CLUE #12, 13 - FOUND!

SOLVE PUZZLE TO REVEAL LOCATION

Congratulations to Bruce for finding Dinosaur #12!

Congratulations to Alex for finding Dinosaur #13!

Things didn't go exactly as I had planned for this hunt. First off, I borrowed the puzzle from Mastermind Puzzle Hunt's Monthly Puzzle. I had to modify it slightly to make the answer fit, which I think allowed for some abberations. Here's Alex & Jake's completed puzzle, with the correct sections circled:

Somehow, Nnekay found a combination that did not give the correct answer, but still added up to the correct corresponding numbers:

...so, if this happened to anyone else, sorry!

The coded message was: LIBERTY BELL SLOT MACHINE

After two hours, I still hadn't heard anything from anyone about the location, so I thought I should take a walk by to make sure nothing had been messed with. When I arrived, I found Bruce milling around near the plaque. After letting him pace around for a bit, I went over and introduced myself, and told him to go check the vent (and to put the clue back. Seriously folks, stop peeling off the clues!):

I left to go grab a smoothie, and came back in time to catch Bruce going to the final location. When I asked him about how he found the painting, he said "I asked at the security desk inside the building about a vent, and they pointed me over here." Unfortunately, he had completely missed the vent I meant for him to check! I had another painting with me, so I decided to replace it and see if anyone else would find the other clues. I asked Alex (and her boyfriend Jake) and they ALSO went straight to the finish point! So, here is what was missed.
From the plaque, crossing the street and heading up market, there were dinosaur stickers leading to the correct vent:

Suspended inside of the vent on a string is a clear plastic envelope. Inside the envelope there is a piece of paper with this image printed on it:

The background image image is the tiled windowless wall of a nearby building, and on the wall is the other half of a QR code:

 When the QR code is put together, it looks like this:

 For those of you with smartphones, you can scan that now to see what comes up. Everyone else, you can see the result by clicking this link.

All of the clues are still in place, so if you're in the area, I recommend giving it a look. The final location corresponds to the dinosaur in painting #12.

Dinosaur #12

Dinosaur #13

The lesson I need to learn from this: I need to specify the locations better, and find a good balance in the level of difficulty. 

CLUE #11- FOUND!

Congratulations to Kimber Morrison for recovering Dinosaur #11! 

 

The message written backward in code on the above image is: cgrebqnpgly ng gur nyonal ohyo

It's written in a code called rot13, in which you rotate the alphabet 13 places. So, "A" becomes "N" and so on. Kimber figured it out by writing it out:

 

...but you could also use this website to find the correct answer: www.rot13.com

The message translates to: pterodactyl at the albany bulb

The Albany Bulb is landfill that has been turned into an art garden by artists over the years. Sculptures made out of driftwood and scrap metal line the coast of the peninsula, along with other pieces of art that have been fabricated elsewhere and left to the elements. I haven't been out to the Bulb in several years, so I was amazed by the amount of people living out there in makeshift camps! Chalk arrows lead the hunter from the parking lot to the coastline, where the painting was lashed to a sculpture.

 

CLUE #10 - FOUND!

Congratulations to Rue, and her dad Donny for finding Dinosaur #10!

Mabuhay Gardens was a punk venue in the 80's that Black Flag, Flipper and the Dead Kennedy's played at. It was located at 443 Broadway, and stopped having shows long before I could have been interested in attending them. At the former Fab Mab, hunters found this flyer:



(the date shows up when I scan this. I blacked it out to avoid confustion)

Club Cocodrie was a club that I got to play at, first with Flat Planet and later with Link 80 (actually, the show with Flat Planet was with Link 80, so that was my first time seeing them). It's also across the street from the Lusty Lady. I felt super weird putting up flyers in front of this club 10+ years later, especially since it's now been divided up into office spaces. At this location, hunters found this flyer:

I've never been to the Purple Onion, but Zach Galfinakis filmed a special there that you can stream on Netflix there. Another flyer at this location send hunters on a long walk:

This venue is now a coffee shop next to Cobb's Comedy Club. I stuck the painting under a planter box and marked the location with a sticker. Perfect height for this little hunter to come along and find it!

MORE CLUES THIS WEEKEND! TELL YOUR FRIENDS! SPREAD THE HIDE-O-SAUR LOVE!

CLUE #10 at 2PM TODAY!

Dear Dinosaur Hunters,

Due to the extreme nature of the last clue(s), I have deemed it necessary to drop another clue today!

So, check back at 2PM TODAY!

CLUE 7,8 & 9! - *UPDATE* #7/Act 1 FOUND! #8/Act 2 FOUND! #9 / Act 3 FOUND!

To find Dinosaurs #7, 8 & 9, you will need to return to the scene of the first clue, The Jejune Institute!

As a game within the game, one Dinosaur has been hidden in each of the three Acts.

I would like to make a request that those people who have already completed all three acts, please do not go hunt down these paintings! I would like to have these paintings be an added incentive to those people who have either put off checking this out or not completed all three acts.

If they have not been discovered by April 10th, you are welcome to go look.

Shortly after posting Clue #1, this article came out: http://www.theawl.com/2011/03/last-chance-the-mysteries-of-san-franciscos-creepy-jejune-institute

...Which made me want to make some sort of effort to get people to check this out before it's too late!


UPDATE: Dinosaur #8, hidden in a hollowed out book, has been discovered!

