Titusville Space View Park -- Gemini Section
GPS: 28.614506, -80.804373
The scene of the party
Just to close the loop, here is the link to the original posting that appeared in geocaching.com and AtlasQuest.com.
Thanks to all who attended. You made it a great day. I estimate the total to be close to fifty people. While I had most on my RSVP list, there were a few who showed up looking for Titan's Passenger (GC4QRCW) not knowing there was an event going on. They seemed happy to stop and visit for a spell. There were more Geocachers than Letterboxers but the Letterboxers won over several Geocachers. Maybe the other way too. So now there are a few more "double threat" people.
These are the attendees. If you know of someone who snuck in under the radar, let me know in the comments section below this post, and I will add them to the list. I don't want to miss anyone.
| All Hat | KissimmeeCarolyn | Teejaylm |
| Bootscootin70 | Malachite Dragon | tiggermama |
| CyberLizard | MrsBoots | ttocshsoj |
| DM Scuba Brat | RonC | volkssporter41 |
| flyfishercacher | rperry401 | wd4kaq |
| Genghis_Green | Seastar255 | WeCacheAlot |
| Jerann | SHBOOM | |
| Kingsnu | Svsummerwind | |
My wife Michelle had to be out of town attending to some family business. She regrets not being here and looks forward to the big letterboxing event in St Augustine next weekend. This will be our first event of this kind. If you are curious or interested check out AQ3195 and AQ3245 on the Atlas Quest website.
Our letterbox followthecougar, Atlas Quest Box AQ244271, was here today and got it's first stamp. All Hat gets "First to Find" honors.
followthecougar is a "Traditional Personal Traveler" letterbox. Don't try to look that up. You won't find it. We invented that box type for ourselves. You can read that story at Our Letterbox Clue. While you're there, look up the answers to our clue questions so you can get our stamp next weekend in St Augustine.
Speaking of clue answers! tiggermama was the only person to approach me with answers to the questions before she stamped in. followthecougar was sitting out on the table and most others just stamped in. Congratulations to tiggermama and shame on the rest of you. That won't happen in St Augustine. Regardless, I am happy to finally get some stamps in the logbook.
followthecougar -- our "Traditional Personal Traveller" letterbox
How about Trackables? I brought four. I have been picking them up for several days from GC4652A The Camo Bug Inn a travel bug motel near my home. I use it a lot. It is my favorite place to launch travel bugs. Kingsnu brought a bunch too. Thanks for that. (I also love your dog).
For Letterboxers, the travel bug equivalent is the Hitchhiker. I picked one up from AQ233458 Remembering The Challenger. That letterbox is at the Space Shuttle Inspiration outside the Astronaut Hall of Fame. The Hitchhiker, #136608 Hungry Travelling Apple, has been on the road since 28 Dec 2008. I think it has been at its last location for over a year. Anyway I brought it to today's event. It was on the table all day and Malachite Dragon was the only person to stamp in. It will get a new home next weekend in St Augustine. Maybe I will also learn the differences between Hitchhiker, Cootie, and Flea.
Hitchhiker 133608 Hungry Travelling Apple
I left the event with two travel bugs. TB645YY Dio's Signal Tag is trying to get to Germany. I can't help with that so he goes to The Camo Bug Inn. TB29Z46 Meyers Manx is trying to go to Denver. My grandson lives in Denver so this guy will go in the mail to Denver to be deposited in a geocache somewhere near his home.
TB29Z46 Meyers Manx will go to Denver
While preparing for this event and looking at the RSVP list, I thought there could be a few geocachers who would like to try letterboxing but would be unprepared. So I made up three Letterboxing Starter Kits. The kit consists of a brief instruction sheet, an inexpensive stamp pad, a decent quality logbook, and an inexpensive stamp. Two folks were interested. I still have the third.
Letterboxing Starter Kit
One of attractions to letterboxing is the art form of carving rubber stamps. Today I met DM Scuba Brat and saw her collection of hand carved rubber stamps. This is the first time I have seen such a collection and I am impressed – WOW!. Maybe I can get her to carve a Meet and Greet stamp for me.
