Dodge Journey Search (Midwest)

/ Steven Barley

From the two introductory commercials, there are a number of clues that identify a 100-mile segment of the Dodge Journey (Midwest) route.

Find the latest on Dodge Journey Search (Midwest) Clues

Update #1: Two new locations added – Main Street, El Reno and Yellow Bridge crossing. Google map revised.
Update #2: One probable location identified – Hot air balloon ride, McKinney, TX. Google map route expanded.
Update #3: I was just contacted by someone who claims to work with Rohr balloons – “I can confirm that it was not our balloon or company used for this contest. Please stop overloading my phone with questions.” <- The power of social media (and a contest of interest)
Update #4: New clues added, part of the Midwest drive.
Update #5: New location added – Dairy Best, Clinton. Google map revised.

1. Yukon Mill & Grain Co, Yukon, OK

Yukon Mill & Grain Co

In the video, the Dodge Journey is traveling west along route 66 (the mill is on the south side of the highway).

Notes: Although you have a general location (Yukon, OK) and can google to find pictures and general information, the precise location took some detective work, via google street view (and the possibility that it could be along route 66, see next clue)

Yukon Mill & Grain Co - Google street view

2. Route 66 National Museum, Elk City, OK

Route 66 National Museum

In the video, the Dodge Journey is traveling west along Route 66.

Notes: A quick search in google reveals the location of the Route 66 National Museum and google street view can be used to determine location relative to the highway.

3. “Main Street” – El Reno, OK

Marching band

In the video, the Dodge Journey is traveling west along Sunset Dr (and old Route 66).

Notes: Revisiting the route and assuming that the Dodge is sticking to old Route 66, which cuts straight through El Reno, a virtual tour using google street view reveals this location.

Sunset Drive - El Reno - Google street view

4. “Yellow Bridge” crossing

Yellow bridge crossing

In the video, the Dodge Journey continues to travel west along old Route 66.

Notes: This was contributed by Jason Y. Many thanks for identifying and sharing. Google street view for verification:

Bridge crossing

5. Dairy Best, Clinton, OK

Dairy Best

Notes: This was contributed by Richard. Clinton, OK lies in between the “yellow bridge” and Elk City. Google street view to verify:

Dairy Best - Google street view

Google Map of partial Dodge Journey (Midwest) route using introductory videos.

Remaining Clues

These are the remaining clues for the Dodge Journey (Midwest) search, but there’s not much to work with:

Hot air balloon, location ??

Hot air balloon

Notes: Initially, a great prospect and contribution from Jason Y. Rohr balloons out of McKinney, TX provides hot air balloon rides and has the same hot air balloon. More pictures of the balloon here. A recent contact by Rohr balloons (or someone who claims to work with them) denies that their balloon or company was used.

Midwest drive

Midwest drive

Notes: Not much to work with but this seems to be the identifying image for the Midwest search (like Hangtown Motel for the West and Uncle Sam for the East searches). Observations: Both roads are unpaved (so Google street view will be useless) with a line of telephone poles and power line poles, running parallel along the road.


MB Ranch?

Notes: A number of astute observers (in hi-def) noted the letters MB, on the fence, to the right, which may represent a ranch or landowners. The road signs, unfortunately, cannot be read (although the first letter on the bottom road sign appears to be N)

Midwest drive #2

The introductory video has two other shots (0:06) and (0:31) that are most likely 1) part of the same sequence. Note the dirt road (dust kicked up by the Dodge Journey), ridge along side the road, general terrain, including contours, and position of the sun. The (0:06) segment was shot first, note the position of the sun, and lack of shadows (early morning).

This second sequence (0:31) should be fairly easy to identify by satellite imagery (although I spent a good checking the areas north and south of Elk City with no luck). More importantly, they are traveling North, if this was taken at sunrise (my belief) or south if taken near sunset.

