Madonna (The Anti -Material Girl) Locationless (Reverse) Cache
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Madonna (The Anti -Material Girl)
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ADMIN!: GETTING COORDSA salute to the geo-caching mothers who faithfully dog the trails with babes in tow. (Anonymous tribute to local cacher).
When you think of Madonna, you probably think of an angelic Italian religious figure or the brassy pop Hollywood icon.
Our Madonna, a stoic, 18-foot mother statue, stands outside the Bethesda post office near the corner of Montgomery Lane and Wisconsin Avenue.
She's the epitome of the American pioneer woman—strong, courageous, capable and able to fend for herself and her family.
Rifle in hand, she carries a child on her hip and has another by her side as she slogs through the mud to help blaze the western trail.
Known as the Madonna of the Trail, the statue is a tribute to the pioneer mothers and women everywhere. Dedicated in 1929, it's one of 12 identical statues scattered across the United States—one in each state along the old "Wilderness Path."
The route—made up of many trails linked together—later became the Old Trails National Road. Also known as U.S. Route 40, or the National Road, it was once the Main Street of the nation.
Why was the statue placed in Bethesda? Because its location is a significant historical site, the place where pioneers who began their journey in Georgetown spent their first night on the Wilderness Path.
Two panels on each of the 12 Madonna statues describe the importance of its location. Together they tell the story of the westward movement of our people across the United States.
Why Madonna?
It all started in 1909, when a group of Missouri women wanted to mark the old Sante Fe Trail.
Two years later, a national committee was formed by the Missouri DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) to commemorate a national memorial highway across the continent.
Although World War I delayed the project, ideas for the memorials were plentiful. One was to paint all the poles along the entire transcontinental road red, white and blue. A Missouri DAR leader, Mrs. John Trigg Moss, came up with the unusual idea of the Madonna statues.
The days of the covered wagon are long gone, but the spirit of the pioneer mother lives on.
Find one of the other Madonnas. Same rules apply as for all locationless. Only 1 to a customer and the same 1 can NOT be logged twice. Include a photo of yourself and/or GPS with the Madonna. Log coordinates and town, state found. Photos can not be old vacation shots or internet downloads.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Orgurfqn, ZQ, Jvfpbafva Nirahr naq Byq Trbetrgbja Eq
Jnfuvatgba, CN
Jurryvat, JI, Angvbany Ujl 40
Fcevatsvryq, BU, Fcnatyre Cnex
Evpuzbaq, VA, Tyra Zvyyre Cnex, HF 40 Rnfg naq A 22 Fg.
Inaqnyvn, VY
Yrkvatgba, ZB
Pbhapvy Tebir, XF, Havba naq Znva Fgerrg.
Ynzne, PB
Nyohdhredhr, AZ
Fcevatreivyyr, NM
Hcynaq, PN, Sbbguvyy Obhyrineq naq Rhpyvq Nirahr