The Great Hitchhiker Race (name still pending) is taking shape! Lightnin' Bug emailed contestants this morning (myself included) and we'll soon make up some rules. My entrant is going to be Lance Armstrong (allez Lance, allez!). Other known contestants thus far will be Hikers & Hounds Speed Racer and Lightnin' Bug's  Turbo Slug. I'm laughing just typing this! It should be great fun, and I hope that Lance wins the maillot jaune in this race!! :)

The Wolter Family from Michigan emailed me to let me know that they found Kayak. I assume it's safe and sound, and they weren't the first visitors either! Even better - they enjoyed the area and the sights and sounds - one of the best parts about letterboxing! Thanks for letting me know that Kayak is still afloat in western PA :)

Finally went and checked on The Watcher. I was afraid that it might have been washed away in all of the rain we've been having! But I guess I hid it well enough that it was A-OK. No visitors yet, but I do know that some people have figured out the location (and notified me via email). Guess it takes time to get there!

This work thing is interfering with my letterboxing! I'm so tired lately, especially mentally (where it counts) that I think it's time to retire (although I'm only in my 20s, so I doubt that'll really happen) so I can letterbox full time.

Took a nice walk to check on Boards and Bridges this morning. The Raindeers have "officially" adopted this box, since Pico lives in Chicago now, but its only a mile down the tow path from my apartment, so I can't help but check on it now and then :) No HHs to find, but there were more stamps in it since last time I checked. And unfortunately, the last person to find it (this morning, in fact!) didn't replace it very well so I hid it better.  

I'm considering creating a new HH to celebrate a certain cyclist's 6th Tour de France win tomorrow... ;) I'm not a great carver, though, so I don't know how to create a stamp about him without actually carving him...

Time to eat more carbs... I need more brain fuel as I'm doing a lot of work on several Mapsurfer boxes right now. I WILL find them..oh yes I will! *insert evil laugh*

A big thank you to Irene of Hikers & Hounds who paid me an amazing compliment the other night... I'm glad that you appreciate all the hard work I put in to my Ben Franklin boxes (especially the log books...those took me days!).  I don't do this hobby for anyone but myself, but it makes me want to do that much more when someone likes my boxes so much!

Now if only it would stop raining every weekend so that I could go out and find some and check on the ones I have out there...

I feel like I'm making slight progress on the box I'm currently working to solve, Homage.  It's hard, though, to turn my brain on after I've let it turn to relaxed mush over the weekend. I need a crossword puzzle or three to get back in the zone and intelligently thinking again. In any case, it's fun to work on this box since it is such a challenge. The majority of letterboxes are quite easy to find - it's not a criticism, just a reality.
 
I have had a couple of people email me with either very good or correct guesses about The Watcher. Assuming it doesn't rain as much this week as it did last week, I'll go check it to make sure it hasn't vanished - it would stink to solve a mystery box and travel to its location, only to find that it's no longer there!
 
Still haven't checked on my Ben Franklin boxes, even though I've had reports that some of the actual boxes desperately need replacing! I blame the aforementioned relaxed mush state for my laziness this weekend.

I have decided that ShredMTB and the Mapsurfer have a conspiracy to frustrate the hell out of me!

Today we went to the Washington's Crossing, PA, gathering. It was a good time! It was my first gathering, and I was definitely a bit shy. I exchanged a lot of stamps, chatted, and Joe and I found a few boxes. Joe was itching to take a bike ride, so while he did that I went back to the pavilion and exchanged some more. I was absolutely bowled over by people's creativity! Judy (SowSewBizzy) brought her Apologies to Martha and Mr. Potato Head PLB that many of us stamped in to. I won't give away the details, but it's obvious that she put a lot of thought and work into it!

I didn't end up stamping in to any of the hitchhikers in the gathering hostel - I guess I'd rather find them by surprise. It was actually hard not to stamp in, because some of the stamps were so cute, but I feel I'd be cheating myself if I did. So..hopefully someday I'll run across them again.

Thanks again to Irene (Hikers & Hounds) for putting together a great, fun-filled day!

Blogger has been a royal pain! I've tried to update several times and it just wasn't working. C'est la vie!

Tomorrow is the Washington's Crossing Gathering - my first! I'm excited..can't wait to find all of the stamps and meet new people, although I am quite shy :o

Blogger doesn't seem to be working very well..I can't view my blog, nor the blogs of many other people. At least I know it's not just me. I hope they fix this (or whatever it is fixes itself) soon.

Saturday, on the way from one family visit to another, Joe and I stopped in Allentown and hunted/found two boxes that Lightnin' Bug had not yet published the clues for. I'd received the clues earlier than most for correctly guessing what the first box, Pass, Set, Spike was in reference to. I was hoping to be first finder, but Raindeer beat me to it. I actually pulled a little Seinfeld when we opened the first box and saw his stamp - I clenched my teeth, raised my fist in the air, and said "Raindeer!" (instead of "Newman!" for those of you who understand my reference). All in good fun, though :)