Midwest drive (0:31)

It might be worth noting that the main Midwest drive was shot around noon (shadow directly beneath the Dodge) but may be a destination for these other two shots.

Given that the Dodge Journey Search (West) started from a landmark city like San Francisco, Dodge Journey Search (Midwest) will probably start from Dallas, TX, traveling north, toward the two known destinations (estimated route length: 290 miles), although that would not leave too much room for additional travel.

344 thoughts on “Dodge Journey Search (Midwest)”

  1. Thank you. I’ll see what I can put together. I’m still working on authenticating the photos that Aaron has posted but it’s hard since I can’t even see if they’re at the end of August (as he suggests). For all we know that could be someone who decided to launch a balloon (could be coincidence it’s the same one) and took photos. The bus doesn’t really prove anything, it’s just a photo of a bus (which we saw nowhere near the area or anywhere in Cheyenne). The trooper photo could also be a photo that’s just been pulled from a random person’s twitter feed.

    I’m sorry but I would need more information than that to present to Dodge. If Aaron would email me the link to the original twitter page (jessi@rockinmom.com) I would keep it confidential and would not reveal the source that turned it over to me. This information needs to be corroborated and I can’t do so with just 3 random images.

    If “Aaron” really wants to remain anonymous that’s fine (assumed because his name here is Aaron but his profile says thechriscooper) and he keeps using Amazon Web Service to hide the original link.

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  2. Kathy found the original Twitter page that contained the photos uploaded via Instagram. Strangely, the photos have now disappeared yet all of her other photos remain intact. Is this the beginning of a cover-up by Dodge? Who is this “Aaron/thechriscooper”? Why hasn’t Dodge given any updates? I don’t know about you guys but I want answers!

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  3. You guys did a great job, do not be consumed by all of this, some of u got there, you got to experience it first hand, some of us just enjoyed being able to solve clues from home, like I always tell my family, “Be the better person” I know it’s disappointing, let God & karma be there judge, This should be the worst of all our problems !
    ~Bob~

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  6. Nice detective work on the pictures et al…..Dodge has to be feeling some pressure on this one as it has made it to their youtube board as well which we all know that they monitor. Still no follow-up video regarding how the commander and his family used the clues to figure out where the car was……..

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  7. Maybe Dodge is trying to figure out how to spell “Jessi” as the real winner. 🙂 It makes sense. The police officer had inside information, you didn’t. You were the next one there. It says in their rules, their contract, that there would be 3 runner ups. In case of this problem, yet the crew had no interest in taking your name. They knew who had won it and I am sure they have their cover up reasons. I just bought a Dodge Ram, wish I could return it. Or better yet. Unless they make good on this, I will be all over this www with the truth.

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    • Awwww thanks Kathy! Yeah that would be really nice but I’m not sure that’s going to happen lol. I do plan on writing an email to Dodge tonight and forwarding it to W+K as well. I’m including all evidence we’ve collected so far as well as a request for a reason no one attempted to get our information. At the time we thought “maybe we weren’t even close” but I haven’t seen anyone else even say they found the car (let alone provide photographic evidence). Hopefully we will all start getting answers from Dodge (or whoever is responsible) soon.

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      • I went out and looked in the middle of the night to try and find it without clues. No tracks on any of the roads as of 5am the day of the hunt. Me and my girlfriend had a Ipad to track every road we went on, No tracks of all the crew trucks shown in your shot. They had to have set it up after 6am. We drove down the very road is was found on, NOTHING at that hour.

        After I called off the search I went to the state fair of Oklahoma. While I was there I talked to one of the Dodge reps in the car building about the search and how I thought it was crap they didn’t set it up in the middle of the night. She told me that they would take the name of the second person to show up for the runner up prize, and/or the first person could not hold up their end of the terms and conditions. If the first person could not then the car would go to the second person that showed up. She told me she was from corporate and they did this with the west coast search, I tried to get some clues out of her but she was very tight lipped. Right after I talked to her I got the email update from my friend saying the car had been found. There is allot to this story that just doesn’t add up. I don’t know how many people went out during the night to search but there where airplanes and helicopters out even at 2-5am. I only saw one other truck out looking, just oil field works and semi trucks moving drilling platforms.

