After nine months of letterboxing in MI, IL, OH, PA, NJ and DE, I
have finally gotten an exchange! Actually two exchanges, two days in
a row!

Sunday while at Saugatuck Dunes checking "Old Man Winter" and
placing "Spring Fling," I came upon an elderly woman standing alone
next the trail, looking anxiously from one side to the other. I
remembered passing her earlier on the trail and she had not been
alone. Since she happened to be standing at the precise spot where
one would enter the woods in pursuit of another letterbox at this
park, I glanced into the woods, and sure enough there was the rest of
her party stamping into the box! It was a first all-around, as Dave,
Lydia, Scott and Kristen (and guard Oma) were not only stamping into
the "First Letterbox on the Lake" (by Rainbow's End), but it was
their first ever letterbox find, and an exchange first for all of
us! So welcome to these newbies from West Michigan!

Still on the high of actually meeting other letterboxers on the
trail, OldShoe and I set out on Monday for the "Beach View by the
Dunes," another Rainbow's End box, located at Warren Dunes State Park
in Sawyer, MI. After what must have been at least 3 miles of up and
down those dreadful Michigan sand dunes, we were nearing the end of
the clues, and passed a man and a woman looking for something in the
woods. The thought crossed our mind that they may be letterboxers,
but we continued on to the next landmark without saying anything and
found the box nestled in its hiding spot along the edge of the
beach. As we sat a little way down the beach stamping in, we saw the
man and woman we had passed earlier pointing to the steel pole and
making a bee-line for the box hiding spot! OldShoe went and asked
them if they were looking for the box... Sure enough! More
letterboxers! Turns out it was also their very first letterbox, and
I'm sorry that we had the box out and they didn't get that thrill of
seeing that first box hiding in its spot! But, it was nice to meet
more boxers... so welcome also to OldSoul and YoungHeart from
Chicago, IL.

On Tuesday we headed over to pick up Matt the Rat's Chicago Portage
box, wondering if we could make it a sweep... We found the box, safe
and sound, but no other letterboxers at this one!

Ahhh, there is finally a number behind that lonely little "X." Oh,
but Doug, you're not off the hook for that cup of coffee... the more
exchanges the merrier!

Deb (SpringChick)
P80 F61 X2!!!!!