tHe SeCrEt ReD hErRiNgs 2

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Link to host site = ibb.co/album/9n9086

Hello fellow treasure seekers!
It has been a while since I have had a hunt. I am offering up a free and easy one for some summer fun.

People have asked me to do another Secret Red Herrings Hunt, and this one is very similar to the first one that I did a few years ago. Please be sure to read the rules for specifics.

Basically, the way this one works is the hunt is contained at an image hosting site. The site contains illustrations and poems and puzzles. If solved correctly, these together will lead you to three real life locations where I have hidden three proxy tokens. If you can find one of these tokens, take your photo with the token, send it to me via email (per the instructions in the rules), and you will receive a prize. The prizes for each token are $50, a one ounce silver round, and a few other goodies that I can't reveal, as they have to do with the subject of the hunt. The total value for each is around $75-100. Not a big prize, but something fun to occupy your time, frustrate you, and perhaps provide you with an adventure. 

Beware, there are red herrings! They were placed there on purpose to mislead you. Don't say I didn't warn you. 

The rules and instructions are on the site. The illustrations, poems and puzzles are on the site. 

If anyone wants to post the images here, feel free to do so. 

One last thing...The team, the Debugging Ferrets, who won the final prize from "The Story of Leveret" Hunt, had generously donated money from their winnings to go toward prizes and a new hunt. They are to be thanked for the prizes for this hunt, and for some future hunt.

Good luck!

[artofhiddenmessages]

I have an announcement to make! One of the three tags has been reported FOUND!

The solution for this tag was the KECKSBERG ACORN SPACESHIP IN KECKSBERG, PENNSYLVANIA!

The tag was found this evening by the light of a flashlight! CONGRATULATIONS to the finder!

I have asked the finder for permission to announce their name and show photos. It is up to the finder if they want their name to be public.

[samantha73]

Congratulations to the finder!

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That is the image for the Kecksberg location.

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That is the poem for the Kecksberg location.

[mofinn]

Well Done to any and all solvers; and Congrats to the folks who went out botg and successfully found the tag!

[artofhiddenmessages]

Here are the finders of the first token, Laura H. and Bradly H. who traveled from several states to see the Kecksberg Acorn! They arrived yesterday evening and had to use a flashlight to find the token.


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If you want to know what it looks like in the day time, here is my photo from when the token was hidden.


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Congratulations to Laura and Bradley!

[forgottenhistoryhunt]

Congratulations Laura & Bradley! Looks like so much fun!

[artofhiddenmessages]

A second token has been found this afternoon! It was discovered by Laura H. and Bradly H. who are having a fun weekend of travels looking for aliens.

This token was found in Mars! Mars, Pennsylvania! Here is Laura at the spacecraft and with the token:


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It matches the following image and poem:


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[mofinn]

Road Trip!!! Congratulations to Laura and Bradley!

[stercox]

Congrats Bradley & Laura!!!!!!! WTG!!!

[artofhiddenmessages]

The intreped Bradley and Laura solved and searched for the third and final token. Unfortunately, it was missing. That was 24 hours ago when they searched by lantern light just around midnight. They returned to the site again this morning in daylight hours, and still could not find the token.

The rules state that 24 hours must pass in case another searcher presents the missing token. No one came forward with the token, so Bradley and Laura are the official winners for the third and final location of the Secret Red Herrings Treasure Hunt!

Congratulations to them both for doing thorough research, solving the puzzles, identifying the red herrings, and tracking down the token locations.

I am impressed that they traveled from several states away to participate in a small hunt with small prizes. But they enjoyed the adventure and visited several interesting sites during their travels.

Now for the answer to the last puzzle...The token was hidden at the old TNT bunker at the McClintic Wildlife Management Center in West Virginia where it is believed that Mothman has been sighted on several occassions.

Tomorrow I will post links to photos of Bradley and Laura at the tree next to the TNT bunker where the token was hidden. It was more than a year ago that I hid that token. Eventhough it was well-concealed and covered in the roots of that tree, there certainly are ways it could have gone missing, soil errosion due to rain being the most logical.

I will also post photos of all of the prizes, some which could not be mentioned because they would give away the subject matter of the hunt.

Thank you to all who played along. I hope you found this to be a fun little hunt, even if you weren't able to travel to the locations.

[artofhiddenmessages]

Laura finding the correct tree at the Mothman bunker at night:
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Bradley pointing out that tree in daylight the next day:
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They could not find the token during the night or day. After 24 hours passed, and no one sent in a claim for the token, Bradley and Laura became the official winners for the third and final puzzle.

Inside the creepy bunker:
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There are a lot of these bunkers at the McClintic Nature Management. Each has a path leading to it. This guard rail was a clue for which trail to follow:
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The image for this puzzle:
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The poem for this puzzle:
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If you notice the first letter of each line of the poem is an ACROSTIC spelling MCCLINTIC TNT. That is where Mothman has said to have been sighted on several occassions.

Great work Laura and Bradley! Your prizes are on the way!

[artofhiddenmessages]

Here are some photos of the prizes that were awarded. If you recall, I said that I could not say what all of the prizes were because they would give away the themes of the puzzles. So here are some photos:

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The prizes included a total of $150 cash (not shown), a movie for each puzzle, "Alien", and "The Mothman". Lots of little buttons related to aliens and the Mothman. A brass coin stating you are a "Mothman Searcher", some tiny .9999 silver coins with alien heads stamped on them, some postcards from the Mothman Museum in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and three one-ounce .9999 silver rounds, each with a different picture stamped on it.

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This silver round was for the Kecksberg Acorn.

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This silver round was for the Mars Spaceship.

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Lastly, this silver round was for the Mothman bunker.

All of these places are fun to visit, especially Point Pleasant in West Virginia where they have a huge Mothman statue, a Mothman Museum, tours of all of the sites where Mothman was reported to be seen (including the bunkers where it was thought he may have lived), a bakery that has Mothman cookies, and a pizza shop that has Mothman pizza. Every year they have a Mothman festival!

The Kecksberg site also has a yearly festival, and it is just around the corner!

This was a fun hunt to research and it was fun to visit the sites. I hope everyone who participated enjoyed it, even if you could not go botg for one of the tokens. Thanks for playing!

[DOOMer77]

We had so much fun traveling north and not only seeing and meeting awesome people in Kecksburg, Mars, and Point Pleasant, but also seeing Amish country, Punxsutawney Phil and his wife Phyllis, learning about the Ephrata Cloister, driving fast on roller coaster roads, and just enjoying time with family on a great adventure! Thanks for giving us an excuse to travel! States covered on this trip: NC, VA, W VA, PA, Ohio, Kentucky, and Maryland!