During my caching adventures over the past seven 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 Kentucky and maybe make you “stop and smell the roses” too.
N 36° 36.ABC
A = Kentucky is one of (A) U.S. states to officially use the term commonwealth, which it inherited from Virginia.
B = The U.S. Treasury Gold Vault was established at Fort Knox in 193(B).
C = Kentucky is estimated to be (C)79 miles long and 140 miles wide.
Checksum ABC = 13
W 083° 42.DEF
D = Kentucky is subdivided into 12(D) counties, the largest being Pike County at 787.6 square miles, and the most populous being Jefferson County.
E = The lowest point in Kentucky is the Mississippi River coming in at 25(E) feet above sea level.
F = In 17(F)2, after nine conventions to discuss the separation from Virginia, Kentucky was made a separate state and was admitted to the Union as the fifteenth state.
Checksum DEF = 16
Some interesting tidbits about Kentucky:
State Capital – Frankfort
Largest City – Louisville
State Nickname – "Bluegrass State"
State Slogan – "Kentucky: Unbridled Spirit"
State Song – “My Old Kentucky Home”
State Bird – Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
State Flower – Goldenrod (Soldiago gigantea)
State Tree – Tulip Poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) recently changed
State Flag – Placed on a navy blue field is the seal and words "Commonwealth of Kentucky". The two friends shaking hands, a pioneer and a statesman, represent all the people. They are acting out the meaning of Kentucky's motto: "United We Stand; Divided We Fall". Sprays of the state flower (goldenrod) extend in a half circle around the picture. Flag adopted 1918 amended in 1928 & 1962.
The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the country. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first Saturday in May.
The first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant owned and operated by Colonel Sanders is located in Corbin.
I would like to thank Selina Wagnor Mother of MaddieCacheGrabber and Blondvoodoo for being my sponsor for State of the Nation – Kentucky and of course MaddieCacheGrabber and Blondvoodoo for helping me place this gem.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.
As always, enjoy.