Space City Shuttle Microbox

Texas Birding Trail Series

Space Shuttle

Placed By: Silver Eagle
Date: 01/11/03, relocated (03/02/03), replaced/relocated (06/07/03), replaced/relocated (04/23/04), log replaced (10/15/04), log and stamp replaced (06/20/07)
Nearest Town: Webster, TX
County: Harris
Terrain Difficulty: Easy (flat, 600 yards RT)
Status: alive (07/06/08)

Early in the space program it was decided that Mission Control should be located somewhere other than Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA picked Houston and built the Johnson Space Center (JSC) a few miles south of town. Soon engineers, scientists & astronauts began moving to Houston and the town caught space fever. The baseball team was renamed from the Colt 45s to the Astros, the Astrodome was built for them to play in and an amusement park named Astroworld was built, thus earning Houston the nickname "Space City". Near JSC is Space Center Houston, where you can learn all about the space program. Also nearby are several nice parks, including: Armand Nature Center, Bay Area Park and Challenger 7 Memorial Park, where this letterbox resides. It is part of the Clear Lake Loop described on the Upper Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail map. An extensive nature trail and boardwalk has been developed in this park and many of the eastern woodland birds can be found here. There is no fee to enter the park and with a playground and picnic tables, it is a great place to spend the day with the family.

Directions:

From downtown Houston take I45 south about 25 miles to exit #25 (Nasa Road 1/FM 528). Go right (west) on FM 528 (Wilson Road) for .2 miles to W. Nasa Blvd. Turn left (south) and go 1 mile to Challenger 7 Memorial Park on the left. Drive about 1 mile on the main road in the park until you come to a large parking area with a playgound on the left and the Mother Earth Sculpture/Boardwalk trail sign on your right.

Clues:

Take the Mother Earth Sculpture/Boardwalk asphalt trail for about 300 yards to the boardwalk, passing the Mother Earth Sculpture after about 200 yards, and enjoy birding by Clear Creek. When you are ready to find the letterbox, face the start of the boardwalk and walk 10 steps to the right (west), then turn left and walk 30 steps along the right side of the boardwalk to where it makes its first bend. Continue another 20 steps to where it bends again and look under the boardwalk on top of a support beam behind a rock for the microbox. Please replace as found.

NOTE: Always take adequate precautions (such as prodding with a stick and/or wearing gloves) before reaching into dark crevasses and holes in the wild. Before you set out read the waiver of responsibility and disclaimer.

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Last updated on 07/08/2008

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