There is a great article about Mr. Prokudin-Gorsky on Wikipedia. I encourage you to read it all, but if you are going to solve this puzzle with kids or save time you may read just two important sections that will make the solving more enjoyable: “The three-color principle” and “Documentary of the Russian Empire”. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Mikhailovich_Prokudin-Gorskii
The cache listing coordinates are also can be used for parking.
Please be respectful of the posted park hours. If you enter the park after hours you are trespassing. If you are stopped you can be ticketed or arrested and will put the future of geocaching in the parks in jeopardy.
This cache is placed with a permission of the Fairfax County Park Authority and conforms to all park regulations for the placement of geocaches.
Now, to the puzzle.
You are solving AB CD.EFG HIJ KL.MNO. To do that you need to find photos from the collection and count something there (and do some trivial math) per my instructions.
Each instruction starts with a number in square brackets. This is the number of a photo in the Library of Congress, so you can quickly find it there. Here is the link to the search page: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=prok But I do not recommend to use this approach as there is more fun way.
There is a wonderful site that is dedicated to the collection with categorization, digital image restoration and even comparison of original photos to present time pictures of same scenes. Digital restorations might help you finding answers: http://prokudin-gorsky.org/?lang=en Use search to find images by their names.
A. [20542] Find the photo "Three generations. A.P. Kalganov with son and granddaughter. The last two work in the shops of the Zlatoust plant". Count number of buttons on the jacket of Mr. Kalganov's son.
B. [20761] Find the picture "City of Tobolsk from the northeast. In the distance one can see the confluence of the Tobol and Irtysh Rivers". Count number of windows on the side of the building on the foreground of the photo and multiply by 2. (Check out the photo comparison to see the same place 100 years later).
C. [21026] Find the picture "Woodcutters [in the estuary of Vytegra] River". Count number of people on the photo.
D. [20747] Find the photo “Night camp by a rock on the bank of the Chusovaia”. Count number of people with covered heads. Deduct 1. This is your D.
E. [20245] Find the photo “On the handcar outside Petrozavodsk on the Murmansk railway”. Count number of people.
F. [21123] Find the photo “Spinning yarn. In the village of Izvedovo”. Deduct number of people on the picture from 9. This is your F.
G. [20458] Find the photo “[Steam engine Ab 132 at the Samara-Zlatoust Railway]”. How many people do you see there? This would be your G.
H. [21640, 21479, 21477] Find the picture "Mosque in Vladikavkaz". Count number of minarets. Count number of people on either of pictures "Dagestani types [Village of Arakani]". Deduct your first number from the second and you will get H.
I. [20739] Find the photo “Peasant hut in the village of Martianova/ [Chusovaia River]”. Count number of windows (ground floor) in the hut and add 1.
J. [20858] Find the photo “Steamer Tiumen of the Ministry of Communication and Transportation”. Count people on the upper deck outside wheelhouse including kids.
K. [20190] Find the picture "‘Steam engine "Kompaund" with a Schmidt super-heater’ [at the depot in Perm]". Count number of people on the picture.
L. [20341] Find ”Group of railroad construction participants [on the pier in Kem-Pristan]”. Count number of people with not covered heads.
M. [20955] Find the image "Crew of the steamship "Sheksna" of the M.P.S. [Ministry of Communication and Transportation. In the town of Vytegra]". Count number of people sitting.
N. [20279] Find picture "Austrian prisoners of war near a barrack [near Kondopoga village]". Count number of prisoners who are not sitting. Add 1 to the result to get your N.
O. [21600] Find the picture “View of Tiflis from the grounds of Saint David Church”. How many mosques are there? This would be your O.
Check your answers here: GeoChecker.com
