State Places Challenge -- A to Z

[Mark Sedenquist]

Ye gads! this is turning into a full-fledged challenge.

Hmmmm, that gets me thinking, we could expand the scope of this project by requiring someone to visit all of these places.... (Nah, but it could be fun and would be a great road trip contest....)

I am seriously behind in deadlines today -- but I will be back sometime before Tuesday with a new state.

Mark

[PNW Judy]

Full-fledged challenge is right! Here ya go: A-Z on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. I've been to 23 of 26 locations.

I wanted to only use locations that I've been to but I had to cheat a bit for X-Y-Z. Sorry. And I know the I-entry is stretching it a bit, too. LOL


Amanda Park - Little "blink and you'll miss it" unincorporated "town" on the western edge of Lake Quinault
Bogachiel State Park - Lovely place to camp and hike near Forks, WA. Fishing, too. My husband caught a pretty good sized steelhead here.
Colonel Bob Wilderness - I've hiked in this area but I've never made it to the top of Colonel Bob
Dosewallips State Park - on the eastern side of the peninsula on Hood Canal. Unique in that there are both salt-water and fresh-water activities here. In my youth, I scuba-dived this area. In my dotage, I've just camped there.
Enchanted Valley - Lovely hike there and back and the valley itself really does feel enchanted. I did it when I was about 22. Glad I did it then. I don't think I'd have the gumption now. :-)
Forks - Small town that everybody thought would become a ghost-town after the changes in logging rules in the 80's. Well, it didn't. Nice little place that is truly in the heart of "God's Country" and they've done a good job promoting the natural beauty around them.
Griffiths-Priday State Park - Nice day-use park that is rarely visited so you can park there and walk out to the beaches. The Copalis River gets pretty low and peaceful in the summer so the water gets warmed up and is fun to swim in. The Green Lantern Tavern just down the road has great greasy burgers.
Humptulips - Another little bump-in-the-road a few miles north of me. You can find a few areas to camp on the Humptulips River for free, back in the toolies where nobody will bother you. And there lots of places along the river where it's fun to spend a hot day...good swimming.
Ivar's Acres of Clams - OK, I had to cheat a bit on this one. There are no Ivar's restaurants on the Olympic Peninsula. However, I have eaten at several of them in the Seattle area and I'm positive that some of the clams must come from the Olympic Peninsula. So there!
July Creek - Very nice place at Lake Quinault. It used to be a walk-in campground where we went a lot with the kids when they were little for a night or longer. I don't know why they closed it to camping but it's still a fun place to picnic and play in the water.
Kalaloch Campground - There's a lovely lodge here but we always camp nearby. Beautiful beach.
LaPush - Village in the Quileute Indian Reservation. We've had some great fishing trips here. Just check out the photos on the website. They say it all.
Moclips - Yet another nice, little beach town
Neah Bay - Village on the Makah Indian Reservation that is also known for its fishing. Never fished there but I have camped nearby.
Ozette - This archeology dig has unearthed some amazing treasures. Most can be seen in the lovely museum near Neah Bay. We've done a quick hike here on the boardwalk but haven't spent as much time exploring here as I'd like.
Poulsbo - Charming village with a rich Norwegian heritage. Yeah, I'm cheating a tad here as it's really on the Kitsap Peninsula but since the Kitsap Peninsula juts out from the Olympic Peninsula, I'm taking it. Besides, I love this place and want to promote it more. And I wanted to avoid using the more boring names of Port Angeles, Port Townsend, and Port Hadlock. :-)
Queets River - I've not hiked along the Queets River trails. They aren't well-maintained and are for the true hardcore hiker. I've never been that hardcore. Just inland from the mouth of the river is the village of Queets, a part of the Quinault Indian Nation. Very small...I think only about 200 people or so live there. A few years back I visited several times as they were in the process of building several canoes using the ancient techniques/tools. It was fun to watch the process.
Ruby Beach - Probably my favorite beach in Washington state. Great tidepools and a very rugged place. Just north of the Kalaloch area.
Sol Duc Falls & Hot Springs - Hike to these beautiful falls and then relax in the hot springs to sooth your tired muscles. You can stay at a nice campground or at the resort.
Taholah - Main village and tribal center of the Quinault Indian Nation. I can't believe I'm not finding any good photos online of this village. It sits on the Taholah River, right at the mouth, and on the coast. It's amazing. I used to work out there but I'm guilty of not taking many pictures myself. On nice days, I used to walk across the street from my office and sit on the bank of the river to eat lunch. It was common to see eagles diving for fish. Amazing sight. If I was more energetic, I'd walk about 200 yards out to the beach for awhile. Very rugged and beautiful beach. Ah, well...maybe I'll get out there soon and take some photos to post.
Union - Just a blink on the road with a gas station/mini-mart. But I've driven through it numerous times. :-)
Victoria Express Passengers Ferry - A ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I usually take the car ferry over so we can explore the island but some years back my husband was playing in a slo-pitch tournament in Port Angeles. Some of the other wives and I got bored watching them so we took the ferry over to Victoria and played in the city. It was a great day!
Wynooche Falls - Partway down that page is a picture of the falls. We've camped out at the campground several times in the past and have hiked around the falls and the immediate area. The campground is rustic with just vault toilets. It's beautiful and quiet. Worth visiting.
Xanadu Grill, Sequim - OK, I'm cheating again. I've never actually eaten here but it's the only X-place I can find on the entire Olympic Peninsula. Sequim is a small town. I've been there numerous times. I'm pretty sure I've probably driven by the Xanadu at some point so I'm gonna use it anyway. I'll try to check it out the next time I'm up that way.
Yahoo Lake - Part of the Olympic Experimental Forest on that page. It's the only Y-name I could find. Never been there either...heck, I'd never even heard of it before...so I'm cheating again.
Zak's, Port Angeles - See bottom of page under "Z". OK, another cheat. Same reasoning as the Xanadu Grill (see above).

