During my caching adventures over the past five plus years now I
have traveled throughout the Country with a new perspective. Not
like I used to… before I would travel around and not even
take a second look at the city or state I was in. I have always
traveled for work and pleasure but never took the time to
“see” where I was going. I would hit a town do my work
and go back to the hotel and sit in my room clicking the clicker
until the wee hours of the morning or go to the “one”
spot and miss everything else around me.
Now, with every new town and state I pass through it is
refreshing. I thrive on the new treasures I see… monuments I
would have whizzed by. They are now new nuggets of knowledge, vista
points I would have passed by without a blink are now postcard
images burned in my mind, and side streets of towns are secret
treasures that only non tourists find. Geocaching has made me stop
and smell the roses.
Hopefully, this little puzzle will help enlighten you on the
State of New Mexico and maybe make you “stop and smell the
roses” too.
N 35° 22.ABC
A = New Mexico was the (A)7th
state in the United States and became a state on January 6,
1912.
B = The ballad, "Land of
Enchantment-New Mexico", words and music by Martin Murphy, Chick
Raines and Don Cook, was adopted as the official state ballad of
New Mexico in 198(B).
C = The highest point in New Mexico is
Wheeler Peak coming in at 13,1(C)1 feet above sea
level.
W 109° 02.DEF
D = 0
E = 1
F = New Mexico's Great Seal has its
origins in the 18(F)1 formation of the Territory of New
Mexico. The territorial seal featured an American eagle, and the
words "Great Seal of the Territory NM". By the early 1860's, the
Territory of New Mexico had adopted a seal that showed the wings of
the American eagle protectively stretching out over a smaller
Mexican eagle. The motto "Crescit Eundo", or "It grows as it goes",
was added in 1882, and displays on a banner below the eagles. When
New Mexico gained statehood in 1912, the seal was amended to read
"Great Seal of the State of New Mexico", and the date of its
statehood, 1912, was added to the bottom arc of the
seal.
Some interesting tidbits about New Mexico:
State Capital – Santa Fe
Largest City – Albuquerque
State Nickname – Land of Enchantment
State Motto – "Crescit eundo" - It grows as it
goes
State Song – O, Fair New Mexico
State Bird – Roadrunner (Geococcyx
californianus)
State Flower – Yucca (Genus Yucca)
State Tree – Piñon Tree or Nut Pine (Pinus
edulis)
State Gem – Turquoise
State Flag – The official state flag of New Mexico
was chosen from a flag competition in 1920 (the competition was
held to replace an older New Mexico flag). The winner was Dr. Harry
Mera, a doctor and archeologist from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Dr.
Mera's design is an interpretation of an ancient Sun symbol called
a Zia (this symbol was found on a water jar made in the late 1800's
in Zia Pueblo). Since four is a sacred number for the Zia, there
are four rays coming from each side of the stylized Sun. The colors
red and yellow are used because they were the colors of the flag of
the Spanish conquistadors who went to New Mexico in the early
1500's.
The Bandera Ice Cave in the northwest region of New Mexico
offers a real experience in contrast often called the Land of Fire
and Ice. Situated on the Continental Divide you walk through the
twisted, old-growth Juniper, Fir and Ponderosa Pine trees, over the
ancient lava trail to the Ice Cave. Here the natural layers of ice
glisten blue-green in the reflected rays of sunlight. Another trail
winds around the side of the Bandera Volcano to view one of the
best examples of a volcanic eruption in the country.
I would like to thank huizingageo
for being my sponsor for State of the Nation – New Mexico and
Congratulations to blambson78 for the
FTF!
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.
As always, enjoy.