Snakes!! Why'd it have to be snakes?

Matt & I were able to get away to Galena for our annual Christmas ornament shopping. Every year we head to Galena to shop for the kid's Christmas ornaments - something to represent what they did this past year. We also eat at our favorite restaurant, Vinny Vinucchi's! We left after dropping the girls at school. Thanks to a handful of letterboxers, we were able to find some new boxes in the Galena area...

Driving along the scenic drives of Blackjack Road & Stagecoach Trail, we found "The Big 4-0", "ACL Mystery" (2) and "Miners Chapel Cemetery" (2). We were blessed to see a part of Apple Canyon Lake that we had never seen before!

We laughed when we read this sign...right above a parking lot!

Finally in Galena, we found the Galena Library box and headed to lunch! YUM!! Matt then replanted the missing "Lifetime of Memories" boxes while we made our way to Seasons Remembered to look at their ornaments. We enjoyed our time of looking around and reminiscing about the past year with the kids.

We drove down to the starting point of the "Fever River Trail" series. It is listed as 3-6 miles. we started out on the bike path and quickly found the first box while observing a natural spring. Onward towards box #2. We quickly had to make a decision since our tunnel on the path was flooded! A bit of weedwhacking, we were up and over and back on the path. We started walking - looking for a rushing stream (we chuckled...due to flooding, the water wasn't moving!!), a pond and the 1 mile marker. While on our way to the marker, we were surprised to see a car approaching (on the bike path!!)!! We don't mind walking, but we debated for a long time about whether to go back and get the van or not. We opted for not. We finally found the marker and continued to the next clue...only to find the tree and the loose bark...and no letterbox! A bit further back, we stopped and talked with a walker...we asked her if the trail looped back. She told us that it dead ended a few miles up. Sooooo, after seeing that the second box was missing and knowing that we would be walking another 2 1/2 miles to the end of the trail...and another 3 1/2 miles back...we opted to head back to the van. We later found out that a small portion of the bike path is car accessible since there are a few houses back there. Unfortunately for us, cars are only allowed where we had walked and no further. Now tired, hot & frustrated, we started walking back. I noticed a small garden snake (dead) on the path...and pointed it out to Matt. Let me backtrack a few hours to the Miner's Chapel Cemetery. I have a FEAR of cemeteries with overgrown brush! So many snakes!! So, I ran/tiptoed through the cemetery...to which Matt couldn't stop laughing! Now we are back on the bike path - seeing the dead snake. It wasn't but 6 inches long...but it was a snake!!! For the next 1/2 mile, I saw at least 5 more LIVE snakes!!!! Needless to say, I jumped every time (probably with a slight shriek)! I don't think I took my eyes off the path the whole time. I'm still freaking out about them! I was VERY happy to get back to the van!

We crossed over the river to Dubuque to look for a few new boxes. Our luck continued to go downhill...we attempted Camp 17, only to find the park closed due to flooding. We found the park for "Golf Disc Course", but had no luck with the first box, so we left to find the other box in the area while we had daylight. We ended our day at Swiss Valley Nature Center. It was a nice short hike to end our day. This park is beautiful and so peaceful! Yet again, another new place on our map thanks to letterboxing! We found the box and headed back home.

We ended our day with 7 found boxes and 8 fails! Rotten luck! We are heading back to Chicago in a few weeks with the kids. We are hoping to hit the 900th box during that trip!!