Traveling And My 48th State

Traveling is one of my favorite activities.  The stress of life just seems to melt away in a new adventure.  My goal is to travel to all 50 states in my home country, the United States of America.  Each year, there is another attempt to go to one that I have not been to.  It's a fun time trying to find the most interesting places to visit in each location.  The broad landscape offers a diverse array of views, each more breathtaking than the last, ranging from lush swamps to dry deserts.  The mighty mountains rising above the clouds and the oceans with their roaring waves all compose the vast land of the United States.  Traveling with parents when we were young started this, and they reached all fifty of them.  I have only been to forty-seven and will be my forty-eighth this year.  This year, I visited West Virginia at the newest national park, New River Gorge National Park. However, the big trip is going to Nevada, the last western state I have not yet seen.  It is home to Las Vegas, as well as many places of historical significance.   The Hoover Dam still proudly stands, offering many hiking trails to explore the surrounding desert landscape.   I have hiked in many areas, but the dry air feels so wonderful. 

While anticipating the last mainland state, I have been thinking about all the other places I have been to.  Each was a different adventure, with some more interesting than the others. Though each has its own beauty and landscape.  The many trains and boats also bring a new perspective on how each area was founded and settled.  I have been favoring out west the best, though.  It is much more desolate in some places but largely untouched by development.  The mountains are so vast that I felt tiny.  The Mid States was less amusing, but it was still lovely to see the farmlands and little-known histories.  The South is hot, but it still retains its charm.   The Northwest is beautiful, particularly along its coastlines.  There are many places, yet my goal remains the same. The sense of wonder and discovery in exploring new places always keeps me excited and intrigued.

The part of the New England and Mid-Atlantic section of the country was one of the last I visited.  Fall is always the best time in that region.  Maine had the beautiful Acadia National Park.  The area boasts the Atlantic, offering many lovely sunsets.  I enjoyed my time on another trip to New Hampshire and Vermont.  This one was filled with nature and even featured Ben & Jerry's.   Another trip included Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware.  This trip was more driving, but the ocean is always a beautiful site.  The states are much smaller and easier to visit on one trip.  I visited New York in high school, where I saw the cleared area where the Twin Towers once stood. Niagara Falls is also worth a visit.   A visit to my great-aunt and uncle in New Jersey was all I needed to experience that state.  

Almost all of the South was located below the Mason-Dixon line, but it was on the northern side of the Civil War.   Maryland was visited for family purposes, as it is my mother's home state, which I even referenced in one of my stories, including a trip back to my grandparents' house.   West Virginia is close to my state, and I even currently work there.  I visited Kentucky when I was a kid, and I have fond memories of camping. Also in the section is Washington D.C., where I have been multiple times and worth with all the monuments and museums.

The South was a lovely place with its swamps and friendly cultures.  I still remember the trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, with my grandma as a special memory. North Carolina had Kitty Hawk with some lovely beaches. South Carolina and Georgia were similar and beautiful in their own ways. Tennessee was a trip with my college where I visited Opryland.  Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were a trip of the swamps and historical world of many conquerors. New Orleans is quite a unique place.  Florida was a softball trip, and I even went to Disney World.  The heat is not my favorite.  It is an acceptable section and unique from the rest.

The Mid-West and Great Lake regions are a lovely section from where I live.  I live near the Ohio River, just across from West Virginia.  It is a slower region, but I enjoy the less large cities.  Indiana was the place of one of my family reunions.  Illinois is where my dad originated.  We used to take many trips as kids to my grandparents out that way. Wisconsin was on a side trip when we visited my mom's cousin's family in Michigan.  My dad is a Packers fan and saw Brett Farve practice.  Minnesota was a short trip to see my mom's friend but not to explore any of Laura Ingalls' history.  Iowa was the birth state of John Wayne, and corn was not in the field.   Missouri is a beautiful country with peaks and water.  There is much to do in nature in that state.  Arkansas has its springs with unique architecture.  Pennsylvania is near me, too, and I have visited many places, including Pittsburgh, for various events. 

The states with the Plains were the most boring.  Nebraska was a quick trip from Kansas. Both had little to do, but some history was fascinating. Oklahoma was also on a journey with Texas.  I remember little about Oklahoma, but I had a nice time in San Antonio, even if it was briefly cold.  The crops were similar to those found in the Midwest.

It's one of my favorite sections in the West. There are mountains and deserts, each with its own unique and excellent qualities. North and South Dakota were both beautiful.  South Dakota is home to Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. North Dakota was more desolate, and Fort Diltz was a place that had been forgotten.  Montana was one of my favorites with Glacier National Park.  The views were epic, with enormous mountains towering above.  Wyoming was a desolate but lovely landscape between any city.  I saw Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful.  Colorado was full of mountains, and I was there for a cousin's wedding.  New Mexico was cold when I mistakenly forgot it would be warmer in the winter months. Still a beautiful place with a nuclear history.  Arizona was a magnificent Antelope Canyon but also a tragic place, as in my story, It Was The Perfect Day.  Utah was greener in the north and even had a view of Salt Lake.  California was very different once you left Los Angeles and headed to the beaches.  The traffic is crazy there.

The Northwest has an incredible Pacific coast.  Though the cities were not that enjoyable, the hiking was great.   The mountains there are huge and yet so easily hidden by clouds.  I wrote about it in my story, The Elusive Giants.  Idaho was very friendly, but Idaho Falls was a bit of a disappointment.   Washington State and Oregon had their mountains and coasts.  The cities were questionable, and I was glad to get through outdoors.  The waterfalls were also pretty.

The next stage will be Nevada, with Las Vegas and Reno.  There are many places to see, and even kayaking in a cave.  The desert will hopefully end better this time, and we will see the Grand Canyon this time around. This adventure is well-deserved, as I have been working hard to achieve my goal.  This year, I am looking forward to seeing my forty-eighth state.  I do wish for more travel.  There are always places I want to see, like Great Basin National Park, but it's too far for this vacation.  I love researching and exploring beautiful landscapes.  Nevada has a lot to see, with many different parks.  The research has been exciting, and I look forward to taking a vacation.

My last two states, which are in the future, are Alaska and Hawaii.  These two states are beautiful, one for its mountains and the other for the water.  I still must save up for them, but they were the last two states to be added to the United States in 1959.   They should be a wonderful cap on my dream to visit all fifty of them.  Traveling is fun when each place is new and has its own history to be learned.

For many years, I have been trying to see as many states as possible. Each trip is carefully planned and researched. I can only wish for more, and I have been out of the country also.  Traveling helps me feel alive when mundane life seems so boring at times.  It gives me a sense of wonder to continue wanting more.  Throughout my life, my parents have encouraged me to explore, and now I can be two states away from them.  I even use a scratch-off map to see where I've been, including my visits to National Parks.  It is a much better life to travel and see things when I am still young enough to do so.   The possibilities are endless as I explore new places and even write about them.  I am so close to meeting my goal of visiting the beautiful country where I was born.