Found Treasure! Six Questions with Larry G: Winner of the $700 Prize in the Read and Seek Adventures Treasure Hunt

How exciting it is to chat with another winner of an Armchair Treasure Hunt!  Congrats to Larry G! for solving the clues and deducing the location to the hidden cache in the Read and Seek Treasure Hunt by Martin Smith.  A successful ending to the hunt!  Cheers to all!

Read and Seek changed to a fully armchair treasure hunt in early fall of 2017.  What this meant for searchers is the prize of the hunt could be claimed right from their own home or ‘armchair’.  There wasn’t a need to travel to the location like originally planned.

As you will read below, this is what set Larry on the Chase! Armed with a confidence he could solve it, and the opportunity to claim from his home, he was determined to solve the clues!  Let’s hear his story of how he brought home a $700 dollar prize!  Enjoy!

Six Questions with Larry G:

1Q) When did you first hear or where did you learn about the Read and Seek Treasure Hunt which included a prize of $700 in Gift Cards?

First of all, I want to say thanks to God for making all things possible. Also thanks to my wife and kids for tolerating me while being on a mission.

Thank you to Mr. Martin Smith for an entertaining and well-done treasure hunt. (He has more coming.)

And, thank you, Jenny, for all you do for us treasure hunters.

About a year ago, I did a search on Amazon for “armchair treasure hunting” books and found Martin Smith’s book. I was really interested but I didn’t attempt it at that time because you had to actually retrieve the treasure. Then, I noticed on the MysteriousWritings Forum the hunt turned into a totally armchair hunt and I was excited to try it.

2Q) What inspired you to become involved and search for this particular treasure’s location?

I felt like the hunt would be mostly word-based as opposed to anagrams and ciphers and codes and numbers. I’m a lot more confident in my abilities when the hunt is word-based. So, I felt like I should try this one.

3Q) How did you go about solving the clues in the book and finding the treasure?

I used the poem, a good map, and a little imagination 🙂

4Q) What do you think was the most difficult part of the hunt?

The hard part was narrowing the search down to an area that I was confident with. I started out looking in Minnesota and gave that up. I settled on Michigan and finally came up with my first solve being in Detroit. Of course, that was wrong but I kept after it.  Eventually, I realized that “quickly bold” equaled Rapids Grand and I was able to focus and whittle away.

5Q) Other than of course discovering where the secreted cache was hidden, what else did you enjoy about the hunt?

I enjoyed the stories in the book. I also enjoyed submitting solves and the anticipation of whether or not I was correct.

6Q) Had you worked on other treasure hunts before being the Winner of Read and Seek’s Treasure Hunt, and do you plan to work on others in the future?

I have looked at Mr. Fenn’s poem. Thank you, Mr. Fenn, for the opportunity.

I looked at “Breakfast Tea & Bourbon.”  I had fun with that one but I have to admit to being wayyyy off.

I’ve been looking at “The Golden Apple Tale” and find it really interesting. I have about three theories on it. I would like to see more interest on that one. Martin Smith has his solve posted on his website. He makes a good case.

“Fandango” is running out of time. I like that one, too, but I don’t think I could make a trip for it so I can’t justify working hard on it. I would like to see more discussion about it.

About a week ago, I downloaded “The Sacred Scarab” and having fun with that. It involves codes, etc., so I’m not too confident. But, it’s still fun.

And…a couple of days ago, I downloaded “The Art of Hidden Messages” and I’m liking that one, too.

Martin Smith says he is going to put out some more hunts so I will be looking forward to those.

Thanks for your interest, Jenny!

Congrats again Larry!   So happy for you!  Sounds like you put the effort forth, didn’t give up, and enjoyed the journey to the discovery of a Treasure!   How Awesome!  A very inspiring and encouraging story for all of us who aren’t sure we can keep on.  We can!  And a reward is waiting for those who do, in one form or another.

Thanks for sharing your story and being part of the MW treasure hunting community.