Sonoran Desert Animals 2008 Series LbNA #37883
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Add Location| Owner: | Azroadie
 |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Feb 10, 2008 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Tucson |
| County: | Pima |
| State: | Arizona |
| Boxes: | 5 |
| Found by: | JoySong (3) |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Feb 27, 2021 |
| Status: | FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Mar 15, 2021 |
Trail difficulty: fairly easy; dirt & a little rocky desert trails.
Stamps hand carved.
Status: all boxes alive and well on February 2021
NOTICE: The "big freeze" of the Winter of 2011 killed many of the Saguaro Cactus in this area. Some of them died and fell over almost a year after the freeze. So be aware that the Saguaro remaining as clues may fall over at any time and then cause problems in finding the boxes!
February 2021
Clues have been updated and rearranged using trail signs.
These letterboxes are off Kinney Road a little west of Tucson. From I-19 take Exit 99 and go west on Ajo Way for about 5 miles. Turn right on Kinney Road and drive for about 3.9 miles. Turn left into the Ironwood Picnic Area and drive all the way to the end and park.
Please be sure the contents are double ziplocked when you put them back in the boxes (i.e. the stamp is in a ziploc, the book is in a ziploc, and the two are in the larger ziploc bag), and all of it placed INSIDE the box. Please rehide all the boxes well under the rocks and covered with some brush & plant debris so that they can not be seen from any direction. After replacing the boxes, please take a different route back to the trails to help prevent creating “social/wildcat/unofficial” trails.
Gila Monster Letterbox: From the large charcoal grill under the very huge Ironwood Tree, walk roughly north on a trail down to the wash, up the steep slope on the other side. At the top of the slope there are trails going off to the right, left, and straight ahead on Caliche Flats trail. Continue to a major trail junction, continue straight across the junction, staying on Caliche Flats. You will soon drop down into a moderately large wash. Just after going up the other side, you will see a tall armless Saguaro Cactus (2021- 3 small arms) on the right side with a dead tree on the ground between the Saguaro and the trail. From this Saguaro, go at about 26 degrees (from mag. north) for about 50 steps to a large Palo Verde Tree with an armless Saguaro sticking up through it. The box is under the backside of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush. (Alive & well 2/3/21)
Harris’ Squirrel Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn left, and return to the first major trail junction, Ironwood Loop trail. Turn left. After passing a large dead tree lying along the left side of the trail, continue to an about 5 1/2 ft. high (March 2021 - 15ft) Saguaro cactus on the right side of the trail (it has Prickly Pear Cactus growing around its base) where the trail makes a gradual left turn. Continue a short distance to a dead collapsed Saguaro with ribs sticking upright out of it on the right side of the trail (where the trail is making a gradual turn to the right). From this dead Saguaro, go at about 310 degrees for about 60 steps to a medium size Ocotillo. The box is behind it, behind a piece of Saguaro skeleton, and under a flat rock. ( Alive & well on 2/3/21)
Checkerspot Butterfly Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn right, and return to and continue straight across the major trail junction, staying on Ironwood Loop. After walking for a while, just before the trail dips down into a shallow wash, stop. Look right to a tall armless (2 small arms, Feb 2021) Saguaro, about 20 steps away with a moderate size Palo Verde Tree behind it. The box is under the back side of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush.
Bobcat Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn right, and continue straight at the 3-way junction with Caliche Flats, staying on Ironwood Loop. Walk for a while until the trail makes a fairly major turn to the right. Walk for about 60 more steps. On the left side of the trail is a Saguaro ‘farm’ and a large Palo Verde tree. Look to your right for a large Saguaro with 9 arms; it is about 21 steps off the trail (this is the first large Saguaro with arms on the right after passing the trail junctions). From this Saguaro, go at about 342 degrees for about 51 steps to a large Palo Verde Tree with a baby Saguaro in front of it. The box is under the back side of this tree behind a chunk of Saguaro skeleton and under a flat rock covered with some brush. [A letterboxer has reported to me that this Bobcat box and its contents have been chewed on by an animal, probably a coyote or javalina, and the stamp has some damage. At the request of this letterboxer, I am going to leave it that way as an example of "a box about an animal, worked on by an animal"! (I did replace the container, log book and ziplocs.)]
Cactus Wren Letterbox: Return to the trail and turn left, returning to the 3-way junction with Caliche Flats, bear right. You will be walking through a Cholla Cactus forest. Go to the first armless Saguaro on the left that is about 11 steps off the trail, not next to the trail. From this Saguaro, go at about 128 degrees for about 77 steps to a large lone Palo Verde Tree. The box is under the back side of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush.
Return to the trail, turn right staying on Caliche Flats trail back to the large Ironwood tree and your car.
These boxes were placed for the 4th Annual Tucson Letterboxers Gathering.
