

Finally getting around to officially adding this one to the LbNA list to commemorate Ben's 300th birthday today! (1/17/06)

At first, we had planned to plant this stamp image of Ben Franklin, carved by RTRW of CT, on one of our trips down to PA. Then, however, we realized there were several Ben Franklin boxes already down there near Philadelphia. Suddenly, I remembered one of my grade school teachers telling us that Ben had actually visited southern RI, and that people could take a tour of the house where he stayed and view some of his letters there. Now you can also find a letterbox there in his honor.

From "Joshua's Store" just follow the stone wall to the east. At ground level in the southeastern most crevice next to a big end rock, two small stones hide your prize. Please note exactly how they are placed so you can completely rehide the box when you are finished. Otherwise the trash collectors might get it, and Ben would never appreciate that!

Knowing how much we love letterboxing, our 85-year old friend Bruna gave us another little stamp to plant for Christmas 2005. Appropriately enough, it's a tree-toting, peace banner-carrying angel that we planted near the end of the loop where our former "Peace/Angel" ski-boxing series (#59) comes back out onto Breakheart Road in the Arcadia Management Area of Exeter, RI. Here are the clues:

Checked Sep 8, 2007 and found resting peacefully beneath pine needles

Well, our Inn of the End hitcher hostel in Charlestown wasn't getting too much business, and hitchers were getting stranded there for rather long periods of time, so we thought we'd find a spot where they might be able to catch rides a bit quicker! This spot is right off Exit 3 in Hope Valley / Richmond / Wyoming, RI, heading east on route 138 just a few hundred feet. Turn into the park and ride lot on the south side of the road, and head towards the furthest west parking space. From there, follow a little pine needle covered path straight up the embankment about 20 steps at 200 degrees. Bear right onto a faint trail at 260 degrees for about 40 steps, then right again at 280 degrees on an even fainter trail for about 20 steps towards a long flat sheet of tilted black rock overlooking the turnpike. 30 steps at 200 degrees, side-stepping any obstacles or low branches, should get you to a cushy, mossy spot between some white pines. (10 steps further and you'd be standing on a geodetic survey marker!) Stop and look left about 5 steps away for the hostel hidden under a few discreet branches on the northeast side of the pine, about a foot and a half away from it. Hope you enjoy visiting "New Beginnings" and sending off another hitcher or two out "into the wild"!

Starting on Sunday May 21st, with a kick-off from the Westerly Town Hall at noon, and ending Thursday May 25th at the Providence State Home. Many people from across the state will be joining in a "march to end homelessness in RI" called "The Journey Home". Both of our churches will be participating in this event to help raise funds and awareness for the 6,000 people in our state, about 1/3 of them being children, who were homeless last year. Rest stops with refreshments will be provided at our "mother church" (Dunn's Corners Presbyterian) and our "father church" (St Andrews Lutheran on Sunday at about 2:00PM and 4:00PM respectively). Anyone wishing to meet up with us along the way, please feel free to ask us for this limited time stamp to "help stamp out homelessness"!

Between ports-of-call (that is, most of the time) this cruise ship can be found near the New Beginnings hostel off exit 3 of I-95 in RI. The ship used to be docked about 14 steps southerly from the geodetic survey marker which is located about 10 steps south of the hostel. (The old clue refered to the special rate of $199 for a 4-day cruise from Long Beach to Catalina Island to San Diego to Ensenada and back on Royal Caribbean Cruise Line on Jan 22, 2007). However, there is now a government insect trap near the "old pier" and the cruise price went up, so the ship has sailed a bit north. Just add about $160 to the old best cruise price for that January date and take that bearing for as many steps as there are letters in the first part of the cruise line name, starting from the hostel under the pine. Look down under the needles by another pine tree right by the path.

Please cover the ship discreetly so that it looks completely natural, and so that no one else will inadvertantly find out about this "special cruise deal". Good luck and bon voyage!

After you have gotten your peanut berries, you just might wish to get one more little antioxidant down the road! If so, follow your nose to the start of the blue plate special, note the great blue heron with fish near the entrance, go to the middle of the second parking space past the two with blue handicap parking signs and look low behind the little blue grayish stone in the crack to the right of the black lamppost. Be sure to cover this little berry carefully.

The Queen's River is perhaps one of the most pristine in RI. We once went kayaking with Moonstone Baby and other letterboxing friends along the southern portion of this beautiful river, but this letterbox is at the other end. The area also contains a rather rare RI example of a pine barrens environment, although this one is "logged" by volunteers to keep it from disappearing. To reach this spot in Exeter, take Rte. 2 3.5 miles south of Rte. 102 or 3.3 miles north of Rte. 138. Turn west on Mail Road 0.9 mile to dirt School Land Woods Road on the right, then another 0.9 mile to a gate and small signed pull off on the left. Walk in on the sandy lane through the pines about half a mile to the river and bridge.

