States of Mind

 I have a friend, let's call her Angela. Her name is actually Angela. In any case, we got to talking and she revealed that she, like me, has been to most of the fifty states of the United States. Our totals were pretty close: she's been to 43, I've been to 41.

I think it's worth mentioning that she considers herself as having been to Iowa, but she apparently just passed through Iowa. That's not how I count. Not that I'm judging, but I've definitely been to a place of business in every state I've been to, and I don't count the airport either. I've been to the Minneapolis Airport but for the sake of an accurate and fair count I do not include Minnesota among the states I have visited. I just thought that was worth saying. 

She also mentioned something sketchy about swimming in the waters in Maine, which I won't let myself be concerned about right now.

So Angela and I joked about who would get to 50 states first, at least we seemed to be joking. I wasn't joking. She mentioned that we should go to Hawaii together to get our last state. Yeah, that's not going to happen.

Here are the states I haven't been to yet:

1. Hawaii
2. Alaska
3. North Dakota
4. South Dakota
5. Minnesota
6. Michigan
7. Vermont
8. Rhode Island
9. Maine

This is going to explain an adjustment I just made to the route to the first destination of my Grand Tour: Milwaukee. By way of South Dakota and Minnesota. I love the USA and I am going to beat Angela to 50 states, and that's important for you to know as I set out on a potentially life-changing journey. 

PS If you are ever driving through Iowa, it's worth stopping at the Outlets in Williamsburg, IA for a relaxing shopping experience: