"Dirk Kempthorne's return to Washington, D.C., as Interior secretary two and half years ago placed him at the center of power in America, across the table from President George Bush and the rest of his Cabinet.

But the former Idaho governor and U.S. senator also found himself sitting cross-legged on the ground with 60 native chiefs in American Samoa and riding his Harley to the Vietnam Memorial with 250,000 other bikers. He and his wife, Patricia, sat behind Queen Elizabeth at a White House dinner.

Eight years after leaving the Senate, Kempthorne's second stint in Washington turned into a road show tour of America the Beautiful. He visited 63 national parks and monuments, and island-hopped through the South Pacific to territories that stretch beyond the International Date Line thousands of miles across the music-hearted sea.

With such a short time to serve, Kempthorne traveled like he was on his own version of the "Amazing Race" - the popular CBS reality TV show.

As he nears the end of his tenure as Interior secretary, Kempthorne sat down with Treasure to reflect on the highlights and high points. He's proud of how he's increased the National Park Service budget by more than $1 billion and celebrated the bald eagle's removal from the endangered species list.

Among Kempthorne's job titles is trustee of the United States' Indian tribes, which puts him in charge of Indian health care and education.

He includes among the high points of his term a visit to Arizona's Tuba City Boarding School, the largest school in the Bureau of Indian Education system and highest-achieving schools on the Navajo Reservation.

"When I arrived, a thousand children were waiting for me," Kempthorne said.

The students were quickly at ease with Kempthorne, slapping high fives and shooting baskets with him in the gym."

Get the Story:
Two years, one amazing race for Dirk Kempthorne (Treasure Magazine December 2008/January 2009)