FINAL COUNTDOWN The state capitol in Denver, Colorado READ MORE A bald eagle, the US national emblem TRAVEL In the second of his two-part article, a retired member recalls the highs and lows of completing his personal challenge to visit every state capitol building in the USA In the last edition of The Log, I wrote about the first part of my journey to visit all 50 state capitol buildings of the USA. In that feature, we broke off after 24 days and 36 state capitols, as I was travelling through Wisconsin. By Steve Smirthwaite, retired BALPA member On day 25, I spent a pleasant morning in St Paul, Minnesota, and it was then that I encountered snow again. A night in a small town called Alexandria was followed by a couple of days traversing the flat, wide-open and snowbound Dakotas. It seemed that the biggest buildings in these rather uninspiring northern states were the grain silos dotted alongside the freeway. However, the largest building I encountered in North Dakota was the state capitol in Bismarck: a very tall, plain, concrete office block attached to a smaller, plain, circular concrete building. Next was Pierre, South Dakota, with a population of around 14,000 (only three times that of my village); at least the capitol was a little more classical in its design. In the early morning of 24th March (day 27), I set off for one of the monuments I had been looking forward to seeing since I started planning the trip: Mount Rushmore. As I neared Rapid City, the weather got worse and, continuing up the Black Hills, I was in thick fog. Arriving at Mount Rushmore, visibility was less than 50 yards, and snow was forecast for late afternoon and evening. I didn’t want to get caught in the area, so after five hours of waiting and watching – and having caught only a fleeting glimpse of George Washington – I had to move on. With disappointment hitting hard, I decided not to head south to Cheyenne, but instead go north and visit the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn. While investigating where to stay that night, I came across a place called the Sheridan Inn, Wyoming. It was once managed by Buffalo Bill Cody and turned out to be an inspired choice of accommodation. During his tenure in Sheridan, Buffalo Bill would audition acts for his Wild West Show as they passed the hotel on flat-bed trucks of the trains that ran directly in front of the building. Each room in the hotel is named after a real character from the Wild West; I was in the Walter E Scott, aka ‘Death Valley’ Scotty room! Next morning, my route to Little Bighorn was complicated, as the I90 from Sheridan to Hardin (just after the national park) was closed because of flooding. Fortunately, the alternative route was a pleasant introduction to Montana. Having been to Isandlwana and Rorke’s Drift in South Africa, and various battlefields in Flanders (my grandfather spent his 18th birthday on the Somme), the battlefield area struck me as another example of man’s stupidity and arrogance. A very sobering place in a beautiful part of the world. Around lunchtime, I continued to Helena, Montana, and was rewarded with some beautiful scenery as I approached the Rocky Mountains from the east. Next morning, I headed due south to Salt Lake City (SLC). As I drove through the mountains, the sun was coming up and I was greeted by some of the most spectacular sights I had yet encountered. My hopes of stopping for a couple of days in Yellowstone were foiled as all roads in the national park were closed because of snow and poor conditions. I was on ‘Plan Tango’ by now! It meant that I could spend much-needed down time in SLC, give my hire car a well-deserved rest (I’d done 11,500 miles) and work out the best way of fitting in Carson City, Nevada, which I’d missed out on day two. I arrived at my 41st state capitol on 26th March – the 29th day of my trip – 11 days ahead of my original schedule. Home to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, SLC is a strange mishmash of beautiful buildings, great wealth, stunning scenery and abject poverty; I saw more beggars on the streets than in any other city I visited. My four days in SLC were most enjoyable, however, and I decided that I’d also have four days in Reno to visit Carson City. SLC to Reno is a 1,000-mile round trip, so I flew there. Returning to SLC on 3rd April, I visited Antelope Island, in the middle of the Salt Lake, and Park City, home of the 2002 Winter Olympics. I was now back on my original schedule of flying to Denver on 7th April and then on to Atlanta, for the Masters golf at Augusta. I planned to stay overnight in Denver, which gave me the chance to visit Cheyenne, which I’d missed out earlier to visit Little Bighorn. I was now on hire car number three; the original Hyundai was still in SLC, I’d had a different Hyundai to do the 67 miles from Reno to Carson City and back, and I was now given a Kia Soul (a what? Yup, that’s what I thought) for the trip to Cheyenne. Next day, I flew to Atlanta and collected car number four. My pal Martyn was set to join me for our day out at Augusta, so I decided we needed to enjoy the journey in style – a two-month-old Chevy Camaro. With 6.2 litres of grunt under the hood, it wasn’t exactly ‘green’, but I got better mpg out of it than the Tucson – probably because it was only ticking over at the speeds I could manage on the roads around Atlanta and Augusta. A visit to the Georgia state capitol, Atlanta, was followed by an unforgettable day at the Masters. It was incredibly hot, not too crowded, and the mud was painted green so as not