Day 9, Puzzle after Puzzle

The lazy morning of Sunday the 23rd continued as Kim ignited the engine and pulled out of the Mcminnville Cinema. With half the Pipers still laying in bed Kim drove down side streets, attempting to avoid getting on the highway 5. The Pipers would soon be climbing onto a ferry to cross the Willamette River. Excited for the adventure the family changed out of their sleep clothing and had a small quick breakfast. Once they had pulled into the line for the ferry they got some interesting news. The driver of the float-able bridge told them that their large RV would get stuck on the down ramp to the Ferry. The Pipers were on their way to a frisbee golf course, to get to this course they had to travel across the Ferry. After some consideration and getting the idea from Annie, they decided to leave the RV and just walk onto the Ferry, since the park they were going to was only a quarter mile from the river crossing.

The Ferry swayed under the weight of the cars that were riding with the group. Water splashed on the sides of the large shuttle. Just after a few minutes on the water and they were all back on solid ground. The group walked about half a mile on a paved trail until they found the beginning to the frisbee golf course. Frisbee after frisbee was thrown, and after about 7 holes they wrapped up their game so they could get back to the RV's and have time to advertise with the RV's at the cinema, but not after losing one frisbee, but then finding a new one, and almost getting poison oak. It was fun if you like that kind of thing.

The day continued slowly as the family waited for their 3:45 escape room booking. Finally it came, and right on schedule they walked a little less than a mile to the Exitus Escape Rooms in Salem. They read the rule sheet and waited around for about 15 minutes until the puzzle began. No-one knew exactly what to expect for none of them had ever actually been in one before. As their guide shut the door behind them, there was a loud click as the lock closed. The room wasn’t particularly small, there was a door on either side, one of which was the one that they had entered through and the other one was still yet to be discovered.

There were 5 different locks on four different cabinets or drawers. They cracked the first lock without any hints, it was a simple code, the second was much more difficult. There was a piano with a small compartment on the bottom that only opened if you pressed down a few particular keys, looking back on that puzzle it seems simple but I guess everything always looks like that. They continued through the first room for over 30 minutes, then finally after so many different numbers, letters, keys, locks, and hints, they finally found the knock pattern to unlock the unknown door. The door creaked open and it withheld a second room. Now the time was running out, or so they figured after all there was no way to know how much time was really left. 15? 10? Maybe as little as 5 minutes? They hurried through the puzzles in the new room, looking at the letters on the typewriter, the letters on the dictionary pages, everything that resembled anything.

A muffled voice sounded through the walkie-talkie they had been given, “Ten minutes left.” They were completely and utterly stumped. After all they had only made it this far with at least 3 different hints that were getting increasingly easier. They had two numbers yet to find to unlock the final door, and no more keys or cabinets left locked. They finally surrendered and called through the walkie-talkie asking for a hint. “Line up the roman numeral books on the book shelf.” They did, it was like clockwork, they grabbed books lined them up and then… Nothing happened.

Time was up, the initial door opened and in stepped the man who had let them in, he offered to show them how to complete the escape. Turns out since Daniel and Tara had accidentally removed a piece of metal from the backing of one of the books it was impossible, but if they hadn't then the bookshelf would have opened up and revealed yet another room, this of which would have withheld the last two numbers and they would have been able to escape. Better luck next time!

Later on, as the movie was showing the Pipers sat in the tables in the lobby of the Salem Cinema and worked. And worked. They were now very much inspired to continue on outreach and really connecting to their followers. For the movie was now showing to at least 70 people! If you missed this showing make sure you check up on our upcoming locations on our website or Facebook page (@ PhoenixOregonMovie), after all the movie is being toured nationally! Up next on the national Phoenix, Oregon Movie tour was Corvallis, Oregon. See you at the Dark Side Cinema at 7pm!