Dolphin's Smile LbNA #13885
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Mar 19, 2005 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Bonita Beach |
| County: | Collier |
| State: | Florida |
| Boxes: | 3 |
| Planted by: | Baye  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Rachina |
| Last found: | Sep 19, 2009 |
| Status: | aFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF |
| Last edited: | Mar 19, 2005 |
The Incredibly, Absolutely, Positively True Tale
of Why Dolphins Smile*
** Boxes 1 and 3 missing as of December, 2008 ~ Will replace soon; in the meantime, LETTERBOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND A VERY FUN ADVENTURE. ENJOY!
This Letterbox adventure is inspired by *belivers everywhere, and by two young letterboxers from Connecticut, Tyler and Kirsten P.
"Have you ever wondered why dolphins smile?"
If you have, this is the letterboxing adventure for you. A series of 3 relatively easy to find boxes located at beautiful Wiggins Pass State Park (just off of 41 on the Gulf Coast between Fort Meyers and Naples, Florida), these letterboxes tell the incredibly, absolutely positively true story of how dolphins got their smile.
Note: It is not necessary to find all 3 boxes, and only the 3rd contains your stamp, but boxes 1 and 2 offer clues to the location of the third....AND clues to the mystery of the Dolphin's Smile.
TO LETTERBOX #1 - Directions:
(BOX 1 AND 3 MISSING AS OF 12/08 - To be replaced soon - BOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND MAKES FOR A FUN DAY!!)
1. To seek, head N or S on Highway 41 (depending on your location) to Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, Florida. Take Bonita Road WEST BOUND through 4 stoplights, to an entrance on your left called Barefoot Beach Boulevard. The street is located just 100 yards prior to another landmark on the left hand side, Doc's Beach House.
Enter Bonita Beach Road THROUGH THE GATEHOUSE. During daytime hours, the attendant on call will just wave you through. Proceed on this road for 1 mile past the many nice houses and pink condominiums. Just past these, you will spy the entrance to "BAREFOOT BEACH PRESERVE." There may be a $4 per car entrance fee (or a Collier County Park Pass). Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in this park, though you may meet a friend or two on your adventure (lizards, tortoises, an eagle flying above).
2. Now you're on the trail!! Proceed ahead, being careful to "Please Drive Slowly," say the gopher tortoises. At Parking Lot #1, find a spot and proceed to the visitors center of the park. Be sure to also give a look to the beautiful butterfly and cactus gardens on either side of the information hut.
3. Inside the Information/Visitors Hut, open dawn to sundown, find and remember the answer to this question: "Bewtween WHAT YEARS of its life does the Eagle's head turn from brown to white?" Again, REMEMBER these numbers -- you will need them again.
4. Across from the Visitors Hut, take the stairs up to the Snack Bar and restrooms. COUNT the number of steps as you climb. REMEMBER this number as well, as it will assist in your journey ahead.
5. Once up the stairs, follow the wooden pathway SOUTH. You may have to take a turn or two at the beginning, but soon you will find yourself on a long walk on the wooden platform with the ocean on your right. Listen closely to the waves as you walk, approximately 1/4 a mile south.
6. After a quarter mile, you will run into another wooden walking path running towards the beach. Take this path to the beach. When you reach the sand, take off your shoes and carry them with you, being sure to let the warm white sand dance between your toes.
7. Once you're barefoot (optional! :) head in the direction of a single standing tree, which from the front looks like a tall hand pointing towards the sky. Continue walking this direction for approximately 100 yards.
8. You will soon spy a wide and clear sand path on your left re-entering the trees. Take this path.
9. You will quickly find yourself at a "Y" with one path heading to your left, and another to your right. This means YOU ARE GETTING CLOSE! Take the path to your right.
10. Continue on this path past the beautiful foilage and fallen trees. Recall now the TWO NUMBERS in the answer, "Between what years does the Eagle's head turn brown to white?" ADD THESE NUMBERS TOGETHER, and when you see the plant marked on your right hand side representing the TOTAL of these two numbers, you are now very close to your first of 3 letterboxes.
11. Immediately past this number, you will find a large tree which has fallen across the path, but which has been cut in half to allow visitors to pass. Just behind these logs, in the crack between them from the rear, you will find LETTERBOX #1 containing your first clue to the mystery of the dolphins smile.
(*While there is no stamp for your book in this box, it does contain a clue. However, please be sure to leave YOUR stamp print and a nice message and date in the papers within.)
