Ok all you WI area letterboxers, here's a new series of boxes to get you out
and enjoy the spring weather :)! Sorry I couldn't get this out before the
weekend. The snow storm last week slowed my progress. The text clues are
given below. Ruthann should have the web version with the pictures up soon.
The Environmental Classroom LB page was also updated, but no change in clues
- just cleaning it up. Enjoy!

Oak Leaf Trail/MCP Series

Placed by: Tim Kuehl ("The Dragon")
Number of Boxes: 9
Date: March 15, 2003
City: Milwaukee
County: Milwaukee
State: Wisconsin
Terrain and Time: Given with each clue below

This is a series of letterboxes hidden in some of the best county parks in
the nation - the Milwaukee County Parks! (Don't let the snowy pictures
scare you off. The parks are great at any time of year!) The series of
nine stamps fit together like a puzzle to make a larger 4" x 6" picture.
The clues are given in the same order you should find the letterboxes to fit
the puzzle together. You may find the letterboxes in another order, but you
must be careful to fit the stamps together more carefully. The picture
below shows how the stamps fit together and where each stamp is to be
found. You might lightly trace the puzzle outline into your stamp book to
help you place the stamps correctly. Addresses for the parks are given so
you can locate them using Map Quest. Enjoy!

#1-Brown Deer Park Letterbox
Time: 30 minutes. Terrain: Easy.
Brown Deer Park is located on the northeast side of Milwaukee at 7835 N.
Green Bay Rd. The park is most famous for the Greater Milwaukee Open - a
part of the PGA tour played on the golf course at the park. The pond in the
park is also a great place for ice skating in the winter and for pedal boats
in the summer. Fishing in the pond and cross country skiing are also great
activities to do at the park.


Clues:
As you enter the park, follow the signs pointing you to the Boathouse. Take
the one-way circle drive that leads to the Boathouse and park in one of the
parking spaces located on this drive past the Boathouse. Go to the terrace
behind the Boathouse and sit on the bench that has you look out over a large
open field (which is a great place for flying kites). Sitting in the middle
of that bench, locate the large tree at the edge of the woods across the
field at a bearing of 82 degrees. Walk across the field towards that tree,
and stop before the bush in front of the large tree. Along the edge of the
woods, walk 34 paces north to a path that leads into the woods. Take this
path into the woods and it shortly comes to a "T". Take the left path
across the bridge (which is much sturdier than the fallen tree I used to
cross the creek when I was young and promptly lost my balance and got
completely drenched : ) ). Stay on this major trail as it heads north for a
while then bends towards the east. Soon after heading east, you will come
to a fork in the trail where a large tree has fallen towards the trail on
the right. Take 12 paces down the right fork and turn right. Directly in
front of you (about 10 paces) is a large tree standing a short distance
before the trunk of the large tree that has fallen over. Go to this large
standing tree and you'll notice a large opening in its side. Reach inside
to the left to find the letterbox hidden in a small crevice inside the
trunk. This stamp goes in the upper right corner of the fuller 4" x 6"
picture so be sure to give yourself room in your stamp book. After stamping
up, return the box into the crevice in the tree.

Note: On your way to Estabrook Park, you might look into finding BirkieBob's
letterboxes - Mt. Beitermann and Childhood Memories - as they are on the way
from Brown Deer Park to Estabrook Park.

#2 & #3-Estabrook Park Letterboxes
Time: 75 minutes. Terrain: Easy with some steep hills.
Estabrook Park is located on the east side of Milwaukee at 4400 N. Estabrook
Dr. The Milwaukee River flows along the west side of the park over dams and
rapids. A nature trail follows NW along the more scenic parts of the river
starting at the bottom of the steps behind the building near the parking lot
were you begin your search for the two letterboxes located in this park.


