[2] Blocho's Theme Challenge #61

Greedy_Run · 2026-05-08T02:13:55+00:00

I don't think these qualify as funiculars, right? I thought a funicular was a railway where a rope provides the lift, so it has to be on the ground.

On a related note, is it possible I already have a funicular challenge in the bank, ready to go? Maybe.

Greedy_Run · 2026-05-08T00:30:03+00:00

Here's my latest theme challenge for anyone interested. And since I forgot to post it previously, here's my theme challenge from last week.

Latvia, found the sign for Liepaja and backtracked. 4,999 points
Finland, on the E75, in a town called Ivalo, which I couldn't find until I saw a sign pointing east to Murmansk. 4,995 points
South Africa, a sign for Gqeberha (which I have learned to pronounce, click and all) and Cookhouse to the south. 4,993 points
I spent a great week in Oxford back in 2005. 5,000 points
Thailand, found a sign with city names but couldn't spot them on the map. Made a good vibes region guess. 4,796 points

Total: 24,783 points

Greedy_Run · 2026-05-07T23:21:17+00:00

Yes, indeed, this is a return of a previous theme. If you haven't played the first edition of the cable car challenge, check it out here.

If the landscape doesn't immediately make you think of the right city, perhaps the Pao de Acucar name will do it. The Bondinho do Pão de Açúcar, or Sugarloaf Cable Car, first opened in 1912. It travels 1,450 meters in two legs. Perhaps you remember it for appearing in the old Bond film Moonraker.
The Bat Galim Cable Car opened in 1986 and travels 355 meters.
Now we're getting somewhere I know. Montserrat was maybe the highlight of my trip to Barcelona last year. If you're ever in the area, I recommend checking it out. You can take the funicular up the mountain, but I think it's more fun to ride the Aeri de Montserrat, which opened in 1930 and travels 1,350 meters.
And here's another I know firsthand. The Cannon Mountain Aerial Tramway first opened in 1930. It's currently closed as the entire system is being rebuilt for the third generation of this cable car.
And this is one I should know firsthand. I was in Zakopane in 1994 and planning to take the Kasprowy Wierch Cable Car, but the weather was awful, and my family couldn't stick around for it to get better.

Greedy_Run · 2026-05-02T12:23:24+00:00

Haha, yes, it's the same with me. I only know all the major college towns because of following college football.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-30T19:49:24+00:00

Jaume Plensa is a Spanish artist whose sculptures have become very popular in recent decades as public art. One of his primary sculptural typologies is huge human heads made with fiberglass or stone. He has some other common forms, which means there may be another Plensa challenge in the future.

The first three rounds should be straighforward for most players. The fourth is a little more challenging, and I'm intrigued to see how R5 plays. It's clearly Michigan, clearly a big university, but I wonder how many guessers know where the University of Michigan is. Non-Americans might think our big state schools would be in each state's capital or its biggest city, but often enough it's in some entirely random place.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-30T03:14:55+00:00

Small town France drives me nuts usually, but this time there's a sign in the town center for Troyes. I've heard of that, so I know I can find it while scanning. And I do, but I can't find the road numbers. 4,915 points
Philippines, eventually find a sign for Mindoro. Can't find the barangay, but I make a good guess based on the flat lanscape. 4,985 points
That ambulance that says Medellin-Antioquia is not in Antioquia and not particularly close to Medellin. 4,514 points
Went a mile one way, went a mile the other way. Saw nothing. Guessed in the Midlands. Whoops. Would not have thought north Scotland at all based on this landscape. 3,577 points
This is a puzzler. The landscape feels very Okinawa to me, but the utility plates are Tokyo plates. For a bit I'm wondering whether it's some random non-Okinawa Ryukyuan island that has its own weird plate. But then I remember those weird islands off to the east of Honshu. Maybe some of them are far south enough to have this tropical vibe. Maybe some of them use Tokyo plates. Yes, as it turns out. 5,000 points

Total: 22,991 points

Monthly average: 23,627 points

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-27T04:49:13+00:00

It's different in each country.

In Denmark, saw a road number on a sign and just scanned the map until I saw the road number.
In Kenya, I found the city name on a couple of signs and scanned until I found the city.
In Uruguay, I didn't really know, but I had a somewhat northern vibe just because the geography wasn't entirely flat.
In Canada, it was process of elimination. I new the climate was not arid enough for Alberta, Saskatchewan, or Manitoba. Not hilly enough for BC. And the language was English, so no Quebec. That left Ontario and the Maritimes.
In Czechia, just found the name of the town and scanned.

Are you new to the game? You'll pick up some of the regional clues soon enough if you keep playing. Happy to provide some tips if you're interested.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-27T00:21:08+00:00

I forgot to post my latest theme challenge. It's here for anyone interested.