Well, the stakes have been raised and I'm throwing down the gauntlet again. Who is up for it?

[Click here for the index to states]

[Mark Sedenquist]

Judy,

I like the sounds of those places (even if you did fudge it a bit...)

Any photos of Ruby Beach?

Mark

[PNW Judy]

All Ruby Beach...my husband and Baby, our wonder dog, is in the distance in a few. And, of course, a close-up of Baby because she's such a cutie. :-)


Tidepool




Haystack




My Baby playing with a stick, chasing it in-and-out of the water...believe me, she's in doggie heaven!

[AZBuck]

Where I was born. And since I'll be returning to my birth place this summer for the first time in xx years, I've been doing a little research.

Amana Colonies: A unique collection of communities
Balloons Over Iowa: Including annual races
Clear Lake: Site of last performance by Holly, Valens and Richardson the day the music died
Des Moines Art Center: World-class art, including Matisse and O'Keefe
Effigy Mounds National Monument : 200 mounds built over 2 millenia
Field of Dreams: Dyersville - They built it. Will you come?
Glenn Miller Birthplace: In Clarinda
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site: His birthplace, presidential library, and grave
Ice Cream: Le Mars and Plymouth County claim to be the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Reason enough for a visit
Jefferson Telephone Company Museum: Before wireless, before pulse tones, even before rotary dials
Keokuk Geodes: World-renowned rocks
Loess Hills Scenic Byway: Loess is the geologic term for the fine dust deposited by the last glaciers
Minor League Baseball: The Iowa Cubs. Wonder where these future Major Leaguers are headed
Nelson Pioneer Farm and Museum: Family farm of 1800's and turn-of-the-century stores
Old Threshers Reunion: Antique farm machinery as far as the eye can see
Pella: A little bit of the Netherlands in the heartland
Quad Cities: Two of which, Davenport and Bettendorf, are in Iowa
Riverboat Gambling: Iowa initiated its modern revival
Silos and Smokestacks: A national heritage area for hands-on learning
Trainland, USA: For all us boys who never grew up
Union Grove State Park: Picnic by the lake, bring your own boat
Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum: Celebrating one of Iowa's many groups of immigrants
Wabash Trace Nature Trail: A 60 mi. trail through southwest Iowa
Xenophobes Beware: James Tiberius Kirk will be born here in just over 200 years
Yellow River State Forest: Camping, fishing, hiking and other activities in a forest restored from farmland
Zoo: of a different kind at Iowa State University

Peter Thody's 2008 Field report about Iowa

[click here for an index of the states]

[Mark Sedenquist]

Continuing in the theme of Idaho places I have been to….

(Photo by Craig Antill)
A – Atomic City (Very close to EBR-1, near Idaho Falls)
B – Bonners Ferry (near Fox Farm -- one of Marvin’s favorite campgrounds)
C – Coeur d’Alene (gorgeous lake and fun place to hang-out in the summer)
D – Denver (Technically, I couldn’t find this place – it is on a dirt road near US-95 and I drove around for a while – but I couldn’t find it).
E – Eagle Island State Park (near Boise).
F – Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (I used a kayak for most of this trip).
G – Gospel Hump Wilderness (this is south of Elk City, which is the closest I reached).
H – Hells Canyon (I love the drive that skirts the edge of this canyon!)
I – Island Park Reservoir (west of US-20 near West Yellowstone)
J – Jumpoff Peak (9045 elev, northeast of Arco)
K – Kootenai (just up the road from Sandpoint, on the edge of Lake Pend Oreille)
L – Lost River Range (a set of mountains that parallels the Lemhi Range west of Idaho Falls)
M – McCall (home to several river rafting friends)
N – Nez Perce National Historic Park (our field report from 1996)
O – Old Beaver (Another place I couldn’t physically find – but it located adjacent to I-15, north of Spencer)
P – Post Falls (I spent a few weeks here, a couple of summers ago).
Q – Queen Mountain (6112 elev, just west of the Moyie River near the Canadian border)
R – Red River (another double pointer! Near Elk City)
S – Salmon River (I have floated parts of the main and middle fork)
T – Twin Falls, (US-93, near the Hagerman Fossil Beds NM)
U – Ulysses Mountain (7,649 elev) just west of the North Fork of the Salmon River
V – Vance Mountain (8,793 elev, Smack in the middle of the Bitterroots, hard to get there!)
W – Wahoo Peak (7,682 elev, even harder to reach than Vance Mountain!)
X – [Still thinking, thinking, thinking]
Y – Yellowjacket (near the Yellowjacket Ranch, I was near here on wildfire in the 1970’s)
Z – Zaza (pretty hard to get there – southeast of Lewiston, in the Craig Mountains)

[click here for an index to the states]

[Midwest Michael]

Take 2 - As Internet Explorer decided to make a Fatal Error as I was finishing up my last attempt.

Apostle Islands - WI's only National Lakeshore.
Brewery Tours - Pick a city, and you can probably find one!
Capitol - Modern State Capitol Features the only Granite Dome in the US
Door County - The End of the Peninsula
EAA - Experimental Aircraft Museum and Annual Fly-In in Oshkosh
Fox Cities Stadium - Minor League Ballpark in Appleton, Home to NCAA D3 National Championship.
Grandad Bluff - An Excellent Spot to View the Mississippi River Valley
Horicon Marsh - National Wildlife Refuge
Ice Age National Scenic Trail - A 1,000 mile of hiking trail!
Julia Belle Swain - Riverboat Based in LaCrosse
Kringle - Racine's Number One Danish
Lambeau Field - Some Football Team Plays Here
Mount Horeb Mustard Museum - Its just what it says it is!
Noah's Arc - One of Many Huge Waterparks in Wisconsin Dells.
Oktoberfest - Annual German Celebration in Milwaukee, LaCrosse, and many other towns.
Pendarvis - Historic Mining Village in Mineral Point
Queen - LaCrosse Queen Riverboat
Ripon - Birthplace of the Republican Party
State Street - Pedestrian Mall From the Capitol to the University in Madison.
Trails - 42 State Trails for Biking, Cross Country Skiing, hiking, etc
University of Wisconsin Arboretum
Vilas Louis - Historic Mansion and Museum on the Mississippi River in Prairie du Chien
Waterfall Tour in Marrientte County - 14 Separate Waterfalls in NE WI
X - County Road X, part of Rustic Road 97 and Rustic Road 44
Yellowstone Lake State Park - Manmade Lake with good fishing and camping.
Zoo - Several Free Zoo's including the Vilas Zoo in Madison

[Click here for an index of the states]

[AZBuck]

I went to High School outside Baltimore, and later discovered the charms of the Eastern Shore

Antietam National Battlefield: The bloodiest single day in American history
Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge: Another Delmarvalous stop on the Atlantic Flyway
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum: A great place to start your visit to the Bay
Dolphin Encounter: at the National Aquarium in Baltimore
Elk Neck State Park: Camping at the head of the Chesapeake
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine: O say can you see...
Garrett County: Maryland's mountain retreat
Heritage Areas: of unique culture and special geographic traits
Inner Harbor: Baltimore's showcase attraction
Janes Island State Park: Miles of isolated shorelines and peaceful solitude
Kent Island: Boating, history and nature
Lacrosse Museum and National Hall of Fame: If you've already been to Cooperstown and Canton
Mudd House: in Waldorf, where John Wilkes Booth had his broken leg set
National Road: As a RoadTripper, pay homage to America's first highway
Orioles: The state bird in more ways than one
Potomac River: Scenery and history, running nearly the length of the state
Quaint Towns: Are everywhere on the Eastern Shore
Radio & Television Museum: Bowie. The hardware, not the content
St. Mary's City: Where Maryland started in 1634
Thrasher Carriage Museum: Horse drawn vehicles of all types in the Alleghenies
United States Naval Academy: Historic school in a great walking city
Vienna: One of those out-of-the-way treasures we're always seeking
Whitehaven Ferry: Can carry 2-3 cars across the Wicomico River outside Salisbury
Xanadu Philodendrons: are on display at many of Maryland's gardens
Youghiogheny Scenic & Wild River: Maryland's first designated wild river
Zipper: Just one of the more than 100 amusement rides that makes Ocean City such fun

[click here for an index of the states]

[W. Larrison]

I started this last week, but left my list and worked on this with a scrap of paper while backpacking this weekend. Ended up with 2 lists, which are here combined..