Clues:
Enter the park from its north (Hampton Ave.) entrance and park in the
parking lot for Picnic Area #5. Park on the south end of the lot. Head
south along the park road to the railroad crossing. Follow the railroad
tracks west towards the river (no need to worry about trains coming!). Soon
you will see why you do not need to worry about trains heading this way. Go
down to where a train would end up if one DID go this way without stopping.
Take the trail leading to the southeast along the river. Stay on this trail
along the river for quite awhile. You will shortly get to a clearing with
some steps leading up. Don't take the stairs. Rather, continue on the
trail along the river next to a stone wall. Soon you will go up some stairs
to another set of stairs that lead all the way up. Again, stay on the trail
along the river by taking the stairs in front of you that lead back down.
(You might notice some ladders made out of some tree branches along the
way. I believe these were placed by mountain bikers to circumvent some of
the trail hazards they would face.) Eventually you will pass over a 2 foot
diameter pipe sticking out of the ground towards the river. About 15 feet
of it will be sticking out of the ground on your right. Standing on the
path directly above where the pipe would pass underneath you, take a bearing
of 110 degrees. Site a tree up the embankment on that heading with a large
number of gnarled roots exposed. Go to this tree. (You might want to
approach it from the top or bottom if from the side is too tricky.) On the
side of the tree facing the river, sit on the root that forms a nice seat.
You will find yourself facing the river with a parking lot and radio/TV
towers across the river. The box is right behind you under the trunk, kept
in place by a stone. You'll have to move the stone and reach deep to the
right. This stamp fits under the Brown Deer stamp. After stamping up,
replace the box and the stone under the tree.

Go back to the trail above the pipe and continue south on the trail. After
hiking awhile, you will pass a fenced-in area where some of the cables
holding up the radio/TV tower are anchored into the ground. Shortly after,
the trail splits. Take the left path that quickly goes out to an open area
(careful - this may be an archery range). To the east, atop the hill, is a
stone building. Go to the other side of this building and find the green
electrical box on the ground. From the electrical box, head east to the
bike path sign (about 50 yards). Follow the Oak Leaf Trail up to a "T" in
the asphalt path and turn north (left). Start counting the white "buried
fiber optic cable" posts. Take the path north even when it turns from
asphalt to a dirt trail through the woods. (Note: the white posts change to
the right side when the path changes to dirt.) Stop at the 14th white
post. (Note: the 12th post is just before the old double train bridge.)
Behind (east of) the 14th pole and to the right down a small embankment,
find a five trunked tree. To the south of that tree (about 4 feet away) is
a tree with a small ditch at its back base. (If you walk between these two
trees, you'll end up in the small ditch.) In the ditch, you should find a
metal railroad plate under some loose tree bark. Under the plate is an old
sewer pipe opening that the letterbox is tucked into. The stamp goes
directly below the last stamp. After stamping up, be sure to replace the
metal plate and tree bark to hide the box.

Return to the white pole and head directly west from the pole to the second
set of railroad tracks. Follow these tracks south then as they curve west.
They will lead back to the parking lot.

Note: On your way to Grant Park, you might want to stop to search for the
Green One/Calatrava letterboxes which are on the way.

#4-Grant Park Letterbox
Time: 30 minutes. Terrain: Easy.
Grant Park is located on the southeast side of Milwaukee County at 100 E.
Hawthorne Ave. in the city of South Milwaukee. The "Seven Bridges" trail is
located in this park, and worth viewing if you have the time. The trial is
located just to the north of where you park for the letterbox. The park
also has a very nice golf course and both bluffs overlooking the lake and a
nice beach. I have always enjoyed the curvy route the bike path takes
though the parks on the southeast side - much like a roller coaster at
times!


Clues:
Park in Parking Area 3. On the northeast end of the lot, the Oak Leaf Trail
crosses the road. Walk on this asphalt bike path east towards the lake.
After a little while, the path will curve to the right up a small hill.
Near the top of the hill is a wide opening to the left that one could take a
few yards to a cliff edge overlooking the lake. Stay on the asphalt trail
and as you begin to go slightly downhill you should find a triangle of large
rocks - two on your left and one on your right. Behind the single rock on
the right is a tree that has fallen towards the rock. Nearby you should
find a small "deer" path you can use to get to the base end of the fallen
tree. With your butt up against the end of the fallen tree (which is
resting next to its 15 foot tall stump) lean slightly to the left to look
around the small tree in front of you. You should spot a double-trunked
tree about 80 feet in front of you (one trunk is barkless, the other is
healthy). Take the deer path to that tree. You should find the tree is
next to the path between two medium sized trees that lay across the path.
Step over the second fallen tree and count off 13 more steps along the
path. To your left is a tree that has fallen with some of its trunk just
bent over (not a clean break). Reach into the center of the trunk that is
still standing and find the letterbox buried under some bark. This stamp
goes under the second Estabrook Park stamp to complete the right side of the
larger picture. After stamping up, be sure to replace the box with the bark
on top of it.

#5-Mitchell Park Letterbox
Time: 30 minutes. Terrain: Easy.
Mitchell Park is located in the middle of Milwaukee at 524 S. Layton Blvd.
The park is home of the Domes - a unique indoor botanical gardens featuring
a desert dome and a tropical rainforest dome. The third dome changes by
season. The Domes are worth a visit if you have the time. The rest of the
park is divided between nicely landscaped orchards and trees, places for the
homeless to camp, and a place for the garbage to blow to from the nearby
dumps - a strange mixture of the best and worst of nature.