to spoil the view of those watching on TV. There was even a hole-in-one at the 16th, and the great Augusta roar could be heard all over the course. I returned to SLC on the 11th April and continued on my way. I had only three state capitols of the contiguous 48 left to visit. Having spent the night in Twin Falls, a hundred or so miles south of Boise, Idaho – and well worth a visit if you’re ever out that way – I moved along quite rapidly and arrived in Salem, Oregon, the next evening. Here, I was greeted by one of the odder-looking capitol buildings. The Oregon Pioneer, also known as ‘Gold Man’, is an eight-and-a-half-ton bronze sculpture, with gold-leaf finish, sat atop the rather plain state capitol. The following morning, I indulged another long-held wish and went to Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville. This is where, among many other wonderful aircraft, Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose is housed – a morning truly well spent. I then continued to Olympia, Washington State, for my 48th and final (for now) capitol building. The fun wasn’t over, however, as – early next morning – I was off to Everett, and a visit to the Boeing factory to see where they built the 747s (-100, -200 and -400 series) that I’d had the pleasure of flying during my near 20-year stint on that most iconic of all passenger aircraft. This was day 48. Next morning, my wife flew out from the UK for the final two legs of the trip. I handed the Tucson back at 06.00 on the 52nd day of my hire, having completed 13,170 miles; driven through torrential rain, fog, snow and bright sunshine; spent countless hours on flat, uninspiring roads; sat in traffic jams; and traversed vast mountain ranges. Not once did it complain or give me cause to curse it. I drank numerous cups of coffee and bottles of water, and had the occasional snack along the way, while ‘in the cruise’. “How was it?” asked the rental clerk. “Wonderful,” I replied. “Do you want to buy it?” “With that mileage? Not on your life.” I grinned, as I walked away. At Oahu island, Hawaii, we had a three-night stay in Waikiki and enjoyed being kept awake until 03.30 by the partygoers, spring breakers and general revellers. Our more sedate trip included a visit to Pearl Harbor and a boat out to the Arizona Memorial, plus a couple of hours looking round the battleship Missouri, another sad event in mankind’s violent history. The main reason for being there, though, was to visit my 49th state capitol building. The newest state of the Union (hence, Hawaii 5-0), Honolulu has an unusual capitol – an open square that symbolises various aspects of Hawaiian culture. It is right next to the only true palace in the USA – Iolani Palace – where King Kalakaua built his residence in the late 19th century. The Hawaiian flag boasts the Union Jack as part of its design, another throwback to when we were thought of more kindly by some. The five days that followed, relaxing on the island of Maui, were definitely needed after the previous eight weeks of activity. On day 60, we headed back to the mainland for a couple of days in Vancouver, where we met up with Martyn (who I’d been with in Augusta) and his wife, Chris, who were joining us for the cruise to Alaska and the 50th – and final – state capitol. The cruise started on 29th April and the first stop was Juneau. Standing outside the Alaskan state capitol was almost surreal, because it is the least used of the 50 capitol buildings, with access to the town by sea or air only – but, for me, it was the culmination of 65 days of travelling. I still had nearly a week left of my journey, but I had now completed the task I had set myself. Alaska is a beautiful place. Although the weather we encountered was quite benign, the grandeur of the scenery and bleakness of the land, just away from the coast, gave an indication of the harshness that the early pioneers must have encountered. The abundant and varied animal life was also an absolute treat. I saw some wonderful things during the trip; giant turtles up close in Hawaii; beautiful scenery; glorious sunrises and sunsets; lovely towns and cities – and I met some very friendly and helpful people throughout the USA. Among many, many signs and billboards, the official town sign for Cottonwood made me do a double take: “Population 9” (there are four times that many people living in my street of 15 houses). A sign in Montana, meanwhile, read: “Rocky Canyon, beware of falling rocks.” I intend to return to revisit Mount Rushmore, spend time in Montana and at Yellowstone Park, and perhaps enjoy a leisurely train journey through the Rockies. In the meantime, a couple of quiet years visiting some beautiful European cities lies ahead of me–Ihope. STANDING OUTSIDE THE ALASKAN STATE CAPITOL WAS SURREAL... IT WAS THE CULMINATION OF 65 DAYS OF TRAVELLING. I HAD COMPLETED THE TASK I HAD SET MYSELF During the trip I completed: The state flag of Hawaii The Spruce Goose – the largest seaplane ever built – completed one flight in 1947. It lasted for less than 30 seconds and achieved a height of 70 feet, with Howard Hughes at the controls Oregon’s capitol building, the ‘Gold Man’, in Salem Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Salt Lake City Juneau – the final one! READ MORE During the trip I completed: n 14,000 miles in four cars n 20,000 miles on 10 flights n 2,000 miles by cruise ship n One train journey up the White Pass in Alaska n Numerous taxi rides n A local bus journey in Ketchikan n Snorkelling in the Pacific n An average 7,500 steps walking every day
