Catching Up is Hard to Do (hum to the tune by Neil Sedaka)

Posted on August 4, 2015 by waterhigh

Time on the water, priceless. Home again? Also priceless, but busy. I was north. I was east. Was I west, “in the mountains somewhere north of Santa Fe?” No, darn it. Not yet. But this bronze reminded me of the drawing in the Thrill of the Chase book. Another great thing about the road trip? Listening to the audio version of The Black Count, a true story about Alexandre Dumas’ pere by Tom Reiss. Fascinating. The Count of Monte Cristo was one of my first favorites. I read an old copy found in the attic. Next best was the 1998 French miniseries of it starring Gerard Depardieu. I didn’t mind the subtitles, it was so engrossing. And now to learn how so much of it was based on his own father’s experiences (including hidden treasure), enlightening. Also, it explained a lot of the history of the French revolution/devolution/rise of Napoleon, areas my education was thin on.

Minnetrista

So, my treasures when I arrived home? A lawn turned to meadow, wild blackberries to forage, and a garden exploding with cukes, beans, and tomatos, etc. Now that the pickles and jams are in the cupboard and the beans and tomatos in the freezer, except for the awesome salads Caprese and salsa verdes and, well, you get the idea.

Jungle garden

Intrepid came to visit and fortunately she loves to pick berries, dig potatos, etc., just happy to be outdoors. She’s begun her fourth (and purportedly toughest) year of residency. Six twelve hours days on for a month, then six twelve hour nights for a month, then same at a different hospital, rinse, wash, repeat…. I’d help her if I could. The least I can do is give her organic veggies.

On This Day in History – The Birth of Alexandre Dumas

15 Things You Might Not Know About ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’

170-Year-Old Champagne Recovered (and Tasted) From a Baltic Shipwreck

Posted on May 30, 2015 by waterhigh

Worth the cold — the bottles auctioned at up to 100,000 Euros.

Ancientfoods

The term “vintage” may now have a whole new meaning for wine lovers—a treasure trove of 170-year-old champagne has been unearthed from the bottom of the sea. In 2010, a group of divers in the Baltic Sea happened upon the remains of a sunken trade schooner just off the coast of Finland. Scattered amongst the wreckage 160 feet below the surface, they discovered a treasure sent from Dionysus himself—168 bottles of French bubbly that had aged in near perfect conditions for decades.

Although the local government ultimately claimed the bottles, a team of scientists led by Philippe Jeandet, a professor of food biochemistry at the University of Reims, was able to obtain a small sample of the preserved beverage for testing—and tasting. Their chemical and sensory analysis, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a unique lens into the past, offering information about conventional winemaking…

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New Clue??? Tune in This Afternoon! Forrest Speaks

Posted on February 4, 2015 by waterhigh

Dude!

New Clue???

February 4th, 2015

News from Dal’s blog. Forrest will be on Huffington Post LIVE via web-cam about 4:45 ET this afternoon. (That would be 3:45 CST; 2:45 pm Santa Fe time; and you west-coasters can figure it out yourselves.)

Here’s a link —

http://live.huffingtonpost.com/

UPDATE

A fun interview with 2 professional treasure hunters and a treasure hider — Forrest Fenn.

Watch it yourself here — Huffington Post LIVE interview

Riddle Me This

Posted on October 7, 2014 by waterhigh

Is the poem a riddle? Not a classic Who am I or What am I, but Where am I?

In which case, the first stanza would say something like I, the chest, went in there empty and then I went in there filled.

Which raises the next question—the critical point of it all—in There, aka the Secret Where.

If Forrest wrote the poem as if it was a classic riddle, he might have imagined himself as the box personified and given clues accordingly. Does this hold up?

So, if the bronze chest is speaking to you, (no, I haven’t gone ‘um die ecke’, not yet anyway), and says “Take it in the canyon down”, “it” can’t be the chest, right? Or, then again, “take it” might mean carry the chest . Different train of thought….

More wordplay? Google –How to Write a Riddle Poem, etc.

Pieces of Eight

Posted on June 6, 2014 by waterhigh

The Spanish dollar was the basis of the United States silver dollar. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Aaargh! Am I the only one who thought pieces of eight were made of gold?

