cbphysics

Sorry, I didn't explain myself. You're right of course that Noah couldn't increase the oceans; I was looking at the "fill the earth" part, and oceans fill the earth. It would also explain why the earth picture was included at the end of the clue, because oceans cover over 70% of the earth's surface.

We received the final clue tonight: "Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them: 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.'" (Genesis 9:1) The verse was followed by a picture of the earth. Oceans fill the earth, so I'm wondering if we're doing something on the oceans. It would also put the riddle into context, because there are four oceans (historically, though many people now recognize 5), with three major ones, or, alternatively, three that border the U.S. Maybe we're going on a cruise? That's not our youth group's usual type of activity, though. Ideas for things we could do on the ocean? Or maybe how the first clue (GA GA GB CC) could fit in?

I found out tonight that we'll be receiving the third and final clue via e-mail (there've been insinuations that it's kind of complex) this week, so I'll let you guys know what it is as soon as I get it. We'll find out the location of our trip on February 5, around 3:30 CST, so things are getting exciting. Thanks for all your help so far, I never expected so many thoughtful responses!

@Arcadia - Oh, I'm gonna have to try that! That could definitely lead somewhere. And to everyone who was speculating about Georgia - it's a possibility, though I doubt we're going to Gabon (but you never know, we do go international sometimes. But while we may be going there, it isn't the answer to the clue, because we've been told that both clues tell us the activity we'll be doing (so they may both have the same answer)!

Wow, thanks for going to the trouble of explaining all that! That could be a really good lead, because the guy who came up with the riddle is a software developer by trade. We did get a previous clue that also referred to our activity, but no one's been able to make any sense of it: GA GA GB CC. Any chance that could be related to programming?

Also, I just recently picked up on something: the third and fourth lines of the riddles (If there are two, then it must be three), are formatted as an if/then statement, which is a form of deductive reasoning. I doubt this is a coincidence, but I still can't figure what it might mean. Do you guys have any ideas?

Yeah, our leaders are pretty awesome! The volleyball idea is interesting, and I hadn't thought of a triathlon! Hmm..

@caya - wow, that's really impressive, but generally the riddles aren't quite that technically oriented (they're usually designed do anyone can figure them out - in theory. @arcadia - I'd thought of that too, though I'm not sure where it might lead. @Carol - interesting idea, though I'm not sure because we've been told the riddle's for our activity, not the location we're going to. And, to answer your question, I'm pretty sure my youth leader is strictly a Conan Doyle fan. I also forgot to mention that we were thinking that deduction could either refer to holme's deductive reasoning or possibly deduction as in subtraction - or maybe both. Also, we had some hints that indicate this activity that the riddle's too might be water related, so keep that in mind.

Hi everyone! This is kind of a strange question, so hopefully it'll be right at home in the miscellaneous musings forum! I'm trying to solve the following Sherlock Holmes related riddle: "Deduction, Watson, Deduction, Watson, If there are four, Then it must be three, For the number three, Is certainly the key." Some Background: TL;DR version - This answer to the riddle is related to some activity my friends and I will be doing with our church this summer (it's usually mission/wilderness/teambuilding oriented). Long version: Every year, my youth group goes on a summer trip, the location of which is kept a complete secret from us until a certain deadline. Before the deadline, our leaders usually give us a riddle to the location of our trip. Specifically, one of our leaders, a physicist who's an avid Sherlock Holmes reader, enjoys coming up with these riddles. They're always very difficult and in the past have including things like ASCII code. Additionally, they have transitioned in recent years from codes to more textual riddles. For example, the riddle last year was "I'm famous for what I do not have" and the answer was Costa Rica (Costa Rica doesn't have a military). Two years ago, the clues were "ranch dressing" and "Stephen King," and the answer was Estes Park, Colorado (Stephen King wrote The Shining at the Stanely Hotel in Estes Park, and ranch dressing refers to the hidden valley ski area in Estes Park). This year, despite the collaboration of our entire high school group, we can't get anything out of this riddle, and we would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks!