On the morning of day 3, after sleeping under damp blankets all night long, I got up and started tearing down camp. By about 8:15, I was finished with my campsite and I drove to a trail in the park to hide my LADY BUG letterbox. After finding a nice place for this bug to call home, I left Guadalupe River State Park. I decided to take a bit of a different route home, avoiding the loop and outer roads of Austin. I headed east to New Braunfels, got on 45 and headed north.
My first stop of the day was in Salado. Silver Eagle has a box there that has been around for about four years. I took the exit, then took a country route to......Holland? Hmm....what did I do wrong. I was sitting at an intersection in Holland and looked around. No traffic. I pulled out my map to try and figure out what I'd done wrong. Salado is right on the interstate. I must have turned when I wasn't supposed to. I put away my map, drove through the intersection, and found a place to turn around. I made my way back to Salado and saw the error of my ways. This time, I easily found historic Salado College and stamped into the box there.
Back on I45, my next stop was in Temple at the WHISTLE STOP LB. I found the park and nabbed the box. I went to the smaller playground near the gazebo to do the stamping in. As I was finishing up, I noticed a suspicious looking guy hanging around the area where the box is supposed to be planted. Hmmmm...the only reason he'd be in that particular spot is to find what I have in my hand. I put the box in my backpack and head over. I asked him if he was looking for something, and as I asked, I looked to see what he was carrying with him. It is at this moment that I realize he has nothing that looks like letterboxing paraphernalia....only a drink in a small paper bag. He tries to question me, but I quickly walked away. What was I going to do now???? I went back to my car at the larger playground (well out of sight of the gazebo) and got rid of some of the trash I'd collected. I drove closer to the museum and peeked around the corner. Bob is still there. (Not his name, but I have to call him something.) I sit in my car for a few more minutes, then I pull around so that I can spy him without him seeing me. My only concern at this point is that I don't want to look suspicious to the people coming in and out of the museum! I decided to drive around Temple a bit and see if I could find something to occupy my time. I found a Dairy Queen, and ordered some ice cream. After finishing my ice cream, I drove back to Whistle Stop to check on Bob. He's still there. By this time, it's been about a half hour to forty minutes that I've been waiting on this guy to leave. I drove around Temple some more and found the public library. I went in and, after some explaining, was allowed to use the internet. I checked on my email and posted the boxes I'd planted earlier. I stayed there long enough to kill enough time, that I hope Bob had gone on his way.
I drove back to the park and pulled up to my corner. I don't see Bob! I pulled closer just to make sure. He's gone! I'm finally able to return the box to it's hiding spot only an hour and a half after having retrieved it.
I finally left Temple and headed home. No more boxes for today.
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