        Rigged? Staged? Set up? No one will ever know.. I really hope you get the car Jessi, Don’t stop fighting it, something good will come out of it. But, one thing that is for sure is how disappointed I am in Dodge.

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      • Thanks for the comment 🙂

        I knew they wouldn’t have it set up ahead of time just because it wouldn’t be fair to the people who wanted to wait to follow the clues (since that was the whole point). I don’t know if I’ve said it but even if we weren’t 2nd, any information will help whoever rightfully deserves the car get it. If the Neidy family can prove (without a doubt) that they had no prior knowledge or help from law enforcement of any kind then they rightfully deserve it. I’m just almost afraid that the longer Dodge waits to get their story about how exactly they found it (turn by turn) that gives them that much longer to read through all of the information we’ve posted everywhere else giving those exact details.

        I’m not exactly doing this for my benefit but for anyone who actually deserves it (as long as they can prove they were there before us lol)

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  9. I had the guys in the car at my diner. They were a super bunch of people. For anyone that wants to know I did not get a dime for the 10 hours it took away from my business. I did not even get reimbursed for the business I lost that day. You want to add insult to injury, they hired a Taco truck from OKC to cater the event. Then it was found in 5 hours. I’m still looking for my kiss. I still drive an old Dodge, go figure!!!!!!

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  10. Well Jessi, I am sure the crew would remember what you were driving and how many people in your car. Unless they really don’t give a sh*t. Which I am starting to believe. How can a company hired by such a huge company screw this up and allow someone with information to claim the car. Not to mention, he had golf shoes on. Not something you usually wear on a road race. His daughter is a golfer, they probably golfed that day and then got word that someone was getting close, so headed over there. It all seems like a cover up. C’mon Dodge, show us his interview on how he found the car.

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  12. I’m just throwing this in —- my son Jordan (from New Mexico) and his girlfriend Amber might have been the second to get to the Journey. I’m not sure, but when they arrived & spoke with the Dodge people, the Dodge guy told them that after the winner, a jeep arrived but the people didn’t stop. That jeep just drove away after seeing that someone had already won. So the Dodge guy told Jordan & Amber that they were the second search team to arrive (not counting the jeep that drove away). My son took pics with the Journey so we have proof. But maybe the Dodge guy was wrong about saying they were second. Dodge didn’t take down their info. though. I’ll ask my son to send the photos he & Amber took. They were in a jeep with NM plates.

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  13. The front page of today’s Clinton (Oklahoma) Daily News says “Niedy family wins $44,000 Dodge SUV” (see http://www.clintondailynews.com/index.php ).
    But if it turns out that the Niedys had inside information, they should be disqualified, and whoever got there second should win. Whether it was Jessi or whether it was my son Jordan & his friend Amber. I’ll share pics as soon as my son gets out of classes and sends them, or else I’ll have him contact you and send the pics himself.

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  17. Thanks Jessi! I think Dodge will make things right, we just have to be patient. My son Jordan is busy with classes, but I hope he will contact you and Dodge, and provide more information about the photos he & Amber took at the Midwest Journey. They talked mainly with the guy who drove the motor home for the crew, and that’s probably the guy who took the photo for them. 18 year olds don’t think it’s cool for their moms to jump in and say too much, so I’ll let Jordan & Amber speak for themselves on here or on your JourneyAnswersMW facebook page. I don’t have facebook anyhow, so I can’t participate in that one. Hopefully today we’ll get some answers.

