OK, I'm looking for some input on this. I got this spark of an idea last night about what I feel would be the coolest Christmas gift exchange concept if money were no object. Think about it, you and whoever you're exchanging gifts with already have everything you could possibly want. So what else is there?

Here's what: everyone loves a challenge, or at least that's the theory I'm beholden to. Have each contestant pick as barren and desolate place on the map as possible (I tend to prefer a US-only version, but the location limitation is debatable), and then, by some method, the locations picked are assigned to participants. The task is to FIND what it is about that desolate hell hole that somebody picked and make it interesting. You could convene after all the vacations are completed and have a massive game of show & tell. Whoever does the best job of presenting their find is declared the winner. And whatever prize one makes out of the whole shabang, then they get said prize.

The possible logistics of the idea are entertaining, though. At the site selection stage of the ceremony, you don't know who you're picking for. It might be someone you hate, someone you love, it could even be yourself. So you try not to be too cruel, but mostly objective about the whole thing. I'm sure there's a cruelty angle that could be added (for instance - you DO know who you're picking for), but I kinda like the objective idea ... there's that possibility that your own ill conceived choice could bite you in the ass.

So then you get assigned to each location randomly, then at some point in the near future, you're off to explore that one, two, or a few county region. Large metropolises are ruled ineligible (say, black out the top 250 most populous counties or so). You've now got to sell this desolate area to your fellow competitors (to be sure, a conflict of interest, so choose competitors wisely).

I decided to test my idea last night and I came up with the southwest corner of Idaho. There were no major highways, it looked pretty bleak. I came up with a fully contained county in Idaho to use as the geographical boundaries: Owyhee county.

Owyhee county has a population of 11,008 covering 7678 square miles south of Boise. One oddity in the census info is that it has a 23% Hispanic population. On paper, there doesn't seem to be much there.

Upon digging more and more into this little nook on the map, I can see how a week would be well spent, though. It would definitely be a lot of time spent getting some nature shots with a camera.

One thing I did look into was what existed slightly outside of Owyhee county, and found an even better option just south of there: Elko county Nevada. Lots more ghost towns, even a sizable casino region (Wendover is included here). Bing Crosby used to vacation here and was even awarded a Levi's Denim Tuxedo ... which is proudly on display at the local museum.

It just goes to show you that there's a story everywhere and there's something to see everywhere. Frankly, I say the idea is ripe for a reality TV show, although there would have to be some adaptations. But the limitation to what one person could do with this idea is pretty inhibiting. Curious to see what ideas generate from the peanut gallery that might enhance the gaming efforts of this notion. Also, while we're at it, what desolate area would you send someone (possibly yourself) to make it as difficult as possible for them to return with a salable enough story about their journey? Remember, the idea is competitive in nature, so don't tell me how you'd like to go to Disneyland. Dammit ... read the rules!