State Capitals

Post by **Martin Hash** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:32 am

Fifth Grade Social Studies is where kids learn the names of the States and their capitals. This made them seem important and mysterious in my youth mind’s eye, and when someone mentioned they had been to this Capital or that, my ears always perked up. Obviously, with my perchance for collecting, visiting all 50 capitol buildings was on the Travel list.

Capitals Passport.jpg

Apparently, lots of people want to visit all the State Capitols because there’s a State Capitals passport that you can get stamped at the Visitor Desk; perfect for us anal retentives for whom just the stamp is enough reason to visit, poo on actually touring through the whole building. However, my wife, Gwynne, has the goal of walking up every floor, visiting the House and Senate Chambers, the Governor’s Office, and the Gift Shop. I’d be more excited if the Gift Shop sold shot glasses with the State flag on them but they don’t; best I can do is a keychain & a GPS spike.

WY, Cheyenne Capitol.JPG

CO, Denver Capitol.JPG

CA, Sacramento Capitol.JPG

During our Route 66 drive, I had plotted our route though the capitols of each State and Boise, Idaho was the first stop. However, it was Sunday, and though the capitol building was open, it was desolate, and there was no one to stamp our book. At the Visitor Counter was a register to sign your name, so I thought I'd at least do that. Imagine my surprise when the last entry was a couple from Vancouver, Washington, where we live, who wrote “our 41st capital.”

ID, Boise Capitol.JPG

I hate to say it but... You seen one State capitol, you've seen them all. They all have a dome on top, Grecian architecture, steps up to the door, and the congressional chambers. Sometimes they're a unicameral government which means there's only one legislative body, and often the State Supreme Court is housed in the building too, but on the whole, unless you can remember which was made of marble, stone, granite, wood, or some combination of all, they pretty much all blend into one another in your memory. Of course, I GPS spike and take photos of each from the outside and the inside to review so I can at least sound like I've been there if someone asks.