Late in the day we had a situation involving Titan's Passenger (GC4QRCW). Our event site is very close to this geocache (on purpose) and folks had been logging it all day long. Suddenly two groups turned up two containers simultaneously. One container was the one I knew to be the proper one; the second was a tupperware lock'n'lock container with a logbook but no identification. Several of our folks had logged into this container thinking it was Titan's Passenger (GC4QRCW). We sorted through the contents of both containers, put the two logbooks into the one official container and took the second one out of service. I will post a "Needs Maintenance" log for the owner to consolidate the logbooks.
I saved the best for last. I want to give a special shout out to Debbie. Debbie is an experienced Geocacher. She started in Sep 2006 and has found 2,165 caches and logged 648 trackables. She geocaches under the handle Bootscootin70. She letterboxes under the handle MrsBoots. Her first letterboxing adventure was today and she picked up seven finds.
That's Debbie in the center
She is the only one to post pictures to the event log.
Finding a Geocache
A 2fer Geocache and Munzee
Letterbox Log pages
Debbie gets my vote (the only one that counts) as the person who had the most fun today. Here is the quote from her log entry for today's event:
"I had a great day. Loved learning about Letterboxing. Thank you for having kits available to buy. What a wonderful day to be outside. I started my day going to a Triple Event. Letterboxing - Geocaching - Munzeeing. I started letterboxing today and met some people who letterbox. The gave me all kinds of information and tips. Then I was kidnapped by Seastar255 and WeCacheAlot to go do some Geocaching and have a treat at Twisty Treat. I went back to the event and talked with the host Bob for awhile and he told me where to go and what to do. So off I go to letterbox. I talked to a fisherman for awhile. Gave him some water and let him use my phone. Then at my first letterbox there was two men and I said hello as I was looking. I asked them if I could ask them a question. I said are you homeless? They said we are in transition. We talked for at almost an hour. I found out their situations and they told me how I could help. Very interesting. I continued on to finish Letterboxing, Munzeeing, and Geocaching. I had a great day!"
Before today I had resolved to take many pictures. I took NONE. I am ashamed. Debbie saved the day. If you took any pictures, you can post them with your log entry and I will put them into this blog.
When I talk to Geocachers who say "I don't do letterboxing", or Letterboxers who don't do Munzee, or Munzee Seekers who do neither, I ask why? Why not do all? I want to see new places, solve puzzles, read maps, find treasures. I geocache with my grandkids. They are motivated by trinket treasures not realizing they are learning geography, GPS, history, and navigation. Waymarking should be a way to find interesting places but the website is a disaster. Come on Groundspeak. Letterboxing leads to interesting places through clever puzzles while enjoying neat art work. Munzees occasionally take us to interesting places but are mostly a waste because it is just plastering up light poles in shopping mall parking lots. I play it for fun while Michelle does shopping. Get a quick synopsis of each of these games here.
Here in Titusville Space View Park are two geocaches, three letterboxes, half a dozen Munzees – all within a few minutes walk and findable easily within half an hour. Appreciating what the park means is worth two or three hours and the nearby museum is worth another two. By just grabbing finds, you usually miss the real meaning of the place. Geocaching, Waymarking, Letterboxing, and even Munzee can take you to neat places but it is still up to you to take time to smell the roses. Titusville Space View Park is a tribute to the greatest human adventure of the 20th century and the people who made it happen. I love this little place and the story it tells. I hope our event today enriched your life a little and made you a bit prouder to be an American.
Letterboxing, like any other game or sport, can be played at any level of intensity you choose. From the ho–hum occasional player to the full–out–full–time competitor, there is pleasure to be gained by playing this game. Whatever level you choose or evolve too, here is what you need to play.
1. USER NAME / HANDLE I consider these features important (you may not).
-- Descriptive of you.
-- Not too long, not too short.
-- Easy to remember by you and others. "Catchy" is good.
-- Consider the fact that you will be signing it and typing it many times.
-- If you engage in other games, e.g., Geocaching, Waymarking, Munzee, think about making your handle the same for all.
I chose the handle "flyfishercacher" to reflect my interest in flyfishing and geocaching. I use the same handle in all games; I created my avatar to illustrate this name, and I use it everywhere.
