 |
| Lunch at Dower Lake Park and Pier |
We arrived at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Detroit Lakes shortly after 5:00 p.m., our accommodation for the night. This location is excellent, positioned directly across the street from Alexa, the first troll in the series. Here’s some background on the trolls!
They say Minnesota’s forests have long inspired tall tales, legendary characters, and cherished photo ops. In the summer of 2024, thanks to a massive community effort, a fresh fairy tale invites people outdoors to embark on a unique treasure hunt for supersized trolls. International recycling artist Thomas Dambo and his team constructed their largest troll ever—a 36-foot-high figure named Long Leif—towering above a clearing at Detroit Mountain near Detroit Lakes.
The long, lanky Leif joins four other enormous trolls, including the playful Ronny Funny Face, who peeks from behind a tree at Dunton Locks County Park, and Jacob EverEar, who reclines peacefully overlooking the Otter Tail River. The Danish artist’s work promotes the transformation of scrap wood and trash into art while creating an interactive fairy tale that guides participants on a treasure hunt for five trolls, one villainous Golden Rabbit, and three magic mirror portals.
The trolls encourage travelers to unplug, get outside, and enjoy the region’s renowned lakes and scenic beauty. The locations shown on the downloadable map are in public areas. Eight letters provide a word clue to discover the location of the final art piece, the well-hidden Golden Rabbit. The adventure is in motion to decipher the symbols found at each site. As shown below, there is a code list, a sample Code on one of the trolls, and the blank work, which is the clue for the Golden Rabbit location.
 |
| Symbol on a troll, which uses the sheet below to find the 5th letter, is "R" |
 |
| From the clue above, the 5th letter is R. |
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
 |
| Once you have the clues, the word provides the location of the Golden Rabbit. i.e., "PineCone" |
The first troll we found was Alexa. It was huge (see image with Shelley). The trolls were constructed using recycled or discarded materials. We marveled at the craftsmanship. Her hair was made of tree limbs. Very creative! Several trees near Alexa had numerous colorful birdhouses, which I learned was a common theme.
The journey begins with Alexa’s book, which features four pages that provide clues and tell the tales of her and the other trolls.
 |  |  3 |
As this is hard to read, it reads:
A long, long time ago, or maybe just a little,
Lived a tiny little people, everyone considered equal.
And every morning, every man and woman from the town
Would go to work and go to rest with bellies warm and round.
However, as in stories, something unforeseen can happen.
That’s true in this tale, too, as the thunder started clapping
And from across the mountain, a golden rabbit came
And told the little people things would never be the same.\\
It told about another town, much bigger and much better,
Where everyone had twice as much, the weather was much better.
It told the little people, you are hungry and so cold
But if you work for me, then I will lead you to the gold.
And so they did, day after day, in search of something better
Twice as hard and twice as long, in what seemed like forever.
But as it is in stories, something unforeseen can happen
Now, a big old troll came draggin’
With a cauldron on a wagon
The little people were still working hard; it had become a habit.
Gold had made them addicted, yet nowhere was the rabbit.
Famous for her magic mirrors, the troll was called Alexa.
To set the little people free, she wrote a recipe for an elixir.
Start with: The songs of three birds and a little bit of herb.
Add the laughter from a stranger, and let it cook while you stir.
You will need to plant a plant and chop a little bit of root
Add a story of love, and then put in a mile walked barefoot.
But as it is in stories, something unforeseen can happen
And so it does again, this time, it’s your turn to take action
Help Alexa make the Elixir. Go find the eight ingredients.
Face the golden rabbit and set the little people free again!
The storyline for Alexis is:
The wise old traveling brewer of potions. Always dragging her portals, ingredients and mighty spoon. She solves problems all over the land - for trolls and humans alike.
 |  |
 |  | ||
 |  | ||
|  |
Based on the symbol on Alexa (shown below), we determined that the first letter of the clue word must be "D".
 |
| Clue on Alexa - we thought this was a "D" based on the chart. |
Alexa was outstanding, so we decided to try to find the second troll. We traveled on a 4-mile drive to Dunton Locks County Park, where another troll, Ronny Funny Face, was located. On the drive there, a significant rainstorm erupted unexpectedly! We waited in the car for about 30 minutes for the rain to end before searching for Ronny Funny Face.
Although signage indicated the general location, we felt uncertain as we traveled up the trail. Fortunately, the trademark colorful birdhouses lining the path reassured us that we were headed in the right direction.
 |
| The birdhouses verified that we were going in the right direction |
When we finally arrived, Ronny Funny Face was hidden among the trees. This structure was once again immense, standing over 30 feet tall. It featured gestures, with his tongue sticking out and hands beside his head, conveying silliness, playfulness, and lightheartedness. The design was remarkable, perfectly showcasing the character of the troll.
The storyline for Ronny Funny Face is:
Always on the lookout for a laugh, Ronny wants to make the whole world smile!
 |  | ||||
 |
 | ||||
 |
| Clue on Ronny Funny Face, we thought this was an "R" based on the chart |
As we approached 7:00 p.m., we made our way back to the hotel and Lakeside Tavern & Brewery for dinner. Lakeside Tavern has been a staple of Detroit Lakes City Beach since 1891. We dined on the patio; despite the cloudy and cooler weather, it was wonderful to be outside. The food was good, and I would recommend this place as a dining option.
After dinner, we decided to drive around Detroit Lake. The lake is mostly developed with lake homes and residential areas once you leave the main beach. It was a wonderful way to end the day before heading back to the hotel for some rest. We have a significant amount of troll searching to do tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment