WAGONWHEEL WEDNESDAYS: IDAHO

For those of you who know the alphabet and states inside out, you may be wondering, "what about Hawaii?" Well, I haven't been. It's one of two states (HI and Alaska) that have never received Alex's presence. Once I go to Hawaii, I'll Wagonwheel about it right away. Ooh you like that? Wagonwheel is now a verb too.

I'm going to introduce a new element to our Wagonwheel Wednesdays. Before I even give you my account of the state, I'll show you the state flag, the most recent state license plate and offer you a few fun facts. I know, I know, I'm a kind motherfucker.

FLAG



That flag looks sort of like the PA flag, at least in color scheme. It's fine. Very flag-like. Nothing wild. The license plate is a bit nicer though



Priceless how it says "scenic." Luckily for the plate creators, the scenic part is true. Idaho is a breathtaking state... But before I tell you why, how about some more fun facts?

Nickname: The Gem State and also The Spud State (for the potatoes not the old Bud dog)

Size: 14th Biggest in Area, 39th Biggest in Population (not a very good ratio)

Entrance to Union: July 3, 1890, 43rd State... So in Idaho they celebrate July 3rd and July 4th. Damn, I need to check that out next year.

State Flower: I don't care

State Bird: I don't care... but Hugs will be mad if I don't care, and today is his birthday (Happy 4 year old birthday Huggie!) so let's see... Mountain bluebird...

State Dance: Since when do states have dances? Amazing... It's the square dance. Not a bad one.

Now onto Idaho, from Alex perspective...

I've always loved Idaho's shape, even as a wee one. So it was great finally getting to visit. I've been to Idaho twice now. Well really once, but two separate times in the same trip. Once on my way to Montana and once leaving Montana on my way to Washington. Although Idaho has no true national parks (but does have some national monuments and national scenic areas, etc), it's a lovely state with several breathtaking drives and sights to please the eyeballs. From the canyons carved by the snake river to Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho is worth more than just a state to drive through. It's a destination. Ha, that's lame, I know.

Boise isn't a half bad city. On my way from Wyoming, my car began to go a bit nuts. I made it to the Volvo dealer in Boise just in time (really the only Volvo dealer within hundreds of miles). They gave me a ride to the hotel and picked me up in the morning. I think I got sun-tan lotion or something in my eye because as I walked around Boise, the damn thing began to water and sting and puff. I dripped some Visine into it and it returned to normal. So the first few hours in Boise, I couldn't really see shit. But once I could see, I was pleasantly surprised. Don't get me wrong, Boise will never be confused with New York. But by rural Northwest (but not coastal WA or Oregon Northwest) standards it's pretty impressive. I even ate at a Thai restaurant. How fucking global of them.

On my second swing through Idaho, I only shot through the panhandle. I was a bit nervous about this part because I went through Coeur d'Alene, which is one of the white supremacist capitals of the country. Aryan Nation or something had a compound here. I was fine though. The panhandle's pretty great. Maybe the best panhandle in the United States. During one stretch, the Interstate just shoots through the mountains, the road a mere tightrope above nature. I think we may've encountered hail.

Also worth mentioning is that Built to Spill is from here. Great band if you haven't heard. Oh and the potatoes! I stopped in this tiny town and had a mammoth potatoe stuffed with butter and cheese. Then I had another. I knew Idaho exported a ton of potatoes but they can cook the hell out of one too. It's worth visiting just for that.

Now let's see if I can remember the routes I took...