(Photo by Craig Antill)
A1 - Anacapa Island, one of the islands in the Channel Islands National Park you can visit and camp on
A2 - Anza Borrego Desert State Park, the largest of the California State Parks
B1 - Big Sur,
B2 - Balboa Park, in the center of San Diego, home of the San Diego Zoo and a dozen other musuems and galleries
C1 - Carmel, very scenic town and area in Central California on the Coast
C2 - Castle Craigs State Park, very dramatic 6000' high granite peaks. Most people just zoom past these on I-5 near Dunsmuir.
D1 - Disneyland,
D2 - Death Valley National Park
E1 - El Camino Real -- The "Kings Road" which became US 101, and is still marked from mission to mission
E2 - Escondido -- Home of the San Diego Wild Animal Park, as well as several wineries and an interesting scuplture garden
F1 - Fallaron Islands off the coast of San Francisco,
F2 - Fort Ross - An old Russian settlement along the coast of California, now a state historic park
G1 - Gold Country, where the 49's flooded in to find gold
G2 - Golden Gate Bridge
H1 - Hearst Castle
H2 - Hollywood
I1 - Indio, in the Mojave Dessert near Palm Springs, home of the US National Date Festival (area is largest producer of dates)
I2 - Iron Mountains, a mountain range near Dessert Center in the Mojave and home of some old abandoned mining towns
J1 - Jalama Beach, an isolated beach north of Santa Barbara (and county park)
J2 - Joshua Tree National Park
K1 - Kramer's Junction, at the intersection of 395 and 58 and home of the worlds largest solar power installations (folks drive through here going from Bakersfield to Vegas)
K2 - kelso Dunes - Large and accessible area fo sand dunes in Imperial county, and home for lots of motor sports
L1 - Los Angeles
L2 - Laguna Beach, an artists community along Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County
M1 - Mojave Desert,
M2 - Monterey - city, county, bay, aquarium, and home of Steinbeck's Cannery Row
N1 - Napa Valley
N2 - Needles - Town along the Colorad River where many visitors to California from Arizona or Nevada enter, on Route 66
O1 - Ojai, an artists and writers community east of Santa Barbara
O2 - the "OC" (Orange County)
P1 - Point Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco
P2 - Palomar Mountain, home of Palomar Observatory and Palomar Mountain State Park
Q1 - Quartz Hill, a small community north of LA known for vivid wild flowers every spring - near the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve.
Q2 - Quail (California State Bird - the California Quail "Callipepla californica")
R1 - Redwoods, the California State Tree, with numerous national and state parks.
R2 - Riverside, a town east of LA, home to the Mission Inn (a really funky hotel/ musuem), and the location fo the original Navel Orange Tree.
S1 - San Francisco
S2 - Sequoia National Park.
T1 - Tar Pits, for the La Brea Tar Pits and the Page Musuem on Paleolithic life
T2 - Thousand Palms Oasis, north of Palm Springs
U1 - Universal Studios
J2 - Ukiah, a small town on 101, south of the Redwoods area of Northern california. Nice town in the mountains to stop in.
V1 - Venice Beach, with a rolling/ riding/ walking street fair along the beach every weekend. Home of "muscle beach"
V2 - Valencia, north of LA and home of Six Flags Magic Mountain
W1 - Wilshire Blvd, which passes through much of urban Los Angeles including downtown LA, the La Brea Tar Pits, the LA Musuem of Art, the Peterson Automotive Musuem, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and ends up at the coast in Santa Monica.
W2 - Whitney, Moutain (tallest in Continental US)
X1 - X-vehicles, flown in the Mojave at Edwards and Dryden Flight centers,
S2 - X-Games (Summer Games are usually held in California -- not always, but like out of 15 games, 11 held in California.)
Y1 - Yosemite National Park
Y2 - Ynez, for Santa Ynez valley home of Buelton, Solvang, many wineries. This is where the movie "Sideways" was filmed.
Z1 - Zzyx. Interesting small community and pond in the middle of the Mojave.
Z2 - Zinfindel, the town in Napa Valley (What did you think I was referring to? *hiccup!*)

[click here for an index of the states]

[UKCraig]

I don't have a home state! But, seeing as this is my 200th post here, I thought I'd have a crack at putting together a list of my favourite and most memorable places that I have visited. Where possible I have linked to one of my photos, but I don't have any from my non-digital days, sadly.

Anthony Chapel - Garvan Woodland Gardens, AR
Badwater Basin - Death Valley National Park, CA
Central High School - Little Rock, AR
Delicate Arch - Arches NP, UT
El Capitan - Yosemite National Park, CA
Front Stretch Grandstand - Daytona International Speedway, FL
Graceland - Memphis, TN
Horseshoe Bend - Page, AZ
Interstate 10 - along the Mexican border : a real eye opener!
Jack Daniels Distillery - Lynchburg, TN : Okay, I cheated here, but I'm going soon!
Kingman, AZ
Lorraine Motel - Memphis, TN
Monument Valley, UT
Niagara Falls, NY
Oconaluftee Visitor Center - Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC : my first experience of a national park
Pacific Coast Highway, CA
Queen Mary - Long Beach, CA : A taste of home!
Racetown USA - Mooresville, NC
Santa Monica Pier - Santa Monica, CA
Talladega Super Speedway, AL
Universal Studios - Orlando, FL
Volusia Speedway Park - Barberville, FL
Waterfront Restaurant & Cafe - San Francisco, CA
X is for all those marks on the map that I have yet to visit!
Yosemite Parking Lot - Yosemite National Park, CA : Liveried up cars!
Zion National Park, UT

[click here for an index of the states]