Hello From Georgia!

Date Placed: June 18, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: buttercup
Logbook: buttercup
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: Kiwanis Park, Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah
Distance: Approximately 1.5 miles, round trip
Status: Active

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This is part of the "Hello From The United States!" series of boxes.
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Ah, the hike to the "G" has been on my mind! If you're looking for incredible views of Utah Valley, make your way to the "G" on the mountainside.

Directions: From I-15, take exit 275 (Pleasant Grove). Go east off the exit. At the intersection with State Street, continue straight through the light onto Center Street. Turn right onto 100 East and then left onto 200 South. Continue to follow 200 South eastward until you dead end in a parking area next to Kiwanis Park. Cross the bridge into the park.

Trail starts from the NE corner of the pavilion, and heads to the right of the fence. Just past the big firepit on the right, take the left fork and start heading up. There will be little trails that seem to split off the main trail; stay on the main well-traveled trail that seems to hug the side of the mountain, and you will be headed to the right place.

As you round a bend, the "G" will be visible as an actual "G", and not just some white stuff on the mountain. You will notice a tall juniper tree that sticks up above the surrounding landscape. The letterbox is hidden behind this juniper under a flat rock with orange lichen. You will probably find it helpful to go 12-15 steps beyond the juniper before heading off-trail to get to it.

If you keep along the same trail, you will end up at the "G". Or, you can turn around and go back. It's up to you. :) Either way, the "G" hike will be on your mind!

Notes: This hike is very steep in parts! You will gain approximately 800 feet in .75 miles, with the steepest part being the first third of the hike. Hiking sticks and shoes with good traction HIGHLY recommended. Most of the trail is out in the open; it is best to hike during cooler temperatures.

Jacob Hamblin

Date Placed: June 4, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: GreenJello
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: 3325 Hamblin Drive, Santa Clara, Washington, Utah
Status: Active

Jacob Hamblin, my third great grand uncle, was a Western pioneer, Mormon missionary, and diplomat to various Native American Tribes of the Southwest and Great Basin. During his life, he helped settle large areas of southern Utah and northern Arizona. Known for the red bandanna he always wore, he helped ease relations between Native Americans and settlers in southwestern Utah and across the region. The native tribes, themselves struggling with drought and heat, appreciated his arrival and obeyed the deals he struck. Hamblin was fluent in many Native American languages, and was known as an upstanding and honest man to both the natives and settlers alike. He was known as a peacekeeper who could settle disputes between Mormon pioneers and Native Americans with understanding and compromise rather than violence.

When devastating floods in 1862 washed away three walls of the Santa Clara fort Hamblin helped build, he and his wife dismantled the one standing wall and built just downriver what today is called the Jacob Hamblin Home. Completed in 1863, the two-story adobe, sandstone and ponderosa pine home is one of the few remaining examples of early pioneer-era home-building.

Free tours of this restored historic home are available daily.

Directions: Stand in the corner of the parking lot (please stay on the pavement) where rock wall meets rock wall. Walk 8 steps south and look down to your left at the wall. The double-decker red rocks on the bottom row hide Jacob.

St. George and the Dragon

Date Placed: June 4, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: GreenJello
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: Dino Cliffs Trailhead, Washington, Washington, Utah
Status: Active

St. George was tracking another dragon, this time through red sands. He headed into the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, following the trail down to the bottom, where he was pleased to find evidence of the dragon's passing at the point the red sands parted briefly. While studying the dragon's tracks, St. George noticed movement to the north, near a white-topped red rock not very far away. He carefully wound his way over to the rock and quickly captured the hiding dragon.

Directions:

4-Wheel Drive with high clearance: Take the I-15 Washington Parkway Exit. Head west. At the sharp left turn, find a path around the signs and go straight ahead onto the dirt road. Head .6 miles and take a right at the fire hydrant. Another .4 miles up that road, and you can park at the Dino Cliffs trailhead.

Car or Mountain Bike: Take the I-15 Washington Parkway Exit. Head west, and take the sharp turn to your left (Buena Vista). Follow the road around and take a right on Graham Manor. Follow that road all the way to the end to the clubhouse parking lot. From there, look to the north and find the fire hydrant. Head up .4 miles from the hydrant to the Dino Cliffs trailhead.

Tuacahn

Date Placed: June 4, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: GreenJello
Logbook: preboxed
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: Gunsight Trailhead, Red Cliffs Desert Reserve, Ivins, Washington, Utah
Status: Active

Tuacahn Amphitheatre and Center for the Arts is a nonprofit arts organization nestled in the mouth of Padre Canyon below towering 1500 foot red sandstone cliffs in Ivins, Utah adjacent to Snow Canyon State Park. The 42,000 square foot facility was completed in 1995 and includes a 1920 seat outdoor amphitheater, a 330 seat indoor theater, a dance studio, a black-box theater, a recital hall, a costume shop and scene shop, studios, classrooms, and a gift shop. Tuacahn presents professional large-scale musical theater productions as part of the annual "Broadway in the Desert" series. The center also presents The Festival of Lights with Live Nativity during the holiday season as well as a spring and fall concert series.

Next time you're in the St. George area, make time to attend a production or concert in this beautiful venue! If you don't have time for that, be sure to head on up the road into Tuacahn after stamping in and take a look around their lovely grounds.

Directions: Find your way to Tuacahn. As you turn on Tuacahn Drive, go almost .9 miles (it's .5 to the cattle guard), and park on the west side of the road in front of the Gunsight Trailhead. Start up the trail. You are looking for the first large grouping of boulders to your right. Please follow the social trails already in place-- be careful not to step on cryptobiotic soil! Climb up on the boulders to look out over the valley, and you will figure out pretty quick where to find the box.

Brooks Bunny

Date Placed: June 3, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: Teancum
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: Brooks Nature Park, 452 N. Main Street, St. George, Washington, Utah
Status: Active

The bunny, after a nice munch on the grass by the pavilion, headed on up and around the pond. He took a quick drink while enjoying the peaceful setting, then decided to explore Brooks Nature Trail. He hopped up some stairs, and instead of taking a second set of stairs, turned left to head to the highest rock he could see ahead of him. From there, a flat-topped rock on the way to the water tank seemed to be a good place to rest and watch the sunset.

Sun 'n Shade

Date Placed: June 3, 2011
Letterbox: Traditional
Carver: Teancum
Planters: GreenJello and Teancum
Location: St. George Town Square, 50 S. Main Street, St. George, Washington, Utah
Status: Active

While you're in St. George, take some time to explore this lovely area of downtown. There's a splash park for the kids, lawn area for playing frisbee or hitting some baseballs, lovely landscaping and historic buildings to meander around on walking paths, and the 45-foot Town Square Tower.

Directions: From the splash park, head towards the rotating gazebo (of sorts). Look to the northwest to spy the stationary gazebo. East of that gazebo, and slightly to the south, wander over to the middle of the red-rocked path. Sit on the large red rock in the middle, and scootch around until you can discreetly move rocks off the southernmost point to find some sun in the shade. Be sure to rehide COMPLETELY in this busy area!