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Honeybee Park Scatterbox-missing? LbNA #14099 (ARCHIVED)

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Mar 22, 2005
Location:
City:Oro Valley
County:Pima
State:Arizona
Boxes:3
Planted by:Pat&Cat
Found by: Merlin and Ardea
Last found:Apr 13, 2009
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFm
Last edited:Mar 22, 2005
Stamps: hand-carved
Clues: easy
Walk: easy

Updated January 27, 2007.

This letterbox is in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, so it carries all the sensible precautions - watch out for scorpions, rattlesnakes, javelinas, etc. and especially Jumping Cholla spines. You might even want to bring work gloves, just in case.

The park is not large, and has a water fountain and restrooms. There is more to the park than is described here, and if you want to do some more hiking into the canyon there are trails. This is an area rescued from developers and much appreciated by locals. It includes gorgeous views of the Catalina Mountains, Rincon Mountains, and the Tortolitas.

There are three boxes, and each has its own log book and stamp, but this is not exactly a puzzlebox. Each stamp is stand-alone, but combined make a nice picture in three colors (ink pads included). Please email us at letterboxers@hughes.net with any comments.

Driving Directions:

The Honeybee Park letterbox is located in Honeybee Park on the south side of Rancho Vistoso Blvd., in the Town of Oro Valley. The address is 13880 N. Rancho Vistoso Blvd. Rancho Vistoso Blvd runs between Tangerine Road and North Oracle Road, also known as AZ 77. Honeybee Park is approximately half-way between Tangerine Road and Oracle Road, marked only by a white sign that says "Park Entrance". Turn into the park and ...park! (If you access Rancho Vistoso Blvd. from North Oracle Rd, you must pass the park and make a U-turn at Honeybee Trail.)

Box One:
After you park, find the metal "Honeybee Park" sign at the east end of the parking lot. Go through the arch, then turn 40 degrees of north. Look for a large tree near the low concrete wall. The first box is under a pile of rocks under the tree. PLEASE be discrete and rehide well.

Box Two:
Go back out to the parking lot and walk to the west end of the lot. Follow the sidewalk to a concrete sidewalk ramp with metal handrails. Go all the way to the bottom. At the bottom, turn 80 degrees of north towards a water fountain and restrooms. Walk forward on the gravel path and pass a picnic remada on your right. The path curves to 140 degrees of north, just stay on the main path. Go to the picnic remada at the end of the main trail. Find the single bench to the left of the ramada. Go down the trail that is directly in front of the bench. Turn left at the second saguaro. The letterbox is behind that large saguaro and halfway between the saguaro and the palo verde tree. (Watch Out! Don't back into the saguaro like I did!)


Box Three:
Go back the way you came. Go to the third bench and have a rest. There is a large saguaro cactus between the third bench and the parking lot, roughly north of the bench. Go along a smaller trail that heads up the hill towards the saguaro and (ultimately) the metal park sign by the parking lot. At the saguaro, look 70 degrees of north for a fair-sized palo verde tree. The box is under another pile of rocks. There is a prickly pear cactus between the box and the path.