Park in the Domes' parking lot and walk around the south side of the Domes.
Head east downhill to the pavilion on the north end of the pond. Behind the
pavilion to the NNE you will see a baseball backstop. Go to the ball field
and walk along the first-base side towards right field to the yellow foul
pole then beyond to the tree line. (You might pass a rather large
"anthill".) Walk along the edge of the trees going north, then turning west
at the corner, keeping the trees on your right. After walking west for
about 100 yards, the tree line bends southwest and up a steep hill. In the
bend is a small trail continuing west into the trees. (A number of homeless
live here at night.) Follow the path through the trees until you come to a
road. Head downhill on the road along the north fence. Where the lower
iron fence changes to a wooden fence, the letterbox is hidden in front of
the wooden pole under some leaves and a rock. This stamp goes to the left
of the Grant Park stamp, completing the bottom of the larger picture. After
stamping up, replace the box with the debris on top of it. Also, enjoy the
view of the valley : )!

#6-Doyne Park Letterbox
Time: 45 minutes. Terrain: Easy with some hills.
Doyne Park is also in the center of Milwaukee north of Miller Park and west
of the Miller Brewery at 5316 W. Wells St. (Stop for a Brewers game or
brewery tour if you have time!) Doyne Park was our hangout back in high
school. About its only feature is a nine hole par-3 golf course, but we
enjoyed it for the old swings, the hill in the middle of the park, and the
sights and sounds coming down the river valley at night.


Clues:
To get to the parking lot, you must take the driveway into the park located
at about 53rd and Wells. The park itself is hidden by the houses that
surround it. Park in the lot near the basketball court. Cross the
basketball court and go to the swings. Take time to enjoy the swings and
reminisce about earlier times when swings were bigger and taller, more fun,
and less safe. Continue on the asphalt path heading east as it goes along
the backyards of the houses. As you go parallel to the soccer field, look
across the field to the hill in the middle of the golf course. Imagine
lying on the top of the hill on a warm summer night staring up at the stars
with Culture Club, Duran Duran, and other great 80s music playing on a small
boom box, or listening to the sounds of baseball or Summerfest coming down
the valley. Stay on the asphalt trail as it goes between the church/school
and east soccer goal. (You might stop and pay tribute to the old swing set
that used to stand where the soccer goal is now by dancing to "I'll Tumble 4
U" by Culture Club.) Continue on the path as it heads towards the east end
of the park. Before you reach the end of the path at Wells Street, there is
a grove of trees that sticks out from a chain-link fence on the left of the
path. A solitary tree stands in a small clearing before you get to the
grove. Head towards the solitary tree and then to the fence behind it. You
should find a path that heads downhill to the north along the fence. Follow
on the trail until the fence ends, then head left (west) away from the
bridge and towards the trail that goes west along the river. Continue west
along the river trail over a concrete wash basin. Eventually you'll begin
to see a stone fence and numerous concrete slabs on your left up the
embankment as the path gets closer to the river. Walking on the path along
the river, you'll soon see two brown poles sticking up out of the ground
perpendicular to the river, with a gray pole sticking up on the left of the
trail. Count off 48 paces from the brown poles heading west on the trail
past a bridge across the river (don't cross the bridge). On the 48th step,
stop and face left. Just above the rock wall is a tree whose trunk makes a
wide V stretching out towards you. The letterbox is hidden in the hole in
the rocks at the base of the tree. You'll have to remove the red brick rock
piece that holds the letterbox in place. This stamp goes right above the
Mitchell Park stamp. After stamping up, replace the letterbox under the
tree with the rock holding it in place and continue west on the trail. When
you come upon another chain-link fence with a gate, turn left and go up the
slight hill. Continue straight and find your car.

Note: You might want to find the Wehr Nature Center and Boerner Botanical
Gardens letterboxes before going to the Hanson Golf Course/Underwood Creek
Parkway box.

#7-Hansen Golf Course/Underwood Creek Parkway Letterbox
Time: 60 minutes. Terrain: Easy with some hills.
Underwood Creek Parkway is located on the west-central side of Milwaukee at
9800 W. Underwood Creek Parkway. This rather large park has a nice 18-hole
par-3 golf course, nice tennis courts, lots of forest trails, great places
to run, and great places for watching trains. You might (carefully) place a
few pennies on the railroad tracks near the 10th hole. By the time you
return, they most likely will be "smooshed"!


Clues: