Elizabeth Park Letterbox - planted in the oldest municipally operated
rose garden in the country. Planted June 14, 2002

Distance - no clue, maybe mile
Time maybe 20 minutes, more if you are stopping to smell the roses.
OK, that was lame.
Difficulty - Easy, I think

Elizabeth Park is located at the corner of Prospect Avenue and
Asylum
Avenue on the Hartford / West Hartford line. Take exit 44 (Prospect
Avenue) off I- 84 and head North on Prospect Avenue. The entrance
to the gardens is about 3/4 of a mile on your left. If you hit Asylum
Avenue, turn left at that light and another entrance will be obvious
on
your left. Park near the Pond House Restaurant (or as close as you
can)

because this is where your search begins.

An historical note before we begin.
The area which is now known as Elizabeth Park was once owned by
Charles
H. Pond. Mr. Pond was a wealthy industrialist and statesman whose
career included the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, Hartford
National Bank, and Treasurer of the State of Connecticut. When Mr.
Pond

passed away, he willed his estate to the City of Hartford with the
stipulations that it be used as a horticultural park and that it be
named for his wife, Elizabeth, who had died a few years earlier. In
Mr.

Pond's time, the Hartford/West Hartford border was located about a
quarter mile west of where it is today. When the boundary was moved
to
its present location, it resulted in the unusual situation of one of
Hartford's larger parks being situated mostly within the Town of West
Hartford. Some 15,000 bushes are the center piece of Elizabeth Park
and is known throughout the world. Today the park encompasses 102
acres

and boasts many garden areas, pathways, greenhouses, lawns, a picnic
grove, a pond and recreation areas. For more info before you head
out,
check out http://www.elizabethpark.org/

On to the clues.

Find the pond house. From the southwest side, follow either asphalt
path past the "Sedna" sculpture. From one side I thought it looked a
bit like a dolphin kissing it's own tail, but the other side yielded a
surprise. Apologies to the artist for the dolphin comment.

Stay on the path and cross the pretty stone bridge.

After the bridge you will find a small grouping of benches on the
left.
Take the asphalt path to the right over the more rugged rock bridge.
This will be your first opportunity to turn right on asphalt.

Continue on until you reach the clearing. Go to the arborish gazebo.
Don't worry, you'll see it no matter what season you visit the park.
Go

to the middle. For those etymologists out there, I made up the word
arborish.

With your back to the center pole head off at 110 degrees for 44
paces.
For me a pace is made up of two steps, one with each foot.

When you reach the red path, stop there for a change of direction.
Head

20 paces at 70 degrees to the thin red tree.

Please be careful here. This last step needs to be executed carefully
so as to not trample vegetation. Go 4 paces at 180 degrees to a
really
tall tree. Be careful, as there is a little bit of Poison ivy on the
front. Your prize is tucked away at the back.

This is a terrific park, so enjoy some of the other gardens before you
head out.

Let me know how I did on my first box plant at rtrw@attbi.com.