Tackling the Gem State Crossword
Alright, so I came across this crossword puzzle labelled “Gem State Crossword” the other day. Looked interesting enough. Idaho, right? The Gem State. Figured I’d give it a shot this morning, see what my brain could handle before it fully woke up.
So, I poured myself some coffee, found my favorite pencil – the one with the decent eraser, you know how important that is – and spread the paper out on the kitchen table. First glance, the grid didn’t look too terrifying. Not one of those huge Sunday monsters, anyway. Looked maybe like a mid-week kind of difficulty. We’d see.
Started off okay. Some of the clues were pretty straightforward. Stuff like:
- Idaho’s famous product (potatoes, obviously)
- Capital city (Boise, got that one quick)
- Nickname (Gem State, that was basically the title)
Felt pretty good getting those initial anchors in place. Always helps to build some momentum, makes you feel like you actually know something.
Hitting a Few Snags
But then, inevitably, I hit a wall. There were a couple of clues that just stumped me. One was asking for a specific national forest, another for some historical figure I vaguely remembered but couldn’t quite place. My knowledge of Idaho geography and history isn’t exactly encyclopedic, turns out. Had to leave those blank for a bit and work around them.
It’s funny how crosswords work. You stare at a clue, ‘4 letters, starts with S, river known for rapids’, and your mind goes blank. You know it’s probably obvious, something famous like the Snake River maybe, but the letters just don’t fit with the crossing word you have pencilled in. Makes you doubt everything. Is that word wrong? Or is this clue trickier than I thought?
Reminds me a bit of trying to fix that leaky faucet last month. Thought it’d be simple, just replace a washer. An hour later, I’ve got water everywhere, three different wrenches out, and I’m questioning my entire life’s trajectory. Sometimes the simplest-looking problems fight back the hardest. This crossword felt a bit like that faucet for a minute there.
Pushing Through and Finishing Up
Anyway, I took a break, refilled the coffee, and came back with fresh eyes. Started focusing on the areas where I had the most letters filled in. Managed to crack one of the longer answers – something about mining, I think. That was the key. Suddenly, a bunch of those tricky across clues started making sense.
That’s the best part of crosswords, right? When one breakthrough suddenly illuminates a whole section of the grid. It’s like turning the lights on in a dark room. You see how everything connects.
Worked my way through the rest of it, piece by piece. That historical figure finally clicked (had the first letter wrong initially, classic mistake). The national forest ended up being guessable once I had most of the letters. The last square filled was part of some obscure town name, probably. Felt good to write it in.
So yeah, finished the Gem State Crossword. Took longer than I expected, definitely had some tricky bits related to Idaho specifics, but got there in the end. A decent way to spend half an hour and exercise the old grey matter. Now, about that second cup of coffee…
