The Real Seal
Orange County, CA
At the north end of the Orange County coast is a small beach town,
formerly known as Bay City. It is just north of a Landing that
shares
a name with the city the Mouse made famous. There you will find a
small park hidden behind the only houses that are not on the beach
side of the Highway. The park is at the end of a very short street
that is named after the only town in California not on the mainland.
To find the street, take PCH to the north end of town and turn on to
the street whose name means "Sea View" (don't take the
Fifth). Then
make an immediate left and go to the street named for the famous
island you can see on clear days. Go up that street to the second
left. The park is at the end of the street and is almost always
deserted.
Park in the lot and walk to a bunch of Yucca palms at the far end of
the lot. Turn around and go up the embankment and then left
(southeast) on the dirt path that will lead you through the Gum
Grove.
Go past the first fork in the path until you reach a lower clearing,
stay on the path to the right and walk past the blue tree-house.
Continue to, and then walk down, the wooden steps with a tree growing
out of them and take the path to your immediate right. While on that
top path, resist the temptation to go for a ride down the yellow pool
slide and instead look for a rope swing just a bit ahead (give into
the temptation to ride it; there's no one around anyway). Standing
at
the swing and facing the direction you were headed, take the middle
of
the four paths to the bottom of the hill. There you will find a
picnic table near a semi-circle of Gum trees. Face the nearby houses
and walk 7 paces from the table. At the base of the left-most
double-trunk tree, you'll find the Real Seal covered with bark
and
detritus. There will probably be no one around but be discreet
anyway. After you find it, hop in your car, grab a cold drink at
O'Malley's or one of the other three Irish bars in town and
catch a
cool breeze.
Easier directions: You'll find the park on Thomas Bros. map,
page
826, F-3 of 2001 edition. Once you get to the park, follow the gravel
path from the parking lot along the fence until you reach the picnic
table (same distance, no elevation).
Zeek & Kate: zeek34@pacbell.net
Placed 16 June 2002
Approx. 2/3 mile, mild elevation
Time: (15 minutes) once at park
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen
hazards. "Letterboxing North America" supports a policy of not
knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to
the letterbox hunter. However, as conditions may vary, it is the
responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar
with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare
for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly
with
respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her personal
abilities and limitations. "Letterboxing North America" and the
individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for events which may
occur related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a
letterbox.
New Letterbox in Orange County, CA
2 messages in this thread |
Started on 2002-06-17
New Letterbox in Orange County, CA
From: zeekster68 (zeek34@pacbell.net) |
Date: 2002-06-17 16:30:05 UTC
New Letterbox in Orange County, CA
From: zeekster68 (zeek34@pacbell.net) |
Date: 2002-07-07 01:40:15 UTC
The Titan Letterbox
Fullerton, Orange County, CA
My wife graduated from Cal State Fullerton some years ago and to honor
her and the mighty Titan Men's baseball team, my daughter and I placed
a Letterbox near CSUF.
To get there, take the 57 Fwy. and exit at Yorba Linda Blvd. Go just
a bit west of the freeway to Associated Road. Before turning north on
Associated, look to your left at Titan Stadium and admire the banners
for the three College World Series Baseball Championships won by their
Boys of Summer. Not bad for a commuter school! They've even placed a
few men in the NBA (remember Cedric Ceballos with the Lakers?).
Anyway, go north on Associated until you get to Rolling Hills Drive.
Turn right there and then take the first right onto Hartford. Make an
immediate left on Treeview, go to end of the street and park in lot
for Gilman Park (one of several entrances to the park). From the
parking lot, follow the small stream to a wooden footbridge. Cross
over it and follow the trail up a small hill. Follow the trail to a
second footbridge until you see a playground that looks like it is
made out of old mining equipment (an odd playground design, but it
attracts a lot of kids every time I go there).
At the far end of the mining play area is a tire swing and a rather
large Pepper Tree with four trunks (maybe three, with one very large
lower branch). Take the trail to the left and go up the hill. As you
walk up the trail, you will notice four Gum trees growing in one spot
directly in front of you. Before you get to them, the trail will veer
right. Look for the light post on the left of the trail. Walk 8
paces past the post and you'll find a palm tree placed rather
incongruously there with the Titan box amongst the branches at its
base. WATCH OUT FOR THE SPIKEY BRANCHES ON THE PALM! The stamp is
the Titan logo.
