Boxin' in Bend II

Volcanologists in the making?

We went 'treasure-hunting' around an area south of Bend and found more non-letterboxing treasures than we ever expected!!!

Big Pine tree in LaPine, OR.

rnrB & trkr are standing about 100 ft in front of this tree just for perspective purposes.

It was a very large Ponderosa Pine!!!

Of course we turned what is typically a 'drive-by' letterbox into a more 'rigorous' outing. The roads in the area were covered in at least 2' of snow--in many cases WAY MORE than that. We proceeded as far as we could and then ended up taking a 'needle-in-a-haystack' approach to following the clues. We hiked in along a trail about a mile long looking for 'hints' in the clues that we might recognize. Eventually we found our way. BUT before that we found some of the most spectacular views that we have ever seen as we trudged along the snow-covered high-banks of the river.

RnrB and trkr trudging along in the deep snow sans snowshoes. Every so often we'd fall about 2-3' into the snow and need assistance getting pulled out. It was almost as if we were falling into tree-holes along the way. The air was crisp and clean; full of those woody, pine-scented aromas that were sure to cleanse your soul!

This was one of my most favorite photographs of the entire trip. The bend in the river was smooth as glass and served as the perfect mirror for the surrounding views. Simply gorgeous! Had we followed the 'drive-by' clues, we never would have seen this!!! There's something to be said about taking the road less traveled!!!

Another view of the river banks!

After this adventure, we headed out to other boxes in the area. We ultimately attempted 5 boxes in the area and only found one. :( We did drive about 5 miles along a snow buried road heading toward the start point for a couple of letterboxes only to be turned back by a fallen tree that blocked off the road. That was crazy! Then we headed off for an attempt at spelunking. Pictures for that experience will soon follow.