Welcome to Idaho! My mom, aunts and uncles have been travelling since last week with their final destination to be Idaho. My aunt has an iPhone and she has been sending me pictures of stuff they see along the way. They travelled up through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska (hi Julie Cole), South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana and should be in Idaho today. Whew! Here they are below at the border sign. The other photo was while they were driving.
Now, lets stay on track here. What do you think when I say Idaho? Did you say potatoes? That's the first thing that popped into my head. They even have a page HERE that will give you recipes for the Idaho Potato. As I have been researching Idaho at this site, I have become completely peaceful. All those pictures of lakes and rivers, hikers, kayakers, and horseback riding- you can't help but feel like if you go to Idaho, you are going to relax. This looks like a place for the country girl in me. But before we plan any trips to Idaho I have to tell you, I do not camp! Y'all better find me a hotel! From just the little that I read up on Idaho, think Lewis and Clark Expedition. Think geographic diversity. If you were tired of the hustle and bustle of the city, I think this is the place you would go to get away from it all. Ah, the wilderness.
Idaho ranks 39th in population so I'm guessing that leaves a lot of land to roam. They say that if you were to flatten Idaho out it would be as big as Texas. That's a lot of vertical space for you mountain climbers.
Fun facts for Idaho are: The Appaloosa is the state horse, the state flower is the Syringa and the state fish is the Cutthroat Trout.
I really hope some of you Idahoans chime in and let us know your favorite areas. So, calling on all Idahoans to meet on- you know it- the Potato Deck on Friday, May 30th so you can tell us what makes Idaho the Taste of USA!
But we're not done yet. Let's head on over to Alaska and.... ah, more wilderness! Let's start with the fun facts. The state flower is the Wild Native Forget-Me-Not, the state insect is the Four Spot Skimmer Dragon and the state fish is the King Salmon. Hmmm.... does anyone think that the King Salmon makes Idaho's Trout look kind of wimpy?
And let me tell you, Alaska is not for the wimpy, aka- me! Alaska is the largest state in area and I do mean large. It's twice the size of Texas (remember I told you we were the second largest) and everything is bigger in Texas! And as large as it is, it ranks 48th in population. There are a lot of wimps out there in the rest of the US. Anchorage is the largest city with Juneau, the capital, the second largest followed by Fairbanks. The rest of the top 10 largest cities in Alaska all come in populated at 8,000 and less.
Did you know that the US purchased Alaska from Russia way back in 1867 for $7.2million dollars but it didn't become an official state until 1959.
Dog mushing is the official sport in Alaska. The events are held from October through March. If you're going to plan a trip to Alaska, check out this site. It's a real adventure state with camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking and more. I think I'll take the cruise. I know, I know. Wimp!
Alaska's geographic position has some crazy sun issues. During the summer solstice, parts of Alaska have 18-21 hours of sun. Barrow gets 24 hours of sun. And all that crazy sun lends a hand to farming some extraordinary vegetables! They grow twice their regular sizes in Alaska. And just the opposite happens on the winter solstice. You get just a few hours of dim light and then lights out folks. I find the stories about the Northern Lights fascinating. Shades of greens and reds and purple wave through the winter sky. Fairbanks is where you'll want to go and see these to get the brightest of lights.
My favorite quote about Alaska as I have been reading is, "the 'family car' has wings" and if it's anything like I see on tv those don't have landing gear with wheels! It's those crazy, land on water planes! If you want wilderness, and wild animals and lots of adventure, then Alaska is for you.
All Alaskans should report to the Last Frontier deck on Friday, May 30th and tell us about what makes Alaska the Taste of USA!
Don't forget. If you're not from Idaho or Alaska but have a story to share, go ahead and do that today!
3 comments:
My husband's (who is one of 11 children) parents (His dad 1 of 12) are from Idaho and still have a 200-acre farm there (they escape the TX heat yearly). So with all that being said I can go on record and say that Idaho is home to hundreds of Yochums. Hi Yochums out there tuning in!
I've never been to Idaho or Alaska (and much like Cheryl would probably only do so for a short visit in a HOTEL!).
I would LOVE to live anywhere that gets 24 hours of sun a day but would definitely not want to be there for the season of no sun.
In 4th grade, I picked Alaska as my state to report on to the class. I was so upset b/c I thought it was the worst state ever! However, I have developed a real appreciation for the state after doing research. It is VERY HIGH on my places to visit before I die list. Hopefully I can get there in the near future.
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