5/50 We are at 10% of the unrelenting positivity campaign. Now its time to go at it with Idaho.
Posted by CupBeEmpty@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 111 comments
This is our newest unrelenting positivity post and its is now up. The state in question is the great state of Idaho. To all our foreign friends give a shout ask questions send praise. To our Americans do the same.
Ask all your questions about Idaho or give any response you'd like so long as its positive. Be funny or joking but don't be a jerk. If you are a jerk then its a comment removal and a one day ban. I haven't had to ban more than a couple people and it's only a 24 hours ban if you catch a stray.
Stay tuned for 6/50 after this one.
The states are in random order based on my whim at the moment.
Kennesaw79@reddit
My mom was born in Firth, and I visited there and Idaho Fallls as a kid. But driving from Rexburg (where my sister went to college) to Yellowstone (NW Wyoming) was one of the most beautiful places I've seen in the U.S. The mountains and lakes are stunning.
LeilLikeNeil@reddit
Idaho has a LOT of natural hot springs.
JP_DR@reddit
Visited a friend who moved there for work. Met several people through them as well as some randomly and everyone I met was quite friendly. We also took a trip north of Boise (Banks,ID) and did some whitewater rafting on the Payette River, that entire area was beautiful. Loved our time in Idaho.
glacialerratical@reddit
I saw the solar eclipse in Idaho in 2017 and the town was very welcoming and the view was spectacular!
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Which town were you in?
glacialerratical@reddit
Driggs, near Jackson Hole. People had been predicting huge crowds and bumper to bumper traffic and no food. It ended up not being that bad, but they were prepared anyway. It was a very surreal experience.
Demented-Alpaca@reddit
I once was driving through that area, about a mile outside of Driggs and came around a corner to find a fully decked out Christmas tree just sitting in the middle of the road. Far enough down that it wasn't a danger.
But middle of June and there's a Christmas tree in the road. Fully dressed with ornaments and garland.
Having grown up in Idaho I just felt like that was "yeah, ok. that's fun"
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Aw, nice! We definitely had big crowds up in the mountains by us.
clairew88@reddit
I also saw that eclipse in Idaho! I have great memories of that day. People were so friendly.
NYSenseOfHumor@reddit
What is the best type of potato?
Sloth_grl@reddit
Depends on what you want it for, apparently
theflamingskull@reddit
I want to eat it.
Demented-Alpaca@reddit
Russet if you want a baker. Yukon gold if you want to do potatoes au gratin.
Yes if you want to fry them.
Eric848448@reddit
The sliced and fried kind.
Waisted-Desert@reddit
voltairesalias@reddit
So russets are the best, this is what I'm deducing here.
WulfTheSaxon@reddit
Idaho Gold, no question.
Personal_Pain@reddit
Not from Idaho (we do a lot of potatoes in Michigan as well) but depends on the use.
Trinculo7@reddit
An idaho potato
StuffonBookshelfs@reddit
This is what I wanted to know
hawffield@reddit
I recently rod tripped with my fiancée from Oregon to (technically) Tennessee and I remember how Idaho is the only place I remember you could go up to 80 mph. It was kind of hard to make myself keep up to speed because I’m use to go at usually only 70. It also didn’t help that it was pretty soon after a period where I didn’t drive for two years straight.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Yeah those western states with 80 as the limit are weird for a random midwestern transplant to New England.
I think Texas even has some sections that are 85.
That said fiancée! Congrats.
hawffield@reddit
Given the size of the highways, it made sense that you could go that fast, but it was just a little faster than usual. Thought I might accidentally fly into 2015.
Thank you!
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
I feel that. A couple times I have gotten going on highways and been like "oh this is still legal, maybe shouldn't be."
But who am I to second guess highway engineers you know?
You're welcome. I'd send a wedding gift but I honestly don't know what I can/should send to a stranger in Uganda.
hawffield@reddit
Yeah, I just assume that someone out there has done the math and gave all the speed limits a thumbs up. Maybe I shouldn’t make that assumption, but it does make me feel better haha
You probably could send whatever, but it might take a while to get there. Mt family would occasionally sent care packages to me and it often took like 2-3 months for it to arrive. And I had to pay a whole bunch of taxes on it to actually take it from the post office. I am, however, state bound again so sending and receiving stuff shouldn’t take too long now (maybe I should update my flair).
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
I was in Switzerland for nearly a month and we sent stuff from there home.
We were home almost two months before we got it in the regular post. Even Western Europe can be really slow.
It was explained to me as it’s because unless you are explicitly paying for air freight it’s all riding on a boat and it just gets there whenever.
