Visiting all of the 50 states

[helen]

Came across this article on the CNN web site on Tuesday (5/27/14). It brings up that some people have made it their goal in life to visit all of the 50 states in this country. There is even a web site called the All Fifty Club for those who have done it.

There are some conditions as to what constitutes a visit, for instance if you do a stopover on an airport in a state that you haven't visited before it doesn't count unless you leave the airport for a while.

For me it is not a goal to visit all of the states but I don't mind adding to my list of 5 states which at this point in time are:

• Hawaii
• California
• Texas
• Nevada
• Virginia

Too bad I can't count Illinois since it was a stopover on the way to Virginia.

So how many states have you visited? You can list the stopover states if you like but they don't count as the states you visited. I guess for me it is 5 and 1 from my count.

[pzarquon]

I'd have to doublecheck, but my list includes:

• Arizona
• California
• Florida
• Hawaii (More than a Stopover)
• Illinois (Stopover)
• Maryland
• Minnesota (Stopover)
• New York
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.

[mel]

The ones I been to:

• Hawaii (duh)
• California
• Washington
• Nevada - I did drive 10 minutes into Arizona. Does that count?
• Massachusetts
• New York
• Florida
  
• Washington D.C. - (duh) - not a state.
  
• Texas doesn't count because that was a stopover

[GregLee]

• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• (Florida)
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Iowa
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• New Hampshire
• New Mexico
• New York
• Nevada
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington D.C.
• (Wisconsin)
• Wyoming

[Opihimonster]

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

Have done cross country road trips (WA-MD, TX-OH, OH-FL) that checked off a big chunk.

[matapule]

Hawaii
Washington
Oregon
California
Arizona
Nevada
Wyoming
Colorado
Utah
New Mexico
Texas
Oklahoma
Kansas
Missouri
Nebraska
Iowa
Minnesota
Illinois
Florida
Alabama
Georgia
South Carolina
Virginia
Maryland
Washington, D.C
New Jersey
Connecticut
New York
Massachusetts
Maine
(I don't include "stopovers")

Foreign Countries

Canada (West and East coasts)
Mexico
Honduras
Costa Rica
Western Samoa
American Samoa
Tonga
Fiji
Bahamas
Portugal
Spain
France
England
Belgium
Netherlands
Denmark
Sweden
Hungary
Romania
Moldova

I have quite a few more places I want to visit on my bucket list. From my experience and those of acquaintances, the more places you visit the more "liberal" you become!

[Leo Lakio]

Hawai`i
Washington
Oregon
California
Nevada
Idaho
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
Colorado
North Dakota
South Dakota
Nebraska
Kansas
Oklahoma
Texas
Minnesota
Iowa
Missouri
Arkansas
Wisconsin
Illinois
Michigan
Indiana
Kentucky
Ohio
West Virginia
New York
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
= 34 states + District of Columbia

Other countries: Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia

[lensperson]

i have been to a lot of the above states.
In 1959 my family was living in Havana Cuba.
When the Fidelistas marched into town the families of Esso were flown out.

Nowadays we still have a Mcdonalds on the
island.

Entry is invitation only.

[matapule]

In 1959 my family was living in Havana Cuba.

That jogged my memory, I forgot two countries I have visited:

Jamaica (7 days)
Dominican Republic (10 days)

(last month I was 15 miles offshore from Cuba on two different occasions, but that doesn't count)

[scrivener]

Unlike Helen, I do aspire to spending quality time in all fifty states, and as many other places as possible. When I put my New Year's Resolutions together this year, I really wanted to add an adventure component, but I realized that one of the things keeping me from truly being adventurous is a collection of awful habits I've accrued in the past twenty years that make travel nearly impossible.

So I structured the resolutions in such a way that, if I were successful, I could make travel a very real possibility in 2015 and beyond.

Half a year in, and I am slightly off the pace but still mostly on track.

Still, despite my comparatively meager experience, I have been blessed to go a few places. I am not counting drive-through states on this list because that's not the kind of quality time I want, and I'm definitely not counting stop-overs, even if I did leave the airports for a little while (sorry, St. Louis and Arizona).

