This weekend was our 11th annual Scavenger Hunt in northern Delaware. This was a tradition I started back in college when my brother’s birthday rolled around and I didn’t have enough money to buy him a decent gift. So instead, I rounded up a bunch of his friends and made up a scavenger hunt for them all. It proved such a big hit that we made a point to do it again the next year, and the year after, and each year since. Over the decade of hunts, others have taken the responsibility of the planning and the event has grown in number and complexity.

This year, my brother, Jeff put it together. He themed the hunt “Cross Country Road Trip”, and each team was named for a different state (I was on Team California).

Some of the components of the hunt that you were awarded points for included:

• Photos of license plates from different states.
• Finding quarters representing the different states.
• Items on a travel-related list (including passport, luggage, different toiletries, etc).
• Official Highway maps from different states.
• Printed photos or memorabilia from major landmarks (White House, Las Vegas strip, Hollywood, Disney World, etc).
• Photos of street signs or restaurant signs that had state names (like Pennsylvania Avenue or California Tortilla).
• Wearing clothing from a college with a state in the name.
• Correct answers on trivia about your state (bird, insect, motto, sports teams, etc).
• The amount of miles driving during the course of the hunt.

In the end, my team, Team California, won out, but just barely. It was very close. Team Texas, having amassed a ton of points on mileage, just missed winning by the smallest of margins. The rewards are token prizes and bragging rights and the memory of a day of great competition and great fun.

Thanks Jeff for putting it together, and I can’t wait to defend the title next year.