INTRODUCTION
June's arrived, the Minnesota summertime is here;
Our cities truly come alive and thrive this time of year.
Hence, a summer Great Twin Cities Treasure Hunt is due:
Now get your five bucks in before we publish the first clue!

Greg and Amy were the team that found our second treasure,
And now we're getting ready for the third such hunt of leisure.
Look around Saint Paul and Minneapolis for the gem;
The hunt begins the twenty-seventh at one-o'clock P.M.

CLUE #1
The Third Great TC Treasure Hunt is here—Huzzah! Hooray!
Now just a few quick rules before we get things underway:
Don't dig; don't trample; do no harm; don't go where you'd hear "fore!"
Don't comb beaches; don't climb trees—Have fun while you explore!

Now get out there and join the hunt for our glorious stone;
With some luck you could discover a victorious zone:
A park within the cities holds our secret, so well hid
That if you chance upon the spot, you just might flip your lid.

CLUE #2
Summer's when we come together and celebrate good times;
Come on, get your gang to help you deconstruct these rhymes!
Sunshine, wildlife, shade, and trees; we've got the whole nine yards:
The jewel could end up yours, but only if it's in the cards.

CLUE #3
You want the jewel? Well, here's a hint to aid in its retrieval:
In order to know just where to search, start with the forest primeval.
And blind as a bat though they may be, four eyes could help you emerge
At the secret cache, not far from where a pair of paths converge.

CLUE #4
Seek out the odors of the forest—search, explore, and wander.
Pause by some neglected space a while, to muse and ponder:
Will it be you for whom the people shout out their three cheers?
Get out there and grab the loot, before it disappears!

CLUE #5
If you're ever stuck in the forest, try to find the lost horizon;
To stumble on the stone would really not be so surprisin'.
Remember to high-five your fellow hunters on the trail;
By teaming up, you could improve the odds that you'll prevail.

CLUE #6
A bit of information on the prize that could prove fodder:
The jewel is in a cool, dry place—yet also under water.
Don't let this year's treasure be the one that got away;
Hurry! Shangri-La awaits!—Would I lead you astray?

CLUE #7
Message hidden; long ride ridden—who will win the prize?
Cash to win—a park, within; the jewel wears a disguise,
And if you've got the proper spot, from Sunday search six ways;
Travel to where the bitter fruit of acrimony lays.

CLUE #8
Follow our path around the sun, along an orbit elliptic—
Then down the middle, long ways split; sorry to be so cryptic.
We've hinted at a trail or two, in sort of a roundabout way;
Good luck out there, and have a happy Independence Day!

CLUE #9
A trainman tangos; pragmatic story: message cash and travel—
It wouldn't be such a bad idea to flip 'em around and unravel.
Be diligent while sorting out in which of the two towns it lies;
A simple slip up could detour your quest to claim the prize.

CLUE #10
Weighty neutron arches in the welcoming mount folly;
There, the cache is waiting; it's just lying there, by golly!
Find where two paths intersect, and nearby in the ground:
The jewell still undiscovered, the horizon still unfound.

CLUE #11
This hunt has been a lot of fun, but now we're near the end,
So if you're still befuddled, land is land, but vend is bend.
Where seven tiny seeds became a verdant, leafy clime,
Find the spot in increments of temperature and time.

Travel slowly 'round the park, on fresh bituminous;
And descend into the splendor of the forest numinous.
Cash in now; a score northwest from the X you'll find your quarry.
Message sent, tooled chariot spent—mine eyes have seen the glory!

CLUE #12
From tiniest acorn to mightiest tree, get ready to embark:
The jewel's in Minneapolis, in a park within a Park;
Find the sum of the numbers in—and coordinate by two,
With odd clues north, and evens west—the third line of each clue.

There's no doubt that the spot you seek is a beloved place.
A great park for a nature stroll, or to train for a faster race;
Now you know the grapes of wrath are stored amid our rhymes,
So flip your lid and grab the jewel, and celebrate good times!

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