From the bridge go back about 40 steps and find a small path to the right. Go down this path about 40 more steps to a fallen tree. Under this tree just a couple of feet from the root end, the Queen has taken up residence in a soft bed of fragrant pine needles. Return the way you came in or take some time to explore.

One your way back from Queen of a River II, pass two sandy dirt tracks on your right (the first one has an old cemetery down it a short way on the right), then a big wolf pine tree on the right, and then turn right just past the double trunk pine. Follow the piney path about 40 steps until you see a nurse stump on the left on a slight uphill. The first crown is tucked into the end of the nurse log (6 steps at 135 degrees). Make sure the hole is well covered when you're done.

Continue on the narrow piney trail to look out over a field. Then backtrack about a dozen steps to where you can see a small nook under the curved trunks of a tiny double tree on the right about 4 steps off trail just past a big white pine.

Return to the main trail and head back toward your car. Stop 80 steps before you reach the metal gate to find the third crown off to your right about 15 steps at the top northern corner of an old foundation. It is under moss pine needles, twigs and a small flat stone.

Checked and found 13 Jan 2008.

This stamp of two hearts in a peapod was inspired by a valentine card created by Dale End Farm of Sudbury, MA. We meant to plant the box at Breakheart Pond for Valentine's Day, but someone else had that same idea, so we planted our peas nearby for St Patrick's Day.

To find these peas take Frosty Hollow Road north from the white church at "Appie Crossing" on route 165. Turn left at the end of the road for 4/10 of a mile to the parking area on the left in the open field. Once across the field find the third white blaze on your right in the direction you are walking and then continue 60-65 steps further. From there 10 steps west will bring you to our peapod in a little piney cubby behind a little mossy door.

If you continue down this trail, you will reach the piece of the Four Seasons puzzle planted by Moonstone. (Part of the DEF Tribute Series: Wanda and Pete)

While walking around Breakheart Pond for Valentine's Day 2007, we were struck by the image of a huge stump, about 10 feet tall, topped by an almost perfect circle of wood which, although it appeared to be dead, had live branches coming out of its top. We vowed to return to plant a box to commemorate this "alive alive-o tree" arising out of the dead wood.

Unfortunately, by the time we finally got around to planting the box, a terrific storm had blown through the area, knocking the wood circle and its living branches completely over into the nearby stream. Now, we can no longer call the remaining stump alive, but if you stand on the granite block overlooking the stream to the west, you can still see the big dead O resting just inches above the water with the formerly living branches reaching some 20 feet upstream, now destined nevermore to sprout leaves.

To find find the box giving a hint of what this tree used to look like, just walk north from the huge stump a few steps towards a big curvy log that sort of looks like a sea monster slug. Near the middle part of that log is a small squarish sitting rock several steps off trail. Look behind the west side of that rock for a carefully concealed box, and please rehide it the way you found it!

We were going to plant our tiny example of this traditional RI cornmeal pancake wayfaring food (hence the name coming from "journey cakes"), at one of the old inns along Route 1 (Boston Post Road`) that would historically have served them. However, things didn't quite work out: the oldest inn in these parts (1600's) had quite a few fleas, and the next oldest (1700's) put hay bales around the monument in front where we had hoped to leave the box! So, in the several miles between these two old inns on the south side of the highway heading east, just find your way to the southern corner of the western parking lot for the wildlife refuge. A nice little loop trail starts there from a small brown sign. Proceed down this trail at roughly 210 degrees for 25-30 steps, passing a high bush blueberry on your left. Just past that tall bush, turn left and walk about 10 steps off trail, passing a multi-trunk maple, to a good-sized oak with fuzzy green lichen growing on its north-facing side. On its opposite side, under a piece of asphalt and leaves, hides a black microbox with its tiny jonnycake pez stamp spewing bits of un-ground corn kernels - for those who couldn't figure out what that "mystery stamp" we left at a stampless box in RI was supposed to be! The Jonnycake tradition still lives on in these parts of southern RI with names like the Jonnycake Center to help members of our community in need, and the Jonnycake Storytelling Festival in September. However, the actual jonnycakes themselves are getting pretty hard to find these days, so enjoy them when you can find them, and please hide these particular little ones well. And you might as well hike the rest of the loop while you are here, too, especially since we have added jonnycakes and maple syrup!

Continue on down the loop trail until you reach a junction. Proceed to the left and stop beside the "Native Grasslands Restoration" sign. Observe how the trail continues across the clearing and take note of the rocks to the south and just a few steps (maybe 20) to the right of the gravel trail and in front of some cedar trees. Go to those rocks and explore the cave between the 4th and 5th rocks.

From the "Restoration" sign, take the paved path to the distant end of the clearing. From the end of the pavement, you might continue on the path a short way to a nice water view or you might go 30 steps at 145 degrees to a cedar tree. At its foot is a one foot, squarish chunk of asphalt that is worthy of examination!

