Where's The Grand?

Clues 13 & 14

2008-05-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

Clue #13

While information learned in clue 7
was helpful we can say
Apply the lesson to clue 7
And use it the same way

Clue # 14

With the traditional luck of the irish
my location you can glean
St. Patrick may not help you now
but soon you can be counting green

Clues 11 & 12

2008-05-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

I was kept very busy last week at work, so there was a delay in getting these clues posted. Here you are:

Clue #11

Do you have a Presidential preference
When it comes to Roosevelt of (sic) Grant?
Stay west of both, my searching friend,
Regardless of your slant.

Clue #12

As a hippo is to an elephant,
Or a teenage son to dad,
I may not be the largest,
But hey, second ain't so bad.

Huh. Either he is getting better at writing these clues, or I am getting worse at solving riddles. I still think it is in the town of Weybridge somewhere

He has Lost his Mind

2008-05-12T13:19:00.000-07:00

Many types of mayo?

Latitude of the mouth of Otter Creek?

What is he saying? Does he even know?

I'm confused.

I'd even go so far as to say I'm befuddled.

Clues 9 & 10

2008-05-01T16:10:00.000-07:00

Clues 9 & 10 were released on Wednesday, April 30th. Sorry for the delay. Here they are:

Clue #9:

If you know where on Lake Champlain
The Otter has its mouth
The latitude may help you
But you'll have to travel south

Clue #10:

If there are many types of mayo,
and the opposite of up is down
figure out the clue that's here
and you just might go to town

Lots of Grand Places

2008-04-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

We went out this weekend in search of places where the grand could be hidden.

Right by the Monument Farms Dairy Store on James Road, there is a little "park", for lack of a better word. On this little triangle of land there is a picnic table and a phone booth. Weird, a phone booth in beautiful downtown Weybridge, VT. Hmmm, under the phone booth would be the perfect place to place a magnetic key holder.

We also took a ride down Bittersweet Falls Road. Talk about gorgeous. There are lots of stumps (was it 3 or 4 years ago that it was in a stump on Route 66 in Waltham?), but no real safe place to pull over and park.

I am now waiting for clues 9 and 10, which may be out as early as Wednesday (April 30th). Stay tuned!

Where oh Where is "The Grand"?

2008-04-25T06:06:00.001-07:00

Is it in that little park by the dairy store?
Is is down the road at the "twin bridges" by the dam?
Or off on a side road at some little out of the way nature center?
Perhaps the "certificate" hasn't even been created and folded in such a manner to fit in the magnetic key case Mark Brady uses to protect it from the weather.

So far, only the "Keeper of the Clues" knows for sure.

Clues 1 - 8

2008-04-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here are clues 1 thru 8. Seven and 8 were released today, but this was the first chance I had to stop and gather all clues. I have posted them all here, and what I think they mean.

Clue #1

Welcome fellow searchers
It’s spring and time to play
Enjoy the hunt and have some fun
The ‘Grand Prize’ is underway

This clue means nothing other than the contest has started.

Clue #2

A secret spot has been selected
By the keeper of the clues
Follow his lead in "The Eagle"
And you may be front page news

This clue says he has picked the location, and will publish the clues in the paper. If you find the prize, you will be on the front page of "The Eagle".

Clue #3

You won’t find me near water
On a sailboats fancy rigging
Nor am I buried underground
So there’ll be no need for digging

You don't need to dig it up (and you never have had to.)

Clue #4

Area names and places
This year I’ll give you some
Sights you’ll see along the way
Depending on how you come

Again, not much info in this clue. He will name some places, and you get to see some sights. Vermont is full of sights, it's BEAUTIFUL!

Clue #5

$1,000.00 in cold hard cash
is indeed an ample bounty
while you may need to travel some
you needn’t leave the county

The location is in Addison County.

Clue #6

If you remember last year’s spot
Was a bridge under repair
Although the Shoreham site was grand
You’ll need to travel north from there

The location is north of Shoreham...but then again, so is most of Addison County!

Clue #7

Come as you are and come as you wish
Choose the route that you think best
But to become $1000.00 richer
22A should be to your west

Not much of Addison County lies to the west of 22A...but 22A ends in Vergennes, so the location is east of 22A, north of Shoreham, and NOT north of Vergennes.

Clue #8
A frosty coke, a tall dark Guiness (sic)
Or milk from a Holstein cow
Any and all can quench your thirst
But only one can help you now

This is where it starts to get a little fuzzy. Guinness Beer was started at the Jame's Gate Brewery. The road that the Monument Farms Dairy is on is James Road. I feel like I am zeroing in already!

Has the search started?

2008-04-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

Every spring for many years now treasure hunting residents of Addison County, VT have spent countless hours researching local history in an attempt to figure out where Mark Brady hid "The Grand" prize; a certificate, so to speak, worth $1000.00. The clues are released two per week, with one published in The Addison Eagle (a small town newspaper) and the other posted at various places of business around the county.
I am one of those hunters, and I know several more hunters. I've been so close for so many years now it has me wondering, when does he select the location, and when does he actually "hide" the thing? The first several clues are very, very vague, which affords him the luxury of selecting a location after the contest has started.
Last year, it was found in an old railroad bridge in Shoreham, VT. My search party had been to that bridge every weekend for a month before the prize was found. We went with flashlights, cameras and clues in hand. The week the prize was found, an extensive renovation project was started on the bridge. There were "No Trespassing" signs, and the bridge was fenced off. When I called Mr. Brady and reported this, he suggested that if I was convinced of the location, I should go down there after dark and not get caught. The prize was found there within a day or two by a couple who obviously had no issues breaking the law by violating the "No Trespassing" signs.
The purpose of this blog is to post the clues to the location of the prize, with my interpretation of where I think it is. I am hoping to have some time to do a little searching, posting pictures along the way in hopes of proving that the prize is not actually hidden until Mr. Brady wants it found.
There are 6 clues available already, so as soon as I collect them all, I will post them.