There’s been a lot of pirate talk on the Thrill of the Chase blogs lately, and some pirates have already departed on their quest for the Forrest Fenn treasure hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains north of Santa Fe.

English: The two Manila galleons-the “Encarnacion” and “Rosario” during the five battles of La Naval de Manila in 1646. Original illustration by John Ryan M. Debil (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So while I sit patiently in the Midwest trying to decode the clues in the poem, I continue to decorate my mind with new and possibly-never-useful facts. But then again, Mr. Fenn said nothing is too small to know (I still need to find his exact words on that.

Even though where I grew up “two bits” was not uncommonly used in place of “quarter”, for some reason I always pictured pieces of eight as heavy gold coins. Wrong. The Spanish gold coin was the “scudo” or “escudo” and equaled 16 reales (royals).

English: Spanish doubloon stamped as minted in 1798 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Spanish 8 reale coin was silver, and sometimes cut when smaller coins (i.e., a picayune was a half reale) were scarce. Hence, 2 bits, four bits, etc. One bit equaled 12 1/2 cents, which is coincidentally why, up until August of 2000, the New York Stock Exchange reported value changes in eighths.

Wait. Why base the NY stock market on the value of a Spanish coin?

Well, for starters, the colonies were forbidden, on pain of beheading and/or drawing and quartering, from making their own coins.

Secondly, the Spaniards had been reaping(?) the silver from Mexico to Chile since at least the 15th century. Spanish “Milled” or “Pillar” dollars were minted in places like Mexico City; Lima, Peru; Santiago, Chile; and, of interest to seekers of the Fenn chest, Santa Fe de Bogota, Columbia. (Quote: ” …in the mountains north of Santa Fe.” How far north, some have asked.)

English: Detail of Pillars of Hercules from Ta…

Holy Pompeii Pillars! I mean, Pillars of Hercules, at the Straights of Gibralter, gateway to the New World, as seen on the obverse of the coins milled in the Americas.

Back to the stock market question.

The Spanish silver dollar/real a de ocho was the most common coin in circulation in 1792 when the NYSE was founded. That was the same year Congress authorized the first Coinage Act, which established the mint in Philadelphia. Since it was going to take awhile to ‘print’ a lot of money, Spanish coins were made legal tender in 1793 and remained so until 1857, you know, after the California gold rush filled the coffers. And new regulations.

Next question: so why are old reales showing up in fields, clay pots, and creekbanks in Illinois? Like the 1/2 reales minted in Lima in 1755 and Nuevo Reino de Granada (Santa Fe de Bogota), and the 1702 to 1733 (?) vintage two bit piece.

(Hint: It’s good to look near really old tavern sites with a metal detector.)

http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Galena-2.jpg

Again, a couple answers. This was the frontier back in the day. Even before the War of Independence, the French, Spanish, and Brits were all over the place trying to plant flags and claim what wasn’t theirs. And up the Mississippi were the Spanish Mines—lead, not gold or silver.

And then, consider the sheer number of reales produced—between 1732 and 1821, 1.3 billion eight reale coins were minted at Mexico City alone. And they didn’t all make it to Madrid. The Manilla Galleons took them to Asia, as silver was the only commodity the Chinese accepted in trade.

1748 Seale Map of the Pacific Ocean w- Trade Routes from Acapulco to Manila – Geographicus – Pacific-seale-1743 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Shipwrecks. Pirates.

“Pizzas at eight! Pizzas at eight!

So, Dal, maybe you should go back to scuba diving for treasure and leave the Rocky Mountain treasure to us landlubbers.

Just kidding…..

Tribute and Tributary

Posted on April 21, 2014 by waterhigh

Champagne Glow (Photo credit: pepemczolz)

A toast to Dal Neitzel — his blog, Thrill of the Chase, recently passed the 2 millionth mark! Beginner and seasoned searchers go there for the latest and the most useful information on the hunt for Forrest Fenn’s hidden treasure chest. Thank you.

Dal just added a great story, The Shaft, about one of his excursions last fall that involved a real life character named Harley. Kind of a LOL, edge of your seat story. I also think much could be made of the findings, but maybe that’s just my imagination on the run again.

This puts my stats in perspective. I was so tickled to have passed 250 followers and twenty thousand-some views a couple months ago. It pales in comparison, but I’m not in competition. This site is just a feeder stream to the rivers of info on Forrest’s and Dal’s websites.