When RTRW recently donated this sweet collection of stamps commemorating musicals we all know and love, we immediately started thinking about where we had seen many of them, and where would be a good place to hide them for others to enjoy and perhaps bring back some memories for them, too. We had seen most of these musicals at PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center), but certainly had no wish to try planting around there in the middle of the city! Even the Warwick Musical on Bald Hill Road in central RI, where we remember seeing some wonderful musical tent shows when we were just kids, is now just a RI memory spot amid miles and miles of strip malls! In fact, nowadays one of our pastors always seems to get a laugh in his sermons by using the term "Bald Hill" metonymically for "excessive consumerism", so no planting there either!

There is, however, another Bald Hill in RI, far removed in spirit from the hustle and bustle of that other one, and this is the one you will have to find to get to these boxes. It is actually very easy, and quite convenient for the "CT Crowd" to reach as well. Just follow route 165 until you see the sign for Summit Rd./Bald Hill Rd across from the old Exeter Baptist Church, and drive south a few hundred feet to limited parking on the left, or park back on Frosty Hollow Rd across from the church and stroll down to the North-South Trail crossing.

From the red gate, follow the blue blazed trail up the old dirt road. When you first spot a white blaze on a tree to the right of the trail about 100 feet ahead, look for a long fuzzy green rock taking a catnap on your left. Go behind the rock and as you face it, look in the left side of the horizontal crack for Cats.

Continue uphill following the blue blazed road past the white blazed trail until you reach a "Y" junction of dirt paths. Look left at four large pine trees and see the solitary boulder between the shadows of the third and fourth tree. Hidden below the front of that boulder lurks the Phantom of the Opera.

Take the left prong and continue uphill on the blue blazed road, then slightly downhill passing a stone lined water-hole on the right before spotting a large boulder on the left with a substantial well-rooted pine tree growing on its roof top. Behind where the curved leg of the right root and the rock meet at ground level, tucked under a small stone is the Fiddler on the Roof

Continue awhile on the blue trail until you reach a road junction with a tree wearing two blue blazes and a red triangle. Turn right here onto the unblazed dirt road, and shortly right again. This is the Loop Trail. Stay on the main trail (right/straight at the road fork) crossing a narrow path up to the high point of the trail. Watch for an oak tree on the right with a horizontal limb hanging high above the trail. Ten steps before that oak on the right is a pine tree rising out of an uplifted mound of needles. Look behind it under crossed branches and a stone for Jesus Christ Superstar.

Follow the unblazed dirt road loop trail gently down until an unusual rock appears on the right, about 40 steps past a 25 foot snag on the left. This rock with its foliose lichen reminded Pete of a small version of the slimy frog in "Pan's Labyrinth", but we did not try to plant a carrot in its gaping maw because it might have fallen in too deep. Instead, look under a small lichen covered stone on its carefully camouflaged right back side for The Fantasticks.

Continue on unblazed dirt road until it ends back at the junction with the blue blazed road. Proceed left going downhill past a stone wall on the left and continuing all the way down to the bottom where a stone wall can be seen coming in from the right. At the closest approach of that wall there is a small side path going off to the right. A large pine tree stands about two steps in front of the wall to the north at this point. Without touching the smooth curved branch that rests like a staff against the wall directly behind this tree, merely remove one small stone that sits like filling sandwiched between two larger wall rocks just below and to the left of it. Wrapped in a leftover scrap of what was once my costume for the Bulgarian Suite when I danced many years ago with the international dance performing troupe "Narodno", please find and carefully replace Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat . Hope you enjoyed this colorful little series, and have many pleasant musical tunes going through your head as you wrap up your trip!

To celebrate the New Year (2008) and our 250th plant, we placed this little bottle near where we usually stop to replenish our wine supply at the giant wine bottle of classical music fame, advertised regularly on WCRI 95.9 Once you have found a spot to park here along route 1 near the giant bottle, walk down the dead end street just to the west, passing another big wine bottle on the side of the building.

Keep walking a short distance (maybe 100 feet) until you reach the first larger tree that juts out a bit in front of the stone wall. Carefully "reach in" behind the bittersweet vines in back of the tree to extract a little yellow bottle quietly resting in the stone wall at mid level behind a small cantaloupe sized rock. Here's to your health: na zdrowie, salut, etc!

Drive down Shore Road west from Venice to find the glacier preserve lands on the north side of the road by the white sign. Find your way to the overlook, have a seat and enjoy the grand view. Then, walk east along the stone wall a few steps, pass through the wall and walk 10 more steps. Stop and look left to find a large trapdoor leaning against the wall. Look behind the door under the leaves for Pete's layered impression of the view.

Recommended colors are blue, tan, acquamarine, green and gray.

Please rehide the container under leaves as you can see past the sides of the trapdoor.

BEFORE YOU SET OUT, PLEASE READ THE WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER.

You can find information about this hobby at Letterboxing North America (LbNA)

News concerning this hobby is posted at LbNA Talk List