At the posted coordinates you will find a plaque commemorating the northern end of a highway network linking the Canadian Prairies with the Gulf of Mexico. The "Pine to Palm Highway" begins in Winnipeg and ends in New Orleans, Louisiana (or vice versa).
Before Canada and the United States adopted a numbered system for naming their highways (and before the Manitoba portion was named after Lord Selkirk), the route was called the Jefferson Highway. U.S. President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from France in 1803 – a territory consisting of all lands west of the Mississippi River that drain into the Gulf of Mexico. From the Mississippi’s mouth at New Orleans, this territory spanned north to the edge of the Red River’s watershed. Since the continuous roadway spanned the approximate length of the territory Jefferson purchased (and then some), it was originally named after him, before “Pine to Palm” grew in popularity.
To find this cache, read the plaque at the posted coordinates and solve for N49° 5A.BCD’ W097° 0D.ABE, where:
- A = The first digit in the fifth paragraph.
- B = The first digit in the first paragraph.
- C = The product of the two digits in the City Route number of the highway commemorated on the plaque (look to the northeast).
- D = The second digit of the year in the fourth paragraph.
- E = The final digit in the third paragraph.
I extend a special welcome to any U.S. cachers who visit this site upon their completion of the Jefferson Highway Challenge.
Congratulations to rurbonas for the FTF!
Congratulations to spotamelia for finding your first cache!
And a special hello to byonke, owners of the Jefferson Highway Challenge, who found this cache on July 11, 2015. An honour to welcome you.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on GeoChecker.com.