Okay. Maybe it’s just a trickle, but it leads readers to more information about the man who wrote the poem with 9 clues

Forrest Fenn signing my copy of The Thrill of the Chase

and his books with hints, the man who hid a treasure trove of gold nuggets, coins and jewels, and the story of his life.

Snow is melting. Fevers are rising. Time to get the camping gear ready.

Chugwater Shepherd Wagon

Now just where does that warm water halt???

What If?

Posted on February 5, 2014 by waterhigh

Oh, no!

Forrest thinks “The treasure may be discovered sooner than I anticipated.”

{Here’s a link to Jenny Kile’s blog where you’ll find her new Six Questions with Forrest Fenn, and the above quote.}

Ever get that sinking feeling? How will we searchers feel once the treasure chest is found?

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest

Early on, I emailed Forrest and asked him not to give out any good clues until I got a chance to head west. (Beginner’s Confidence. Some of you know what I mean.)

Then, after a month or two of ridiculously obsessed behavior, I actually wished someone would find it. I wanted my life back.

(Okay. That didn’t last too long.)

I’ve wavered back and forth since then.

It hasn’t even been a year of chasing for me. I think I first heard of The Thrill of the Chase last March or April. But I don’t want it to end.

Not yet.

Dinosaur for Sale

Posted on October 22, 2013 by waterhigh

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest

Wondering what to do if you find Fenn’s treasure chest? Just a thought, if you have room in your basement? barn? museum?
Myself? I’d keep the jewels. Just what is a coat bracelet, I wonder?

Trowels and Trenches

I need to borrow £600,000.

Or AU$1,006,629.

Don’t worry, I’m good for it.

Mark the 27^th of November in your calendars everyone. That is the day that Misty, a Diplodocus longus dinosaur goes up for auction at the Summer Place auction house in Billingshurst, England. The 18m long and 6m high dinosaur is estimated to sell for somewhere between £400,000- 600,000 and is one of only a handful of Diplodocus’ in the world. In fact the bones of the Diplodocus are so rare that even London’s Natural History Museum displays a plaster cast that is based on two separate skeletons.

It took a team nine weeks to excavate Misty, after the fluke discovery of the female specimen outside of the Dana Quarry in Wyoming. Famed dinosaur hunter Raimund Albersdoerfer was undertaking an excavation in the quarry when he sent his sons to investigate the area, not expecting them to…

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I Know You’re Out There Somewhere, Somewhere . . .

Posted on October 3, 2013 by waterhigh

Now playing on a continuous loop in my head—

The Moody Blues

Oh, yes, I know you’re out there somewhere, somewhere, somewhere,

Oh, yes, I know I’ll find you somehow . . . .

They’re playing in Peoria next Monday. Yay!

The Best of The Moody Blues (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Next up:

Once upon a time

In my wildest dreams . . . .

Forrest Fenn’s Treasure Chest

The Moody Blues Launch Fall Tour (myq105.cbslocal.com)
‘The Thrill of the Chase’: Why Forrest Fenn sparked a treasure hunt for $3-million worth of gold and artifacts (news.nationalpost.com)

Where It’s Not — Part Three

Posted on September 7, 2013 by waterhigh

In the morning, I drove through the tunnel, past Mummy Cave, and the BB Dam again. About the time I stopped to pay my entrance fee to Yellowstone Park, I was struck by a blaze — the blinding kind you get before a migraine, if you’re subject to auras.

At home my remedy would have been to boil water, brew green tea with half a capsule of feverfew, and hit a dark room with an eye mask. On a 2-lane winding highway, I popped a cola for caffeine and downed Excedrin, and took a time out at a pull-out. Then I spent more time at the ranger station/stuffed animal museum. In the shade.

The ranger called the lone bison I’d seen a “fed-up bull” — fed up of fighting the young bulls in the herd, and at an age where he prefers to go it alone.

There were 5 fires burning in Yellowstone Park at the time, a few pull-outs were closed, but no roads closed that day. I remembered the summer of 1988 and the massive fires in Yellowstone. We could smell the smoke all the way over in Minnesota.

Fishing Bridge

So far, going solo hadn’t been a problem (except for getting creeped out by a guy in a van who asked me where I was from. He had just been staring at my license plate, so I thought it was not a real question. This happened back at the Oregon Trail ruts and Register Cliff where we seemed to be the only tourists out in the 105 degree weather. Not a good sign. Maybe it was nothing, but I didn’t like being followed.)

West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake

Another reason I’m going to bring Mr. W next time came about at Isa Lake.

Lily Pads at the Continental Divide? Is there a frog?

I really wanted to wade into the lily pads to see what was at the end of an under-water marker, but a couple (searchers??) from Salt Lake City was kinda killin’ time, like they were waiting for me to leave.

I won, but then realized, typical female, I didn’t have the right shoes.

Also, I saw strange underwater bugs, a possible fluke-wiry worm, and a very fast little pond-hugging, mole-nosed rodent running towards me. The picture that was supposed to of him is a blur of me jumping out of his way.

Yikes!

I don’t think I screamed.

From there, not far but too far to walk, I arrived at Old Faithful at the perfect time. People were streaming towards it so I parked and joined them. Another geyser was putting on a show at the same time. Serendipity strikes again.

And then, something else. Remember I left home without a GPS? The only place I might have needed it this trip was in the parking lot at Old Faithful Lodge and Visitor Center. It’s changed in the last 15 years apparently. The other thing about migraines is the mental shadow they leave you with. It took me an extra 15 minutes (or so) to find my car, and then I scared a poor family picnicking next to it when the alarm went off.

I passed another lone bison as I continued west. My heart goes out to the old and lonely.

On to the much discussed Firehole River and Canyon. Is it “Where Warm Waters Halt”? I couldn’t say.

And then, of course, the much touted Madison River, which had lots of giant boulders lying around.

I tarried as much as I wanted that day. I had a reservation for that night in West Yellowstone, so no need to hurry. Just tried to absorb the beauty and if a potential solution to one of the TTOTC 9 clues presented itself, all the better.

No treasure yet, but so far, so good. Any day that doesn’t involve a trip to the hospital is a big plus.

25 years after 1988, Yellowstone reflects change wrought by fire (ravallirepublic.com)
August pushes Yellowstone visitation over 2.5 million (billingsgazette.com)

Wandering in Wyoming (Part Two of Trip One)

Posted on September 5, 2013 by waterhigh

My sights were set on Montana, but I had time to check out (parts of) Wyoming. The state is a collection of mountain ranges and basins. I knew I couldn’t cover it all. Had to scratch off Como Bluff and it’s dinosaur bone house—but it’s not open to the public anymore.

I planned to cover the Big Horn Canyon/Yellowtail Reservoir on my way home, but there was a huge change of plans along the way. So, where did I leave off? Worland.

In the morning I headed for Cody. First up, the Buffalo Bill Dam in Shoshone Canyon where I met Buck, a volunteer at the Visitor Center.

Buck

Wonderful, interesting, happy guy who served his country well.

After that, back into Cody to visit an historic church which the gracious man of the collar opened to me. It has an ancient Wurlitzer organ, of interest to few, but special to me. I told myself I wouldn’t refer to the church by its nickname, but there it was, on a bronze plaque right outside the door….

Downtown for lunch at the Irma Hotel. I gazed in the mirror and looked quickly down, to no avail. I also picked up a neckerchief in case that would be of help in some deciphering I’ve been trying to do.

After lunch I hit 4 out of the 5 museums at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center where I saw a fetching Fechin, the pre-sale artworks of many talented people, Plains Indian artifacts, natural history exhibits, and so forth. I skipped the Firearms Museum this time as Mr. W wasn’t along. (Been there, done that.)

Supper. A double rainbow. Discovered it was FF’s birthday, so I sent him best wishes and a note on my (lack of) progress.

Next up? I had reservations in West Yellowstone, the Gallatin Valley, and a certain hot springs over the next few days, but . . . .

Wyoming cabin made mostly of petrified dinosaur bones (trib.com)
Day Five: A exciting ride off of Big Horn Mt. (nickm94.wordpress.com)

Today Show TTOTC Clue Update

Posted on August 28, 2013 by waterhigh

It sounds like Forrest and the Today Show people have been in touch. Just waiting on Matt Lauer for the timing of the next clue. Getting ready . . . .