TO LETTERBOX #2:
1. This letterbox is only a short distance from the first. Once you find and return box #1 to its location, continue on the path the way you were heading when you came upon the first box (South). You will soon find "Alice's Bench". Take a short rest on Alice's Bench, again being sure to listen to the ocean, then head towards the beach and the sound of the waves.
2. Just before you reach the water, on your RIGHT you will spy a large pile of logs. Just over the first log, in the nook between them, you will find your second letterbox. Hooray!
(Again, please read the clue, leave your stamp and a note, and replace Letterbox 2 carefully for others to find.)
TO LETTERBOX #3:
(BOX 1 AND 3 MISSING AS OF 12/08 - To be replaced soon - BOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND MAKES FOR A FUN DAY!!)
1. Return to "Alice's Bench" and take the trail to your right. This is a beautiful and dense wooded area with plants of all types and tortoises frequently crossing your trail. Continue on this trail for 1/3 of a mile.
2. When you finally reach a fork in the trail, "Read the Signs". If the "Back Dune" is GREEN, then turn Right; if it is BLUE, turn left.
3. You are almost there, about to find the final clue to the mystery of the Dolphin's Smile! Just before you reach the beach, you will see several palm trees on your left. The palms nearest the ocean look like a mother watching over her small children, ONE of whom has decided to move all the way to the beach, to better hear the sound of the waves -- and to smile back at the dolphins! Just beneath the sand immediately in front of this palm (closest to the beach), you will find your final Letterbox, and the answer to the mystery.
Once you've found it, please leave your stamp, write a final note, and replace box carefully for others who will follow. The box may be marked with a coconut and a small "flag"....If so, please replace these as well.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Congratulations! You've successfully completed this adventure and learned the secret of the Dolphin's Smile!
From here, just "take the leap" down to the beach, and follow the beach (water on your left) back the way you came. When you see the rental house on your left, and the trail marked with the same NUMBER of steps you climbed to the snack bar at the beginning of your journey, you are back at parking lot #1. If tired, follow the wooden walking trail back to your car and have a wonderful day. If, however, you've still got some energy in you, make a day of your visit to the beach, get a cold ice cream to celebrate, and....
Be sure to look for smiling dolphins! :)
March 2005
Uncle Trevor & Dawn
of Why Dolphins Smile*
** Boxes 1 and 3 missing as of December, 2008 ~ Will replace soon; in the meantime, LETTERBOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND A VERY FUN ADVENTURE. ENJOY!
This Letterbox adventure is inspired by *belivers everywhere, and by two young letterboxers from Connecticut, Tyler and Kirsten P.
"Have you ever wondered why dolphins smile?"
If you have, this is the letterboxing adventure for you. A series of 3 relatively easy to find boxes located at beautiful Wiggins Pass State Park (just off of 41 on the Gulf Coast between Fort Meyers and Naples, Florida), these letterboxes tell the incredibly, absolutely positively true story of how dolphins got their smile.
Note: It is not necessary to find all 3 boxes, and only the 3rd contains your stamp, but boxes 1 and 2 offer clues to the location of the third....AND clues to the mystery of the Dolphin's Smile.
TO LETTERBOX #1 - Directions:
(BOX 1 AND 3 MISSING AS OF 12/08 - To be replaced soon - BOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND MAKES FOR A FUN DAY!!)
1. To seek, head N or S on Highway 41 (depending on your location) to Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs, Florida. Take Bonita Road WEST BOUND through 4 stoplights, to an entrance on your left called Barefoot Beach Boulevard. The street is located just 100 yards prior to another landmark on the left hand side, Doc's Beach House.
Enter Bonita Beach Road THROUGH THE GATEHOUSE. During daytime hours, the attendant on call will just wave you through. Proceed on this road for 1 mile past the many nice houses and pink condominiums. Just past these, you will spy the entrance to "BAREFOOT BEACH PRESERVE." There may be a $4 per car entrance fee (or a Collier County Park Pass). Unfortunately, pets are not allowed in this park, though you may meet a friend or two on your adventure (lizards, tortoises, an eagle flying above).
2. Now you're on the trail!! Proceed ahead, being careful to "Please Drive Slowly," say the gopher tortoises. At Parking Lot #1, find a spot and proceed to the visitors center of the park. Be sure to also give a look to the beautiful butterfly and cactus gardens on either side of the information hut.
