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Mother, son score third Yule Log discovery

Eli Pace
epace@steamboatpilot.com
Mirko Erspamer and Lynne Romeo stand outside the Tread of Pioneers Museum after finding the Yule Log. The pair has made hunting for the log one of their favorite Christmas past-times and has now found it for the third time.
Tread of Pioneers Museum/Courtesy photo

For the third straight year, the mother-son duo of Lynne Romeo and Mirko Erspamer found the Yule Log, giving the pair a nice early Christmas present and the hat trick they badly wanted.

Discovering the log at 9:10 a.m. in front of the Depot Art Center, behind the sign and by the bridge, Romeo, 61, and her 28-year-old son didn’t expected to win the hunt again this year, but they had luck on their side, she said.

“You have to be clever to figure out the clues, but you also have to have a good dose of luck,” Romeo said.



She admitted that she and her son didn’t get every clue right, but with a strong grasp of local history, good knowledge of the area and a keen eye on the words in each clue, they gleaned each clue and found small pieces in them that led to the log.

Getting out there after Wednesday morning’s snowstorm, the two figured someone else probably beat them to the find. However, Erspamer noticed an area where he didn’t see any footprints in the snow. Upon further investigation, Romeo said, that’s where her son spotted the Yule Log.



“We love doing this,” she said. “We love trying to crack the clues. We didn’t go out so early this year. The storm set everybody back a little bit, but we come from a family of soccer players, and we wanted a hat trick.”

For Romeo, finding the log came as quite the boost. Not only can she and her son claim bragging rights for the past three years, they get the $150 Steamboat Springs Chamber gift card prize and will forever have their names attached to the log that’s been a part of Steamboat’s history for decades.

And they’ve now done it three times in a row.

“I had a silly grin on my face all day thinking about it,” Romeo said. “I could talk about the Yule Log for hours.”

Put on by the Tread of Pioneers Museum, the 2021 Yule Log Hunt began Dec. 8. Clues were released daily, but the log wasn’t placed in its hiding spot until the sixth clue was revealed Wednesday morning.

The plan was to offer a new clue each weekday for up to 10 days, unless the log was found sooner. The clues Romeo and Erspamer used to find the log this year are below.

Clue No. 6

Victim of progress, a sad plight.

Before arrival, what a sight!

Stay the course, don’t derail.

Follow the clues, in detail.

Clue No. 5

Down below, water flows.

Red and white, a rare sight.

Don’t stay too far, or get off track.

Continue on, toward the stack.

Clue No. 4

Decker, Bird, and Bobbitt too.

Climbed atop, and they flew.

Follow the sun, and the rhyme.

Don’t stop now, there’s not much time.

Clue No. 3

M&E to serpent home.

Past the bridge, the seedy roam.

Follow the riddles, find your pleasure.

Don’t give up, there’s hidden treasure.

Clue No. 2

East or West, toward the flow.

Around the bend, on we go.

A rare gem, line of coal.

Stay the path, reach your goal.

Clue No. 1

Mirko and Lynne, once again.

Found the log, for the win.

On the trail, and by the creek.

Solve the clues — we hide, you seek!


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