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Bear Creek Bear LbNA #45470

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jan 31, 2009
Location:
City:Keller
County:Tarrant
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Planted by:Viewfinder
Found by: Elwood Fan
Last found:Oct 13, 2015
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Oct 14, 2015
The bear is back in her little mini-cave beneath the tree, with a repaired stamp and a new logbook. Changes have been made to the clues, so if you printed these prior to 9.28.10, you may want to review the clues below.

The Bear Creek Bear letterbox is located along Big Bear Creek Greenbelt Trail in Keller. The hike/bike trail goes through woods, along a creek, around wildflower meadows and a pecan grove with playgrounds near the east and west ends. Squirrels, ducks, the occasional possum, raccoon, coyote, boy on unicycle, turtles, and birds are not unusual sights, and even a small herd of longhorns are usually visible just across the fence near the meadows. Native trees, a pecan grove, and the scent of honeysuckle make the walk a pleasure anytime of year. You can approach this box from three different starting points (see below), making the hike a short one, or extend your hike along this trail if the day is nice and you’re enjoying the walk.

Clues to the box -- 3 choices:

Choice A: BEST WALK (about a mile and a half round trip along a paved path with a short trek down a dirt path to the box). This choice offers the most scenery, opportunities for possible wildlife sighting (and possibly, the boy on the unicycle and the longhorn herd). This is a lovely, scenic walk at any time of year, especially in the fall when the leaves are in high color, or in the spring when the redbuds and wildflowers and birds are most vivid. Park at the playground on Smithfield Road and Bear Creek Drive, opposite the fire station. This is a very busy little playground, especially on weekends. Begin your walk along the paved path leading into the woods going west from the playground, and continue to follow this path across a bridge, skirting a neighborhood for a few yards (it was below this area along the creek I last spotted some raccoons, and you can usually see ducks playing along here). The path curves back toward the woods away from the houses beside a fence, beyond which the longhorns often graze or rest, and you'll pass a wildflower meadow and pecan grove. Stay with the path as you enter a brief wooded section and enter the second meadow, with a rose arbor and stone fire pit, and you'll pass the 1/2 mile marker. (It was just beyond this fence in the pasture above that we last saw a coyote along this trail). Keep going as you enter another meadow, and observe above you on the hillside what might first appear to be a medieval fortress. Nope, just another gas drilling operation on that hillside -- no longhors there. Continue to follow the path generally westerly, again entering the woods and before long now you'll approach a bench on your right off the path on the hillside above the creek below -- look for the white trash barrel near the path to find the bench. Go to this bench and take a break. To find the box from this point, go to the * below and continue the clues.

Choice B: Or, you might choose to visit the bears which inspired this box. To do so, begin your walk at the lagoon at the back (south side) of Keller Town Hall (in Town Center on Bear Creek Drive). After parking at the Town Hall, go around the building to the south side and down the steps toward the lovely lagoon, and follow the concrete path around to the sculpture of the bears, Mama Bear and two cubs, in the little garden. Looming nearby above the lagoon, notice the tall roosting tree that has become a home for cormorants. Enjoy the native garden, say hello to the bears and watch for egrets and herons on the pond. Enjoy! After visiting the bears, continue the path away from the bears toward the west, noticing the mama lion and two cubs as you pass. At the fork in the path near the lions, go left and cross the footbridge to the playground and continue around (or through) the playground along the concrete path, skirting the parking area and following the concrete path along the south side of the parking area, until you reach the small footbridge crossing the creek. After crossing the bridge above the creek, turn left (toward the east, and just a short way along the concrete path, watch for a bench on your left, just off the path (a large trash barrel near the path will alert you to the bench.) Go to this bench. To find the box from this point, go to the * below and continue the clues.

Choice C: Short Walk, maybe 5 minutes tops: Park at the small parking lot on the SW corner of Bear Creek and Rufe Snow Drive. (A truly avid walker might even begin one mile further west, at Bear Creek Park, and walk to this point, but then that's not a Short Walk, is it?) Cross the footbridge, turn left and follow the walking trail toward the east. After crossing a second footbridge, passing under a big bridge, and just past a third footbridge, watch for a bench on the left. Go to this bench. To find the box from this point, go to the * below and continue the clues.

*Now to the box: Sit on the East end of this bench and look to to the East (compass bearing of about 115) and you should see a large 3-trunk tree about 100 feet away in the woods. To reach this tree, follow the dirt trail just beyond the bench down the hillside, along the creek bank (watch out for crazed dirt-bikers attempting to throw themselves into the air along this dirt trail!). Look in the creek – this is a favorite place for large turtles to bask in the sun. Walk past the duck nesting box, to the trail starting back up the hill. About 8 steps up this trail, the tree should be on your right. Bear Creek Bear is hidden in a small hole at the base of the tree on the side away from the dirt path, covered by a rock and bark. Please recover well and replace the rock, which has helped keep the box in place even in flood situations, and hides it from view as well, since this trail is frequented by walkers, bicycles, and dogs. Be especially careful not to be seen from the trail above!

Please email me to let me know the status of this box: blhjrh@aol.com. Thanks!