Alaska Senator Ted Stevens was convicted today of seven counts of making false statements, a verdict that renders him a felon. Guess that means he won't be voting for himself on November 4!

The recent trouble notwithstanding, Stevens is larger than life in his home state of Alaska, where his name adorns everything from the Anchorage airport to a research center in Juneau.

Earlier this year, we tracked some of the senator's pet projects with our Ted Stevens' Alaska Map. Now that he's been convicted, maybe we should to add his Girdwood home (pictured) to the list?

Related Stories:
· Ted Stevens Found Guilty [AP, via AJC]
· Jury Finds Stevens Guilty on Charges [CNN]
· Jury Finds Stevens Guilty [ADN]
· Voting as a Felon [Rock the Vote]]]> pbb 2008-10-27T17:05:02-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/16/203156/122

We hope to one day visit all 50 states in the US and are shamed that actress Eva Mendes got there first. Not only that, she left special memories in every place: The Miami native who plays the other woman in "The Women" claims to have had sex in all 50 states.

Seems Eva and a long-ago boyfriend did a major road trip where they hit most of the states. After that, we assume she just cashed in some frequent flier miles once she became famous to take dates to romantic, exotic Missouri and West Virginia. Best roadside rendezvous according to Mendes? Arizona and Colorado:

Maybe it was the clear air or the quiet or the endless sky. Whatever it was, it was really, really good."

Fun election-year tie-in: Mendes claims that the worst sex she had out of all 50 was in Alaska. We'll have to take her word for it, but why isn't there a term for this feat? Tangomag.com suggests "50 state sex cycle," but you can do better than that in the comments.

Related Stories:
· Super World Travelers Stick Close to Home [Jaunted]
· Eva Mendes: I've Had Sex in 50 States [Celebitchy]
· The Eva Mendes US Cycle [Tangomag.com]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo of Mendes in this month's ELLE magazine: Just Jared]]]> egw 2008-09-17T08:50:29-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/9/3/173659/1903

So. Sarah Palin. She's Alaska's 11th governor--it's only been a state since 1959!--and before that she was the mayor of the town of Wasilla. But where the heck is Wasilla?

It's about 40 miles north of Anchorage, and it's an 80-mile drive to get to Ted Stevens' house in Girdwood. To get to Alaska's capital of Juneau, it's 568 miles as the crow flies; if Palin is headed to One Observatory Circle this January, it's gonna be one hell of a red-eye: Washington, DC is 3,351 miles from Wasilla.

Related Stories:
· McCain Picks Alaska Governor Sarah Palin [Jaunted]
· Minnesota, Pregnant with Anticipation [Jaunted]
· RNC Chill [Jaunted]
· Google Maps/Where Is... coverage [Jaunted]]]> pbb 2008-09-03T17:38:37-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/29/1144/90670

First-term Alaska governor Sarah Palin has been named as John McCain's running mate, CNN and The New York Times reported this morning. Palin is known as a political reformer in her native state who defeated her primary opponent by blowing the whistle on party corruption--and for support for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Palin is expected to appear momentarily with McCain in Dayton, Ohio for their first campaign event. She will also join fellow Republicans Tom Ridge and Mitt Romney, both of whose names were mentioned in the veepstakes, at a Saturday rally in Washington, Pennsylvania.

A self-described "hockey mom," former journalist and one-time Miss Congeniality, Palin was nicknamed "Sarah Barracuda" in high school, which should look great on a campaign poster. In her first year and a half in office, she created a climate-change initiative and served on the National Governors' Association Natural Resources Committee. She has five kids: Track, Trig, Bristol, Willow and Piper.

Related Stories:
· Surprise Pick of Female Governor [NYT]
· McCain Picks Alaska Governor Palin [CNN]
· Ted Stevens' Alaska Map [Jaunted]
· Possible Presidents coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jmedkeffphoto]]]> egw 2008-08-29T11:18:48-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/15/125639/048

Climbing the icy peaks of Alaska can be scary, but not as scary as approaching a cute waitress or waiter. If you dream of glaciers, we've got your hot places to warm up in the largest city of our northernmost state.]]> egw 2008-08-15T15:00:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/14/73045/5022

We've seen plenty of Alaska before: The state's unpredictable wildlife, epic hiking and even its surfing. But if you want even more out of a trip to America's last frontier, hit up Mica Guides.

Based just two hours from Anchorage on the Matanuska Glacier, the company offers glacier tours, adventure trips and, most importantly, ice climbing! Every day during the summer months, tours depart at 10 am and last about six hours. Best of all, no experience is necessary, as they'll tailor your tour to fit what you can handle.

It will only set you back $130 per person and that includes all the gear you'l need. You probably should bring your own sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves and some warm clothes. Once you get good, Mica also offers an advanced class where they'll mix things up and get you climbing some seriously wild ice.

Related Stories:
· Mica Guides [Official Site]
· Alaska Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Mica Guides]]]> kjb 2008-08-14T14:00:10-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/8/4/73919/06085

You know you've thought of taking an Alaskan cruise before, but let's face facts: It may not be the ideal vacation for the under-50 crowd. That's where Backroads comes in. On a six day hike along the Inside Passage, you'll cover the same turf the cruise ships do--but you'll miss out on the shuffleboard tourney.

The tour starts in Juneau, where you'll hike through spruce forests and take in the Gold Creek. The next two days take you to Skagway where you'll watch your back for moose and grizzlies and rest your feet on the White Pass and Yukon Railway, one of the steepest in the world.

The hike ends in Glacier Bay with a short cruise through the heart of the park--guess you can't completely avoid the water. The tour runs about $2,500 per person and includes all meals except one and your lodging every evening.

Related Stories:
· Backroads Tours [Official Site]
· Alaska Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: vonlohmann]]]> kjb 2008-08-04T11:31:06-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/