The governor of Oregon has spent her first year in office touring the state’s counties to learn more about an issue we’ve discussed at length here at #ScaiaBlog: SuperOregon.

Earlier this year, some counties voted to start the process of joining Idaho, although they should be alerted “SuperOregon” is much catchier than “Greater Idaho.”

To reciprocate the governor’s trip, I arrived a day early for the rodeo so I could launch my own tour of StandardOregon.

“But Oregon appears to have infused its gasoline with diamonds,” I thought to myself when I stopped to fill the car with gas. “Sure that’s luxurious, but it may not make the car run smoothly.”

I sent that picture to some associates, leading to a discussion on the schematics of how to start some sort of fuel cartel to truck in cheaper gas from Texas. In the end, we decided against it. Our attempt would probably be much less successful [but much more hilarious] than Breaking Bad.

I was able to catch up on news in the Pacific Northwest, which is exactly how I remember. Any issue will lead to protests and also counterprotests.

For instance, a city like Portland would embrace more green space, right? Not necessarily. You see, if you shut down a road, the cars will have to drive even farther to get around, leading to even more more emissions.

I also learned they’re chucking dead salmon into rivers to nourish li’l baby salmon. That’s a change from a few years ago when they invited you to watch the salmon make sweet, sweet love to each other.

After a salmon-heavy morning, I drove up to the mountains for the afternoon. A few times a year, a hiker gets stranded in the Cascades during bad weather. Search parties often use the area around Timberline Lodge as a staging area. The first time I was sent up there to cover a search, I realized Timberline Lodge was actually the Overlook Hotel.

“How can we be sure Jack Nicholson didn’t just go after the hiker with an axe?!” a reporter asks.

I moved to SuperOregon on a whim back in 2004. I wanted something new after growing up in Ohio and going to college in Indiana. I didn’t realize then how different Portland, Salem and Eugene were from the smaller towns.

At the station where I worked in Hermiston, I suggested the name SuperOregon to show how people in small towns still treat other right.

We look out for each other and support each other. Loyal Scaiaholics will recall a choir once offered to sing my name to the Hallelujah Chorus.

I don’t mean to sound anti-Portland. It’s a city that embraces its character, and I’ve made friends there I look forward to seeing every year. But their newspaper illustrated the difference between the two parts of the state by going to the rodeo… and then writing about the exciting new fashions there.

SuperOregon, meanwhile, spends its time researching exciting new ways to celebrate whiskey. And I rode off into the sunset on a stagecoach.