My Avatar is my signature stamp
2. ACCOUNT / MEMBERSHIP in Atlas Quest (AQ) and / or Letterboxing North America (LbNA) website. AQ is by far the better site but LbNA is enough of a presence that you should not ignore it. I have joined both and use the same handle on both.
Both of these websites involve the common membership game. A basic membership is free and gets you some features. A premium membership gets you all the features and costs some nominal amount of money. I suggest starting with the free basic then evolving as your interest dictates. As a minimum, start with a basic membership to Atlas Quest.
Atlas Quest (AQ)
Letterboxing North America (LbNA)
3. SIGNATURE STAMP This is the centerpiece of the Letterboxing game. Very serious players are into the art form of hand carving rubber stamps. Letterboxing provides a display forum for their art work and your searching will turn up some impressive stamps. Those of us who are less intense, can have a stamp made for a reasonable price by RubberStamps.com. You provide the art work in the form of a picture (jpg, png, gif) and they will create a rubber stamp from your art work. I think it is a good idea to include your handle in the stamp.
I have included an inexpensive stamp in this kit just to get you started. If you develop any interest in this game, you will quickly want to move on to a better stamp.
4. STAMP PAD Letterboxes are supposed to contain a stamp and a logbook. Most do not contain a stamp pad. So to play the game you should bring along your own stamp pad. There is a cheap one in this kit. Like the stamp, you will want to move on to better ink and stamp pad. Buy from craft stores; not office supply stores.
5. LOGBOOK This is where my education has been long and expensive and may not be over yet. Soon after I started geocaching, I bought a cheap spiral pad to keep a brief record of my finds. Then I encountered a geocache with a stamp in it. Then I learned about letterboxing. Then I found a letterbox with a stamp too big for my little spiral pad. Then I realized that the ink was bleeding through the paper and obliterating the writing on the other side. Then I got smart(er).
The logbook should be a quality product worthy of containing and displaying a collection of stamp images and notes that may grow for many years. You will not be able to return and recapture these images sometime in the future. Your logbook should be something you are proud to show off.
So here is my advice:
-- Spiral binding so that the logbook can be laid open flat
-- Heavy weight acid free paper (90lb is good). Reduces possibility of bleed through and preserves stamp images just about forever.
-- Large enough to hold bigger stamps. Small enough to carry around. I don't have a magic answer here but a small notepad sure isn't it.
This kit contains a quality logbook. I did not go cheap here. The pages are 5.5" by 8.5" and are 98lb paper.
Hopefully these notes and this kit will give your letterboxing adventure a starting boost.
EVENT:- Date: Saturday, 31 January 2015
- Time: 10AM to 3PM
- Location:
Space View Park – Gemini section (28.614506, -080.804373)
Orange St & Indian River Ave
Titusville, FL 32780
Brevard County
Directions: Enter the Gemini section from Indian River Ave and proceed to the picnic table near the monument.
Event and Parking locations
Note: The Mercury and Gemini sections are separated by a small body of water. You have to get it right at the street – you can’t cross over.
Amenities:- Parking: Ample free parking nearby at Veterans Park
- Restrooms: Nearby in Mercury section
- Handicap accessible: Yes
- Kid Friendly: OK, not great, educational for older kids
- Pet Friendly: Yes
- Fees / Charges: None
This is a combined Geocaching, Letterboxing, and Munzee “Meet and Greet” to get you out to shake the post–holiday blues. There are seven geocaches, four letterboxes, and tons of Munzees within one mile of this location.
Host “flyfishercacher” will be there to meet you, greet you, and hear about your Geocaching, Letterboxing, and Munzee adventures. Arrive and leave as you please anytime between 10AM and 3PM. Stay as long as you like – there is no formal program. We will have some SWAG and Trackables for the Geocachers, including the new QR Code tag and three unusual trackables you can’t grab.
For the Letterboxers, “followthecougar” (AQ244271) will be there with a stamp and stamp book. Flyfishercacher has a stamp for your log book if you answer the questions in our clue.
Many Munzees in the area and we have deployed two new Virtual Munzees for you to find.
We will have an Event Log for you to sign, also an event stamp. We’ll take lots of pictures to post.
