This informative post will be published on Saturday in place of my regular one. You are invited to participate with the opening question.

Brain Teaser Question

Simon has scored 14, 20, 22, and 16 points in four basketball games. If his final average will reach 20 points per game, how many points must he score in a fifth game?

(answer found at the end of this post)

Featured Facts

Admitted to the American Union on February 14, 1859, Oregon is the 33rd state of the United States.

Here are a few quick facts about Oregon:

Capital city: Salem
Largest city: Portland (population: 630,498)
Nickname: Beaver State
State bird: Western meadowlark
State tree: Douglas fir
State motto: Alis Volat Propiis (She Flies With Her Own Wings)

Oregon is well-known for its diverse landscape. The western coastal region features rainforests, mountains, and fertile valleys. The eastern side of the state offers a more arid and harsh environment with grasslands and deserts.

Oregon’s coastal mountain range is filled with an array of volcanic peaks. From their ancient activity, numerous lava flows have created volcanic rock formations, which resemble a moon-like terrain. During the 1960s, America’s space agency, NASA, utilizes this region to prepare Apollo astronauts for eventual travel to the Moon.

Another prominent holdover from these past volcanic times is Crater Lake, which is part of a national park (established in 1902). America’s fifth oldest national park is home to the deepest lake in the United States, reaching 1,949 feet. The crater’s basin is all that remains from a collapsed, ancient caldera.

Oregon leads the nation in growing a variety of crops: peppermint, blackberries, boysenberries, longberries, black raspberries, and hazelnuts. Wild mushroom hunting is legal, and a harvest of one gallon per day is allowed. The state is the nation’s leading source of Christmas trees.

Oregon is one of five American states that do not levy a general sales tax (joining with Alaska, Montana, Delaware, and New Hampshire). Eleven lighthouses provide safety for boats traveling along the state’s Pacific coastline.