24 done ... 28 to go...

What: #15 Go to a new state or Canadian province

When: September 4th
Where: Idaho
Why: As a child, my family traveled all over the country on summertime road trips. When we would get back home, my brother and I would excitedly get out the U.S. maps we kept and color in the new states we had visited. For almost 2 decades, no new states have been colored in on my map because I've turned my attention to international travel, but there were still eight elusive state borders left to cross, and finally this summer, I got to come home and color in a new state.

On a weekend trip to Utah, we decided to head up to the Tetons, and I found a great scenic drive through Idaho that followed portions of the Oregon Trail, so we hit the road and headed into the unknown.

We crossed the border near the beautiful Bear Lake, which was shockingly far below its usual level. Our favorite stop along the way was in Montpelier at a small pizza joint called Studebaker's Pizza. It was seemingly the only thing open in town, so our expectations were not that high, but let me tell you, if you are ever near Montpelier, Idaho, please stop in because the food and people are great!

We headed through Idaho again on the way back to Utah and enjoyed the simple scenery again...a very lovely state, and one I'd like to get back to again to see more of it!