DMfortinyplayers@reddit
I love potatoes. Are there unusual varieties i should seek out if I visit? Or specific dishes I should try?
Trinculo7@reddit
It’s famous for its russet potatoes. Honestly if you want to try food that’s actually an Idaho invention try finger steaks. They’re like chicken fingers but it’s steak instead.
DrScarecrow@reddit
Is there a difference between finger steaks and steak fingers?
PacSan300@reddit
Finger steaks look delicious, would love to try them sometime.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
The B-52s made a song about Idaho. So Idaho's got that going for it.
TheBimpo@reddit
Driving across the Panhandle is one of my favorite sections of interstate in the country, absolutely stunning country
daft_plant001100@reddit
The people who grew up there are some of the nicest, most helpful, and hardest working people.
IndiaEvans@reddit
This is so lovely!! So much positivity. Thank you!
OceanPoet87@reddit
I live in SE WA now but pretty much all my recent life is in Idaho, shopping, gas, church, hiking, restaurants, farmers markets, one of my cats was born there, bought our (used) Subaru there, and until this year I had Idaho state park out of state passes despite having non for Washington.
officerboba@reddit
Coeur d'Alene is great, I love that place a lot. Seeing people drive their fishing boat and you can still see them fishing almost after sunset, very peaceful state,
inbigtreble30@reddit
Is the potato thing just a stereotype or is it a state pride thing like Wisconsin dairy?
Trinculo7@reddit
We have the Idaho Potato Commission which works to promote Idaho potatoes, and we have a huge truck with a giant potato on the back that drives around on tours
imthesqwid@reddit
The Potato drop is amazing
Certain_Expression41@reddit
When I was about 6 I came across the potato truck parked next to the Oscar Meyer weinermobile just outside of Sandpoint. A defining moment of my life.
YoungBeef03@reddit
Good answer
goodsam2@reddit
Isn't it also part of Ore(gon) Ida(ho). Oreida the French fry people.
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Yep.
HempFandang0@reddit
It's a marketing thing. I believe Washington produces more potatoes but the soil conditions are pretty similar between the two states
No_Seaworthiness8176@reddit
My son was told this in an (Idaho) classroom. I was curious, so I looked it up. Nope, Idaho is #1 by total tonnage produced. Wa is second.
spiritualspatula@reddit
Nah, Idaho produces the most of any state. Washington yields more per acre but Idaho has way more planted acres and thus yields more total.
VIDCAs17@reddit
Wisconsin also produces a lot of potatoes, but there’s other more notable agricultural products we produce.
No_Seaworthiness8176@reddit
My Idaho car license plate says "Famous Potatoes " on it.
seatownquilt-N-plant@reddit
Not an Idahoan but I really enjoyed this episode about their potato license plates
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/434-artistic-license/
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
I grew up in Boise where there really aren’t any potato farms…but once you get outside the metro area, we really do grow a lot of them. My husband’s mom’s family are all potato farmers. Aso: Idaho grocery stores have the best, biggest russets. Way better than the Idaho potatoes I can get in Arizona.
voltairesalias@reddit
I really love Idaho. I live near the Panhandle (on the Canadian side of the line) and that part of Idaho is very beautiful. The Southern party is pretty trippy too where it turns into plateau / desert near that Snake River there. The best Mexican food I've ever had was in Twin Falls - and yes I've tried Mexican everywhere between Texas and California.
I feel like it is very much an under-rated state. I've never understood why it gets the dismissive attitude it seems to get down south.
GOTaSMALL1@reddit
My first attempt to escape California was to the little town of American Falls ID. One of the best Mexican places I’d ever been to in a white-bread town of like 2500 people.
I asked a local about how the hell this awesome So Cal/North Baja style place was in this little town… his answer: “Who the fuck do you think works the potato harvest?”
Been like 20 years now… but shout out to Tres Hermanos in American Falls. Stopped by there like a year ago driving through and the carnitas was still awesome.
voltairesalias@reddit
I feel so vindicated from you sharing this. I've told people about the Mexican food in Idaho and got so many laughs, but it's the real deal. The BEST carne asada I've ever had hands down. I love Mexican food and I'm a foodie. I love cooking, Mexican is by far my favorite cuisine. I've been all over Mexico, I've been through Texas, Arizona, California (everywhere in CA), Colorado - the best Mexican food I've ever had was in Idaho.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
Idaho is so so so beautiful!
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
High praise from a northern Californian.
anneofgraygardens@reddit
Why? I appreciate many beautiful places!
