Well here are the instructions for the 3 letterboxes that we recently
planted in Massachusetts. One is a "mystery" box, although I don't
think it will be too difficult.

Belmont Rock Letterbox --- Bourne, MA -- Barnstable County
Placed by: The Yachtsman and Mary Manatee
Difficulty: easy
Terrain: easy to moderate depending upon approach

The Belmont Rock letterbox was placed on Sunday, March 9th, 2003 in
honor of one of the people who was instrumental in engineering the
Cape Cod Canal, August Belmont. The rock is situated at the second
scenic overlook on Route 6 (going from the Bourne towards the Sagamore
bridge). If you want to read about Mr. Belmont and his exploits, and
to have a very nice scenic view of the canal, visit this overlook. To
claim the letterbox, however, several other approaches will work better:

1. If you are heading eastbound from Buzzard's Bay on the mainland
side of the canal, park at Bourne Scenic Overlook, the first parking
lot on Route 6. From here there is a pathway down to the foot of the
hill, where you will find the "Bournedale Hills Trail". Head east on
the trail, until you come to a section where the path heads downhill.
You will pass a very large boulder in the trail just before you reach
this section. Shortly afterward, sight the closest high voltage tower
on the opposite bank of the canal. When this tower is at 100 degrees,
you should find a U.S. Engineering Department Marker (STA 215 450 No)
to your left. At this point, you are directly above electric pole #
215 on the Canal Access road. This point on the Bournedale Hills
Trail is 0.5 miles to the Bournedale Herring Run, and 1.0 mile to
Bourne Scenic Park. Turn around at the marker, and go back up the
path 45 steps; at 320 degrees you should see a clump of birch trees
with light gray bark. Among this clump of trees is a multi-trunked
tree about 12 steps off the path. Your treasure lies at the base of
this tree under a pile of sticks. Please hide carefully after
stamping in.

2. Alternate routes to the box can be found by parking at either the
Bourne Scenic Park near the Bourne Bridge, or at the large parking lot
(at the traffic light) at the Bournedale Herring Run, which is the
third parking area on your right if headed east on Route 6 from
Buzzard's Bay. In either case, you can walk the canal access path (or
bike it, or rollerblade it) until you reach the stairway near electric
pole # 215. Climb the stairs, find the Station marker, and continue
your quest!

Gateway to the Cape Cod Canal Letterbox
Sandwich, MA--- Barnstable County
Placed by The Yachtsman and Mary Manatee
Date: March 9, 2003
Difficulty: easy
Terrain: easy

The Gateway to Cape Cod Canal letterbox is placed in an area that we
think is one of the most scenic spots on the Canal. Then again, we
are boat people, and the open expanse of Cape Cod Bay beckons to us.
We wanted to place this box as close as practicable to the red
navigational aid that marks the eastern entrance to the Cape Cod
Canal. Common sense, however, told us that it should not be placed on
the jetty leading to that marker, as storm driven waves and curious
fishermen might easily have dislodged the box if it were placed among
the rocks on the jetty itself. After inspection of the area, we
decided to leave it hidden under a lone red cedar bush some distance
off the most commonly used path to the jetty. Still, this box is in a
vulnerable place where many tourists and dog-walkers stroll, and where
weary bicyclists and rollerbladers stop to rest after exercising on
the mainland arm of the canal access road. Caution should be exercised
in approaching and returning the box so that the general
non-letterboxing public will not be aroused to suspicion. Although we
do not anticipate a lot of problems arising from drawing attention to
the spot during the colder months, this site is heavily visited during
the warmer months, and letterboxers would be prudent to visit early or
late in the day during those times of the year.

Directions:

If approaching Cape Cod from the north or the west, follow Route 3 or
Route 6 to the Sagamore rotary. Follow the signs to Scusset Beach.
In the off-season (September to May) there is no charge to enter the
park. In the heart of the winter, the road is only open to cars for
part of its distance. In that case, park near the pavilion/rest rooms
on the canal access road, and either walk the canal path, or the
access road to Scusset beach until you reach the eastern end of the
canal. In the warmer months you can drive down to Scusset beach and
park there if there is room in the lot after Memorial Day, there is
a fee to enter the park.

When you see the red marker at the end of the stone jetty that marks
the eastern canal entrance, you are close to your goal. Find the sign
that say No Swimming or SCUBA diving. Put your back to this sign
(facing westward), and look to your right. You will see several small
isolated cedar bushes off in the low dunes. Take the "dune paths" to
each in turn. From the correct cedar, the stack on the Canal Electric
Power Station (across the canal) bears 250 degrees, the red marker on
the jetty bears 85 degrees, and the closest green buoy bears 140
degrees. Search under a patch of lichens behind a small rock on the
Cape Cod side of the cedar for your prize!


The Alewife Mystery Letterbox
Placed by The Yachtsman and Mary Manatee
Somewhere in Massachusetts
March 9, 2003
Difficulty: easy, after a little research

Somewhere in Massachusetts the Alewife Mystery Letterbox rests close
to one of the many "herring runs" in the state.

Clues: There are multiple ways to figure out the name of the town in
which this herring run can be found ---- after that, it's up to you to
find the run's exact location.

1. What does a witch do when she leans over her brimming caldron?
_________ ________ Reverse the two words and join them.
Although the spelling is a little off, you'll get the idea.

2. Another name for a person who makes beer is a ________________

3. The town was actually name to honor one of the Pilgrims who
came over on the Mayflower. He was William _____________.

4. Local legend says that the "Lost Dauphin of France" (the son
of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI)was brought to this town as
a baby by a sea captain from the town who was in Paris during
the French Revolution. The baby was named "Rene Rousseau";
later, Rene Rousseau also served as sea captain. Both the
famous local sea captain (who has a park in town named after
him) and Rene Rousseau were later lost at sea, and according
to local custom, Rene Rousseau's name is engraved on his
"father's" headstone. If you look in the cemetery behind the
Unitarian Church in the center of town, you can explore the
truth of this legend!


5. Across from the herring run is an active waterwheel-driven
gristmill. The area around the Grist Mill used to be an
industrial center known as "Factory Village", which included a
tannery and a fulling mill where wool cloth was thickened and
stretched. Today the mill makes cornmeal.


Directions: Go to the herring run. If it is spring, take a walk down
to the brook and you'll be amazed by the number of herring making
their way upstream from the brook to the millpond and beyond. After
enjoying the sights, return to the parking area in front of the run
and look up towards a grassy lawn with a picnic table and a stone wall
behind. Go to the left end of the stone wall, and look behind the
wall about 7' from its end. There, above a part of the wall with an
orangey, trapezoidal rock, find the Alewife Mystery Letterbox under a
large stone with a grayish cap. Note: you do not have to take the
wall apart to find this box! Please be very discrete, especially in
the spring when the herring run is thronged with locals and visitors.
Better to return on another day than to risk the safety of the
letterbox when the area is too crowded!