Winner: Driver Shea
Tonight marked the return of Mistress Daphne, mellowed by her time carousing with the Caribou in Alaska. The Driver, also returning to the game after a 3 week absence, pulled off an unexpected win. He edged out JJ, FrankC, and Pluto.
We were all glad to see him, especially because he brought back some goodies from our 50th state. He served us some line caught sockeye salmon, which he made into a fine dip, and some “interesting” Caribou sausage. We asked him if he had been able to see Russia, but apparently he can’t see as far as Sarah.
We had a good sized crowd who joined in celebrating Bea’s birthday (she ain’t saying) with a great Chocolate Ganache cake from Copenhagen, courtesy of FrankC. Hopefully we got the day right. We learned tonight the clocks in Russia had been off an hour for 61 years!
Good Question!: In the contiental U.S which state has the northernmost point?
Choices: Maine – North Dakota – Oregon – Minnesota
Answer: Minnesota
Fooled a lot of us. What happened, did they move Maine?
But here’s the numbers for the northernmost points in each of the 4 states:
MN 49.2N 
ND 49.0N
ME 47.5N
OR 46.2N
Maps of the 48 states that are displayed in a non-cylindrical projection (i.e. curved lines of latitude) can give the impression that the state of Maine extends further north than it actually does. The northernmost point in Maine is at approximately 47.46 degrees North latitude. This line of latitude passes through the southern suburbs of Seattle. From there, it is approximately 100 miles (160 km) north to the 49th parallel.
A wide swath of land within the 48 states (encompassing portions of Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota) is therefore further north than any place in Maine.
Included in this area are such places as Spokane, Washington; Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Great Falls, Montana; Minot and Grand Forks, North Dakota; and Bemidji, Minnesota. Even Isle Royale and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (such as the Keweenaw Peninsula) are further north than anywhere in Maine.
In honor of the Driver’s win (and recent trip) and Minnesota’s Northerness, here’s a fine song by Johnny Horton “North to Alaska”