With
Indiana Jones making his return to theaters for a limited run this fall, you
may find your family seeking to replicate the globetrotting adventures of Indy. World travel for a family may be slightly out
of reach in this day and age but Letterboxing provides the same treasure
hunting experience on a local scale.
Letterboxes
are hidden in weatherproof boxes in public places such as parks. For example, the Kansas City Metropolitan
area is home to over sixty letterboxes.
Clues to the whereabouts of the boxes may be found online on various
websites. The contents of a letterbox
include a notebook and a rubber stamp. The rubber stamp will often be hand carved an
opposed to store bought. Finders will
want to bring their own rubber stamp, inkpad, and notebook. Finders will want to make an imprint of the
stamp in their personal notebook to keep for their records. In addition, finders will want to leave an
impression of their own “signature” stamp in the letterbox’s “logbook”. This allows other letterboxers to see who has
found the letterbox.
The
heritage of letterboxing may be traced back to Dartmoor, Devon, England. Interest in the United States is generally
traced to an article that appeared in the Smithsonian Magazine in April of
1998. Also, the growing interest in
geocaching has helped interest in letterboxing to grow as well. The original letterboxes were located in
hard-to-reach places that could only be found by the most determined seekers. Letterboxes are now located in much more
accessible places than originally intended.
As a result, the activity has become much more popular among
children. Some boxes are placed in
tougher terrain and are better suited for adults and experienced letterboxers.
For any additional information
about the activity of letterboxing, please visit www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com. These websites will provide clues, tips for
carving your own stamps, and frequently asked questions for your family’s very
own Indiana Jones adventure.
To Sixteen-Year-Old Jesse,
I'm currently writing you from the ripe old age of Twenty-six. While that probably strikes you as meaning that life’s almost over, the complete opposite is true. Life's pretty exciting and rarely gets dull (Once I’m done with work for the day). In fact, based upon the massive wealth of knowledge that I have accumulated by this point in my life, I thought that you might appreciate some tips on how to live your life from a pro.
Let’s go ahead and look at a typical night for you. Once you’re done with school for the day, it’s normally spent in one of four ways. Option #1 is always doing homework. By the way, you know that Algebra that you’re agonizing over that Mrs. Logsdon says you’ll need to know? I haven’t used that since high school. Option #2 is a little more fun considering it’s the option of watching TV or playing PlayStation. You’re not going to believe this as you’re sitting there with a plastic, grey controller in your hands but I have almost the exact same one in my hands today only in black without a cable controlling my PS3. Option #3 would be hanging out with friends. Some of the relationships that you build during these years have endured to this day so don’t worry about ever having to say goodbye to your closest friends. Option #4 is playing tennis. While you’ll never make it on the ATP and play Andre Agassi for Grand Slams, you’ll still have a great time playing the sport in the future.
You're at a stage of life right now where you're trying to figure out who you are and where you belong. Knowing you the way I do, you’re trying to decide what’s going to give you that sense of feeling and belonging that you crave as a teenager. You’ll put all of your stock into grades but that probably won’t fill a void. You’ll try to be friends with everyone, but somebody’s always going to hate you. You’re scheming about how to ask out the prettiest girl in class but wait until college when you meet your wife. You’ll love her to death. :) Don’t let yourself get down or stuck in a rut. Don’t worry about the future because everything’s going to be just fine. I know that you’re trying to figure out how you feel about the whole God thing right now. Just go with it because it’ll pay off in the end. Also, about the glasses. I know they bug you but contacts don’t seem to work well. Ask the eye doctor about PureVision 2 HD. They’re comfy and feel nice. You’ll love them!
A couple of things to leave you with. I know that you’re worried that your Dad won’t be around due to his heart attack. He’s still there and you guys are closer than you’ve ever been. In fact, he’s probably your best friend (next to the aforementioned wife). Whenever you go anywhere, make certain to call Mom and check in real quick. I know that it seems lame and like a massive imposition, but it only takes a minute and it makes things easier in the end. Also, make certain to meet a guy named Joey Gewin and get to know him better. He’s a good dude! I can’t take all of the credit for writing you this letter. I got the idea from a segment with Dale Jr. on the CBS Morning News. Yep, that’s right, you’re still rooting for him but I’m not going to tell you if he’s a Cup Champion yet or not. That’s up for you to wait and see.
Good luck big guy. I’ll be seeing you in a few years!
Twenty-Six-Year-Old Jesse
