New State: South Dakota

What to say about South Dakota? South Dakota is a state that our founding father George Washington smiles down upon.

It is a state where many, many highway signs direct you to Wall Drug, and once you arrive (and take a restorative nap in your car), even more signs direct you through what is not so much a drug store as a tourism complex. If you can find the soda fountain area, it is appropriate to purchase a mocha shake.

South Dakota is a state where you can do a lot of driving, and I guess the government knows it because the state just got an $85.9 million grant to improve the interstate highways. Nothing can be done to impact the number of insects that die every year on the state's roadways.

Ultimately, South Dakota is a state you wish you could spend more time in. Hidden gems like the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Sioux Falls

make it clear that this state is much more than a drive-through.