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  19. Thank you Steven and Jessi, and everyone else too. Jordan & Amber must still be in classes down at NM Tech because I can’t reach either of them on their phones to tell them that the Neidys declined the prize. What do we do next? Do you have an email address or phone number for Dodge and W+K? Jordan & Amber might want to speak with them & send a copy of their photo with the Journey, and provide the name of the crew member that took the photo. He could vouch for them. I think Dodge should give a journey to Jessi and one to Jordan & Amber as well, since no one else appears to have found the actual Journey still parked in the hidden location. But I’m sure Dodge will do the right thing. Yay Dodge!

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  20. I wouldn’t bet on Dodge doing the right thing…. But, still that family will not be the winners and I think that’s all we ever cared about. I bet they just say they gave away two and wipe this one off the records. Today we ALL won a little victory over Dodge and cheaters everywhere! If it was not for a few of us posting this over and over on Youtube, Facebook, calling dodge, W+K and the highway patrol office over and over and OVER demanding some answers. I really do not think anything would have been done. VICTORY tastes so darn good, hows that defeat taste? Sour? =)

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  22. Here’s a great anecdote: as I’ve mentioned before, I came within a quarter mile of the Dodge earlier in the day during one of my grid searches. In the early afternoon, I dropped by the ranger station to get a map. As I walked into the interpretive center, the younger of the two Park Service rangers looked at me, understood instantly why I was there, and said, completely deadpan, “It’s a mad, mad, mad, mad world!” Since he was in his late twenties, I was very impressed with his command of mid-sixties pop culture references…

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    • That’s great Isoruku! To fit in with that theme, they should park the next Journey under the giant “W”. But I guess they’d have to be in California or Florida for that to work 🙂

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      • Ah yes, the giant W. I must confess that I was searching alone last Saturday and was not accompanied by Edie Adams or Terry-Thomas…

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    • You know… I’m not sure if it was you that had posted about going into the ranger station to ask about the area shown in the live feed but someone had and the park ranger told them the live feed didn’t match any land in the grasslands. Obviously the rangers knew (it was on their land) and just wanted to keep people away?

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      • No that wasn’t me. I had a nice chat with the two rangers about my background as a ranger and fire lookout myself long ago, so we had a pleasant few minutes. And they were quite convincing when they said they had no idea where the Dodge was. I took them at their word, paid the $14 for that inadequate map (with no road designations on it) and took off.

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  23. This is off the subject, but have you all heard about the $2 million treasure chest that’s hidden somewhere north of Santa Fe? Google Forrest Fenn treasure. It’s for real (the millionaire FF hid it recently, just for fun). “The Thrill of the Chase”, he calls it. Hope no one gets hurt if they go looking for it! By the way, “somewhere north of Santa Fe” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s in New Mexico. It could be in Colorado, or Wyoming, or Alaska….

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    • Hi Karen. Yeah, I just caught that on the YouTube discussion board. I may be adding a post after this weekend. We have a great treasure hunting crowd here 🙂

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    • His 8th book is a memoir called “The Thrill of the Chase” in which he gives clues to finding a treasure chest he says is filled with more than 1.2 million dollars worth of gold coins and jewelry – all taken from his personal
      collection.

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      • I heard about Forrest Fenn’s treasure on Aug. 31st when it aired here on the Albuquerque news channel, kob. They aired the second part on Sep. 1, when the reporter went out with a treasure hunter and did some actual searching. You can watch both videos at kob.com and in the Aug. 31st one they interview Forrest Fenn himself. It really caught my interest, so I bought his book even though it’s kind of expensive. He’s donating all the money for charity so it goes to a good cause. Don’t think I’ll go out actually looking for the treasure though. The book doesn’t help with the clues much, all of the “9 clues” are in the poem which you can find online. I love treasure hunts, they’re so much fun!! I love this Dodge Journey contest and wish they would hide 50 journeys — one in each state.

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  24. IMO, the entire midwest part pf the contest has to be written off now. Who is to say that anyone finding the Dodge after the Neidys didn’t simply follow them there?

    If Brad doesn’t get to keep it, neither should anyone who could have followed him there.

