Mark & Sue Pepe hail from Kensington, CT USA.

After finding our initial box in June 2002, we have since found letterboxes in 18 states and placed them in 13 states; 4 countries: Aruba, Bermuda, The Netherlands, Great Britain; and on a cruise ship! Thanks for stopping by our website and we appreciate your continued support.

"Have fun and just get out there & box!!!"

Email us: mjpepe1@comcast.net (Mark) or suepepe1@comcast.net (Sue)

Monday, April 16, 2007

Come to Leominster . . .

Leominster - home to plastics, birthplace of Johnny Appleseed, location of The Pink Flamingo Caper and now -

The Lazy Letterboxer's Comb City Quest!

This series of 14 boxes, spread over about 13 miles, is a joint venture between The Lazy Letterboxer, Ginger Blue, the Leominster Recreation Department, Leominster Land Trust, and the Leominster Historical Society. All of the artfully-carved stamps were designed by the Lazy Letterboxer and Ginger Blue and carved by the Lazy Letterboxer.

To say this series is excellent is putting it mildly! Sue & I spent about 7 hours Saturday doing the most challenging part of the Quest - hiking along the Monoosnoc Ridge Trail through granite quarries, along scenic overlooks, near a waterfall, around reservoirs and finally through an enchanting pine forest that was planted with precision by the WPA. The pine forest was not only our favorite spot but we marveled at the huge, original pines and the several newer generations that came after. Comb City Quest not only challenges your hiking ability but your vocabulary as well - as you search for other ways to express "beautiful" and "amazing."

We would have loved to finish the series on Saturday but our fatigue got the better of us. This was our inaugural spring hike and I, more than Sue, noticed that it's time to get back into shape - especially with our fall Dartmoor trip! Not sure if you all experience a "breaking in" period early in the spring when you begin to hike again but I sure do! We opted for a great dinner and 2 movies to complete the day with a wonderful sense of accomplishment!

Sunday morning, with a nice snow falling, we finished the final 3 boxes of the series of 13 in a little less than an hour's time. There is a bonus stamp (the 14th box) for completing the series and the official Comb City Quest patch. To receive both the bonus and the patch, you must get in touch with the Lazy Letterboxer and show her proof or describe all of the 13 stamps before you are eligible to obtain both the bonus stamp and the free patch. This was easy for us as they both accompanied us on the hike so there was no doubt that we found all 13! These boxes are all in great shape and well hidden for your questing and boxing pleasure!

Thanks to the Lazy Letterboxer and the Letterboxing Ham for accompanying us on this 2 day adventure and keeping us informed about the local sites, some history and how the trails all connected. You were both wonderful guides and great company as usual! And thanks to all who played a part in this memorable quest. A job very well done by all!

We encourage all of you to make Leominster a must stop on your letterboxing agenda this spring and early summer. Get this series before it's retired on July 1, 2007!

posted by Mark and Sue at Monday, April 16, 2007