Mystic Aquarium Series LbNA #61506 (ARCHIVED)

Series Removed as of 5/7/13

I LOVE Mystic Aquarium! A perfect day for me would be spent at Mystic Aquarium watching the Beluga Whales for hours, putting my hand in the Ray touch pool and seeing the smile on kids faces as they explore the mysteries of the ocean, followed of course by some letterboxing. So what better way to combine my 2 favorite things then to make a Mystic Aquarium Letterbox Series? So I started carving and in the end realized I carved 21 stamps! A little overboard I know, but it was so much fun. And once I got going how could I leave out anything. So I hope you have a fun time finding my series! I decided to hide it as close to the aquarium as I could. In each box you will find an example of how the stamp should look. PLEASE BRING MARKERS AND COLOR THE STAMP AS CLOSE TO THE EXAMPLE AS POSSIBLE. As always please rehide boxes better then you found them. I only came across 2 people while walking the trail so being discreet should not be a problem. Please also beware of ticks and check yourself well after exiting the trail! So to start your adventure go to the road across from Mystic Aquarium where you are sure to have a “Merrytime” (Maritime Dr.) Park in the parking lot on your left and among the pines find the trail board sign. You will stay on the purple blazed trail almost the entire time except for a very short excursion on yellow. Start on your way, very shortly you will come to a stream on the right of the path. A little ways after veering away from the stream you will come to a rock wall on your right. You will see muddy/marshy area on your left. If you look closely in the water you may even see little frogs hopping around as well as frog eggs below the waters surface. A word of advice, when I was a kid I wanted pet frogs so 1 of my friends and I took eggs off the surface of our pond and put them in my room. Sadly after she took hers with her on her way to Virginia they hatched inside of her parent’s car and unfortunately they were not frog eggs they were MOSQUITO eggs. So remember the frog’s tadpole eggs are below the waters surface, and mosquito eggs are on the surface, LESSON LEARNED! Anyways follow the stone wall shortly till you get to the corner with a multi trunk tree with a purple blaze. Notice the flat rectangular boulder at the base of the wall with a squarer boulder resting on top. In the corner here nestled behind a rock door is Box #1 Mystic Aquarium. Actually the “boxes” are zip lock baggies covered in duck tape. Please be sure to put the duck tape strap back on all the bags with the zipper on the inside to protect it from rain..
Continue on the purple trail heading south. When you come to a blazed tree hanging over the trail, stand under the tree and take a reading of 80 degrees to the rock wall. Under a few rocks you will find Box #2 Stingray. Some interesting facts about Stingrays – the young are called “pups” and each mother gives birth to 2-10 per year. Also Stingray venom was used as an anesthetic in Ancient Greece.
Continue under the tree, twisting and turning till you come back to the stone wall with a 5 sister entangled in vines. To the left of the tree about 2 ft down the stone wall behind a rock door you will find Box #3 Sea Lion. But WAIT before you go any farther what does every sea lion like to play with? Look left to not 1 but 2 rocks in the wall blazed with yellow. Under the 2nd larger rock look about 6in below to find Box #4 Sea Lion’s Beach Ball. Interesting Fact – Sea Lions are found in bodies of water all over the world, but not in the Atlantic Ocean. Researchers find this very interesting, yet they can’t pinpoint reasons why.
Did you know a famous Seal used to reside during the winters here at Mystic Aquarium? He even had a movie made about him. His name was Andre. Look to the yellow blazed rock to the right to find Box #5 Andre. If you have time later try to rent the movie, it’s a good movie for the kids! Unfortunately the seal used in the movie is a California Sea Lion instead of a Harbor Seal like Andre because Harbor Seals are so difficult to work with. Imagine that a California Sea Lion in Maine. Andres Story – Andre was born off the coast of Rockport, Maine in 1961. He was rescued by Harry Goodridge. Even though he was handfed, he was able to teach himself how to hunt. In the fall Andre would leave the Goodridge’s and travel south to Ct, and then the following spring he would make the 150 mile swim back to Rockport. As Andre got older he spent winters at an aquarium in either Boston or at Mystic Aquarium. He spent his time at the aquariums because his habit of approaching people for food didn’t go over to well with people outside of Rockport. Andre had a knack for sinking small dinghy’s when he climbed up on the. Every spring local media would gather for his annual release and a few weeks later he would appear at the Goodridge’s backdoor in Maine.
