The Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt XII — July-August 2024 (LXIII)

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INTRODUCTION

Let the games begin! We're back again—
Excited to try something new;
That being said, let us retread—
We've got some ‘splaining to do...

Last year's hunt was a blunderous stunt;
We botched the execution—
Nearly completed, things got a bit heated,
'Til cooler heads found a solution.

The strategy coldest proved to be boldest—
Skirting the volunteer's line;
Plants got smushed, some buttons pushed—
But everything turned out fine.

With that in mind, let's put it behind,
To commit ourselves anew—
And find our way back to a treasured tack:
The path of the Chosen Few!

P.S.

Oh, right… Hey! — By the way...
We might've forgotten to mention
A twist in the plot of X Marks The Spot:
There's a bonus clue in contention!

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CLUE #1

A leafy zone conceals the stone;
Employ your Seekerly skills
To nix and reverse the Cluewriter's curse—
But stay out of Linden Hills!

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CLUE #2

With a lovely view of a lake or two 
Just a holler from the goods—
The hiding place is an oaken base…
Or are they cottonwoods?

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CLUE #3

Cut for sign through brush and vine
'Til barb and thorn are skewered;
Another case of species invasive—
Scourge of the parkland steward!

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CLUE #4

At a tranquil location for relaxation—
Oasis of calm in our midst,
Follow the path that splits in half
For a Shyamalan-worthy twist!

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CLUE #5

The purpose we serve is to throw you a curve,
 So curves are what we throw;
Round the bend in a hunt 'til the end—
It was seventy years ago!

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CLUE #6

When logic disputed the roads as routed,
The neighbors were still on the fence—
But City Hall listened; routes were rechristened—
And now the streets (mostly) make sense!

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CLUE #7

Attending class is a good way to pass— 
Putting you right near the prize,
Where a sizable sign might help define
The direction in which it lies.

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CLUE #8

Watch for bees on a trek through trees;
The refuge is for the birds.
Stop on your way to the grounds of play
And heed the mayor's words!

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CLUE #9

Concealed from shore, on the forest floor,
Our treasure will free you from trouble;
Muggle the cache in stewardly fashion—
On a path to the great, glass bubble!

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CLUE #10

Good great golly! Get on the trolley
And ride it right to the mark—
Or hop on a bike, then take a quick hike,
On a grand tour ‘round the park!

Complete the quest by heading West
Through the Last City of the East;
Cut to the chase at the perfect place
To enjoy our movable feast.

If you still can't spot our steward’s plot,
Consulting two maps is an option:
Restrict your ken to District 10,
En route to our recent adoption!

If that's not enough to sniff out the stuff,
Recycle, reduce, and reuse;
To claim the purse, move in reverse
Through last year's first ten clues!

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BONUS CLUE

Even though one year ago
We made everybody mad,
Disrupting the game was not our aim—
Johannes says: “My bad.”

To tame our beast—west to east—
Winnow the wheat from the chaff;
Look to the past—first to last—
And cut the field in half!

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CLUE EXPLANATIONS

In the introduction, we set up this year’s hunt: “We’re back again—” in a park we’ve visited before; “Excited to try something new” with our clues—in that not only is this the first Great TC Treasure Hunt designed for a 10-day schedule, but that, per the proceeding lines (“That being said, let us retread— / We've got some 'splaining to do…”), we would be attempting to “retread” last year’s clues, and their explanations, for this year’s hunt. The remainder of the intro reiterates the concept.
The first clue contains the phrases “A leafy zone conceals the stone,” “nix and reverse the Cluewriter's curse,” and “stay out of Linden Hills!” This was intended to suggest pairing each of this year’s clues to last year’s first ten clues, in reverse order—to find the jewel (or “stone”) in an overgrown patch of weeds. ♻️
The second clue contains the phrase “With a lovely view of a lake or two / Just a holler from the goods— / The hiding place is an oaken base... / Or are they cottonwoods?” This was again intended to reinforce cross-referencing this year’s clues against last years (in which a cottonwood tree was confused for an oak), and to suggest searching for the jewel at the base of a tree in wooded parkland with two or more lakes. ♻️
The third clue contains the phrase “Cut for sign through brush and vine / ’Til barb and thorn are skewered; / Another case of species invasive— / Scourge of the parkland steward!” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel in an area that has volunteer-based management of invasive species and native plant communities. ♻️
The fourth clue contains the phrase “At a tranquil location for relaxation— / Oasis of calm in our midst, / Follow the path that splits in half / For a Shyamalan-worthy twist!” This was intended to reinforce reversing last year’s clues to pair them with this year’s—and to suggest searching for the jewel in a quiet, tranquil space with a single, primary path cutting it roughly in half. ♻️
The fifth clue contains the phrases “The purpose we serve is to throw you a curve, / So curves are what we throw,” and “Round the bend in a hunt 'til the end—It was seventy years ago!” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel in an area down the tracks from a station along the historic Como-Harriet Streetcar line (which originally operated from 1898 to 1954) and just uphill from a bridge, along a curving route. ♻️
The sixth clue contains the phrase “When logic disputed the roads as routed, / The neighbors were still on the fence— / But City Hall listened; routes were rechristened— / And now the streets (mostly) make sense!”, which was intended to suggest searching for the jewel near a roadway renamed to share its designation with a nearby park. ♻️
The seventh clue contains the phrase “Attending class is a good way to pass— / Putting you right near the prize, / Where a sizable sign might help define / The direction in which it lies.” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel on woodland near an area with a plaque related to education. ♻️
The eighth clue contains the phrases “a trek through trees,” “The refuge is for the birds,” and “grounds of play.” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel in an area with a nearby playground and bird sanctuary, while also suggesting that the area surrounding the treasure was forested. ♻️
The ninth clue contains the phrases “Concealed from shore, on the forest floor” and “Muggle the cache in stewardly fashion— / On a path to the great, glass bubble!” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel in an area with nearby lakeshore related to a steward of the outdoors, and that the jewel was hidden on the ground. ♻️
The first two stanzas of the tenth clue (which pairs with last year’s first clue) contains the phrases “Good great golly! Get on the trolley / And ride it right to the mark— / Or hop on a bike, then take a quick hike, / On a grand tour ‘round the park!” and “Cut to the chase at the perfect place / To enjoy our movable feast.” This was intended to suggest searching for the jewel in an area with picnic facilities somewhere on one of the Twin Cities’ Grand Rounds systems, along the route of a railroad line. ♻️
The remainder of the tenth clue directs hunters to the hiding spot—a secluded, forested patch on the eastern edge of the West Picnic Grounds—at Como Park and references the District 10 Como Park Stewards and Metro Transit Adopt-A-Stop maps (which can be used to find locations marked "Johannes" and "TC Treasure," respectively), while confirming the hunt’s “Shyamalan-worthy twist” of “recycl[ing]” “last year’s first ten clues!”
The kick-off bonus clue contains two stanzas “Even though one year ago / We made everybody mad, / Disrupting the game was not our aim— / Johannes says: ‘My bad.’” and “To tame our beast—west to east— / Winnow the wheat from the chaff; / Look to the past—first to last— / And cut the field in half!.” They were intended to reinforce this hunt’s connection to last year’s, while narrowing the field of locations to home in on Saint Paul (the “Last City of the East”) and eliminate Minneapolis (the “First City of the West”).

TC Treasure