    Sorry people but if it’s good for the goose, then it should be good for the gander.

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    • The Neidy family was already gone by the time we got there. The crew was concentrating on getting things packed up since there were severe storms moving in quick. I honestly told my mom not to follow anyone (and don’t think we ever really saw anyone else) because I wanted to follow my own understanding of the clues… NOT piggyback off someone who could be way off track.

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      • Jordan & Amber described the same situation (Neidys already gone, crew packing up, etc.). They didn’t follow anyone else to the site, and it wasn’t easy to find! They turned down that small road off of E940 but it went to a dead-end, so they were turning around thinking it wasn’t the right road, when they spotted the Journey & all the crew vehicles behind some hills. From what they described, there wasn’t even a dirt road to the hiding spot, just some vehicle tracks going over there. J&A are just waiting to see what Dodge decides. Several of the crew members will be able to confirm that you were there, and that J&A were there also. I hope you and Amber will both get a new Journey! Dodge doesn’t have J&A’s contact information, but they can always contact them through Facebook. Jordan Keeley and/or Amber Yazzie.

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      • Karen- I’m not sure how they could have spotted the car from E940. In order to get to the car you had to turn off onto a gravel road like you were going onto someone’s land and follow it maybe 1/4 mile. Then, on the right was a SMALL dirt road that was quite washed out. It lead up to some sort of site that had been there for a very long time, maybe an oil site or windmill thing- not sure which I couldn’t take my eyes off the car lol. But the car itself was completely hidden from E940.

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      • Yeah, they couldn’t have spotted the car from E940. Like I said, J&A turned off of E940 onto that small road (the gravel road you’re talking about). They went clear to the end of that, where it comes to a dead end. That’s where they turned around, thinking it wasn’t the right road after all, but as they were turning around they spotted the Journey behind some small hills or something, so they went back down the gravel road to where the small track you are talking about branches off the gravel road, & took that bumpy road over to where the Journey & crew were parked. At least that’s my interpretation of what they said…..
        Any word yet from Dodge?

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  25. Good to hear he declined. Hopefully, the links to the pictures I provided assisted you in your efforts. Although, I don’t support the individual’s private website being posted. I feel bad for her because she never intended for those pictures to be used to bring down a competition. She was simply photographing her own “journey”

    Also, you’re right Jessi, I didn’t post under my actual name (even though it appears you’ve been researching me). Just wanted to help you out and stay out of it. I was frustrated that day as well… I was in the area, driving a jeep, and questioned the circumstances surrounding how the winner located the car as well.

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  26. Journey: The Search Engine for the Real World Contest
    Official Rules. #7 Winner Requirements….If a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, the prize may be awarded to a runner-up, if any, in Sponsor’s sole discretion. Only three (3) alternate winners may be determined, after which the applicable prize will remain unawarded….
    Doesn’t look they’ll have a re-do in Oklahoma according to this.

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    • Yeah by using words like “may”, “sole discretion”, and especially in section 10: “10. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Contest, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion. ”

      I’m not sure what to expect from them at this point.

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  27. Winners in national contests are required to sign an affidavit/attestation that they meet the eligibility requirements. Probably Brian Niedy declined the prize when he realized he was not qualified to be the winner and could not legally sign such a document.

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    • Sounds like a good explanation… minus the fact the date of the pictures show filming was wrapped up before August 26. In fact, the picture with the highway patrol office near clinton was taken on the 23rd. This raises even more questions….

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      • It’s nothing more than a “cover your ass” situation. Dodge is covering theirs (and probably re-thinking their relationship with W+K) and the Neidy Family is covering theirs + the OHP’s. It’s a win/win for all of them but not for the people in the MW who were cheated out of a fair search. Still no official statement from Dodge and at this point I don’t really expect one. I really wanted a new Dodge eventually but now I don’t think I’ll give them a dime of my hard earned money. I’m sure a LOT of people in the MW feel the same way now.

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