It's my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is just 2 months away and it's time to put on your detective hats!
For those of you who are new here – let’s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I’ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO. So my parents decided to do away with the birthday parties and instead they’d plan a surprise vacation for us each year.
So what’s a surprise vacation you ask? IT’S A SURPRISE. And it’s basically the highlight of my life. I even like it more than my birthday/birth month which is really saying a lot. I’m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we’ve figured it out, others we’re totally surprised. One thing is always certain…. I’m always wrong. My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same… but I’m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it’s because I've always had this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT... that's no longer the case seeing as how we just got back from an epic adventure through Africa earlier this year. So what I'm saying is that MAYBE THIS YEAR I HAVE A CHANCE!!
ANYWAYS… since we were kids, we’ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it’s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. So I’ll be sharing the clues here as they roll in (roughly one a week) and I’ll just continue to update this post so you don’t have to search high and low for the latest clues. Ready… Clue’s are officially rolling in:
Clue #1 - It's not a plate, and young Freud has one
Clue #2 - People of median income in Napa can afford Bose headphones, or close to it.
Clue #3 - A water emergency, but not in a glass.
Clue #4 - Like Fonzie in Happy days, hair gel and a comb, rushing to the Diner.
Clue #5 - Check - the neighbor's names, then flip the end. sp.
Clue #6 - Sitting peacefully while wearing the Jane Russell 18 hour bra, doing it's job.
Clue #7 - A bunch of women having funning in France in the 1800's
Clue #8 - Fancy morning song of the sixties, but a bit different.
LET'S SOLVE IT THIS YEAR!! Any guesses... comment below!
A bit of inside scoop:
We're leaving the day after Christmas and we're gone for about 7 days. That includes travel time. And like I said earlier, we just did an epic 2 week adventure through Africa so my instinct is that we're not criss-crossing the globe again this year.
Here are our surprise trips from the past so we can cross those off the list as we think of ways to decipher the clues.
2016 - Arizona (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2015 - Costa Rica - (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2014 - Orcas Island + Vancouver + Whistler (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2013 - Nat Geo Cruise through Alaska (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2012 - Road Trip through France (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2011 - Bahamas
2010 - Skipped a year and went to Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna but it wasn't a surprise
2009 - Banff, Canada
2008 - none of us can remember where we went this year! whoops 🙂
2007 - Italy
2006 - Turkey
2005 - Greece
2004 - England + Scotland
2003 - Cancun, Mexico
2002 - Hawaii (Big Island)
2001 - Napa / Sonoma
2000 - Los Angeles
1999 - New York
1998 - Washington DC
1997 - Las Vegas
1996 - Texas
1995 - Disney World
2017 here we come!!!
This may be a stretch...but then again, these clues are known to be crazy, lol!
Clue #5 – Check – the neighbor’s names, then flip the end. sp.:
check --> chess --> King & Queen --> On 'King of Queens' the neighbors' last name was Sacksky --> flip the end & change spelling --> SkiSac (a brand of bag used to pack ski gear)
This sounds good to me! I've been stuck on Clue # 5!
Clue #4: I just read an article online that Henry Winkler, actor who played the Fonz, adores fly-fishing in Montana and said he stays at the Firehole Ranch in West Yellowstone ...not sure about the Diner part...but that could be referring to the fish he cooks after catching!
Clue Master...please reveal more! 🙂
Clue #7: Le Belle Époque is the name of a day spa in Boise, Idaho..
I meant Boise/Nampa/Meridian.
OK, I am at work and must get back to it...but I am so intrigued! Hmmm perhaps also Montana in the mix?
#8 = Fancy morning song = Here Comes the Sun = 50-mile-long Going-to-the-Sun Road in Montana...
#2 Bose = Bozeman, a town in Montana
Thanks!
I think the clue master said we solved clue 2 earlier with Boise/Napa /Meridian, so I don’t think it’s Montana, but I definitely think skiing.
Clue #1 is reminiscent of your trip to Whistler...but Ego Bowl is ski run in Whistler!? Any possibilities bowl = not a plate and ego= what young Freud had?
And is Clue #3 water emergency = a blizzard?
And is Clue #7 the Coeur d'Alene lake in Idaho?
I think I solved clue #6! The Grand Tetons?
From The Clue Master:
Sorry I missed a week. You are all doing so well....???? (really - love the effort!)
Clue #2 Solved, NOT #1 🙂
That should let you get closer on the others. Until then no new clues!!!!!
DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!
Maybe we’ve solved clue 6 with the whole “lift and separate”/ski lift thing.
I feel certain we have solved clue 2 and I also feel pretty sure that we’ve solved clue 1
Ahhh I want to know how you know what to pack (or do you find out a day in advance)? I'm a total planner so this would make me crazy
Clue Master here: Yep, the writer of the Clues!!!!
Just to give you a little help, two of the clues have been solved in your messages. As to which one's, here is a clue:
What a sweet day when you get mail!
(That covers both successful ventures)
Now, I never divulge until almost all the clues have been solved - so you still have work to do !!!!!
Keep them coming - I will be posting weekly now, as it's almost time to go on our next adventure!!!!
How exciting! But even your clue, to help us figure out which comment is correct, has even another clue !! Yipes:)) Awesome...Can’t wait to hear where you’ll be going! So creative
I want another clue, Clue Master!
All right - I'm throwing another idea out there - McCall, Idaho, which is a ski resort and not too far from Boise, Nampa, etc. FHD (the capitalized words in the Fonzie clue) can stand for flood-hazard determination, and a flood is a water emergency.
Gaby, your dad is so good at putting these together!
New Orleans!