UPDATE #2: Dinosaur #7 has been discovered-

UPDATE #3: Dinosaur #9 has been taken from the lock box on Telegraph Hill (although no one has emailed me about it yet.) I did leave a surprise for anyone who winds up going there soon...

CLUE #6 - FOUND!

Roses are beauty but I never see
Those blood drops from the burning heart of June
Glowing like thought upon a living tree
Without a pity that they do so soon.

-John Masefield

MIDAS TOUCH 

Congratulations to Jake Precht for finding Dinosaur #6!

The hiding place was the Morcom Rose Garden in Oakland. At the entrance to the garden, the above poem is on a plaque:

I walked around the garden a little bit, re-familiarizing myself with the location. Lots of folks who live in the neighborhood take walks through there, and some of them volunteer to help maintain the garden, so I wanted to make sure that where I decided to hide it wouldn't interfere with their routine.

All of the roses in the garden have names like "First Kiss" and "French Lace". I found a hole in a rock wall behind the bush labeled "Midas Touch" that would fit the painting perfectly:

NEXT CLUE: Wednesday!

 

CLUE #5 - FOUND!

Congratulations to Amber for finding Dinosaur #5! Thanks for bringing it in out of the rain!

Click the picture to see Amber's dinosaur hunting adventure in South Park!

Slideshow & more clues this weekend!

As you can see, there is now a slideshow to the right that will be updated with the paintings as they are found! I'm currently painting all of my free time away cranking these little (and not so little) dinosaurs out. I usually have streaming netflix on in the background while I paint, so if anyone has any recommendations for me please leave them in the comments below (just nothing with subtitles. I gotta be painting, I can't be looking at the screen the whole time).

I'll be posting up a new clue (clues maybe?) this weekend, possibly as soon as 5pm tomorrow! Keep your eyes peeled and get those dinosaurs!

CLUE #4 - FOUND!

GO TO:

FOLLOW:

Congratulations to Corissa and Kelly for finding ANOTHER dinosaur painting!

Upon arriving at the Banksy mural in Chinatown, it was plain to see that I had covered the area in dinosaur target stickers. A small sign next to one read FOLLOW, instructing the hunter to follow the stickers through Chinatown!

Around a few corners and down a couple of alleys led the hunters to a tree next to a park. Up in the tree was the painting, wrapped in a plastic bag and suspended by a string!

More clues this weekend! Keep your eyes peeled!! Find those dinosaurs!!!



CLUE #3 - FOUND

Congratulations to Uriah Findley for tracking down Dinosaur #3!

Here's a rundown of the hunt:

Upon arrival at the Play Sculpture, located near Fairyland, there was a note left inside of the tunnel the dinosaur's neck was protruding through. It read:

Robert,

I’ve been trying to get ahold of you all week! This brontasaurus is really making it hard of the band to play! I can keep it locked up under here for a few more days, but then I’m going to have to find somewhere with more space to keep it. Your friend had better come pick up this dinosaur soon!

-James P. Edoff

This then lead to the nearby James P. Edoff Memorial Bandstand, a nearby gazebo. down a few steps to the locked gate beneath, another note:

Dear James,

Now, you know I’m glad to help, but I really need to make the hall available to the public! Keeping a dinosaur in here is NOT what I had in mind! I already have enough problems with the satanists stealing the address numbers off the building every other day! Please see to it that your friend picks up this dinosaur by Friday, or I will need to find another place where he will have more room!

Regards,

Marsha Jean Corprew

Up the hill a bit lies the Lakeside Park Garden Center, Marsha J. Corprew Memorial (the address is 666 Bellevue Avenue, the numbers whether removed by vandals or the estate of Marsha Corprew, I'm not sure...) Behind the plaque commemorating the life of Mrs. Corprew, there was another note:

Hiya Marsha,

I can keep the dinosaur over here, there’s plenty of room, and it’ll be like we’re keeping his on a leash near a huge water dish (haha). He’s a good fella, big! Hopefully, if he gets hungry he can just eat the leaves off the tree. Otherwise, I’d worry about the restaurants nearby!

See Ya Later, Alligator!

John E. McElroy

Across the lawn bowling courts behind the garden center, lies the McElroy Fountain. Inside of the fountain on a pipe was the following illustration and caption:



"I REALLY NEED TO USE THE LITTLE BOYS ROOM!"



Standing up in the fountain, clearly visable across the street is a taqueria called Los Cantaros. Inside the men's room, there is a tiny toilet next to a regular sized toilet, and inside the toilet tank (which was marked with a dino-target), placed inside a ziploc bag, was the painting!

I had a lot of fun setting up the clues for this excursion. In the future though, DO NOT REMOVE THE CLUES! Uriah pulled the first note down after finding it, so anyone who showed up after he did could not follow it to the other clues! So, the only thing you should be removing from these locations are the dinosaur paintings I leave behind. Cool? Cool.

TOMORROW AT NOON / CLUE #3!

2 down, 98 to go!

The next clue will go up tomorrow at noon!

This is a hint to the next location!

...but if you work it out, don't go there before TOMORROW AT NOON, OKAY!?

CLUE #2 - FOUND!

Congratulations to Kelly Nabours! Please enjoy your painting!

This was the clue:

The painting was hidden inside of the Icosaspirale, a metal sculpture located at 1 Maritime Plaza!

reaching in...

unwrapping...

...and there it is!



I think the painting was recovered within 25 minutes of the clue being posted. I'll have to start making these clues harder!