To add more fun and excitement to my books, I have hidden two real treasures in Arizona, waiting for you to find! One has $1,000 cash, and the other has $100 cash. It may be possible to find the treasures without reading my books, but what is the fun in that? So buy the books and get started on your treasure hunt!

Hidden Treasure #1

The Superstition Mountain Treasure

My first book, entitled “You Have Got to be Kidding!” takes place in the Superstition Mountains in Arizona. The main character, Ryan Thomas, his siblings, and his grandpa go searching for the legendary Lost Dutchman Gold mine in the Superstition Mountains. This is an actual legend, and hundreds of people have searched these mountains for this lost mine.

One of the main clues is that the shadow of Weaver’s Needle falls on the entrance to the mine on a certain day of the year at a certain time of day. Weaver’s Needle is a giant rock formation shaped like a huge thumb sticking 1,000 feet up in the air. Searchers have looked for years for this mine entrance without success. In my book, they find the correct date and time to follow the shadow. Of course, this date in my book is fictitious. However, I went myself to the Superstition Mountains and hid a real treasure in the spot mentioned in the book!

Weaver’s Needle in the Superstition Mountains

You will have to read the book to find out this clue. Still, there is one other piece of information you will need, or you will not find the treasure. That, also, is found in the book.

To get started on your search, check out this video I made about the treasure:

For the serious searchers, I have provided the following additional clues below. However, I want to warn you that the hike to the treasure is a very serious hike through some of the roughest terrain in Arizona. This is not a hike for small children. Plan on a full day’s hike. Don’t attempt this in the summer unless you are very prepared for extreme heat. Let’s get to the clues:

Clue Number 1

The treasure is within the shadow of Weaver’s Needle.

Clue Number 2

The shadow falls on the treasure on a specific date and time, found in the book. You can hike to Weaver’s Needle on that date and see where the shadow falls at the specified time. However, if you are very clever, you could calculate where the shadow would be on that date and hike there any day you wish.

Clue Number 3

A real event happened in 1887 in Southeastern Arizona that, in the book, changed where the shadow of Weaver’s Needle would fall, making the current location of the shadow slightly off. This event needs to be taken into consideration when looking for the treasure.

Clue Number 4

The location where I eventually hid the treasure is within this photo, behind me. Note that there isn’t a large ledge at this location as described in the book. That ledge was fictitious and doesn’t exist. The mine entrance doesn’t exist at this location either.