I remember camping in California and there were these huge jays in the mountains....they were blue, but as I recall they were a brighter blue than the Eastern Jays. I thought those were called mountain blue jays or something like that. Neat birds.
Clark's nutcrackers are found further north - I'm not sure what they're range is, but I encountered them when camping in Idaho and Wyoming. Very fun to watch - aggressive, and not afraid of people, nor, apparently, dogs.