Continue along the path. If we are talking about famous animals that reside at Mystic Aquarium we can’t forget to mention a local known Green Sea Turtle. In the gift shop you can purchase the book called Bubble Butt! The Challenged Sea Turtle of Mystic Aquarium. Continue through the break in the wall heading southeast. You will immediately pass over a stone bridge. You can sit here and take a break if you would like. It’s kind of tranquil. Continue to the small purple blazed tree with a 2 sister right before it. Continue 7 steps and look to the right to a small pointy rock in the wall. Just to the left under an almost paper thin rock is Box #6 Green Sea Turtle. To find the turtles real name (I’m not sure if she would be to happy if she knew people called her Bubble Butt) look about 1 ½ ft to the left just a smidget lower and find Box #7 Charlotte. It too will be next to a thin rock. Charlotte was actually hit by a boats propeller, which caused partial paralysis of her lower digestive tract and hind flippers. As a result, air accumulates in her hind quarters, a condition popularly known as bubble butt. A really cute movie was recently made called A Turtles Tale. If letterboxing with children you should definitely pick it up to watch in the evening. It is a very cute movie, even though it appears to be a knock off of Finding Nemo. I actually prefer this movie over Finding Nemo but then again I LOVE turtles 
Continue on the trail, shortly you will come to a T intersection, to the left will be a yellow blazed trail; you will want to continue on Purple to the right, through the rock wall. But WAIT turn around look at the left side of the rock wall about 1 ½ ft pass the opening find Box #8 Shark. It will be under a rock that almost resembles a shark. Rehide well because this could be easily seen by people walking the trail if not hidden properly.
Continue on trail, passing through another stone wall with sentries on either side. Just pass the stone wall you will come to a fork in the trail. Go left towards the sign in the tree that says and follow that southeast. Soon you will cross a wooden foot bridge and see yet another break in a stone wall. Take 4 steps down the left side of the wall and you will find Box #9 Coral under a rust colored stone. (Do not go through the stone wall to get to this box.) Interesting Fact about Coral – it is often mistaken for a rock or plant, but it is actually composed of tiny fragile animals called coral polyps. When we say “Coral” we are actually referring to these animals and the skeletons they leave behind after they die. Look to the left and you will see another rust colored rock where a tree appears to be growing into the stone wall. Here you will find Box #10 Clown Fish. Interesting Facts – Clownfish are covered in slimy mucus that protects it from being stung by the sea anemone that it lives in. Clownfish live in small monogamous breeding pairs. When the female dies the male changes sex and becomes the female. This is known as protandrous hermaphroditism. I’m sure your glad Disney left that part out!) Despite the movie Finding Nemo’s portrayal of world traveling Clownfish, they usually don’t venture more than 2-4 inches from their sea anemone. After finding Nemo came out the wild population decreased by over 75% since over 50% of clownfish pets come from the wild. Sadly many divers use cyanide to temporarily paralyze the fish, making them easier to catch. Unfortunately the cyanide kills many other fish and destroys coral reefs.
Just to the other side of the tree where you found the Clownfish behind the upside down V of the stick and under a rock you will find Box #11 Angelfish. Interesting Facts – Some Angelfish have markings near there fins that look like eyes to confuse predators. Freshwater Angelfish are said to recognize the owner of the aquarium.
Continue on Purple Blazed trail, through the stone wall and to the right. When you see 2 large trees to the left of the path right before the wooden bridge look to your right to the stone wall. Directly on top of a large flat boulder behind a fairly large arrowhead shaped rock sticking out of the stone wall is Box #12 Sea horse. Interesting Facts – Seahorses can give birth to 1500 young at once! They have no stomach or teeth, food passes through their digestive system very quickly, so they have to eat constantly to stay alive. Seahorses are among the only animal species on Earth in which the male gives birth to the young. Must be confusing on Mother’s Day!