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
I’m saying northern CA itself is beautiful
anneofgraygardens@reddit
it is! lots of places are beautiful! it's not a competition.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Hard agree. Anytime someone says some place is ugly or boring I think “this sounds like a you problem.”
But Idaho and CA are just kind of elementals pretty.
epicenter69@reddit
NorCal does have some beautiful terrain as well.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
That’s why I said it’s high praise.
epicenter69@reddit
u/CupBeEmpty
Just a thought. As you write these, maybe link the next in line as an edit?
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
This requires more work from me on a project done on a lark. I will maybe make a specific flair for them and tag them all that way.
Give me a bit to sort it.
epicenter69@reddit
Near Pocatello, I experienced my first overnight cross-country skiing trip. No idea where we were exactly, because I was 13ish.
Took a ski lift up, and disappeared to the other side of the mountain. Ended up at a Yurt. Dad let me have some beer and I listened to the old guys chat it up around a fire pit.
One of my core memories.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
I don't know much about Idaho but I feel like this absolutely tracks.
Certain_Expression41@reddit
Then you at least know enough to have the vibe down. The only thing I can immediately think of that resonates with me more is towing a net full of beers and capri suns behind a canoe in one of the panhandle glacial lakes.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Oh that’s universal for canoeing and rafting. Cool whatever needs cooling over the side of the boat.
Certain_Expression41@reddit
Don't mean to imply it's unique, but in my head the perfect temperature for a capri sun is about 3 below the surface of pend oreille lake in early July.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Oh I hear you. If you’ve been sweating your ass off canoeing all day in the hot sun anything lower than outdoor temperature is wonderful.
Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit
1- why isn’t there a thread (anymore) for 1?
2- why isn’t this in alphabetical order geographic order?
3- I’ll let you know in a few months when I’m in Idaho on my road trip!
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
1- there is an original and it was Jersey [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAnAmerican/comments/1sw4wta/why_do_american_movies_and_shows_make_so_much_fun/). I hijacked that sub to begin this project.
2- because I'm lazy and busy
3- have an awesome trip. I love driving out west.
Question from me, what is the road trip? Just driving all over the west or something more specific? I do like a good road trip.
Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit
Damn it didn’t come up when I searched and on your history. Damn you Reddit!
That’s also fair. As someone also lazy this is a justifiable reason lmao
It’s a 3 month trip starting next week lmao (https://www.reddit.com/r/roadtrip/s/LvTawOQspO). I tweaked it a bit but here’s a rough visualization to about Denver (https://www.reddit.com/r/roadtrip/s/gs3ADRSQID). The main difference is that instead of going up after Denver I’m just driving across to Kansas City and then Nashville before heading to Savannah, then down the coast. I might try doing a Great Lakes/Great Plains trip next year.
Low_Attention9891@reddit
It sounds like a beautiful state. I’ve been to Yellowstone, I think I technically passed into Idaho.
Subvet98@reddit
Potatoes who doesn’t love potatoes.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Subby I think you’re right. Everyone loves potatoes… except I heard there was a German sub that was sunk by potatoes in wwii. They may not have been huge fans.
JingJang@reddit
I moved here, (Idaho), from Colorado five years ago.
The politics are much more conservative than I personally like but the people are very friendly, there is loads more uncrowded spaces and the natural beauty/outdoor opportunities are fantastic.
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
My husband and I grew up in Idaho and stayed until we were forced to move in our 40s. It’s a fantastic place to raise a family. Boise is a beautiful, laid-back, friendly city with an artsy vibe. The community events are regular and fantastic—the city loves to get out and people watch. Boise has excellent hike/bike trails, some gorgeous parks, and fantastic temperate weather. Mountains, forests, whitewater rafting, and Sun Valley are all a short drive away. Northern and Eastern Idaho are also beautiful in unique ways. We plan to go back to “Idahome” when it’s time to retire.
omnipresent_sailfish@reddit
There is a pretty cool walking/biking trail along some water in Boise where I saw some river otters. Seeing wildlife is always positive
Trinculo7@reddit
Fun fact: Idaho is a made up word that doesn’t mean anything
voltairesalias@reddit
Nobody truly knows where the name "Oregon" comes from either. I personally think it is likely named after "Ouragan" which is the French word for "Hurricane". French Canadian fur traders called the Columbia River the Hurricane River (Riviere du Ouragan) - but it's not known for sure. There's many competing theories.
Idaho does seem to be the only state whose name is pointedly just made up though.
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Along these lines there’s not a definitive answer for Maine either.
Trinculo7@reddit
Supposedly it was originally going to be pronounced EE-da-HOW but I don’t know how true that is
voltairesalias@reddit
Yeah some mining lobbyist falsely spread that rumor that "Ee-da-how" means something like "gem of the mountains" in Shoshone. He really just completely made it up - and I'd wager good money he had some good laughs about it until the day he died.
Colorado was almost named Idaho because of that guy.
SportTheFoole@reddit
Even funner fact: all words are made up. ;)
Trinculo7@reddit
True, but most of them having meaning too
Yeahboyeah@reddit
Can you live on $7.25 hr.?
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Only if you’re single and willing to scrape by.
Yeahboyeah@reddit
And that's the reality of low wage states. Everything is NOT 1/2 or 2/3 cheaper to justify the poor pay.
Trinculo7@reddit
No
VespaRed@reddit
Why do you want to be private, Idaho?
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
Can’t answer because it’s my own private Idaho.
holytriplem@reddit
Why is your state so lacking in National Parks compared to its neighbours and what should I go and see on my way from Salt Lake City to Grand Teton?
goodsam2@reddit
Craters of the moon is a national park site many say is better than other National Parks.
pinniped90@reddit
I lack the really big rocket needed to go to the moon. How about something in Idaho?
ToastMate2000@reddit
You can go to the Museum of Clean in Pocatello.
TheTree-43@reddit
There's a YouTube video explaining exactly why the most "National Parky" areas of Idaho are not full national parks. Topo Traveler is the channel. Check it out.
It's a little out of the way, but if you have the time Mesa Falls is worth the detour.
BTLove100@reddit
Not a ton to see on most direct way from slc to Grand Teton. Most scenic and only slightly out of the way route is to drive past Bear Lake, but that gives you more utah and less Idaho.
That being said, there are many beautiful places in Idaho. City of Rocks is extremely cool. And the drive up towards Coeour d'lane through salmon is unbelievable. Stanley and the Sawtooth mountains are great. Red Fish lake. The salmon River. Beautiful state.
sleepyboi08@reddit
I went on a trip to Cœur d’Alene in the midst of the worst year of my life and I can honestly say that trip was the best thing that had happened to me in a long time. The zip-line, lake activities, restaurants, and natural scenery were the highlight of that year for me!
Mandiferous@reddit
I love Idaho. I went out there for college (I'm from the Midwest) very reluctantly, but fell in love when I got there. It is so beautiful. I fell in love with the outdoors there. I went from a mostly inside kid to backpacking in the tetons, cave exploring, kayaking down the river, fires in the sand dunes, camping on the weekends, long hikes to the peak of a mountain, nothing better than enjoying a sandwich on the top of a mountain. Idaho's beauty is hard to beat. I dream about seeing the tetons again. Pictures are only ever from the Wyoming side, I want the Idaho side. My summers living and working in driggs are my favorite summers of my life.
porkchopespresso@reddit
I was just in Idaho over the weekend, just passing through and I have no idea why it has worked out this way, but the one town I have found myself in the most, in all of Idaho is Burley. I’ve gone there for work over the years, I’ve stayed there driving through a half a dozen times and it’s like not really a town anyone should travel to for any reason as far as I can tell, and yet here I am, always there.
So my question is, what’s the deal with Burley?
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Basically halfway between Boise and Salt Lake right off the I-84, so it’s always had lots of convenient gas stations and fast food and not much else.
Blue387@reddit
I heard Boise is booming with new construction
ObviousCarpet2907@reddit
Like crazy. Most of the smaller suburban towns used to be separated from Boise by several miles. Now it all bleeds together. Our home value tripled in 6 years. Tons of influx to the Boise valley.
Trinculo7@reddit
Unfortunately it’s a lot of California republicans fleeing, selling their million dollar homes, buying two here and pushing out people born here. Everyone I went to highschool with can’t afford to live in our home town.
Cobblestone-boner@reddit
Nah fuck Idaho
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
My friend, did you read nothing about the unrelenting positivity and not being a jerk? I guess we will see you tomorrow.
captainstyles@reddit
I love East Idaho News Secret Santa!
CupBeEmpty@reddit (OP)
It is one state I have visited only once and I do want to again. Stupidly beautiful.
When we were there we got turned around on some back roads. A prominent spray painted sign next to a farm said "Free bunnies: meat rabbits."
I kind of wanted to stop. My ex absolutely did not.
afplumber@reddit
Besides going outdoors (Hiking, camping, fishing etc) what is there to do? All I hear about Idaho is going outdoors and potato’s.
Trinculo7@reddit
I mean Boise has all the same things any major city has. The outdoors are nice cause it’s free
ALoungerAtTheClubs@reddit
I've never been to Idaho, but I think the state's range of landscapes and ecosystems is interesting.