400+ Miles

Saturday was an interesting day for me. I started out with going to Frankston to pick up Blue Butterfly's Pine Hill box. After finding this one, I trotted on down to Elmwood and checked in with Elmwood Gardens. Having carefully studied my map earlier, I'd printed out clues to boxes in Corsicana and Whitney. I didn't really think I'd make it out to Whitney, but you never know....when it comes to boxing....the possibilities are endless!

Anyhow, I left the community of Elmwood and made my way through Palestine to Corsicana.

Once in Corsicana, I hunted down the right address to find Petroleum Park. This is a nice tribute to the oil industry in Corsicana. I wasn't able to linger, though, as I needed to find this "pocket park" in the downtown area where Wolf Brand is located. I had a little trouble finding the correct street (even though I'd passed right by it and missed it), but once I found the street, the address was easy to locate. I was pleasantly surprised by this little park. It is kind of like an oasis in the middle of the businesses of downtown Corsicana. This park has three or four stones with inspirational quotes on them. I spent quite a bit of time here.

After I FINALLY forced myself to leave the pocket park, it was only a little after noon. I took out my map and measured the approximate distance to Hillsboro....only about thirty miles. No problem! Whitney is only a few miles on the other side of Hillsboro...I'm guessing maybe ten. So, I headed west again. As I made my way outside of Corsicana, I saw a sign that says Hillsboro is 40 miles away. This was a little more than I anticipated. However, I did make it to Lake Whitney SP with plenty of daylight left. I found Silver Eagle's Lorax box with no problem. This box was the main reason I'd driven the extra distance....I haven't been able to resist one of SE's Dr. Seuss boxes!

After checking in with Lorax, I went back to the trail head to search out Gone Fishin'. I followed the instructions, which said to look for trail marker number 8. As I walked around, I easily found 1-6, but alas, no 7 or 8. I did however, come to a bridge and decided that this MIGHT actually be the bridge where the box is hidden. I turned over virtually every rock that fit the description, but there was no box. Continuing on the trail, I saw some great birding in the area. They were flittering and fluttering all over the place. I tried to get a good picture of a few, but I'm not quite quick enough for those little critters. As I came around the trail, I did not see markers 9 or 10 either, but did see 11. I'm not sure if I did something wrong or what, but Gone Fishin' is still a mystery to me.

I got back in my car and chose a route to come back home. There was no need to go back the way I came, so I decided to head south and go through Waco. I even found the TX Ranger Museum on my map! However, I do not have the clues for it. Blue Butterfly had found this box previously, but she was out of town. Could she possibly remember where that box was hidden? If she did remember, would I be able to follow her instructions? hmmm....I took a chance and called her when I was about 20 miles from Waco. She'd be happy to help me! AND she wanted me to go find Baby Bear's Don't Mess with TX box, too. We'd just tackle one box at a time...after all...it was starting to get dark. When I got to Waco, I found the TX Ranger Museum and gave BB a call. She easily led me to the right place, but I had a little trouble uncovering it. I was there while the employees were leaving for the evening and the box is very close to the back door. I did manage to nab it and replace it though, and I'm glad I did. This is a nice stamp and I hope to go back sometime so I can actually go into the museum.

After finishing up, I called BB again and asked her if she knew where the suspension bridge was located. She couldn't remember how to get there, but she remembered the general direction from the TX Ranger Museum. I followed the Brazos River to the West, and BINGO! I found a suspension bridge. In no time, I was on the phone again (and the sun was VERY low by now) and she led me right to this box, too.

After stamping in, I finally ate a little dinner, then made the dreaded drive back home. I made a total of seven finds and missed one box. I had a terrific time with my mini-tour and will be ready to do it again in a few weeks!