Sort of snow boxing...

So its the third week in February in Maine. Normally Team MudCup is holed up in our perspective abodes - spinning webs for the coming boxing season. But Mother Nature has been unseasonably kind to us this month... so with a weather forecast predicitng upper 40's - and with little snow cover outside our windows - we opted to head out and try some snow boxing.

Now with any adventure with us - we have our ground rules... mostly including bringing m,boots. (Oh yeah - and keep the trowel away from Mud.) So with clues in hand, Tea's trusty gazetteer in the back seat - we headed slightly downeast for our treasures. Our goal - "Banded Cows in the Snow" by Scarab. It had been on our short list for a while - but we were just now getting to it. So off we went, properly packing Sweet Tea and ink. The drive was quiet and the view - well frankly, kinda bland. Nothing was in bloom, but the sun was out and we chatted our way up the coast.

Making our way to our first quarry, we headed off to Warren. Knowing that with the early spring thaw, but the shorter days of sunlight were still our obstacles - we headed off for some rapids. Pulling up to our location, we were not surprised to find a winter chain blocking our access. But the road leading to our launching spot was relatively clear - we could see tar and brown grass below, we pulled off to the side of the road and parked.

Slipping into boots and grabbing the trusty trowel, down the hill we ventured. Checking our footing as we went for those slightly hidden icy spots, we ambled over the terrain and managed to not sink up to our knees in slushy snow. Through the playground toys of yesteryear, we managed to pass without hopping on the teeter totter and headed off to the bridge. Now the bridge was interesting in itself. Someone had placed old barn boards over the original boards - presumably to cover rotten spots. The interesting part was that the barn boards looked link a woodpeckers paradise. They were covered in tiny holes! It made for an interesting view as we crossed the 'rapids' below.

Over the St. George river we crossed, and while the river was running, and the water sparkled in the sunlight, I think it would be a stretch to say that it qualified as rapids. Making it to the far side of the bridge we traversed along a muddy mucky path that was rounded with icy, slushy piles of crusty snow. We followed the steps to a wooden slat bridge that crossed more of a muddy patch that a section of water. Then off following our next set of clues to a set of stairs that were abutting an old foundation base. Here lay wait our treasure.

We found the location and could see the box. The question was - would Mother Nature allow us access to it? That's why Teacup brings her trowel. Now after a previous episode with a trowel - I am no longer allowed to use the trowel. So Teacup crouched down and start to chip away the icy barrier that held the box captive. Chip, chip, wiggle, wiggle. The box we tucked snugly in place. Captive between rocks and icy - Teacup persevered. Finally - out it popped. And we had our first box of February 2012!

We pried open the icy lid and removed its contents. Sadly the logbook was soaked through, but the image was still viable and we quickly added it to our logbook! Happy, happy were we! Sadly - we were ill prepared to replace the logbook - so we tucked it back inside with the stamp and returned the box to its icy habitat. Our first success of the day! Back we ambled over the icy path, with a little more joyous bounce in our step! With a find under our belt, even the hill back to the car didn't seem as daunting. Shedding our coats, we hopped back into the car and headed further up the coast.

Our next adventure was Banded Cows. Now we are familiar enough with the area from previous excursions to make us truly dangerous. So when a reference to a local establishment was written in the clues - we knew we could circumvent the previous clues and work our way backwards. Not so. After circling the wrong side of the harbor, we opted to actually follow the clues from their beginning... novel idea - we know. But then again - this isn't the first time we've attempted to circumvent the clues thinking we knew where we were headed... and so far, no box has been harmed because of our follies.

So around the harbor we went, missing our first turn thus needing to backtrack a bit. (Come on - you know you'd be let down if we didn't have at least one u-turn in our day!) Back down to the intersection - we headed off in the correct direction towards banded cows... now the clue has the cows happily grazing on the left side of the road. It would seem in the dead of winter - the cows prefer to be closer to the barn... so we had to do a little more looking to find them. And once we did, oh the joy! T'would seem Miss Teacup had never seen an Oreo cow before. She was thoroughly fascinated by them. So we drove a bit farther and found our needed juncture.

Off again Tea went with trusty trowel in hand. This box wasn't trapped nearly as hard, and she was actually able to wangle the box out pretty easily. So we popped the lid - and yup, there they were, in all their glory. The banded cows! Or for the bovine snobs - more precisely - Belted Galloways. We stamped up the little critters and left them some company to be found by the next lucky souls to pick up this find. Returning the box to its hidey-hole - we were off so Tea could take some photos of her new found bovine friends. Frankly I was amused at just how amazed Tea was at seeing her first Oreo cows. Since they are raised all over Maine - I was shocked that she had never seen them before.

We finally headed off in the direction of our next quarry. Realizing it was further back than we were currently headed - we thought we take a chance at being able to drive to the top of Mount Battie. After all - with the relatively minimal snow cover - we thought our chances were good that the road to the top would be open. We pulled in - and quickly realized that the only way up was to hike it. And while we were thrilled to be out boxing - a climb up Mount Battie was no where on our daily bucket list... so a quick circle in the parking lot - passing by the six or so cars that sat waiting for their more adventurous owners to return - we returned to head back to Camden.

We were going to stop into a store to pick up some craft supplies (I'm trying to learn how to fold origami cranes for scouts but needed origami paper) only to realize that the store was no longer amongst those on the main drag in Camden. It saddened us - since there was a letterbox in the store - now another from an older boxer, sadly lost to the demise of small proprietors. So through town we continued. There were a couple of clues left on our list. One we knew we could find, the other two were more hunches we were chasing in hopes of finding hidden treasures.

Off to Beach Nut Tree House's parking lot. It is on a curvy road and we've been to this location before. The climb to the top is a gradual one on one side and shorter - but more steep on the other. Christopher hiked to the top with us on one very warm summer day a couple of years ago. Once to the top - he managed to woo a couple into thinking he was the cutest kid they had ever seen. The view in the summer is fabulous - and my guess - in the winter its probably pretty spectacular as well... but out thoughts were 'been there, done that.' so we opted to just pull in the icy parking lot and grab the box. Another spot where the trowel happily helped us retrieve our frozen booty from its location.

Sadly - once again we found a wet logbook inside the box - but it wasn't so soaked that we couldn't stamp into it. So we stamped up and returned the box to its hidden location. We had a couple of hours left - so off we went in search of a mystery location. Now these trips always prove to be interesting. With a quick stop for gas - and an agreement to head to Moody's Diner for pie for lunch - we headed back towards Rockland.

Well here's the catch. While Teacup was pumping gas - I was looking at the map. Seems we were heading towards Route 17. And guess where 17 goes? To Augusta. And what's in Augusta? Panera Bread... : ) In my book - 10 times better than pie! Well not always, but I wasn't completely sold on pie - so when Tea returned to the car I proposed a slight deviation in our plans... Its amazing how easily we can get side-tracked over something as simple as lunch! And honestly - who really thinks to head to Augusta when your driving in downtown Rockland? Well - maybe the locals do - but those of us that religiously take Route One to and fro - not us.

So we trolled around looking for that mystery location only to find some wicked cool cemeteries (sparkly objects for Team MudCup) and some very dangerous curves! We drove a bit longer, but realized the mystery - would remain one a bit longer as we needed more information that what we were going on. Back to Route 17 - we started to head inland. Now driving through many towns in Maine - we often wonder - where do these people work? Where do they shop? Because we tend to drive long expanses where there's lots of nuthin and then a lone house will pop up. The good side - no pesky neighbors. The bad-side, no helpful neighbors either.

So off through the hilly countryside of inland Maine we ventured - hopefully getting closer to Augusta. But knowing in the back of our minds that we'd been down the wrong roads before. Going through towns not often visited... Stickney Corner, Coopers Mills, Jefferson, Whitefield, all the while edging closer to Augusta. Our lucky day - where we arrived was at a 'Roundabout' - Teacup's favorite place to drive. And in Augusta they tend to be a bit busier than the ones we usually fight (in Buxton.) So finding our exit spot, Tea waited for the perfect moment to jump into the melee. We managed to make it to the other side and drove along over muddy bumpy city roads heading out towards Civic Center Drive.

Yeah! Mecca! Two soup combos later - we were revived and feeling ready to tackle something like real life. Well - first we needed a stop at Michaels as I was still in search of origami paper. Now Michaels is one of those 'bad' stores. Because you cannot just go in one and spend two dollars... fifty dollars later with origami paper and a birthday present for Veronica I was ready to meet the bus. Tea picked up an arrangement of silk butterflies and a whole stack of Hello Kitty goodies for a future play date with Cammie. So we grudgingly headed back to the car knowing our mental health day was almost over.

Home again - its amazing how even a single day out in nature, even for brief moments can change your whole state of mind. After two of the most stressful days at work that I've had in recent memory, a day spent with a good friend - out in the sun and snow, just enjoying quiet moments and a good lunch put my frantic mind at rest. I returned to work on Friday in a more functionable frame of mind. My thoughts less cluttered and my attitude less negative. So while we didn't have any fabulous misadventures - I for one felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle a few more days of work.