ENJOY A DAY OUT WITH YOUR GPS OR SMARTPHONEBRING A FRIEND OR SIGNIFICANT OTHERSTOP HERE DURING YOUR ADVENTURE
Park Entrance
Gemini Monument
Event location
Picnic table near Gemini Monument
(28.614506, -080.804373)
Restrooms nearby in Mercury section
RSVP in comments would be nice. Thanks.
Tips for Attending a Letterboxing Gathering
by Sprite and Highlander
Gatherings are all about social interaction with folks of like mind, which means exchanges, activities and—of course—letterboxing. Here are tips to get you through a very busy, very chaotic, but very exciting day.
1. Come early: Coming right when the event starts ensures a few things. First, you'll get to meet your hosts and check out the stamps before the mad rush of other attendees arrives. Anything that needs to be handed out at a gathering (like clues and other tidbits) might be limited, so showing up first ensures you'll get it. By midday the area will be swarmed with people and food and boxes and ink. By coming early, you'll be able to sit down and stamp into the event book and start exchanges without having to wait your turn.
2. Stamp into the event book first: Every gathering has an event book to stamp in with your personal stamp and an event stamp to impress into your own logbook. Do both of these the moment you arrive because it may be a challenge as more and more people arrive.
3. Wear a name tag: Most events provide you with name tags to stamp your signature stamp and write your trail name onto, but if not, bring something of your own to identify yourself. Most folks will know you from your stamp, so be sure that's on your tag, too.
4. Check around for traveling event stamps: Traveling events stamps move from event to event all over the country so that everyone has a chance to get the stamp and log in. Larger events usually have several traveling events stamps floating around. You can usually find a table with these on it, so ask your host where it is, then go stamp in before everyone else starts to swarm the tables.
5. Check around for hidden boxes: Yes, even at a gathering where it's obvious we're all boxing and people tend to be less secretive about their stuff, boxers will still hide things that you won't even know about until after the event. Check under tables, in the corners of the pavilion, in the bushes nearby, in the food containers, and anyplace else that's not someone's stuff. You might be surprised at what you find.
6. Exchange with other letterboxers: One of the other fun things about letterboxing is exchanging stamps with other people. These count as X in your PFX-count. There will be some folks you only know by their signature stamp or trail name on the message boards and websites. Walk up and introduce yourself. Soon you'll be sitting at a table with other people stamping into each other’s logbooks and talking about the trail.
7. Ask about personal travelers: Some folks carry around a personal traveler (or two or more), which is just a letterbox that follows that person. Not everyone has them, so the best thing to do is just ask. Another great idea is to check Atlas Quest and do a search of the personal traveler letterboxes and bring those with you to the event. Instead of the embarrassing, "Um, so what do I do to get your box?" question, you'll know what it is you need to know to get it. People also appreciate that you took the time to research it.
8. Go letterboxing: One of the things that many people end up doing wrong is never leaving the pavilion to actually do some letterboxing. Remember, you're in an area that you haven't boxed before. Try to go for the local area boxes that you might never see again as well as the boxes that are out for the gathering. Also, gatherings make for a great time to buddy up and letterbox with someone and continue your talk. At big events, you might find yourself waiting in line to get a box. So, don't wait until too late. Stay and chat a while, but go box, too.
9. Take some pictures of people: You'll meet folks that you won't remember later, so bring a camera to be sure you'll know who they are later. Also, it helps the event coordinators if they can get pictures from others to post in the wrap up and photo albums online. Most of them are so busy they never get to leave the pavilion, so it's a nice way to help them remember a great time, too.
10. Be back in time for pictures, raffles, and other planned events: At some point in the event will be the group photo and some other fun stuff you may want to be involved in. Be sure not to miss at least the picture so you'll have that to look back on with your stamps and exchanges.
11. Join someone for dinner: After the event is over, many locals love to join out-of-towners for dinner—plus they know where to eat and you don't. Check and see if anyone is up for a meal and more time to hang out and talk. This is something you can check before you come to the event. Just ask the people you do know if they want to get together and invite others to join you. It's often less chaotic and gets you more quality time to chat than the hustle and bustle surrounding an event.
