Agents Are...GO!! LbNA #54636 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | oj drinker  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 17, 2010 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Northampton |
| County: | Hampshire |
| State: | Massachusetts |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | The Design Farm |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Aug 24, 2010 |
| Status: | FF |
| Last edited: | Jul 17, 2010 |
Update: December 26, 2010-This box is missing. I haven't had a chance to recarve the stamp yet. I'll replace this letterbox as soon as I can after the stamp is done. Why did it have to disappear after only 1.5 months! Arrgh! Check back in early February 2011. Thanks to everyone who searched for this letterbox.
The Elite Beat Agents: harnessing the power of song and dance to help people out and change the world! For my second letterbox planting, I decided to carve a motif from my favorite game for the Nintendo DS.
Most of the agents are male, but skilled players can get the option to play as the Elite Beat Divas, an all-female "Charlie's Angels"-like squad. According to the instruction manual, "When it's too hot for the guys, the girls take over to save the day!" (The mode starring the Divas is the hardest difficulty setting.) In honor of the Divas, I placed my EBA letterbox in Northampton, Massachusetts, home to the nightclub "Divas."
Curious about the game? Many people have posted videos of their playthroughs on Youtube.
Note: This letterbox offers opportunities for both a quick grab and a short hike.
Quick grab instructions: Turn onto Washington Avenue from Elm Street (Route 9) in Northampton, MA. Washington Avenue is near the western edge of the campus of Smith College. Drive down to the end of Washington Avenue, where it intersects with James Avenue and Ward Avenue. Park in front of the trailhead.
(Be advised that some of the streets in this area have parking restrictions. For example, Dryads Green, Harrison Avenue, and most of Washington Avenue have posted signs reading "No Parking: Odd Days 11:00 am to midnight; Even Days 12:01 am to 11:00 am." However, I did not see these signs on Ward Avenue.)
At the intersection of Washington, James, and Ward Avenues begins a very short spur trail that leads to the Mill River Greenway. Go down the path; in two minutes you'll arrive at the bottom of the slope. Now you're on the trail following the northern bank of the Mill River.
Turn right. See two wide, flat boulders in the middle of the path? Walk to them. Take a seat on their far side, facing the direction you were walking in.
Look at the trees on the right side of the path. Does one of them seem slightly askew...as if it's leaning over the path? This tree is about 70 feet (more or less) ahead of you. Count off 70 steps if you like. Head over to the back of the tree and reach within the hollow. The letterbox is hidden behind two segments of branches.
The Mill River Greenway is heavily used, so be careful retrieving and replacing this letterbox. People always seem to pop up on the trail out of nowhere. In the summer the Mill River is a popular swimming spot. A short distance ahead of this tree is a sandy clearing that becomes a beach on hot days. Here, hanging over the river and accessible from the southern bank, are two ropes that people love to swing on.
Hike instructions: Those of you in the mood for a walk in the woods can start from either end of the trail. The total length of the trail on the northern bank of the Mill River is about 1.5 miles, and the letterbox is pretty much smack dab in the middle. The dirt path is wide and smooth and has virtually no elevation gain, although there are dips in the surface.
The western end of this part of the Mill River Greenway is on Federal Street in Northampton, MA. Park your car on Federal Street west of where Federal Street meets Vernon Street and Washington Place. The trailhead is at the bottom of a tiny hill.
It should take around 15 minutes of walking to reach the two boulders placed just before the spur trail leading to the intersection of Ward, James, and Washington Avenues. On the way you will pass an enormous maple tree with five trunks (on your left), and a sandy clearing that turns into a beach on hot days (on your right). At this spot on the Mill River, two ropes hang over the water near the southern bank, and people love to swing on them.
When you reach the two wide, flat boulders in the middle of the path, turn around and sit on them facing the direction you just came from. Look on the right side of the path. Does one tree seem slightly askew...as if it's leaning over the path? This tree is about 70 feet (more or less) from the boulders. Count off 70 steps if you like (although it should be obvious which tree it is). Check to see that the coast is clear (because people often appear on this path out of nowhere), and reach within the hollow inside the back of the tree. There are two segments of branches concealing the letterbox. If you want to disguise your stamping in, you could consider bringing a picnic lunch with you; this letterbox is housed inside a clear plastic locking food storage container and is not camouflaged in any way.
