Well, well, well. It looks like you’re ready to venture to 29… and beyond! Thanks for making the trip. We set up this little hunt to give you a mini-tour of the sights of the greater 29 Palms area while also putting your gray matter to the test. Before you head out, make sure to keep your wits about you, stay hydrated, slop on some sunscreen… and make sure you have a car with air conditioning! This hunt is intentionally automobile-based, since it gets pretty scorching in the middle of the day here this time of year. The course consists of eight stops and it traverses over 30 miles in total. The hunt should take you about two hours, depending on your puzzling skills and whether you decide to take any detours. And speaking of that... take your time and wander if you see something that sparks your interest. You can always finish the hunt another time! Or not at all!
Before you get on your way, visit What3Words (or download the app). What3Words is a geocoding system that assigns a unique combination of three words to every 3x3 meter square of the Earth's surface. For example, you could direct someone to the stage at Outpost 29 where this weekend’s festivities will be happening by sending them to https://w3w.co/rounds.saunters.period — if that wasn't clear, here’s a video explaining a little more.
The first part of each clue in this hunt will guide you to the three words that define the exact location of your next stop. Enter those three words into the What3Words site or app to see where you should head next (pro tip: click satellite view to get a big-picture idea of where you're heading). You should be able to tell right away if your three words are the correct address, since making a mistake on even one of them would be unlikely to land you anywhere near 29 Palms. You can navigate directly to each stop within What3Words or let it open your map app of choice. If you’ve completely given up on figuring out the three words, you can always click “I’m lost!” and you’ll see exactly where to head next.
Once you’ve arrived at the spot labeled by the three words, take a look at your surroundings to help you answer the second part of the clue. Enter the correct answer and click "Submit" to reveal the next two-part clue. If you ever hit a complete dead end (or just want to send along group pics as your hunt progresses) you can email to29andbeyond2024@gmail.com to beg for help. Good luck!