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2016 Portland Rose Festival Medallion Hunt

Submitted by Administrator on

The Rose Festival Treasure Hunt - where people follow daily clues to find a hidden medallion for prizes - is back again this year.

The clues appear by 6 a.m. daily on Oregonlive.com/rosefest for 14 days. Readers can also sign up for a daily Treasure Hunt newsletter at Oregonlive.com/hunt.

The clues lead to a metal box that holds a 2.5 inch by 3 inch block of Lucite with a special Rose Festival medallion embedded in it. The medallion is hidden somewhere in the Portland metro area on public property and within easy reach. Treasure hunters need not dig or move any objects to find it. The medallion may be hidden in Multnomah, Clackamas, Clark, Washington or Yamhill counties.

If you are the clever finder of the medallion, return it right away to the Portland Rose Festival office, 1020 S.W. Naito Parkway, Portland.

The winner gets a certificate for two round trip airline tickets valid for travel to any Alaska Airlines destination, one night's stay in a single hotel room for two people and one buffet dinner for two people at Spirit Mountain Casino,
and a ride in the Grand Floral Parade (you can find additional prize details here).

Hunt Information
Dates
Scheduled Dates
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Find Date
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Finders
Name
Dustin White
Hometown
Vancouver
Prize
Maximum Prize
2 Alaska Airlines Tickets _ a One Night stay at Spirit Mountain Casino
Awarded Prize
2 Alaska Airlines Tickets _ a One Night stay at Spirit Mountain Casino
Location
General Location
Columbia River Gorge
Pinpointed Location
Eagle Creek Overlook
Concealer
Underneath the center boulder in a line of 15 boulders

45.641018, -121.931497

Clues
Clue 1
Published Date
Tuesday, May 28, 2019, 7:00 PM
Last year's hunt finished far too soon.
It didn't even last till June.
To the victor went the spoil,
the rest had little for their toil.

But this year please take heart, my friends.
You'll have your fill before it ends.
The gauntlet thrown, the challenge given.
To solve the clues, you must be driven.
The official meaning of the clue.
There are no hidden meanings intended in this introductory clue.

Last year the medallion was found on Saturday morning, the sixth day of the hunt. There have been six times when it has been found on or before the sixth clue. Here is the breakdown of what clue had been printed in the Oregonian on the day it was found.

Clue #3 - 1983, 1984

Clue #5 - 1985, 1987

Clue #6 - 1986, 2015

Clue #8 - 2005

Clue #9 - 1989, 1990, 1996

Clue #10 - 1997, 2000

Clue #11 - 1988, 1991, 2001, 2003, 2004

Clue #12 - 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2014

Clue #13 - 2002

Clue #14 - 1993
Clue Rating
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Clue 2
Published Date
Sunday, May 29, 2016, 7:00 PM
Retention, skill, and knowledge
are all needed now, it's clear.
But you won't find the treasure
if to mommy you adhere.
The official meaning of the clue.
"Repetition" is said to be the mother of retention, the mother of skill, and the mother of knowledge. This tells you to avoid repetition, indicating that it will not be found in Yamhill County again.
Clue Rating
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Clue 3
Published Date
Monday, May 30, 2016, 7:00 PM
To reach your goal
sans hesitation
you must eschew
alliteration.
The official meaning of the clue.
Avoid words that begin with the same letters or sounds. This excludes Clackamas and Clark counties from the search area, leaving you with Multnomah and Washington County.
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Clue 4
Published Date
Tuesday, May 31, 2016, 7:00 PM
Put Broadway Joe and Dirk's big boss
together in all their glory.
Then keep them somewhere cool tonight
'cause it's really not their story.
The official meaning of the clue.
Broadway Joe refers to Joe Namath, quarterback for the New York Jets from 1965 to 1977. "Dirk" is Dirk Nowitzki, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks. Dirk's big boss is the owner of the Mavericks, Mark Cuban, who is referred to as a shark on the TV show "Shark Tank". That gives you a Jet and a Shark, the names of the two rival gangs in the musical "West Side Story". The third line is an additional reference to West Side Story. That line contains the names of three songs from the movie, which are "Somewhere", "Cool", and "Tonight". The last line then tells you that this is NOT their story, meaning the area in which to hunt is on the east side, not the west. This narrows the field down to Multnomah County.
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Clue 5
Published Date
Wednesday, June 1, 2016, 7:00 PM
A pardon sent, a sentence waived.
Eighteen years passed, new things he craved.
He didn't like the status quo
and found a different way to go.
The official meaning of the clue.
Identifies Sam Barlow, the man behind the Barlow Road, the final overland segment of the Oregon Trail. Upon arriving at The Dalles in 1845, he blazed a new route over Mt. Hood instead of rafting down the Columbia. In 1827 he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to one year of hard labor, but because of extenuating circumstances and the pleas of many people, he was pardoned by the governor.
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Clue 6
Published Date
Thursday, June 2, 2016, 7:00 PM
Two homages
he did promote
for war and peace.
They were of note.
The official meaning of the clue.
Identifies Sam Hill, a businessman, lawyer, railroad executive and advocate for good roads in the Pacific Northwest. He convinced Oregon politicians to build the Historic Columbia River Highway. Two of his notable projects are the Blaine Peace Arch on the U.S.- Canada border, and the Maryhill Stonehenge replica, a memorial to fallen World War 1 soldiers.
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Clue 7
Published Date
Friday, June 3, 2016, 7:00 PM
The trip was made,
he was inspired,
though there was no
yodel required.
The official meaning of the clue.
A reference to Samuel Lancaster, engineer and principal designer of the Historic Columbia River Highway. In 1908, he and Sam Hill traveled to Europe for the First International Road Congress. During that trip, one of the many places they visited was Switzerland, where they saw the Axenstrasse. Built in 1865 along Lake Lucerne, this road made a striking impression on both of them, enough that Mr. Lancaster was determined to incorporate several of its features into the new Columbia River Highway.
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Clue 8
Published Date
Saturday, June 4, 2016, 7:00 PM
For three days now you've read of men
all given the same name.
Among their visions you must choose.
Pick two that are the same.
The official meaning of the clue.
Between Sam Barlow, Sam Hill and Sam Lancaster, the latter two had the same vision, that of building a great scenic highway through the Columbia River Gorge. This narrows the search to somewhere along the Historic Columbia River Highway.
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Clue 9
Published Date
Sunday, June 5, 2016, 7:00 PM
Are you glum and driven to drink?
The clues have you on the run?
Just find this spot then look straight up
from where two is less than one.
The official meaning of the clue.
The key words in this clue are "drink" and "run". Portland gets most of its drinking water from Bull Run Reservoir, and reservoir #2 (7 billion gallons) is smaller than reservoir #1 (10 billion gallons). This directs you to a spot somewhere along the Historic Columbia River Highway that is directly north of Bull Run, or roughly between Bridal Veil and Dodson.
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Clue 10
Published Date
Monday, June 6, 2016, 7:00 PM
Though the treasure is local, not national,
decipher this clue and you'll see,
that we really are being quite rational
when we reference the GNT.