Please let me know if a box needs attention:
http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/azroadie.html
Please record your find at www.letterboxing.org/ or at www.atlasquest.com/ .
Hike length: 1-2 miles
Stamps hand carved.
Status: all boxes alive and well on February 2021
NOTICE: The "big freeze" of the Winter of 2011 killed many of the Saguaro Cactus in this area. Some of them died and fell over almost a year after the freeze. So be aware that the Saguaro remaining as clues may fall over at any time and then cause problems in finding the boxes!
February 2021
Clues have been updated and rearranged using trail signs.
These letterboxes are off Kinney Road a little west of Tucson. From I-19 take Exit 99 and go west on Ajo Way for about 5 miles. Turn right on Kinney Road and drive for about 3.9 miles. Turn left into the Ironwood Picnic Area and drive all the way to the end and park.
Please be sure the contents are double ziplocked when you put them back in the boxes (i.e. the stamp is in a ziploc, the book is in a ziploc, and the two are in the larger ziploc bag), and all of it placed INSIDE the box. Please rehide all the boxes well under the rocks and covered with some brush & plant debris so that they can not be seen from any direction. After replacing the boxes, please take a different route back to the trails to help prevent creating “social/wildcat/unofficial” trails.
Gila Monster Letterbox: From the large charcoal grill under the very huge Ironwood Tree, walk roughly north on a trail down to the wash, up the steep slope on the other side. At the top of the slope there are trails going off to the right, left, and straight ahead on Caliche Flats trail. Continue to a major trail junction, continue straight across the junction, staying on Caliche Flats. You will soon drop down into a moderately large wash. Just after going up the other side, you will see a tall armless Saguaro Cactus (2021- 3 small arms) on the right side with a dead tree on the ground between the Saguaro and the trail. From this Saguaro, go at about 26 degrees (from mag. north) for about 50 steps to a large Palo Verde Tree with an armless Saguaro sticking up through it. The box is under the backside of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush. (Alive & well 2/3/21)
Harris’ Squirrel Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn left, and return to the first major trail junction, Ironwood Loop trail. Turn left. After passing a large dead tree lying along the left side of the trail, continue to an about 5 1/2 ft. high (March 2021 - 15ft) Saguaro cactus on the right side of the trail (it has Prickly Pear Cactus growing around its base) where the trail makes a gradual left turn. Continue a short distance to a dead collapsed Saguaro with ribs sticking upright out of it on the right side of the trail (where the trail is making a gradual turn to the right). From this dead Saguaro, go at about 310 degrees for about 60 steps to a medium size Ocotillo. The box is behind it, behind a piece of Saguaro skeleton, and under a flat rock. ( Alive & well on 2/3/21)
Checkerspot Butterfly Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn right, and return to and continue straight across the major trail junction, staying on Ironwood Loop. After walking for a while, just before the trail dips down into a shallow wash, stop. Look right to a tall armless (2 small arms, Feb 2021) Saguaro, about 20 steps away with a moderate size Palo Verde Tree behind it. The box is under the back side of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush.
Bobcat Letterbox: Return to the trail, turn right, and continue straight at the 3-way junction with Caliche Flats, staying on Ironwood Loop. Walk for a while until the trail makes a fairly major turn to the right. Walk for about 60 more steps. On the left side of the trail is a Saguaro ‘farm’ and a large Palo Verde tree. Look to your right for a large Saguaro with 9 arms; it is about 21 steps off the trail (this is the first large Saguaro with arms on the right after passing the trail junctions). From this Saguaro, go at about 342 degrees for about 51 steps to a large Palo Verde Tree with a baby Saguaro in front of it. The box is under the back side of this tree behind a chunk of Saguaro skeleton and under a flat rock covered with some brush. [A letterboxer has reported to me that this Bobcat box and its contents have been chewed on by an animal, probably a coyote or javalina, and the stamp has some damage. At the request of this letterboxer, I am going to leave it that way as an example of "a box about an animal, worked on by an animal"! (I did replace the container, log book and ziplocs.)]
Cactus Wren Letterbox: Return to the trail and turn left, returning to the 3-way junction with Caliche Flats, bear right. You will be walking through a Cholla Cactus forest. Go to the first armless Saguaro on the left that is about 11 steps off the trail, not next to the trail. From this Saguaro, go at about 128 degrees for about 77 steps to a large lone Palo Verde Tree. The box is under the back side of the tree under a flat rock covered with some brush.
Return to the trail, turn right staying on Caliche Flats trail back to the large Ironwood tree and your car.
These boxes were placed for the 4th Annual Tucson Letterboxers Gathering.
Please let me know if a box needs attention:
http://nostalgia.esmartkid.com/azroadie.html
Please record your find at www.letterboxing.org/ or at www.atlasquest.com/ .
Hike length: 1-2 miles