Tom and I spent some time last week finishing the scavenger hunt in Delaware County. The weather was cold and there was plenty of snow, which made getting to a few places more of a challenge. But we found all the places and all the clues and finished filling in the secret phrase.
In Harlem Township we had to find the Harlem Township Division of Fire and read the signs next to the fire bay doors. These signs turned out to be the roll of those who had died while fighting fires in the township. We had to collect the last number on the last sign, count from the end of the alphabet, and put that letter in the 11th space of the secret phrase. The letter was X.
Kingston Township took us to the Blue Church Road Cemetery, at the intersection with State Route 521. We tromped through the snow to get to the bell that used to ring before services at the Blue Church. The church is no longer there, but the beautiful bell has its own place of honor. We had to take the 10th letter on the foundry side – an L – and put it in the 13th spot of the secret phrase.
In Liberty Township we had to find the Martin-Perry house along Olentangy Street. Turns out the Martin-Perry house is owned by the Liberty Township Historical Society. We had to find the letter next to the arrow on the street sign in front of the house. This N went in the first space of the secret phrase.
We had to find a historical marker in Orange Township just off Route 23, “somewhat close to the library.” Turns out we have driven by this marker hundreds of times but never stopped to read it. We pulled into the parking lot for the historical Gooding House and, again, tromped through the snow to get to the historical marker. The house was built in 1823 and served as a halfway stop for the stage between Delaware and Worthington. We collected the 15th letter from the title and put it in the 2nd spot of the secret phrase. Finishing the scavenger hunt was getting closer!
In Trenton Township we had to drive along County Road 605 between US Route 36 and 37 and find signs that mention a certain venomous species. We were surprised to discover so many signs with the name Rattlesnake on them. Rattlesnake Creek runs along this road and lots of features have the name. I took a picture of a sign at a golf course. The first letter went in the 5th spot.
For the final letter, we had to travel to the county seat of Delaware in Delaware Township. Here we were looking for the arena for the “Triple Crown” of harness racing. This arena was in the Delaware County Fairgrounds and the front gate was open. This famous race, at least to people interested in harness racing, is called “The Little Brown Jug.” We had to find the wall of fame and locate a particular plaque. Then we used the middle initial of the name on the plaque – E -as the 10th letter of the secret phrase. In finishing the scavenger hunt, the secret phrase was revealed!
N e v e r s t o p e x p l o r i n g!
Ta Da! Of course, Tom and I had figured out the secret phrase quite a bit earlier, but it was still fun to find all the letters. It gave us something interesting to do during the cold and snow of January. How about you? How are you exploring and finding out more about the area where you live?