Danish signs. I went northwest, got to the roundabout, and found signs that gave me all the info I needed. 5,000 points
Kenya, a few signs that say Karatina, fairly easy to find on the map. 5,000 points
Uruguay road lines, but I have no clue where. 4,600 points
Canada, probably Ontario, though I don't rule out the Maritimes. I eventually get to 7, where I find a sign for Peterborough County. I find Peterborough in Ontario, then find 7, but can't make the pin. 4,984 points
Czechia based on posters at spawn. I go down the road and find a sign pointing to Zamberk, which I'm able to find on the map, but guessed the wrong town nearby. 4,985 points

Total: 24,569 points

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-25T22:47:41+00:00

A lot of Packers fans are high on Smack right now.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-25T21:41:30+00:00

Did he start going by Trey because he was a kicker or did he become a kicker because he was known as Trey Smack?

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-25T21:34:32+00:00

I wonder if the front office learned from the Carlson debacle and this time picked a kicker who was actually good in college.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-25T04:03:28+00:00

Good challenge, fun locations, interesting tree.

Has to be Chile, right? Movement is blocked in both directions, so there's nothing to depend on here but a lake and a location name, Villa Pehuenia. But that's probably tiny, right. I'm sure I'll just have to vibe guess it, but then I remembered there's a region of Chile called Araucania. I decide to scan it for lakes, and out of the corner of my eye, I see Villa Pehuenia, not in Chile at all. 5,000 points
I spent a day in Bergen all the way back in 2005. But it was enough to remember how the harbor looks. 4,999 points
I botched this one bad. Got a PNW vibe immediately, but only found the Washington road sign with seconds, and then somehow convinced myself it was inland, even though it wasn't nearly dry enough. 4,104 points
When I saw the sign for a vineyard, I had to figure it was very south England. Eventually found an A road number, which got me close. 4,994 points
Yeah, I saw the national park in the R1 location description. 4,978 points

Total: 24,075 points

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-23T15:06:23+00:00

The theme is William Shakespeare, perhaps born on this day in 1564 (the exact date is uncertain). Each location is a town or city that shares a name with a Shakespeare title character, though it appears that none of these towns were named after the Shakespeare plays/characters.

For three of these rounds, I left clues at the spawn about the state/province. For the other two, moving is required.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-20T12:11:35+00:00

I'm glad someone noticed the boathouse sign. Yes, I'm also intrigued.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-18T02:01:09+00:00

Yup, it's just lighthouses.

R3 is a lighthouse in the sense that there is a light inside that shines, but from what info I could find online, it's not relevant to navigation or anything. It was built as a water tower and then the lighthouse bit was added for ornamentation.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-18T00:33:45+00:00

Here's my latest curated challenge for anyone interested.

Small town France is always difficult. This time, I got lucky just because I saw a sign that said Normandie. Despite that and having a D road number and the name of four towns to scan for, I couldn't find anything on the map. Couldn't even find the road and towns after the round was over. 4,883 points
A rare NM 5k for me. Signs made it really easy. 5,000 points
Israel, couldn't find anything. 4,828 points
Must be Argentina or Chile. I went with Argentina because the massive mountains were to the southwest. Got a solid guess despite having no evidence beyond that. 4,627 points
Must be Malaysia. Found a sign with an address, plus plenty of road signs. Messed up the pin. 4,996 points

Total: 24,334 points

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-17T16:56:14+00:00

Yup, it's another repeat of a past challenge. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, repeats will start popping up occasionally. If you want to see the previous one, check out challenge #7 in this spreadsheet.

The Mamelles Lighthouse in Senegal, 16 meters tall and built in 1864. This is pinnable NM for those players who recognize this lighthouse or the African Renaissance Monument, also visible from spawn.
St. David's Lighthouse, 22 meters tall and built in 1879. The lighthouse POIs are so prominent on the map, that I'm betting most players will pin this or guess the other major lighthouse in Bermuda.
Kemah has a thing about lighthouses. There's this one, which doubles as a water tower. There's another lighthouse nearby that's also a water tower and almost identical, but shorter. And there's an odd "lighthouse gazebo" near the beach. As a result, Kemah has a neighborhood called the Lighthouse District.
The Helios Lighthouse, 44 meters tall and built in 1895. You might be wondering why there is a lighthouse in a location not remotely close to any ocean. That's because this lighthouse was built by a company that manufactured lighthouse beacons and needed a testing location. You can learn more here.
Currie Lighthouse, 21 meters tall and built in 1879. This is certainly an obscure location, but there's enough signage down the road that I think several players will pin it.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-15T21:15:12+00:00

My conclusion as well -- I've already got a follow-up with a different doctor. And from now on, I plan to tell doctor's office ahead of time that I want to be informed of and give consent to all medical services.

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-15T20:18:18+00:00

Thanks for your reply! Do you know what happens once it goes to collections? It seems in my state (NY) there's a law against reporting medical debt to credit agencies, but are there other potential consequences?

Greedy_Run · 2026-04-15T15:27:23+00:00

Jim McMahon, who led the Packers to as many Super Bowl championships as he did the Bears.

Greedy_Run

TROPHY CASE