The Incredible, Edible Potato

The Idaho state welcome sign signaled that Utah had ended and The Gem State was beginning. Oh, and yes, Idaho is famous for something else besides spuds. I haven't figured out this gem thing, but if there are gems to go along with the potatoes in this here ground, it's got to be a great place! The countryside was a serious of beautiful rolling mountains and expansive valleys. I could almost see the Jolly Green Giant standing here. On the journey north, I passed a huge Army Surplus store cruising up I-15 and spotted a few vintage World War 2 surplus Jeeps displayed. They were the classic green model with a star on the hood with knobby looking tires, folding windshield and spare fuel container. Wow, I sure would love to have one of those babies. Maybe I could put a machine gun on the back and play Rat Patrol. I used to have a Rat Patrol lunch box when I was a kid.

I hadn't ever given much thought to Idaho, except when in the grocery store to purchase potatoes. Andy Rooney once complained on the back end of a 60 Minutes broadcast that if a state was any good, you shouldn't have to advertise it on the license plates in some type of catchy phrase or slogan. In his usual nasal delivery he groused "Imagine living in Idaho where you just got a brand new Cadillac and you have to have a license plate that says Famous Potatoes..." Mr. Rooney, these are no small potatoes here and you just have to come to see the famous kingdom.

Well, that potato harvest is going on right now. There is some serious digging going on here. Potatoes are flying everywhere. Or "potatoe" as Dan Quayle would spell it. He definitely wasn't from Idaho. Truck after truck hauling 53 feet of carbo heaven are streaming out of the state to every kind of potato processing situation you can think of. Makers of potato chips, soups, foods and...yes, the prized oblong Idaho baking potato are heading to the open arms of manufacturers and groceries all across America. What appears to remain after all the digging, is the richest looking black soil you've ever seen in miles of fields waiting for the next planting season. If you are a fan of the white carbohydrate wonder, you need to be here. I would imagine the kids here don't play with a fake plastic "Mr. Potato Head". Get your starchies in abundance in potato ground zero.

I had a Wal-Mart store sign to deliver to a supercenter just outside of Idaho Falls. It's amazing regarding the variety of freight I carry. If it fits on the truck, I'll take it....to where ever you point me. As long as doesn't fill up the entire cargo hold and is named Enola Gay. Delivery made, I stopped at a small Flying J not far away in Blackfoot. It wasn't a big travel center like a lot of them, but had all the services and goods that a driver needs on the road. The Blackfoot and Bannock Indian Tribes are native to the area and some of the folks working here appeared to be of Native American decent. The staff here was very welcoming and accommodating. The manager dropped what he was doing to assist me with the internet connection. Christina, the cashier, surprised me by saying "today is your lucky day" and presented me with a free shower coupon worth $10 when I attempted to purchase a cleanup. This was a much appreciated freebie.

I had achieved down time and made myself comfortable at a booth table in the store and opened my map to survey the area when I realized how close I actually was to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks just over the Wyoming line. The exit was just up the highway. I asked my manager friend if he ever went to the parks and he nonchalantly replied, "yeah, we just put the kids in the car and drive over.." I replied Just driver over? "Yeah, just drive over" he repeated. "We go all the time" Dang, how great could it be to live in such a wonderful scenic place to begin with and "just driver over to one of the most revered of all national parks?" A) I wish I had the time to go over there right now, and B) I wish they would let me bring a diesel truck in. I will return here someday, even if they have to wheel me in using a hospital gurney with medical equipment.

The area around the truck stop was quite compact and a enjoyable walking distance from Wal-Mart and a number of other stores worth poking around in.

As much as I liked Blackfoot, Saturday college football was calling and the truck stop down the road in McCammon promised a big screen TV room according to my national truck stop book. I bid my new found friends in Blackfoot farewell and jumped down to the other stop.

The one thing about truckers is that they will talk to their fellow drivers as if they're co-workers or friends you might see around town. Nobody exchanges names or contact information. The chances are usually slim that you'll meet up with a guy you talked to down the road...unless you're on a dedicated route and travel the same roads all the time. I did however have a long conversation with Idaho resident driver, Rick at the McCammon, ID Flying J. As I puffed on my pipe at the concrete picnic table, I learned all about the climate here along with how to handle the mountain driving in snow to the transformation of the brown mountains to a lush green scenery in the Spring after a Winter of snow. We traded stories about our personal lives and the places we had been as truckers. The cool autumn breeze tempered the bright Idaho sunshine before the setting sun rendered short sleeves too uncomfortable to be sitting out. I wished Rick a good night and headed to the bunk in my truck. This would be a night for sweats and a blanket.

Another Monday arrived, and it was another week out. This 7 days would start here in Idaho and take me back to Utah and on to a part of Colorado that I had never been too. Parachute, Colorado? Is that really a town? Yes, and Rifle, Colorado is right up the road. Idaho is a great place. There are great people here. It is now on my esteemed list of preferred states for the scenery and people who live there.