• Hawaii -- Born and raised.
• California -- Lived for about three years in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Diego. Many visits since then.
• Nevada -- A few camping trips to Tahoe when I was a kid.
• Washington -- A two-week trip to Seattle to visit college friends. Loved it!
• Oregon -- One week with my college roommate and his wife. Visited the Tillamook cheese factory; skied Mt. Hood; flattened coins on a train track near Multnomah Falls.
• Tennessee -- A summer vacation and a Christmas vacation in Nashville with the One Who Got Away. Bittersweet memories, but mostly sweet.
• Virginia -- One of my college dorm-mates lives there with his wife. I've been to visit twice, including as the best man in their wedding. A lovely, lovely state.
• New York -- Still haven't spent time in the city (despite having all kinds of roots there), but spent a summer on a small lake in the north with the One Who Got Away and her dad. It was a wonderful summer and one of my best memories. We canoed and hiked in the day; we did puzzles and read books at night. I think I'm a better person because of the time I spent there. A couple of years later, I drove to almost the same place with the Virginia friend to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum (in Cooperstown, but you knew that) during Induction Weekend to watch Robin Yount, Nolan Ryan, and George Brett accept their places in that hallowed hall. It, too, was a glorious time.
• Maryland -- Just long enough to watch a Baltimore Orioles game, the summer Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's ironman record. The Orioles played the Mariners that day, but Griffey and Buhner both sat that game out. I can't remember if A-Rod was on that team.
• New Mexico -- One week at a student conference when I was in college. I liked it.

[lensperson]

The state of arizona has a volcano that erupted in about AD 1100.
The name of the site is sunset crater.

The ash fall from the eruption helped crops for 3 generations.
The park entrance is hard to find.

[Kalihiboy]

Many years ago I made a vow to visit all 50 states before I ever headed overseas. Last year and it took me over 40 years but I completed visiting all of the 50 states. Have to say amongst the my favorites are California and South Dakota and least favorite hands down is Texas. I've been to many of the 50 states several times each so it hasnt been just a one time visit. So now that my 50 state quest is complete I'll set my sights on seeing parts of the world I've never seen before.

[matapule]

Have to say amongst the my favorites are California and South Dakota and least favorite hands down is Texas.

What did you like about those States and what didn't you like about the others?

California has been my life long "home State", but I know several elderly life long residents who are packing up and moving to Nevada and Arizona . Too many "libruls", Mesicans, taxes, Athiests, gun rules for them.

Where I live in SoCal today (2500' elev.) - temps in the low 80's with no humidity, bright blue skies with no smog, San Diego, Palm Springs, Hollywood, high Alpine forests, SoCal beaches all within a two hour or less drive from my front door. Just got back from my morning one hour walk in the adjacent nature preserve wetlands - cottontails, bobcats, skunks, racoons, deer, hawks, eagles, sweet smell of decaying vegetation. I think I'll stay put for the time being.

[Kalihiboy]

What did you like about those States and what didn't you like about the others?

California has been my life long "home State", but I know several elderly life long residents who are packing up and moving to Nevada and Arizona . Too many "libruls", Mesicans, taxes, Athiests, gun rules for them.

Where I live in SoCal today (2500' elev.) - temps in the low 80's with no humidity, bright blue skies with no smog, San Diego, Palm Springs, Hollywood, high Alpine forests, SoCal beaches all within a two hour or less drive from my front door. Just got back from my morning one hour walk in the adjacent nature preserve wetlands - cottontails, bobcats, skunks, racoons, deer, hawks, eagles, sweet smell of decaying vegetation. I think I'll stay put for the time being.

I've always wanted to live in California I think I fit in best with all that you described! As for Arizona, been there done that for 13 years in both Phoenix and Flagstaff, Nevada is about the same weather wise. Reno and Flagstaff same weather and Las Vegas/Phoenix the same.

South Dakota I would like to visit again to see the places I enjoyed, i.e. Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse, etc. and perhaps explore other parts of the state I havent seen yet. Would not want to live there, especially with their brutal weathers.

Texas is amongst the ugliest states I've ever been to. Flat and brown for most of it and when its mountainous in some areas like El Paso it looks like any other place of its kind. Blah!! While I enjoy a Texas BBQ like others, I just dont see the love for Texas as others do.

[Frankie's Market]

Not including airport layovers, I've been to:

Hawaii
Nevada
California
Arizona
Maryland
Delaware
New Jersey
New York
Connecticut
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Virginia
Illinois
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Iowa
Missouri
Ohio
Indiana
Michigan

Been to D.C., but since that is NOT one of the 50 states, it seems to me that counting that is just as much cheating as including layovers.

I've always thought of my road trips as being visits to cities rather than states. But thinking in terms of how many states I have actually driven through, I now realize that I've been to 20 out of 50. Wow, almost halfway to all of them.