Visiting All Fifty U.S. States (A bit of an introduction)

In my younger years I never much thought about such a goal seeing as how there was far too much to do in life with work and family. But as time went along and my list of states visited grew longer I at least allowed myself the thought of dreaming about the possibilities. While I have made it to forty-one states out of fifty it is the remaining nine that have become a lofty stretch of the imagination. I can somewhat imagine putting together a trip that meanders through the eight states out west that are all connected, hitting the high points and taking lots of pictures. But it will always be that final one—Hawaii—that may be the roadblock to attaining victory over all fifty states. While we know friends out there who would be glad to see us, the cost of even the airfare is definitely not in the budget. But we do still think about it.

Wanting to see what others have done with such a quest, I was surprised to find all kinds of websites and stories about what it means to different people. One such website is The All Fifty Club (http://www.allfiftyclub.com) which gives special recognition to those who had reached that milestone. They also allow people to become members after reaching thirty-five states, so that's something I may do. CNN Travel once did a story (https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/50-state-travelers-what-counts/index.html) about travelers and their thoughts in what constitutes a "visit" to a state:

"To “visit” a state, a person has to step outside the airport and breathe the air, according to the organization’s website. Airport layovers mean nothing. Those who are truly passionate about making it to all 50 states often have their own criteria for crossing them off the list, from a hard-core requirement of staying in a state for more than a month to simply hopping out of the car to snap a picture at the border."

Airport in Los Angeles

It is for that reason above that some say I should be at forty states and not forty-one. In my own mind I had a lengthy layover in California while traveling to and from the Philippines. I still think it counts in my book of reasoning but that would eventually be moot should I take the aforementioned trip out west or an abbreviated form of it. Yet the CNN article also mentions that everybody has their own criteria for this and mine is that I be physically in the state. So I am going to consider myself as having visited forty-one states since I was fully and truly in the state. And no, I wouldn't count a flyover. At least you'll understand the dilemma many people go through in getting themselves to the full fifty.

Yes, this is how I spent my time in the LA airport, but I was there

My life's journey started in New York, moved on to Illinois for the teen years, then Minnesota for college, back to Illinois for much of my life, and now on to Georgia to be with family. That alone would account for quite a number of states but moving to the Midwest did propel me further in that goal for as many states as possible. It I had happened to move to the West Coast instead of the East Coast I may have been able to have a higher number than I do now.

My wife started in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and went on family trips. After we married we were together on our trips most of the time. Since I am looking at this project as a personal one I am only trying to put together those trips I knew I took, whether or not she was in them. It will be clear in most of these stories when I talk about her and I as us. I am often reminded by her that I did not deviate into side trips like we do today. I simply drove straight through in as quick at time as possible.

On another note, we have been to Washington DC several times. Though it's not on the list of states it is a matter of national interest so I simply add that info as a plus for me. So, it is my plan to make a blog page of all fifty states and start filling them out as quickly and briefly as possible. I can always go back and add some extra stories later.

Until next time,

Arktander

(aka David Andreasen)