Wrangell-St. Elias

by Erik Olsen on

Several years ago a couple of buddies and I made an epic paddling trip out of Valdez, Alaska. I thought Valdez was lovely, but one place that caught my eye as we made our way to that little town on the water…best known for where the Exxon/Valdez ran aground…was a little, well, NOT so little, place called Wrangell-St. Elias. Now, I’ll bet you if you ask most people what, let alone where, Wrangell-St. Elias is, you’d get a puzzled response. Wyoming? Montana?

Well, it turns out that Wrangell-St. Elias is in Alaska, the country’s largest sate, and keeping to that motif, it is also our country’s largest National Park. I’ll bet you thought that honor went to Yellowstone, didn’t you. Nope.

Well ,in this fine article from the Star Tribune, writer Chris Welsch takes us through the park via the McCarthy Road, a famous stretch of road that is really, says Welsch, just an old railroad bed with gravel sprinkled on it. Welsch heads to the town of Kennicott, once a bustling copper town, but now “a much quieter place” where visitors can hang out near the Root Glacier, a mile-wide river of ice streaming down from the mountains. It’s a fine piece of travel writing that takes a look at a place that most folks, as I say, have probably never heard of.

NY Subway Maps

by Erik Olsen on

I’m a huge fan of maps. So much so that I literally spent over a hundred dollars a month or so ago on several large (very large) maps of New York. Ad just yesterday I traveled ALL the way to the TA store at Grand Central Terminal to buy a New York City subway map. These are not the little foldable ones that you can buy at this or that bodega. I’m talking about the massive hanging maps that you can see in the subway stations themselves. These maps are hard to find. As far as I know the only place you can bu them is the MTA store.

All of this is to say that as I was doing research on where to buy my subway map, I was reminded about this fantastic site dedicated to maps and cartography. This particular post in fact, take a look at the very subway map I am talking about, and reveals a nourishing nugget of history about these maps that made my purchase yesterday even more satisfying. To wit: It seems like there was actually some genuine controversy over the redesign of the subway map when John Tauranac, the former map designer for the MTA, sought to remake a previous map designed by Massimo Vignelli. Some folks were up in arms about the idea. Near chaos ensued. Who knew subway map design could be fraught with controversy?

Old Idaho Penitentiary

by Adrienne Wilson on

My big day in Boise went out with a bang as I ended up behind bars at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. This was another attraction that appeared in my Google searches and ranked pretty high on the list of things to do. Prior to my trip to the Old Idaho Pen, I’d never been to jail with the exception of a never-ending game of Monopoly. The minute me and my pal walked into the old cells which haven’t housed an inmate since 1973, the temperature dropped about 4 to 6 degrees cooler. It was like an icebox. We walked the halls of death row and read about those who once lived, breathed and eventually hung to their death in the prison. Old weapons and a variety of shanks were displayed. A tattoo gallery explained the meanings behind common tats on inmates and gang tattoos. The gallery was actually very pleasing and nicely done.

Then there was solitary confinement… Dark, cold, teeny-tiny boxes, no bed, no nothing – just enough space to pace ten steps, turn around and do it all over again. I imagined long days of misery and then I quickly stepped out. It gave me the heebie-jeebies being there for only two minutes. It was only as we were leaving that me and my friend decided to watch the 18 minute film on the history of the Old Idaho Penitentiary. For some reason it didn’t sound all that great in the beginning and come to find out it wasn’t really worth our 18 minutes on the way out. If you go, skip the film and read up on all the history in the actually prison buildings.

2445 Old Penitentiary Rd, Boise, ID 83712

Idaho’s Black History Museum

by Adrienne Wilson on

As you may have noticed by now most of my travel over the last few weeks has been throughout the Mid-West and in the Mid-West you tend to find nothing, but museums built around the history of the Mid-West. Makes good sense right? Well after so many stops at these places the history all starts to sound the same and another buffalo or Indian tale begins to become a little on the played out side. For this reason I decided to skip any state focused museum and check out a more specific one. That is how I found myself at the Idaho Black History Museum.

The museum which used to be an old church is nothing huge, but the little information found tucked inside the four walls goes a long way. Their current exhibit, the Invisible Idahoan 1805-Present shows how few Blacks there are in Idaho and highlights the major achievements made by many of them. One of the things that stood out in my mind is a map showing all the active hate groups across the U.S. as of 2004. What I saw was not only shocking, but incredibly sad. It was the first time I had seen a map with such information. On my way out I was told by the curator that I must return next year as some very exciting things are planned. There will be a big Black History month celebration in February, an evening with the Regina Carter Quintet and the 49th Annual Ebony Fashion Fair will all be happening next year.

So far Idaho has not popped up on my 2007 radar, but just in case it should come up on yours you may want to look at their event calendar now.

The Idaho Black History Museum is located at 508 Julia Davis Dr. (Julia Davis Park), Boise, ID 83702. Ph. 208.433.0017

Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial

by Adrienne Wilson on

When I did a search for Boise attractions I was totally caught off guard to see this Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial pop up. I wondered what connection the young Jewish girl who seemed to have became the voice of human hope through her diary kept during the Holocaust had with the state? While there is no direct connection the reality is a site like this one should be placed on every corner of every city. The memorial was constructed to promote respect for human dignity and diversity and was inspired by Anne Frank’s faith in humanity. As I strolled along the walkways I soaked in the uplifting words of Helen Keller, Maya Angelou, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Fredrick Douglas and Anne Frank to name only a few. The memorial is not huge, but it is certainly quaint and serves the public some food for thought. Located next to the public library and human rights educational center, delving into the minds of great dreamers and fighters doesn’t have to end after a 20 minute jaunt on the memorial grounds.

The Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial is located at 801 S. Capitol Blvd, Suite 102, Boise, ID 83702. Ph. 208.345.0304