At that point, you could take the trail about 100 yards to another
park exit, or go back to the play area and take a ride on one of the
many tire swings. Gilman Park is small and oddly placed, but locals
know it as a green oasis amidst a county trying very hard to pave
itself. Despite the freeway noise, it still offers a peaceful place
to walk the dog and relax. When you are done, drop in at the
Arboretum at CSUF - a surprisingly beautiful place for a short walk
and then grab some Joe at a favorite spot for juicing up: Rock 'n'
Java on Harbor Blvd., just south of Brea Blvd. If you're hungry, go
to Birch Street in Brea and try the Milanesa at the Gaucho Grill.
Zeek & Kate: zeek34@pacbell.net
Placed 6 July 2002
Approx. 1/2 mile, mild elevation
Time: (15 minutes) once at park
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen
hazards. "Letterboxing North America" supports a policy of not
knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to
the letterbox hunter. However, as conditions may vary, it is the
responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar
with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare
for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly
with respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her
personal abilities and limitations. "Letterboxing North America" and
the individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for events which
may occur related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a
letterbox.
Fullerton, Orange County, CA
My wife graduated from Cal State Fullerton some years ago and to honor
her and the mighty Titan Men's baseball team, my daughter and I placed
a Letterbox near CSUF.
To get there, take the 57 Fwy. and exit at Yorba Linda Blvd. Go just
a bit west of the freeway to Associated Road. Before turning north on
Associated, look to your left at Titan Stadium and admire the banners
for the three College World Series Baseball Championships won by their
Boys of Summer. Not bad for a commuter school! They've even placed a
few men in the NBA (remember Cedric Ceballos with the Lakers?).
Anyway, go north on Associated until you get to Rolling Hills Drive.
Turn right there and then take the first right onto Hartford. Make an
immediate left on Treeview, go to end of the street and park in lot
for Gilman Park (one of several entrances to the park). From the
parking lot, follow the small stream to a wooden footbridge. Cross
over it and follow the trail up a small hill. Follow the trail to a
second footbridge until you see a playground that looks like it is
made out of old mining equipment (an odd playground design, but it
attracts a lot of kids every time I go there).
At the far end of the mining play area is a tire swing and a rather
large Pepper Tree with four trunks (maybe three, with one very large
lower branch). Take the trail to the left and go up the hill. As you
walk up the trail, you will notice four Gum trees growing in one spot
directly in front of you. Before you get to them, the trail will veer
right. Look for the light post on the left of the trail. Walk 8
paces past the post and you'll find a palm tree placed rather
incongruously there with the Titan box amongst the branches at its
base. WATCH OUT FOR THE SPIKEY BRANCHES ON THE PALM! The stamp is
the Titan logo.
At that point, you could take the trail about 100 yards to another
park exit, or go back to the play area and take a ride on one of the
many tire swings. Gilman Park is small and oddly placed, but locals
know it as a green oasis amidst a county trying very hard to pave
itself. Despite the freeway noise, it still offers a peaceful place
to walk the dog and relax. When you are done, drop in at the
Arboretum at CSUF - a surprisingly beautiful place for a short walk
and then grab some Joe at a favorite spot for juicing up: Rock 'n'
Java on Harbor Blvd., just south of Brea Blvd. If you're hungry, go
to Birch Street in Brea and try the Milanesa at the Gaucho Grill.
Zeek & Kate: zeek34@pacbell.net
Placed 6 July 2002
Approx. 1/2 mile, mild elevation
Time: (15 minutes) once at park
WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER
Letterboxing, like any outdoor sport, carries the risk of unforeseen
hazards. "Letterboxing North America" supports a policy of not
knowingly placing letterboxes in areas that will create undue risk to
the letterbox hunter. However, as conditions may vary, it is the
responsibility of the letterbox searcher to become thoroughly familiar
with the conditions in the area to be searched, to adequately prepare
for those conditions, and to conduct oneself safely and responsibly
with respect to those conditions and with respect to his or her
personal abilities and limitations. "Letterboxing North America" and
the individual letterbox sponsors assume no liability for events which
may occur related directly or indirectly to one's searching for a
letterbox.