You know that sinking feeling when you realize everyone around you knows something you don’t? That’s the emotional engine of this story and we get there the only way we know how: by lying our asses off for love.

We’re on the back deck retelling the day we turned a simple “birthday hang” into Operation Cabot Fog, a full scavenger hunt inspired by cozy mysteries and the Murder She Wrote filming location in Mendocino, California. The plan is to keep the birthday girl out of her own house long enough for a surprise party to appear like magic, but first we’ve got to survive a windy Northern California coastal drive, a red wine regret spiral, and an unplanned roadside puke stop that really tests sibling loyalty.

From Dick’s Place to Flow’s ocean views to a darling hilltop cemetery, each clue is a breadcrumb made of nostalgia, family stories, and tiny gifts that hit way harder than they should. We end up at the bluff bench to feed ravens (our beloved goth geniuses) while seagulls try to steal the whole show mid-air, then race back to the cottage for the final misdirection: no speakerphone, no wrong turns, and no walking through the house where everyone is hiding.

If you like travel storytelling, Mendocino trip ideas, surprise birthday party planning, and messy sibling comedy with real heart, press play. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves a good double bluff, and leave a review. What’s the best surprise you’ve ever pulled off or had pulled on you?

Welcome to Dead Mom Scavenger Hunt

Holla at us with questions or comments:

Email: dmshpod@gmail.com
Insta: @deadmomscavengerhunt
Follow us on Facebook!

Christmas IG: @drugstorecowgirljewelry
Cara IG: @cara.steinmann

OR you can get all the uncut video and audio if you join us on Patreon. See you there!

We thought we were chasing crisp fall weather and perfect leaf peeping, but what we really got was a masterclass in New England priorities: eat the best thing in town, walk everywhere, and let the weird little moments become the story. After a long break, we pick back up with our Portland, Maine and Salem, Massachusetts trip recap where the travel chaos finally settles and the fun begins.

Portland turns into a full-on food pilgrimage. We talk Eventide Oyster Co, the lobster roll that rewired our brains, why Maine lobster hits different, and how a Portland Maine food tour unexpectedly teaches us the real history of the waterfront and the lobster industry. Then we hop a ferry, lose a backpack, rent a golf cart on Peaks Island, and track down Battery Steele, a hidden World War II bunker covered in street art that feels like a secret only locals hand you.

Salem shifts the energy fast. October crowds, haunted lore, Bunghole Liquors with a downstairs speakeasy and tunnel stories, a haunted hotel vibe, a psychic reading that goes off the rails, and WitchPicks photos that leave one of us looking like we lost a fight with industrial-strength lipstick. We end with a Seattle layover sprint to Wings Over Washington, plus the kind of post-trip panic that hits when you realize your calendar is wrong and real life is about to demand a turn-and-burn.

If you like funny travel stories with real friendship, food obsession, and just enough spooky Salem to keep it interesting, hit play. Subscribe, share this with your favorite travel buddy, and leave us a review with the best meal you’ve ever had on a trip.

Welcome to Dead Mom Scavenger Hunt

Holla at us with questions or comments:

Email: dmshpod@gmail.com
Insta: @deadmomscavengerhunt
Follow us on Facebook!

Christmas IG: @drugstorecowgirljewelry
Cara IG: @cara.steinmann

OR you can get all the uncut video and audio if you join us on Patreon. See you there!

A missed flight is annoying. Watching your flight take off without you while you’re still trapped on another plane is a special kind of pain.

We’re recording Dead Mom Scavenger Hunt After Dark in real time while driving from Boston to Portland, Maine, running on fumes and trying to stay awake. The travel “magic” starts with a short Santa Rosa to Seattle hop that turns into a delay marathon: instrument issues, fog, circling terminals, and the slow realization that our connection is gone. You’ll hear the exact moment the anxiety spikes, then drops, when we finally accept we can’t control it and decide to treat the chaos as information instead of a personal curse.

From there, it turns into a practical playbook for flight delays and missed connections. We talk about rebooking the second you have cell service, why being genuinely kind to airline customer service can change outcomes, and the sprint that lands us the last two seats. We also get honest about travel anxiety, why we feel calmer up front, how we choose seats, and why keeping eyes on flight attendants weirdly helps when turbulence hits.

Then it’s the human stuff: a five-hour Sea-Tac layover full of airport food, new sunglasses, a seat swap with a stranger, and a surprise comeback from the elusive cheese plate. We close out still on the road, juggling hotel check-in worries, rental car luck, and toll booth confusion, plus a heartfelt plug for Thursday Murder Club.

If you’ve ever been delayed, rebooked mid-meltdown, or tried to stay funny while exhausted, this one will feel familiar. Subscribe, share it with your favorite travel buddy, and leave a review so more anxious travelers can find us.

Welcome to Dead Mom Scavenger Hunt

Holla at us with questions or comments:

Email: dmshpod@gmail.com
Insta: @deadmomscavengerhunt
Follow us on Facebook!

Christmas IG: @drugstorecowgirljewelry
Cara IG: @cara.steinmann

OR you can get all the uncut video and audio if you join us on Patreon. See you there!