In Rhode Island no less! For months we've been toying with a visit to our tiny little neighborhood state. But do you know what that means? Crossing through one state to even get there. And top of that - which Teacup probably didn't know before she finally said yes to the trip - was we had to drive through Boston - and the tunnel!
So we plotted. We printed clues... had folders of them. For such a tiny state - they sure do cover every bit with those hikes! Knowing we had a limited amount of time - and we do like to get a variety of images from a variety of folks - we had to limit ourselves to drive-bys and strolls. There just wasn't enough time to pick up everything we wanted. But we had enough clues if we got stuck there for a week!
So we gathered up our gear. Gassed up the alternate MudCup mobile (the official one can only handle one state line crossing) and set off. Now - we know our habits - so to be on the safe side - we stopped at 6am at IHop for breakfast prior to hitting the state line. Good thing to - because once we got started - we didn't want to stop for lunch! Now - all week we'd been tracking the hurricane. It was toying with us. We were going, then we weren't. Then it seemed like the hurricane was going to corkscrew off Florida and the northeast would be spared. Okay - we can go... and as we departed IHop - the rain started.
We drove on and the rain was consistent - but not heavy enough to cancel. Heck - we've boxed in thunderstorms and blizzards, a little rain was not going to prevent us from getting animal themed ink. We made it over the first border... even over the second into MA without any incidents. Traffic was very light - seems folks tend to sleep in on a Sunday morning. We headed for the tunnel and Teacup started to get a bit anxious... but traffic was light and we made it back out into the rain without incident.
Welcome to Rhode Island... three states away from home and things started to get a bit dicey. The rain was getting a bit heavier and my GPS didn't seem to understand one-way streets and streets closed for what I later learned was supposed to be a parade - which ended up getting cancelled due to the rain (lightweights in our opinion.) So after navigating - and giving a 30 year old commentary of some of my old college haunts - we finally made it into the zoo. We had 20 minutes until the zoo opened - so we took a ride through Roger Williams Park. Now this was where the heartier souls were hanging out. A road race was in progress - and there were walkers, runners, baby carriages and wee folks all out in the morning rain. We navigated around them and enjoyed our rainy views.
Back to the parking lot - we finally entered the zoo... picking up a couple maps - we headed off in the direction of the Educational Center as the event had been driven inside due to the rain. It wasn't too cold - but the rain does reek havoc on logbooks :) We registered and started stamping up event boxes. So many great images from events in previous years to choose from. We tried to get a sampling as we waited out the rain. But it would seem - the rain was not going to let up any time soon. (We'd later find out that the hurricane had changed it's course again - and the northeast managed to pick up a pretty heavy band of rain - YEAH!!! Good for the drought conditions - bad for logbooks.)
We were sitting quietly stamping up images and enjoying the dry conditions when a local visitor started to approach. Now - when you are at a zoo, one would expect to see animals. And when it's hosted by a zoo keeper - you might even expect to see a few visit up close. Well... there are some animals Teacup would just as soon NEVER and I mean NEVER like to see - under ANY conditions. So when I happened to mention that there was a snake heading her direction - and we were stamping up animals - she mistakenly thought I meant a stamp. So when the woman approached Teacup with what Teacup described as a "BIG FREAKING ANACONDA!" you can imagine the table moved. I quietly explained that my friend didn't particularly like snakes (a gross understatement) and the woman tried to convince Teacup that it was just a small friendly snake - I have no idea what type - as I was trying to keep Teacup from running BACK TO MAINE at that point. She finally got the hint and moved along.
The crowd was small - but everyone seemed excited to get inky. And everyone was so helpful - they helped us figure out the clues so we would have a fighting chance (lack of smart phones - this will be a problem again later.) But we had a fighting change of finding the stamps - and after quickly downing a turkey wrap shared by Nittany (Teacup stuck with the Reeces) we gathered up the essentials - happy to leave all our extra gear and headed out with our black ink pad, clues, map and logbooks tucked in Ziploc bags. With one hand clutching umbrellas - we headed out. Teacup navigated our journey - directing us in through buildings and around the animal exhibits. Some animals wanted to just sleep through the rain - the moon bears and red panda wanted nothing to do with the rain - while others seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.
Boxing in the rain - did prove to be a bit challenging. But between our two umbrellas, tucked between our shoulders and chin, pulling out logbooks, opening up pouches and fishing ink out of pockets while standing in strange positions to keep everything dry - we managed to get through our first few boxes. We struggled a bit in the Adaptation building... but with a little bit of assistance we managed to get our bearings and found what we needed. We then headed out and down around the corner - finding a few more. The boxes by the Moon Bear gave us issues - so we headed forward - thinking we'd try again after we found some more on the list (and with an assist from Nittany, we found the two we missed later.)
We visited with a majestic eagle who seemed not impressed by the rain and danced around quickly forming mini lakes along the paths. Some we didn't miss and our toes were starting to get a bit wet. But we ambled along. We visited with a red panda who on our first visit wanted to sleep through the rain - but on our second pass by decided to show his face - but got quickly bored with the photo session and gave us his back. Time to move along. We headed along the path and visited a few more animals. Some willing to come out of hiding - others not so much. Clearly - for many we had hit nap time. As we were not starting at the beginning - but the middle/end of the clues - there were times when we weren't exactly sure which way to head next. But we meandered along and picked up a few more images visiting with the red wolf and then stopping to go inside to find the giraffes. After snapping some photos, we went off to watch the Harbor seals. Every time I tried to get a photo of them - all I got was their back end - they move much faster than my camera focuses!
So we headed off to the Outback Trail. Here we visited the flamingos who were perched in their pond heads tucked in - not too thrilled by the rain and clearly not interested in visiting with us so we headed off into Tropical America. I entered first - and after our encounter in the event center - I cautioned Teacup to NOT look LEFT and just move forward. It was STEAMY in the building and being as wet as we were - I felt like we were in a sauna. With a few muggles to wait out - it took a bit to pick this one up before we could once again head outside (avert your eyes Teacup!) and went back to the Conservation Cabin - which amazingly enough eluded us the first pass. The building did not present as what I would describe as a 'cabin' in nature - so we originally walked right past it. The only way we found it was by having fellow boxers clue us in - thanks Viena for the assist! We decided to head back to event central for the raffle and to pick up a new set of clues and a dry map... both of ours were quickly disintegrating from the rain - its very hard to keep multiple pages dry when you are trying to hold them, an ink pad, a pouch, a stamp and an umbrella with only two hands!
Back at event central, we tried to dry everything off after assisting our next interactive visitor through the door. Seems a friendly little armadillo was coming to play. With his schedule of visiting hospitals and nursing homes we were glad he could fit us into his schedule. So after finding about the armadillos busy schedule - we moved on to those raffles - there were some beautiful items. Teacup managed to win some very large slabs of pink stuff and new carving tools (and two more - which she respectfully declined)... I came up empty handed - but the money raised went towards helping out the cheetahs. So with a second set of dry clues and a dry map - off we headed after bidding our hostess a thank you and good event. First stop - the gift shop - it hosted a box :) Then we went back to visit our moon bears - who had decided enough was enough and were no longer out playing in the rain... back past that frisky red panda, and another pass by the eagle. We stopped to take photos of elephants splashing in their pool. And headed off towards the cheetahs. Well - Teacup did, I stopped to press a penny then had to yell out to find her. She had moved along to try and navigate the clues around the Aoudad - and since we didn't see one - I still have no idea what it is - and their path was a lake on both ends. Squish, squish!
We made it over to the tree house - where we came up MIA on one of the boxes :( Played in the tree house - okay I did while Teacup stamped up our image and then we moved along. We were running out of time and needed the last couple images. Stopping to take photos of all the pumpkins - I'm still wondering, did Ashley say yes??? We'll never know. So we moved along to the photo booth - where some folks were stamping up the image inside the booth. There was a young couple waiting - clearly NOT letterboxers - so we took the stamp across the path to the wall and let them get their photo taken in the booth (which we were told was very dry inside.) Getting the last box proved to be my downfall. Getting to the end, and lacking any sort of attention span - I stepped right in the middle of the lake protecting the box. I had been directing Teacup mostly successfully around them while she read the clues throughout the day - but nope - I missed this one completely. One soaked foot! Good thing it was our last box. We headed back to the car where we needed to meet up with Nittany to do a rescue mission and a stamp hand off for Letterboxer's Christmas event - you are all joining us, right?
So after that - we THOUGHT we'd try the boxes planted around the park. Teacup and I looked at each other and agreed - time to find the hotel. We made it safely to the hotel - not missing our exit this time... registered and headed up to the room. With Doherty's Ale House in walking distance - we left the car keys in the room and walked over in the rain - we were already wet... so it's not like we would get that much wetter.
It was early - and the Pats game had ended - so the Ale House was pretty quiet. We perused the cocktails (we are not Ale girls) and I picked out a Falling for You Cider and Teacup picked out something with muddled blueberries and bourbon. In my head I questioned her choice - but let it go - maybe she was feeling in the mood for a bourbon cocktail (considering she's never drank bourbon before - I wondered.) It took a while for our drinks to arrive - seems the bartender had to go out back and pick the berries before they could be muddles and put in the snifter with the bourbon... now upon its presentation to the table in said snifter - I thought Teacup might be in over her head - snifter generally denotes LACK of mixers... and I was correct. That baby was going to be strong... evident when Teacup started to breath fire after the first sip. Her eyes rolled slightly backwards and she tried to catch her breath. I took a sip of mine - fall splendor in a glass over ice. A prefect mixture of cranberry vodka, spiced pear liqueur and cider over ice. Served with a slice of apple. It was wonderful.
We ordered after pondering what I can only describe as an eclectic ethnic mixed menu. I can't remember seeing so many food styles and ethnicities on one menu... clearly they would have failed my college menu creating class. But Teacup picked out a steak sandwich and I stuck with a burger. Our waiter, Michael noticed Teacup's lack of interest in her cocktail and replaced it with a Falling for You Cider and made Teacup happy. He divulged to us that even the bartender questioned the likability of Teacup's selection.
We finished up our meal with Teacup getting her dessert to go - and I drank mine :) Back at the room - we found a news channel and learned that we probably boxed during the deluged that went through the state. Took showers and settled in for the night to let the rest of the rain pass while we thought about our plans and hoped for better weather on Monday. Not sure when Teacup ate the cake - but she didn't bring it along the next day - so she must have enjoyed it while I was in the shower. But for now - we can put to bed another successful event for Team MudCup. I wonder what the rest of the state has to offer us tomorrow?
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