5 more states!

We've been lucky enough to get to travel quite a bit this year and as a result have expanded the number of states where we've found letterboxes. This year, we've added Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Michigan, bringing our state total to 16. Thanks to our recent trip to Michigan (and being stranded by Edoard for an extra day), we were able to find 18 boxes in Michigan.

So, here's our life list:

Texas
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Michigan
Mississippi
Oklahoma
New Mexico
South Carolina
Tennessee
Washington

There are two states where it's kind of ridiculous that we haven't found boxes--Missouri and Arkansas. I have family in both, but when we were there for one reason or another we couldn't box. It's possible we may go home (my home, St. Louis) for Christmas, and if so, we'll be adding those two states.

Our total may not seem that huge to those of you on the Eastern shore, with the many states all close by. If we're driving west, it takes us nearly 800 miles to get out of Texas (100 miles going East and 350 miles going north). If you lived almost anywhere else in the country, with a range of 800 miles you could hit at least 10 states, but here it's all Texas. Maybe I should count the number of counties in Texas (there are 254) where we've found boxes.

So, dear blog readers....what's your state (and country) total for letterboxing finds? And perhaps what's your favorite letterboxing destination? Share your travel stories.

Oh, my feet!

My husband and I have been enjoying a few days alone in Michigan. We came up for a wedding, but afterwards, we traveled across the state to see Mrs. Doglvrs and Penguin Patrol, then back to the Detroit area to meet a different group of boxers. We really enjoyed everyone we met; I was just a bit sad because our wedding-related obligations prevented us from doing much boxing in the area.

Well, Edoard fixed all that...canceling our flight and giving us an extra day and a bit in Detroit. So today we set off to find some different boxes. All told, we found eight. But, when I got dressed this morning, I had put on my Birkenstock-like sandals (they're Campers, my new favorite brand), to wear on the plane--so that's the footwear I was sporting. At Kensington Metropark (which was great), we found terrific boxes, but went all over the park, walking all told about 6 miles. (Let's just say that I strongly believe that when you list hike lengths you should definitely mention if that's the round-trip or one-way length). By the end of it, my feet were aching...no matter how comfortable the sandals (and these are wonderful), they're not made for hiking.

Of course, we were starving when we finished, so we went off to dinner at a brewpub (the carrot at the end of the long hike). At one point, I looked down and my feet were 6 shades darker than the rest of my legs (they were that dusty)...good thing none of the other diners were looking at my feet!