Fifty Nifty States

Over the weekend (plus a little), I traveled to Illinois for a wedding. On the way, we passed through Nebraska and Iowa, two states I had never been in before. Despite the fact that I did little more than stare at them from the confines of a rental van, this brings my “states visited” total to 24. I’m almost halfway done with seeing the United States. (And it’s possible I’ve technically entered other states for brief periods of time without realizing it—and no, I’m not including flying.)

I thought, just for the heck of it, that I’d post various opinion questions relating to the USA. These are the types of questions I come up with while in the midst of a 22-hour commute. I don’t know if people answering them find them as entertaining as I do, but I think they’re interesting to ponder. I’ll post my own answer with each question, but I’m hoping everyone will join in. Here goes…

1. If you could only visit one more state (i.e. a state you have never been to before), what state would it be?

I would probably have to choose somewhere in New England. I’d be tempted to say Maine, but I’d probably choose Massachusetts because of Boston alone. I’ve heard it’s quite beautiful there, and there’d be more obvious things to do in Massachusetts than in Maine. (No offense, Maine!) But I’d also struggle with giving up Hawaii because, hey, it’s Hawaii! Doesn’t everybody strive to see Hawaii someday? I'd probably have to give this more thought before I could decide for sure.

2. If you had to live in a different state than you currently do, what state would it be? (Note: you can choose any state, even if you’ve never been there.)

I’d probably choose a nicer suburb of either Seattle or Portland. There are several reasons for this. To begin with, I love the Pacific Northwest. It’s gorgeous. It’s green, it’s lush, it’s near beautiful bodies of water. Hand in hand with this is my second reason—the climate. I love the rain, and I think I could handle it being a regular part of my life. But even more importantly, both Seattle and Portland are less extreme in their seasons than is Utah. Part of me would miss big snowfalls, but I certainly wouldn’t miss freezing my butt off. And I wouldn’t miss the difficulty of commuting during snowstorms. And when it comes to summer, I’d never, ever, ever miss the near 100-degree temperatures that occur all too often in Utah. And finally, I’d be closer to my home state, so I wouldn’t feel as far away from family.

3. If you could have 3 vacation homes outside of the state you currently live in, where would they be? (Note: for this question, you can only choose places you’ve actually been before.)

Obviously I’d be choosing somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. Perhaps somewhere a little bit more reclusive than I’d choose if I had to live there year-round. But it’d almost definitely be Washington. House number two would probably be somewhere like Virginia. It’s beautiful out there as well, and you could utilize the location for some great weekend excursions (D.C., New York, etc.). Finally, I may very well choose somewhere along the Mississippi River (Illinois or Missouri). Though I'd been there prior to this past weekend, I really appreciated its beauty this time around. It’d be great for true relaxation. My only hesitation would be thinking that, because I get three vacation homes, I should probably diversify and go somewhere more tropical for the final home. Something like San Diego. I guess I’d have to work that one out before I could give a final answer.

4. Assuming you’ve been to 45 states or less, if you were forbidden to visit 5 states that you have NOT been to before (but of your own choosing), what would they be?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of states I’ve already been to that I wish I could rule out. But, as far as unvisited states go, I would rule out (in alphabetical order) Alabama, Delaware, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Oklahoma. Alabama and Mississippi might have some interesting historical sites, but nothing that compels me. I know absolutely nothing about Oklahoma to make me interested. Those three are the definite toss-outs. North Dakota, while its probably fairly pretty, has nothing to draw me in. I’m satisfied to keep one Dakota, so I might as well keep the one that has Mount Rushmore. As for Delaware, it’d probably be neat because it’s the first state and all. But, even though it’s much larger than Rhode Island, I would bump Delaware. Providence gives me greater vacation hope than does Dover or Wilmington. But what do I know?

5. What one state that you HAVE visited before would you least like to visit again?

Very easy. New Mexico. It was hot, it was ugly, it was dirty. I have no reason to return.