7-16-13-29
24-22-21-18
2-14-28-17
50-1-23-6
18-41-8-5
41-3-28-7
3-7-1-11
44-27-27-26
1-29-14-4
32-2-2-8
66-8-8-8
26-31-6-2
15-4-6-4
20-5-19-1
16-8-10-2
13-13-13-25
52-1-5-26
30-1-2-3
60-2-7-31
11-22-15-28
47-9-1-5
The official meaning of the clue.
The first line is a reference to the movie "National Treasure." An Ottendorf cipher is found on the back of the Declaration of Independence, and it is a clue to the treasure's location. An Ottendorf cipher is a type of book cipher, and the reference to GNT means the Good News Translation, making this a bible cipher. There are four numbers in each line of code. The first is the number of the book (Genesis being #1), the second is the chapter, the third is the verse, and the fourth is the position of the target word in the verse. Solving it gives you this additional clue:

If you've followed directions
you'll be very close indeed
to something kind of pretty.
Go native, it's the most you'll need.

A "kind" of pretty is "beautiful", and it also says you'll need "most". The Yakima Indian (go native) word for "most beautiful" is wahkeena, directing you to Wahkeena Falls.
Clue Rating
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Clue 11
Published Date
Tuesday, June 7, 2016, 7:00 PM
Sorry, the precious is not here,
you'll have no need of trails.
Look in the middle for a sign,
take note of the details.
The official meaning of the clue.
This tells you that the medallion is not here at Wahkeena Falls, but there is another clue here. You don't need trails, so it has to be there at the parking area. In the center of the parking area is an informational sign about the flora and fauna of the falls. You are to find the sign, remember the details, and wait for the next clue.
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Clue 12
Published Date
Wednesday, June 8, 2016, 7:00 PM
It has unusual supports
so count their vertical faces.
Add one and then you'll know how far
to go. Off to the races!
The official meaning of the clue.
The sign in the center of the parking area has two pentagonal (five-sided) support posts. Totaling their faces gives you 10, so adding one gives you 11. The previous clue makes it clear that the treasure is not here at Wahkeena Falls, so it can't be 11 feet or 11 yards, but 11 miles from here. Exactly 11 miles from Wahkeena Falls is the Eagle Creek area. It is just off I-84 and on a small preserved section of the Historic Columbia River Highway. The Eagle Creek Campground, constructed in 1915, was the first developed campground established under the National Forest System.
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Clue 13
Published Date
Thursday, June 9, 2016, 7:00 PM
Don't overlook obvious clues,
go back, review, parse and peruse.
Yes sir, you'll do the same, you see,
as A.A.'s beau said of K.C.
The official meaning of the clue.
The word "overlook" directs you to the Eagle Creek Overlook area, on the opposite side of the highway from the campground and fish hatchery. The second half of the clue is a reference to the movie musical "Oklahoma!" K.C. is a common reference to Kansas City, and if you google the words "yes sir Kansas City" it will come up with the lyrics to the song "Kansas City." It was sung by a character named Will Parker, the boyfriend of Ado Annie. In that song, Will was relating his experiences in the big city, and a recurring line in the song says, "They've gone about as far as they can go, yes sir! They've gone about as far as they can go." When you are at the Eagle Creek Overlook, you have gone about as far as you can go to the north and east and still remain in Multnomah Count
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Clue 14
Published Date
Monday, June 13, 2016, 7:00 PM
Seven rocks to the left and
seven rocks to the right.
Be the first to look beneath,
you'll celebrate tonight.
The official meaning of the clue.
In the parking area for the Eagle Creek Overlook, there is a circular driveway. In the center is a small grassy area, and half of it is bounded by 15 large boulders. The medallion was hidden in a small crevice under the center boulder.
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