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Southern Buffalo LbNA #21294

Owner:Woodland Wanderer
Plant date:Apr 9, 2006
Location:
City:Boulder
County:Boulder
State:Colorado
Boxes:1
Found by: katzenjammy
Last found:Oct 7, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 9, 2006
***NOTE: After being buried beneath a fallen tree for over two years, Southern Buffalo has been re-planted and is back in action as of July 10, 2009! :)***


Distance: Approximately 2 miles roundtrip
Allow yourself: An hour to an hour and a half
Terrain: Easy
Elevation gain: Negligible

BE AWARE:
- You will need to bring your own inkpad and pen for this letterbox
- This area can get very wet, including parts of the trail, so plan ahead with your footwear! Bug spray can be helpful, too.
- Some of the plant life along the trail is rather prickly, so shorts may be a bit uncomfortable!
- Patches of cactus grow just off the trail in places, so watch where you're walking!

In 1997, the University of Colorado-Boulder purchased 308 acres of property in south Boulder. Previously used for gravel mining, this land is now being reclaimed and re-vegetated to help return it to its natural character. Currently, trails encircle a large pasture (where you’ll sometimes see livestock grazing) and tennis courts on the north end of the property are the site of the occasional practice or match. In the future, CU also hopes to include intercollegiate athletics facilities, recreational fields, storage, and a cross-country running course, as well as use the area for outdoor research projects. This relatively new extension of the University is where you’ll find the Southern Buffalo letterbox.

Getting to CU-Boulder South: On Table Mesa Drive, across the street from the 36 South off-ramp, look for a stone wall reading “CU-Boulder South” and the entrance to the property. Follow the road straight back. Take your first right into a small parking area with a brown dumpster and two blue port-o-potties on your left and a large green swinging gate on a tall silver pole directly in front of you. Park here BEFORE the green gate.

Once you’ve parked, head through the green gate (we’ll call this Large Gate #1) and south down the dirt road toward the area enclosed by tall black fencing (these are the CU tennis courts). You’ll pass the tennis courts on your left and arrive at Large Gate #2. Once you pass through this gate, begin to keep an eye out for small green signs posted on the left side of the trail. While you’re walking, make sure you stay on the main trail – do not take any of the trails branching off to your right!

As you walk, write down the following:

Line 1 – The second green sign signpost you see; the words on the top sign only (keep an eye out - this sign is very low to the ground and can be partially obscured by plant life!)
Line 2 – The fourth green sign signpost you see; the words above the line only
Line 3 – The fourth green sign signpost you see; the words below the line only

Line 1:____________________________________________________

Line 2:____________________________________________________

Line 3:____________________________________________________

The trail will end at a “T” intersection. Head left through Large Gate #3. As you head east, you will pass through two black posts. Take a look at the green signs beside the left post and write down the following:

Line 4 – Bottom sign; the words below the line only

Line 4:____________________________________________________

As you walk along the eastern edge of the pasture, enjoy the views of the Flatirons and the Front Range to the north and south. As you approach the northern edge of the pasture, you will come to the remains of Large Gate #4 (five metal posts and one wooden post with barbed wire on either side). Before you pass through, you may want to pause and do a little decoding.

Parts of the following directions are written in code. Each two-digit section equals one letter. The first number indicates the line on which you wrote words above, and the second number indicates the letter on that line that you should write down below (do NOT count spaces between words when counting letters on your lines above). For example, the section 3-10 should be the letter “a”. The symbol "/" indicates a break between words. Working in the manner described above, translate the coded sections below for directions to the Southern Buffalo letterbox!

Keep a sharp eye as you continue on.


Just before 3-2 1-6 2-11 / 3-9 4-2 1-10 2-18 3-22 /


1-6 2-11 3-10 4-12 3-23 / 4-12 1-31 1-14 2-20 / 3-20 /


3-8 2-15 3-3 4-5 1-12 / 3-15 4-4 1-11 2-13, there is a


"1-28" / 2-18 3-6 4-1 1-15 2-9 3-23 4-11 2-12 3-2 4-4 1-2 2-6.


Take the path 3-2 4-9 / 1-35 3-15 3-16 / 4-2 1-21 1-9 3-15 4-1


about 1-2 2-3 3-7 / 1-6 2-5 3-6 4-12 1-34 2-11 3-17 /


4-1 W 4-11 1-18 2-17 3-4 / 4-6 1-27 2-8 1-29 3-1.


Look for a 3-11 4-9 1-19 2-1 3-17 4-11 1-24 on the


4-2 1-4 1-9 3-15 4-1 side of the trail between the trail and


3-2 1-6 2-11 / 1-3 2-11 1-18 2-12 3-7.


3-11 4-11 1-6 2-18 3-6 4-12 / 1-4 2-17 / 1-19 2-6 3-17 4-11 1-24


3-1 4-9 2-15 3-7 / 4-2 1-17 2-12 K 4-6 you will find the Southern Buffalo letterbox. Re-hide it as best you can!

Once you’ve stamped in, you can either backtrack to the main trail or continue on along your trail down the hill near the northernmost pond to return to your car. Hope you enjoyed your visit to CU-Boulder South!

Any questions, comments, or problems – don’t hesitate to send an e-mail to WoodlandWanderer@hotmail.com!