BYU emphasized this year that they didn't want to do one in Chicago like prior years, and they had had problems in the past with several people showing up at the exact same time right when the drop happens in prior years. So they wanted it to be "recognizable but unpredictable" for people. People interpret that phrase differently, I'm sure, but I thought long and hard about it.

I know the drop location looks like a farm like any other, but everyone in the area that's lived there for more than a month is familiar with this area. It was hard to get a perfect shot of it, but there is a water park behind a petting zoo, and it was definitely unpredictable but recognizable IMO. The helmet rested on the top of the only sledding hill I'm aware of in town (a good 20 feet!). I was a little worried there would be some fans camping out there - it was one of the first places mentioned by our friends when they guessed where it might be, which kind of surprised me. And no, nobody but my wife and BYU knew about the location choice before the drop, although it still only took the winner ~12 minutes to get there. We also considered a popular ice cream place, a historic fountain in a park (but the fountain is of a Native American - too much like the Utes), and the local "Y."

Anyway, yes, you've probably noticed that some of the drop locations have been a little different. A little harder to find. That's just how the game has changed a little this year, per BYU's request. Personally, I prefer this to the intrigue of a random tourist running into the box as he passes by the Bean in Chicago.