THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

A report from the rolling prairies of Indiana, from dogged sleuth (and prompt mother) Michelle Senderhauf:

A few of us had worked out a solution to the clown's floor, but I thought we were maybe forcing it so that the answer was near me.  I knew the mile marker, but didn't think the interstate number was correct. I went to the spot anyway, expecting to find nothing.  I brought my trusty dog, Moose, along to use as a cover. Nothing suspicious here... just a lady walking her dog around all of those trees over there.  

 

I looked on the eastbound side of the interstate first. I wasn't too disappointed when I found nothing because something on the floor pointed to it being on the westbound side anyway. The problem was that the back road I thought I was going to take to get from the eastbound side to the westbound side was for employees only. Argh -- a gate and barbed wire fence! Curses!  

 

I decided to continue east on the interstate and turn around somewhere.  Little did I know that the next place to turn around was another 20 miles away.  When I finally did get to the westbound side of the road at the mile marker, I had little time left to look.  My daughter was going to be home from school soon and I needed to be at the bus stop to pick her up.  Moose and I hurried around, looking for our tree.  When I saw the marking on it, I hardly believed it.  I thought for sure it was a coincidence.  I sat down under the tree and acted like I was just hanging there in the shade with my dog.  A bunch of people were sitting at a picnic table nearby and I didn't want to arouse any suspicion.  I discretely pulled the shovel from my bag and dug beneath the tree with one hand while I pet Moose with the other.  When I found the bag, my hands started shaking. I quickly threw it and the shovel in my bag and went to my car.  When I opened it, I saw the 7!  

 

After I called my husband and informed my treasure-seeking friends, I headed back over to the spot where I dug it up.  I put a note inside a bottle and placed it there for future hunters to find.  It was then I realized that I had very little time left to get home!  Gah!  I filled up the tank with gas I hurried home, hoping to make it to the bus stop in time.  I made it home with only nine minutes to spare and avoided being a horrible mom for the day!

Mother and daughter after the successful pickup.

Confidential Assistant Moose

Comments

[MM & LD]

Wow! Congratulations!!
The #7 is gorgeous!!
Appears to be a few emeralds on there!

See the #10 here. http://www.flickr.com/photos/22669592@N08/4640834219/

[theda]

AP-
The Washington Cracker Co has a historical site in Spokane. This building has the Nabisco Snowflake Saltines logo on the building:
http://properties.historicspokane.org/property/?PropertyID=1966

Other images at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasa/4871427838/in/photostream/

It also has the National Buscuit Co. logo.

I don't know if any of this is relevant, but I can't go there...wrong end of the country!