Big Idaho Potato Truck Tour brings four-ton spud to Grand Junction

Famous Idaho Potatoes won’t say whether the titanic tater is actually real — just that it would take 7,000 years to actually grow a spud this spectacular, one that’s the equivalent of one million french fries or 20,217 servings of mashed potatoes. They prefer to leave it up to each person whether they believe that much effort and time have actually been spent on one potato.

“We gracefully embark on a seven-month-long journey across the U.S. promoting Idaho potatoes and representing over 700 family-owned farms,” said Jenna, a Famous Idaho Potatoes brand ambassador traveling with the prodigious potato. “We do numerous types of events. (On Wednesday), we’re headed to Colorado Springs to another Texas Roadhouse. We also do NASCAR events and parades. We’ll be at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Atlanta. We’re doing the Fourth of July in Philadelphia for the 250th year of America. We’ll be returning home in September.”

This is the 14th cross-country trip for the voluminous vegetable, and the second for Jenna. The truck has been to all 50 states, even being shipped to Hawaii for five weeks in 2024. It’s also been in Canada.

“It was only projected to be one year to celebrate the Idaho Potato Commission’s 75th year, and there was a postcard that had a big potato on it, being hauled just like this,” Jenna said. “Someone came up with the idea of, ‘Let’s make that real!’ It became so popular that, now, it’s on its 14th journey. We hope to continue doing it and continue bringing smiles and potatoes.”

Each year, the massive Murphy’s route is determined by a tour director based in Boise. There are many eight-hour driving days between locations. The Tater Team that transports the Big Idaho Potato must always be vigilant about weather conditions, as well.

“We try to stay primarily East Coast, just because Idaho needs some representation around there,” Jenna said. “We don’t really get to do a lot of home-base activities, but it’s fun. It’s a journey.”

Grand Junction was chosen as a stop this year because it was along the route. Merchandise and swag were provided inside the Texas Roadhouse, including stickers, memorabilia, lanyards, and a station to craft porcupines using potatoes, sunflower seeds, googly eyes and glue.

Sometimes, the Big Idaho Potato Truck Tour works with food banks in the markets it visits, presenting them with checks. No such collaboration took place with this Grand Junction visit, but Jenna said such charity could work out when the truck returns to town — potentially on its way back to Idaho later in the year.

Jenna said the sight of confused and amused people discovering the enormous earth apple is a constant source of joy.

“It surprisingly never gets old,” she said. “Even getting gasoline is a whole thing. It takes about 20 minutes to hand out those stickers and pens, and people have questions and want to take pictures. No matter where we stop, we want people to have a great experience.”