12. Box again the following day: Usually, an event starts on a Saturday, so plan out your Sunday for boxing, too. If you arrive in town the day before, you can box then as well, but if you're from the area, let the out of town folks have a chance at being the first finders on boxes.
13. Share your photos from the event: Once you get home, share your photos through the Photos section of Yahoo Groups or the Photo Album here on Atlas Quest. Other letterboxers—both attendees and those who didn’t—will be interested to see your photos.
Other Things to Remember at a Gathering
Just as with letterboxing as a whole, certain conventions and rules have developed when it comes to letterboxing events. Here are the most common you'll want to keep in mind.
14. Don't bring hitchhikers: This is something that's been the subject of heated debate, but many people do not want their hitchhikers to attend events. Hitchhikers are meant to be found in a box, not passed around from person to person. Additionally, most hitchhikers do not have large logbooks and cannot support the stamps of dozens or even hundreds of people. If the hitchhiker is your own, then feel free to share. Or, if you want to get the hitchhiker moving, place it in a box. But, do not leave hitchhikers on the table for people to stamp in freely.
15. Don't be lax about discretion: Just because a lot of letterboxers are around doesn't mean that there are not a lot of non-letterboxers. The same rules about being sneaky and rehiding properly apply, especially here. Nothing is more disappointing than having someone take the time to carve and send a box to a gathering, then having it stolen because someone carelessly left it out in the open while chatting.
16. Watch out for cooties: For once, this is a good thing. Cooties are like hitchhikers that follow people instead of letterboxes. Normally, a friend or someone near you will slip a cootie into your bag or pockets while you're not looking. Once you find it, do not place this into a regular letterbox. Stamp into it, then try to pass it off onto someone else as soon as you can. After all, you really only get to see other boxers at these events, so you don't have much time to infect them.
Cooties are a type of letterbox where one tries to sneak around hiding a stamp (and often an optional logbook) on another person—perhaps in an open backpack or jacket pocket. Once you 'catch a cootie', you stamp in and try to pawn it off onto another unsuspecting letterboxer.
Cootie Catcher is an open and unattended backpack or bag that often collects quite a large number of cooties—and thus they are called cootie catchers.
17. Seriously—GO BOXING...: Can't stress this enough. You will want to sit and talk all day, but you will miss some great boxing. Whoever you're talking to, take them with you and enjoy the day and the letterboxes. After all, most of these boxes are donated, so you may never see them again. Can you live with the guilt? I think not. Now, if you live near the gathering area, anyway, then this might not be such a big deal for you. In that case, be sure to visit a little more with some of your friends and neighbors. After all, you can hook up with them the next weekend to hit those boxes if you live close by. Then you have a new boxing buddy.
18. Be considerate of others while letterboxing: Everyone wants to stamp into the traveling event boxes and the other hidden boxes in their area, so make sure to be fair about holding the boxes. While you're exchanging with others, don't "hang on" to a box you've found, or grab multiple boxes to stamp into. Take one at a time (tedious as it may sound) and return it before doing anything else (eating, exchanging, taking a bathroom break, etc.).
19. Bring food: Unless otherwise stated, all gatherings are potluck. Bring something to contribute so you won't feel guilty eating. And don't feel like food is the only thing you can bring. If you're coming from far off, perishable stuff is not a good plan, but water, snacks, and even ice and supplies (plates, cups, napkins, utensils) would all be greatly appreciated. Check with your host to see what they already have and what they might need.
20. Give to your favorite local charity: Think about letterboxing events like public broadcasting without the quarterly beg-a-thon. Your support helps us continue this great tradition of letterboxing and social events. Reserving the pavilion, getting extra food and supplies, mailing out letterboxes and the like does take time and money that usually comes out of only a few people's pockets at your event. So, it's never a bad idea to donate a little something, no matter how small and no matter what gathering you attend. No one will ever ask you to make a donation at a gathering and no one will ever think less of you if you don't. However, every little bit helps.
Finally, gatherings are lots of fun, but can be overwhelming. Stay hydrated, take a buddy and a water bottle with you, eat right, and don't be surprised if you end up stamping into your own logbook a few times in the shuffle.
