SAN DIMAS IS THE PLACE FOR ME

This was a prototype, describing how one might use wordplay to create the $100,000 Challenge. Since DB hadn't chosen the final location of his treasure yet, I chose my 2002 home town (where Bill and Ted had an excellent adventure).

After 52 clues were deciphered and placed in the correct order using The Harry Green Shuffle, then the following manipulations were to be used.

What I liked about this idea was that most of the words were unnecessary, except what are noted below. This idea made its way into the final puzzle, using the SEEM the SAME homophone/anagram eliminations instead.

#1 - JACOB PHILADELPHIA SPIRITED TO FOUR TOWNS.
#2 - LOUIS COMTE THREW HIS VOICE IN EACH DIRECTION.
#3 - MARTIN NASH CHEATS TO REVEAL THE FIVE ONLY ONCE.
#4 - OLIVIER BARED HIS ARMS AND DEALT TO THE MIDDLE OF FIVE.
#5 - HERBERT ALBINI OPENED NEW DECKS FACING SOUTH.
#6 - CHEFALO TUGGED A ROPE AND THE DEVIL KNOT VANISHED.
#7 - NICHOLAS HUNT PENNED HIS PRINT BOOK FORCEFULLY.
#8 - VAL ANDREWS ROSE A BONUS CARD UP FROM THE DECK.
#9 - MATTHEW BUCHINGER ACHIEVED UPWARD LOCAL FAME.
#10 - BARTOLOMEO BOSCOS ARENA WAS CUP AND BALL.
#11 - CHARLES JORDAN COUNTED HIS CHICKENS IN NINES.
#12 - ROBERT-HOUDIN CLOCKED SIX NOTES AT TWO-NINETEEN.
#13 - BILL BAIRD SHOT THE EIGHT BALL TO THE WEST.
#14 - GLORIA JACOBSEN VAMPED HER ACT ALONG THE EAST.
#15- LUDWIG DOEBLER ELECTRIFIED NINE FANCY CANDLES.
#16 - ALEXANDER HERRMANN TOSSED THE KING OFTEN.
#17 - JOHANN HOFZINSER ROUGHED AND SMOOTHED TO AMAZE.
#18 - SYRIAN BREATHED EASTERN FLAMES WITHOUT BURNS.
#19 - DAVE ABBOTT MADE THE THIRD TEA KETTLE TALK.
#20 - DR H. S. LYNN RESTORED THE PROUD MAN LIMB BY LIMB.
#21 - JOSEPH DUNNIGER DIVINED THE THREE CARDS RIGHTLY.
#22 - HOUDINI ESCAPED NINETY ONE MILK CANS ALONE.
#23 - BALDWIN TALKED FROM WITHIN AN EERIE TRANCE.
#24 - MILT LARSEN CONFOUNDED THE GRAND WESTERN CASTLE.
#25 - DARWIN SORTIZ HELD A LECTURE ON FANCY CARD CHEATS.
#26 - CLAUDE CONLIN EDGED THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ICE.
#27 - TED LESLEY MARKED THE DECK IN GOOD CHEER.
#28 - SIGNOR BLITZ FLUNG HIS VOICE NORTHWARD.
#29 - BILL NEFF HOSTED SPOOKY MANIA AT MIDNIGHT.
#30 - FRANCOIS BATTALIA CONSUMED STONE HALF A PECK A DAY.
#31 - MAX MALINI PRODUCED ICE INSIDE FORTY FIVE HATS.
#32 - DEDI KEPT HIS HEAD AND VOWED TO LOSE ANOTHER.
#33 - PHILIP ASTLEY PERFORMED WITH FLAIR IN LONDON TOWN.
#34 - JACK GWYNNE FLEW HIS SILKY CARPET EASTERLY.

#35 - LEON LEVY BURNED THEN DUNKED WHEN ASKED.

#36 - DELL O’DELL AND HIS SNAPPY PATTER PAVED HISTORY.
#37 - CHRISTIAN STELZEL CALCULATED HIS HAPHAZARD ROUTE.
#38 - BERT EASLEY LEANED PRONE AT DEGREE OF SIXTY-SIX.
#39 - GEORGE MELIES FILMED AT THE CENTURY’S TRANSITION.
#40 - DAI VERNON FOOLED A FOURTH AND A SEVENTH ABOVE.
#41 - THEODORE ANNEMANN RAN THE JINX AND PACED HIS STEPS.
#42 - JOHN MULHOLLAND HELMED THE SPHINX FOR TWENTY.
#43 - THE TRICK TO AN EGG, TOMMY MARTIN FATHOMED.
#44 - IVAN IVANITZ CHABERT GULPED THE MOLTEN LEAD LAST.
#45 - JOHNNY ALADDIN HYNOTIZED HOLDING ONTO THE RAIL.
#46 - LEON MANDRAKE LEFT THE CARNIVAL ON THE ROAD.
#47 - LULU HURST PROVED UNABLE TO BE LIFTED AT THE HOTEL.
#48 - HARRY BLACKSTONE JR WROTE INTO HIS FATHERS BOOK.
#49 - ED MARLO WROTE OF THAT WHICH CANNOT NOT BE RED.
#50 - ANDREW OEHLERS SCARY GHOSTS NUMBERED SIXTY.
#51 - IAN ADAIR MEASURED HIS DOVES IN INCHES.
#52 - LAFAYETTE QUICK-CHANGED HIS PANTS STRAIGHT DOWN.

DECONSTRUCTING THE CLUES

#1 ... FOUR TOWNS

#2 ... IN EACH DIRECTION

Locate 4 cities and 4 directions.

#3 ... THE FIVE ONLY ONCE.

Isolate the magician clues that contain only one 5-letter word.

#4 ... THE MIDDLE OF FIVE

Take the middle letter from each 5-letter word.

Gather the letters to each city.

#5 ... GAZING SOUTH

#6 DEVIL  #7 PRINT   #8 BONUS   #9 LOCAL   #10 ARENA   #11 NINES   #12 NOTES

SOUTH of VINCENT

#13 ... TO THE WEST

#14 ALONG #15 FANCY #16 OFTEN #17 AMAZE #18 BURNS #19 THIRD #20 PROUD

WEST of ONTARIO

#21 ... RIGHTLY (EAST when reading a map)

#22 ALONE  #23 EERIE  #24 GRAND  #25 FANCY  #26 EDGED  #27 CHEER

EAST of ORANGE

#28 ... NORTHWARD

#29 MANIA #30 STONE #31 FORTY #32 VOWED #33 FLAIR #34 SILKY #35 ASKED

NORTH of NORWALK

Ohio, Iowa, and California all contain cities with those names.

    

    

However, only California logically creates a perimeter within those guidelines.

This defines a search area.

#36 ... PAVED HISTORY

#37 ... ROUTE

#38 ... SIXTY-SIX

Historic Route 66 zigzags from Illinois to California, over 1,500 miles.

#39 - GEORGE MELIES FILMED AT THE CENTURY’S TRANSITION.

#40 - DAI VERNON FOOLED A FOURTH AND SEVENTH ABOVE.

The 4th word AT and the 7th word TRANSITION jumbled (fooled) into TRAIN STATION

Inside the defined area, there are only 6 historic train stations along Route 66.

UPLAND

GLENDORA

LA VERNE

POMONA

SAN DIMAS

CLAREMONT

Pace 20 fathoms (120 feet) toward the last railroad hotel.

#41 ... PACED HIS STEPS
#42 ... TWENTY
#43 ... FATHOMED
               (1 fathom = 6 feet)
#44 ... LAST
#45 ... RAIL
#46 ... ROAD
#47 ... HOTEL

Of the 6 cities along Route 66, only San Dimas boasts of a historic railroad hotel.

Stand before a statue holding a book.

#48 ... BOOK

#49 ... WHICH CANNOT NOT BE RED

From where you are standing you can now see this statue of Jedediah Strong Smith holding a Bible made of bronze which cannot be READ.

Dig 60 inches down to claim the prize.

#50 ... SIXTY

#51 ... INCHES

#52 ... DIGGING STRAIGHT DOWN

SUMMARY

(1) Define the borders of a locale.

Find the area
SOUTH of VINCENT, WEST of ONTARIO, NORTH of NORWALK, EAST of ORANGE.

(2) Narrow the possibilities.

Along the PAVED HISTORY of ROUTE SIXTY-SIX, locate a TRAIN STATION.

(3) Provide direction.

Pace TWENTY FATHOMS toward the LAST RAILROAD HOTEL.

(4) Be on the lookout for the “Big W” — you have to be there to see it.

Stand before the BOOK WHICH CANNOT NOT BE RED
and dig SIXTY INCHES STRAIGHT DOWN.


When I showed this example for example’s sake to David Blaine,
he said, “but Cliff, we can’t hide it right where you live.”
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