Okay, this might be one of my favorite treasure-hunting stories yet…and they didn’t even find the damn coin. 😂

Coin #143 from my Hunt the East of the Mississippi River Challenge was planted on Bar Island in Bar Harbor, Maine. Sounds easy enough, right? Follow the clues, walk over to the island, find the tree, grab the treasure and continue on your merry way south.

HAHAHAHA…NOPE. 😈

There’s one small obstacle between downtown Bar Harbor and Bar Island called THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. The island is accessible by a natural gravel land bridge around low tide, giving you roughly a three-hour window to cross over and get yourself back. Miss that window and, according to the warning sign, the next low tide can be about NINE HOURS AWAY. Translation: Congratulations! Bar Island is now your temporary residence. Hope you packed snacks. 😂🌊

Was timing purposely part of the treasure hunt when I planted #143? OF COURSE IT WAS. 😈 Anybody can hide a coin beside a parking lot. Apparently I decided mine needed a freaking tide chart and possible water taxi. Pure evil genius? Maybe. Completely unnecessary? Absolutely. Funny as hell watching somebody else attempt it? 100%. 😂

The first pictures coming in from Alex and Nichole were priceless. They arrived in full motorcycle gear ready to hunt…and their walkway was currently underwater. 🤣 I can only imagine tourists walking around Bar Harbor while these two bikers, probably helmets in hand, are standing there staring intensely at the ocean like somebody stole their road. “Mark said we WALK across here.” Yeah…you do. Eventually. 😂

And because this story apparently needed another layer of ridiculousness, ALEX STILL HAD THE FREAKING HAMMER. 🔨🤣 Where did this hammer come from? Why does it keep appearing? Canada, Acadia, Bar Harbor — there it is again. At this point I’m convinced Alex has fewer questions about my treasure hunts than I have about his hammer. That story is definitely getting told over a beer someday.

But these two were determined. The Atlantic eventually backed off, the gravel bar appeared, and off they went toward Bar Island. And the pictures just kept getting better. At one point there’s water involved, Nichole is getting a piggyback ride, and Alex is still protecting that damn hammer like it’s the actual treasure. 😂🔨

Once across, they actually got to explore the island rather than simply grabbing a coin and leaving. Bar Island has wooded trails, remnants of its past tucked away from the busier areas, and some pretty awesome views looking back toward Bar Harbor and the surrounding mountains. It’s one of those places where getting off the motorcycle and wandering around for a while is part of the reward. Eventually they made their way to the spot, found THE TREE, started searching and…Nothing…A little more….looking…Still nothing.

#143 HAD LEFT THE BUILDING. 😂🪙

I actually had a suspicion this one might disappear. When I originally planted it, somebody nearby seemed to be paying a little too much attention to what I was doing. I remember wondering if they were simply waiting for me to leave so they could go see what the crazy motorcycle guy had just tucked away. Maybe they did. Maybe somebody else stumbled across it later. Either way, after surviving the disappearing roadway, timing the tide, hiking onto an island and deploying the International Treasure Hammer™, Alex and Nichole came up empty-handed. 😂

IT HAPPENS! That’s treasure hunting. Sometimes you get the coin. Sometimes you get a story that’s ten times better than the coin.

And this story was freaking priceless.

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Don’t worry, though — #143 WILL RETURN. 😈🪙 I’ll replace it, and this exact location will remain part of the Hunt the East challenge. Future hunters will still have to solve the riddles, watch the tides and figure out when Mother Nature decides to open the road. These pictures might get you a little closer…but good luck! 😂

After their unsuccessful find, Alex and Nichole did what any sensible treasure hunters should do after spending part of the day negotiating with the Atlantic Ocean: they retreated to a popular Irish pub in Bar Harbor, grabbed some food and drinks, recharged and laughed about the whole thing before getting back on the motorcycles and continuing southbound. 🍺🏍️

So technically, #143 escaped. But Alex and Nichole explored Bar Island, found some cool history off the beaten path, got some beautiful views back toward Bar Harbor, crossed a roadway that literally disappears beneath the ocean, avoided becoming nine-hour island residents and provided me with some of the funniest pictures from this entire treasure hunt. That sounds like a win to me. 😂

Great freaking attempt, you two. Sometimes the treasure isn’t what you dig out of the ground — it’s the ridiculous story you get to tell afterward.

And next time somebody asks why timing matters in one of my treasure hunts, just show them the sign: