1. This year's clues mention many objects.
For all of you treasure hunters we'll tell you now,
one of these objects is near our little rabbit's location.
Good luck, and we hope you're the first
to the right destination. |
Just telling you it's near one of the objects we mention. |
2. In the neighborhood is a rectangular object
we will call a "box."
We hope you find the right box,
but to find the rabbit
you'll need to be sly as a fox. |
Self-explanatory. There are several "boxes" in the neighborhood. |
3. Standing near the northeast corner of the box,
you'll have a fire hydrant in view.
That's your next destination
and a very important location. |
Several alternatives here, too. |
4. You're looking for a rabbit
but you'll also see
play areas and trees and diamonds, too
We hope this narrows it down for you. |
By now you likely know it is in a park with baseball diamonds. |
5. Were you at the right box?
Our box is in an area bounded by streets.
One of the streets has an "i" in its name.
Another street has an "o" in its name.
You need to be right,
because $2,000 worth of prizes
will make this hunt tight. |
Not much help here, and maybe even a distraction since two of the bounds of Todd are Chicago and Portland. But so is Pearl bounded by Hampshire Drive and Portland. |
6. Go about 29 paces west of the hydrant.
If an object in the grass you see,
you're probably on the right track
and no need to look back. |
About 29 paces west of the correct hydrant is a manhole cover. About 29 paces west of the hydrant at Todd, which is viewable from the northeast corner of the large storage box, is a piece of wood in the ground (looks like it was a "pitching rubber"). This may have thrown some hunters off track. Another important element in this clue is that you don't look back (or turn around) when you find the correct object. |
7. Let's make sure you were at the right hydrant.
When you were at the box's northeast corner,
was the hydrant framed by a white rectangle?
It's red and kind of hard to see,
but when you're there,
you're getting closer to the glee.
From the object in the ground
keep walking to the curb.
Now look back
and we'll keep you on track. |
The intent of this clue is to get you to the correct hydrant. While standing at the northeast corner of the brown box at Pearl (actually a trailer used by the parkkeepers), you can see the hydrant - at least a red spot - framed by a soccer goal. If you understood this clue, you would now be standing on the manhole cover you found in clue 6. You are still facing west, so you continue walking until you get to the curb of Hampshire Drive. It is not a short stroll. |
8. Are you standing at that curb?
We want you to know
we're close to the end,
and we just led you past our little friend. |
If you followed the clues accurately, you would be on the curb at Hampshire Drive and would have walked past the tree where the rabbit was hidden. Still a little difficult because other objects were in the area including more white rectangles (soccer goals). |
9. By now you know it's in a park.
We hope this clue makes you happy as a lark.
Don't think it is odd,
when we say it's not Todd.
We may hear some squeals
as we tell you today,
the box is brown and even has wheels.
They moved it a bit yesterday,
but where it stood, no grass no way.
Better find the right hydrant,
with it's odd-angled guardians.
They're red, too, and now it's up to you!
Come back from the curb (at the street with an "i"),
while counting your paces, about 72 nigh.
An arm's length in our rabbit you'll see,
attached with a twisty to the branch of a tree. |
We need to be sure someone finds the rabbit so this clue is pretty comprehensive.
The night before this last clue was posted we discovered that the brown trailer at Pearl had been moved a little -- after sitting in the same spot for 20 years (confirmed by the parkkeeper). We think they were using the trailer during the installation of new fencing. To ensure that the correct hydrant would be found, even if the trailer were moved the next morning, we specified the hydrant on Portland with two guard posts coming out at odd angles.
At this point you should still be on the curb at Hampshire Drive. Now come back (go east) from the curb about 72 paces. That's where the rabbit was found.
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We hope everyone enjoyed participating in the treasure hunt, even though not everyone can win. Please join us again next year.