3. Inside the Information/Visitors Hut, open dawn to sundown, find and remember the answer to this question: "Bewtween WHAT YEARS of its life does the Eagle's head turn from brown to white?" Again, REMEMBER these numbers -- you will need them again.
4. Across from the Visitors Hut, take the stairs up to the Snack Bar and restrooms. COUNT the number of steps as you climb. REMEMBER this number as well, as it will assist in your journey ahead.
5. Once up the stairs, follow the wooden pathway SOUTH. You may have to take a turn or two at the beginning, but soon you will find yourself on a long walk on the wooden platform with the ocean on your right. Listen closely to the waves as you walk, approximately 1/4 a mile south.
6. After a quarter mile, you will run into another wooden walking path running towards the beach. Take this path to the beach. When you reach the sand, take off your shoes and carry them with you, being sure to let the warm white sand dance between your toes.
7. Once you're barefoot (optional! :) head in the direction of a single standing tree, which from the front looks like a tall hand pointing towards the sky. Continue walking this direction for approximately 100 yards.
8. You will soon spy a wide and clear sand path on your left re-entering the trees. Take this path.
9. You will quickly find yourself at a "Y" with one path heading to your left, and another to your right. This means YOU ARE GETTING CLOSE! Take the path to your right.
10. Continue on this path past the beautiful foilage and fallen trees. Recall now the TWO NUMBERS in the answer, "Between what years does the Eagle's head turn brown to white?" ADD THESE NUMBERS TOGETHER, and when you see the plant marked on your right hand side representing the TOTAL of these two numbers, you are now very close to your first of 3 letterboxes.
11. Immediately past this number, you will find a large tree which has fallen across the path, but which has been cut in half to allow visitors to pass. Just behind these logs, in the crack between them from the rear, you will find LETTERBOX #1 containing your first clue to the mystery of the dolphins smile.
(*While there is no stamp for your book in this box, it does contain a clue. However, please be sure to leave YOUR stamp print and a nice message and date in the papers within.)
TO LETTERBOX #2:
1. This letterbox is only a short distance from the first. Once you find and return box #1 to its location, continue on the path the way you were heading when you came upon the first box (South). You will soon find "Alice's Bench". Take a short rest on Alice's Bench, again being sure to listen to the ocean, then head towards the beach and the sound of the waves.
2. Just before you reach the water, on your RIGHT you will spy a large pile of logs. Just over the first log, in the nook between them, you will find your second letterbox. Hooray!
(Again, please read the clue, leave your stamp and a note, and replace Letterbox 2 carefully for others to find.)
TO LETTERBOX #3:
(BOX 1 AND 3 MISSING AS OF 12/08 - To be replaced soon - BOX 2 IS ACTIVE AND MAKES FOR A FUN DAY!!)
1. Return to "Alice's Bench" and take the trail to your right. This is a beautiful and dense wooded area with plants of all types and tortoises frequently crossing your trail. Continue on this trail for 1/3 of a mile.
2. When you finally reach a fork in the trail, "Read the Signs". If the "Back Dune" is GREEN, then turn Right; if it is BLUE, turn left.
3. You are almost there, about to find the final clue to the mystery of the Dolphin's Smile! Just before you reach the beach, you will see several palm trees on your left. The palms nearest the ocean look like a mother watching over her small children, ONE of whom has decided to move all the way to the beach, to better hear the sound of the waves -- and to smile back at the dolphins! Just beneath the sand immediately in front of this palm (closest to the beach), you will find your final Letterbox, and the answer to the mystery.
Once you've found it, please leave your stamp, write a final note, and replace box carefully for others who will follow. The box may be marked with a coconut and a small "flag"....If so, please replace these as well.
FINAL INSTRUCTIONS:
Congratulations! You've successfully completed this adventure and learned the secret of the Dolphin's Smile!
From here, just "take the leap" down to the beach, and follow the beach (water on your left) back the way you came. When you see the rental house on your left, and the trail marked with the same NUMBER of steps you climbed to the snack bar at the beginning of your journey, you are back at parking lot #1. If tired, follow the wooden walking trail back to your car and have a wonderful day. If, however, you've still got some energy in you, make a day of your visit to the beach, get a cold ice cream to celebrate, and....
Be sure to look for smiling dolphins! :)
March 2005
Uncle Trevor & Dawn