Alternatively, you can start from the Smith College end of the trail. If you wish to explore Smith or downtown Northampton, you may want to consider this option. Starting from the Japanese Tea Hut, it should take 10-15 minutes of walking westward, following the Mill River as it flows lazily along, to reach the two boulders in the middle of the path. (If you walk towards the Smith College boathouse and athletic fields, you're going the wrong way.) Follow the instructions in the paragraph above, except that you should sit on the boulders facing the direction you were walking in.
The Elite Beat Agents: harnessing the power of song and dance to help people out and change the world! For my second letterbox planting, I decided to carve a motif from my favorite game for the Nintendo DS.
Most of the agents are male, but skilled players can get the option to play as the Elite Beat Divas, an all-female "Charlie's Angels"-like squad. According to the instruction manual, "When it's too hot for the guys, the girls take over to save the day!" (The mode starring the Divas is the hardest difficulty setting.) In honor of the Divas, I placed my EBA letterbox in Northampton, Massachusetts, home to the nightclub "Divas."
Curious about the game? Many people have posted videos of their playthroughs on Youtube.
Note: This letterbox offers opportunities for both a quick grab and a short hike.
Quick grab instructions: Turn onto Washington Avenue from Elm Street (Route 9) in Northampton, MA. Washington Avenue is near the western edge of the campus of Smith College. Drive down to the end of Washington Avenue, where it intersects with James Avenue and Ward Avenue. Park in front of the trailhead.
(Be advised that some of the streets in this area have parking restrictions. For example, Dryads Green, Harrison Avenue, and most of Washington Avenue have posted signs reading "No Parking: Odd Days 11:00 am to midnight; Even Days 12:01 am to 11:00 am." However, I did not see these signs on Ward Avenue.)
At the intersection of Washington, James, and Ward Avenues begins a very short spur trail that leads to the Mill River Greenway. Go down the path; in two minutes you'll arrive at the bottom of the slope. Now you're on the trail following the northern bank of the Mill River.
Turn right. See two wide, flat boulders in the middle of the path? Walk to them. Take a seat on their far side, facing the direction you were walking in.
Look at the trees on the right side of the path. Does one of them seem slightly askew...as if it's leaning over the path? This tree is about 70 feet (more or less) ahead of you. Count off 70 steps if you like. Head over to the back of the tree and reach within the hollow. The letterbox is hidden behind two segments of branches.
The Mill River Greenway is heavily used, so be careful retrieving and replacing this letterbox. People always seem to pop up on the trail out of nowhere. In the summer the Mill River is a popular swimming spot. A short distance ahead of this tree is a sandy clearing that becomes a beach on hot days. Here, hanging over the river and accessible from the southern bank, are two ropes that people love to swing on.
Hike instructions: Those of you in the mood for a walk in the woods can start from either end of the trail. The total length of the trail on the northern bank of the Mill River is about 1.5 miles, and the letterbox is pretty much smack dab in the middle. The dirt path is wide and smooth and has virtually no elevation gain, although there are dips in the surface.
The western end of this part of the Mill River Greenway is on Federal Street in Northampton, MA. Park your car on Federal Street west of where Federal Street meets Vernon Street and Washington Place. The trailhead is at the bottom of a tiny hill.
It should take around 15 minutes of walking to reach the two boulders placed just before the spur trail leading to the intersection of Ward, James, and Washington Avenues. On the way you will pass an enormous maple tree with five trunks (on your left), and a sandy clearing that turns into a beach on hot days (on your right). At this spot on the Mill River, two ropes hang over the water near the southern bank, and people love to swing on them.
When you reach the two wide, flat boulders in the middle of the path, turn around and sit on them facing the direction you just came from. Look on the right side of the path. Does one tree seem slightly askew...as if it's leaning over the path? This tree is about 70 feet (more or less) from the boulders. Count off 70 steps if you like (although it should be obvious which tree it is). Check to see that the coast is clear (because people often appear on this path out of nowhere), and reach within the hollow inside the back of the tree. There are two segments of branches concealing the letterbox. If you want to disguise your stamping in, you could consider bringing a picnic lunch with you; this letterbox is housed inside a clear plastic locking food storage container and is not camouflaged in any way.
Alternatively, you can start from the Smith College end of the trail. If you wish to explore Smith or downtown Northampton, you may want to consider this option. Starting from the Japanese Tea Hut, it should take 10-15 minutes of walking westward, following the Mill River as it flows lazily along, to reach the two boulders in the middle of the path. (If you walk towards the Smith College boathouse and athletic fields, you're going the wrong way.) Follow the instructions in the paragraph above, except that you should sit on the boulders facing the direction you were walking in.