50 nifty..well, 39 and counting

I may live for foreign travel, but there's plenty to love about domestic travel too!  Growing up in the Midwest and then settling as an adult in the West has given me lots of opportunities to check out the US of A from sea to shining sea...including some of those boring states in the middle.  (To those of you who happen to be from Kansas, sorry.)

Most of my visits to new states came about from long, uncomfortable road trips.  That's the best way to experience a new state though.  Just flying in and flying out does not give you that same excitement as crossing the border and seeing a large sign that says "Welcome to _____________."  (Thought: Why don't these signs exist at airports.  I would LOVE that!)



See what I mean, what could be more exciting than this?!

 

Well not this.  (DO NOT judge Oregon based on this sign.  It is soooooo much more interesting than this.)



Timing is everything though.  (Perfect place for a backwards construction sign CALIFORNIA!)



And so is focus.  (FYI: It says Utah.)



Hmmm...perfect timing and focus but still not that exciting.  (Is that a lighthouse?  A mountain?  I'm confused because, as far as I know, Nebraska has neither.)



Good effort Idaho.  At least you know what color is.



Practice makes perfect.  The key is you have to GET OUT of the car!

It would be hard for me to pick a favorite state.  For a time, it was Arizona and that was why I set my sights on moving here.  (Plus the fact that it almost never snows in Phoenix.)  I think the desert is beautiful and we have incredible sunsets almost every night.  And when you inevitably get sick of the blazing sun and heat, you can drive 2-3 hours north for a change of scenery and be in a totally different climate.  I still like Arizona a lot, but I'm not sure I would call it my favorite state.  If I could have two houses here, one in the desert and one in the northern mountains, then I think Arizona would come out on top.



How could you not love hiking in 90+ degree weather?!

 

Other contenders are Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Vermont.  I'll take green grass and mountains over sandy beaches any day.  For example, if I had the choice of traveling to Hawaii or Alaska again, I would definitely choose Alaska.



When in Rome...or Nome.

 

I know everyone has different thoughts on what constitutes being in a state.  When tallying up my count of states I have visited, my rule is that I must have stepped foot on actual ground and breathed the outside air.  Thus, layovers in airports and driving through without stopping do not count.  (The same rules apply for countries, thus I have never been in Denmark even though I have been to Denmark.)

The 11 states I have YET to visit are: Montanta, North Dakota, Minnesota (technically I have exited the airport, but I'm keeping it on here until I do some actual visiting), Iowa, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Louisiana, Kentucky (which is pitiful to still be remaining, since I grew up in Ohio), and Connecticut.  Of all of these, the one I am most looking forward to visiting is Montana, specifically the national parks.

Now that I think about it, I doubt I will be crossing any more off this list this year, or even next year.  My new personal goal - to have seen all 50 states by the time I am 50.



What I'm going to look like when I am old, according to a San Diego science museum exhibit. (Yikes!)

 

Related note: I'd love to visit every Canadian province too.  I've got a lot of work to do though since I only have 3 down so far: Ontario, British Columbia, and Yukon.  Plus I have no idea how a person would even get to Nunavut.



Parfait!