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Bloom Where You Are Planted LbNA #52853

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 4, 2010
Location:
City:Freeport
County:Stephenson
State:Illinois
Boxes:2
Planted by:Picture It
Found by: NowickSticks
Last found:Mar 28, 2016
Status:FFFaFFFF
Last edited:Nov 16, 2015
For some odd reason, I typed in all of the information twice, and it didn't go through to 'create' a letterbox, so maybe this third time will be a charm!

Today is Easter Sunday. We have grandparents visiting us from Colorado for spring break! We introduced them to the activity of letterboxing, and had them help us find the hiding spots for our two 'put together' stamps.

Box 1: Head to Oakdale Nature Preserve. When coming from Freeport, take Baileyville Blacktop south from South Street past DeMeester's Floral Shop, the Lamm Road intersection, and a trailer court - all off to your right. When you see the sign for Oakdale, follow the lane to the parking area in front of the Environmental Learning Center.

Take the path to the side of the learning center, and at the fork, go to your left. Walk toward the "Rotary Woods" sign. Follow the trail past markers 1 and 2 until you see several fallen trees on each side of the path that look like a magnified version of the game "Pick Up Sticks."

To your right, within this mix of "sticks," you will see fallen trees covered in moss. One of the two letterboxes is hiding in the smaller gap between the two mossy logs - more to the right - placed snugly in a hole, covered with leaves and a wide piece of bark. After you find and rehide this, please make sure to conceal it again.

Box 2: Continue on this trail past marker 4 and go until you reach marker 5 and F. At this point, take the fork to the right. Walk down a slight hill which will veer right. Off to your right, you will see two very long fallen trees overlapping each other. If you go up ahead to marker 7 and from that point go back the way you just came taking 20 adult steps, you should see a "pinched" standing tree in between these two long fallen trees, now, to your left. If you take five adult steps to the pinched tree, at its base and just under the fallen trees, you will find the second letterbox to complete your stamped design.

Continue on this trail and keep veering right, and the path will take you in full circle back to the starting point and to the parking lot. By the time you locate the second stamp, you will be approximately half way around this particular trail. The trail is about 1/3 - 1/2 of a mile long from start to finish. You should be able to complete this search and stamp-in within a half an hour.

We selected this destination for a hiding spot for our flower since we come here in the spring to look for wild flowers that are in bloom. We just saw one on this Easter Sunday, but in about another month, there will, no doubt, be at least a dozen varieties out!

Besides hiking the nature trails in the spring to hunt for wild flowers, you may want to come back in the fall when Oakdale hosts its annual festival that includes a pancake breakfast, arts and crafts' booths, produce stands, and interactive games and activities for children of all ages.

Whether for a field trip or a birthday party or just a leisurely day spent with the family, Oakdale Nature Preserve has some neat exhibits to experience and as already mentioned, some fun trails to hike!

Thank you for including our flower design in your logbook and for sharing your signature stamp with us in ours!