Continue over wooden bridge till you come to the part of the trail where rocks line your path. Head south at 190 degrees you will see a small purple blazed tree on your right. Go under the fallen dead tree. 8 steps past the dead tree on the right find the rocks at the base of the tree. Look under the almond flat rock leaning on the tree you will find another rock with Box #13 Puffer fish under it. Interesting Facts – Most puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them taste foul and often lethal to fish. Tetrodotoxin is 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. 1 puffer fish contains enough toxins to kill 30 adult humans and so far has no antidote.
Continue on purple, passing rock formations on the hill to your left. Pass through another break in a stone wall. OH NO! WATCH OUT AND USE CAUTION AS YOU PASS THE OVER 6FT STUMP ON YOUR RIGHT THAT LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN MAULED BY A BEAR! Pass through another stone wall. Right after you pass through the wall turn around look to the flat rock. Nestled under the flat rock is another flat rock, under that you will find Box #14 Crab. Don’t go any further, turn around and go back the way you came.
Before you get to the stump that looks like it was mauled by a bear, look to the left behind a tree to find a section of the broken stump. Under here you will find Box #15 Starfish. Interesting Facts – About 2,000 species of starfish have been identified. Normally they have 5 arms but some species can have up to 40 arms. Starfish don’t have brains or blood. Sometimes a broken arm can produce a new starfish, due to the presence of many vital organs in the starfish’s arms.
Now look to 260 degrees and behind this tree under some bark will be Box #16 Neon Tetra. Be sure to stamp at least 3 times because these fish do better in schools. Interesting Fact – In any given month approximately 1.8 million neons are exported to the U.S. alone, making them 1 of the all time favorite freshwater fish for owners.
Continue north, before passing through the stone wall, look right and count 8 steps along the same side of the wall. You will see 2 sets of sticks poking out of the stone wall, behind the right set of sticks will be Box #17 Poison Dart Frog, Interesting Facts – They are also known as Poison Arrow Frogs because Amerindian tribes use their secretions to poison their arrows. Only 3 species out of over 175 are actually dangerous to humans. The bright colors are a warning to stay away. Poison dart frogs are not poisonous in captivity; scientists believe that the frogs gain their poison from the insects they eat in the wild, such as ants, centipedes and mites.
Behind the left set of sticks you will find Box #18 Iguana. Interesting Facts – They can stay under water for 28 minutes. Iguanas can drop 40 ft from a tree onto solid ground without getting hurt. Airplanes collide on average once every 2 years on runways with iguanas (according to federal records.)
Go back to the trail and continue back towards the aquarium. Continue through the walkway with rocks on both sides of you lining the path. Make sure to stay on the purple trail. When you see the yellow blazed trail take that a short ways to a rock wall. Before going through look to your right to the tree, behind this tree behind a rusty colored trap door find Box #19 Marshy Trek. The Aquarium has a nice little boardwalk where you can see frogs and turtles sometimes.
Go back to where you started on the yellow blazed trail and head right through the stone wall on the purple blazed trail. Head over the boardwalk and then see the sign in the tree for and head to your right, going through the stone wall. Soon you will come to a 3 sister tree entwined with branches. Look in the middle where the trees come together in the back under a rock for Box #20 Penguins. Interesting Facts – The Galapagos penguin manages to survive along the equator because of cool temperatures and cool water brought to the islands by ocean currents. Penguin’s eyes work better underwater. This helps them in spotting prey while swimming.
Take a reading of 70 degrees to a large flat rock in the stone wall. Behind a trap door you will find Box #21 Beluga. Interesting Facts – They are known as “Sea Canaries” because they are 1 of the most vocal whale species. Baby belugas are born dark grey. Belugas do not have dorsal fins because it causes extra heat loss and would be a major hindrance in the artic ice. A Belugas age can be determined post mortem by counting the rings on a belugas tooth like a tree.
Go back to the purple blazed trail and go back towards your car. Cross through the stone wall and go left on the purple blazed trail. Cross the tranquil stone bridge with water underneath. Cross over the stepping stones and take a left following the stone wall. Veer right and follow along the waters edge quickly coming to the parking area. I hope you enjoyed this series. I had a ton of fun creating it. Please email me with any problems or injured boxes.