If you know me in real life, you'll know that I talk a lot about my Bucket List, a list I made when I turned 25 that I'm using as sort of a "guidepost" for things I want to accomplish in my life. While the 100 things are supposed to last a lifetime, there's a few that I'm getting dangerously close to finishing, and one, thanks to three terrific trips I took in the past 18 months, that I'm getting darn close to completing is "Visit All 50 States." This is a goal many people have, and slowly but steadily we usually get them done (though when I talk to people my parents' age, I do find that there's 6-7 that stay behind as stragglers, so if this is a goal keep it top of mind), but I hit a milestone in January where I had officially gotten 80% of the way there, with just ten states remaining on the list before I'm done. As a result, and because we love lists here, I thought it would be fun to count down the ten remaining states that I have yet to see, and what I am most looking forward to seeing in them, as well as the likelihood that they will be the "Final State." In the comments if you're so inclined, list out which states you still have left, and which states you most/least want to still visit.
Honorable Mentions: For the contest I have with my family, we count airports. I have never understood why airports don't count for some people, particularly since their definitions are a bit arbitrary (I've spent more time in Hartsfield thanks to particularly long layovers through the years than I have several states people consider do "count"), but if you are a snob about this, I've technically only been to 37 states where I stood on the ground outside of the airport missing Washington, Georgia, and North Carolina. For the record, I plan on going to all three of these states before I hit 50, so as to preclude anyone from sniping "that doesn't count." Other qualifications people use include stay in the state for an hour, eat a meal there, spend a night there, have an experience there, but that feels a bit arbitrary. For example, I don't believe I ate anything while I was in New Hampshire (I honestly don't remember if I ate on the beach or not), but I definitely had a great experience playing with a dog who was seeing the ocean for the first time, so I think any other qualifiers are just being nitpicky. So I count airports, but due to peer pressure, I'll certainly avoid stepping foot properly in Washington, Georgia, and North Carolina after State Number 50.
How Have I Missed It: Of all of the states on this list, Michigan is arguably the weirdest one for me to still be missing. While I did live in New York for a year, the rest of my life has been spent residing in Minnesota and while Minnesota doesn't border Michigan, we're damn close. Getting from Duluth to the Michigan border is essentially a two-hour drive, which is nothing for a former farm boy (we had to drive 40 minutes to get to a Target), and even from the Twin Cities you can get to the UP in just over 5 hours. As a result, I think I missed this partially because we were not "lake people" growing up (making Superior less of a draw than it would have been), and because I didn't have a car for most of college (making road trips even to Madison a luxury I couldn't afford).
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: There's a reason this is #10-I genuinely have no idea what to do in Michigan. I am perpetually single, so a romantic weekend getaway to the Upper Peninsula sounds lonely & potentially bitter, while Detroit has less to offer than you'd expect considering its long history. I would say that some of the sightseeing would be interesting in the UP if I was romantically-inclined, and I do love Motown, but honestly what's holding back Michigan is largely that I don't really think there's anything cool to do there by myself, which is saying something from someone who can rave about the fun he had in Arkansas and Vermont.
Will It Be State #50? Probably not. This is the only state that I could legitimately get to by car, and as a result I can likely get there for less than a plane ticket ride and maybe a night in a cheap Holiday Inn. As a result, it's something I'll more-than-likely do next year, maybe as a summer excursion. It's not a destination, and will probably be in the Top 5 final states, but it won't be #50.
How Have I Missed It? Largely because my trips near it have been quite distant. In terms of visiting neighboring states, I've been to Philadelphia, Arlington, and Cincinnati, which while technically bordering the state, are nowhere nearby. The state isn't exactly a tourist destination, and quite frankly isn't even an airport hub, so it's pretty easy not to go to West Virginia unless you fully intended to hit the state.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: Aside from the countryside and the rest of the trip I'm going to be taking with it (this trip, while not scheduled, is planned for next April), there's not much here. West Virginia being the state that most fully approves of Donald Trump, coupled with me being a little concerned about visiting some of the rural, mountainous areas, make it a state that I'm probably just going to checkmark. The only reason it outranks Michigan is that I'll be seeing it as part of a tour that will include a lot of other spots I'm pumped to see.
Will It Be State #50?: Nope-you'll see that four states on this list (plus two of the "airport" states) I'll be hitting as part of a road trip next year, and so barring a winning lottery ticket, I'll still have states left at the end of that trip.
How Have I Missed It?: Of all of the states on this list, this is the one that shouldn't be here anymore as twice I have intended on crossing the border into Connecticut, but never made the plunge. The first time was during the sequester, when John Boehner's plan to ruin my life worked, as despite showing up nearly three hours early to the airport, I couldn't get through security before my flight left and as a result I missed a day trip to Yale (as well as seeing Laura Osnes & Santino Fontana in Cinderella). The second time I planned on doing a quick hop from Newport to Connecticut just to say I did, but was so exhausted after walking for hours upon hours around scenic mansions (and a little nervous about Boston driving) that I decided to have dinner in Newport instead and then head back to Massachusetts before I took a tiny jaunt over to Connecticut. As a result, in a sea of states that I have been to, Connecticut sits apart as a state as one I haven't visited.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: Here's the thing-of all of the states in New England, this is the one I can find with the least to recommend it. I kind of think that when I do see it eventually it will just be a day trip to New Haven to see Yale (I lived in the Bronx for a year-I should have gotten this off my list but was dealing with other life events at the time that precluded me looking much at goals), but I don't have a really good indication of things to see in Connecticut. Recommendations (really on all ten of these states but especially the ones that aren't a part of my upcoming road trip) are more than welcome.
Will It Be State #50?: It's genuinely possible. I'm right now wrestling a weekend excursion later this year in either CT or NM, and since I'm leaning toward the latter (more to do as a single person), CT will almost certainly end up in the final 5 states, if not the final 3. It's entirely possible that despite having multiple opportunities to cross it off the list, fate pushes it to last.
How Have I Missed It?: Here's where technicalities get in the way, as I'm also a mild snob about states I've "been to" as I have technically, geographically been to Delaware but didn't put my feet on the ground (I took an Amtrak from DC to NYC so that went through the state). That was the closest I've ever been to the state, though, as it's really small and kind of out of the way if you don't make an attempt to see it.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: Again, I don't know. I have a special place in my heart for Delaware as I recall having to do a book report about it in third grade (my name was toward the end of the alphabet alphabetically so I got one of the last choices for the presentations), and Joe Biden is my personal hero. However, I will admit there's not a lot to actually do in the state. We'll be staying in Wilmington on the road trip, so we'll be hitting the Hagley and Nemours more than likely, and surely having some good seafood-any other suggestions I'll take as this is one of the thinner itinerary days on the tour.
Will It Be State #50?: Nope-this is a road trip state. I have to assume, though, that this is one of those states that either is #50 or is a state that never gets crossed off of the list if you aren't from Philly or Baltimore. Of my 4-person family, there's only two states that no one has been to, one of them is Delaware (the other being #3 on this list).
How Have I Missed It?: One of the reasons my next road trip will be through the Southeastern United States is that it has (by-far) the most states I haven't visited yet and it's the area that I have traversed the least. South Carolina sits nestled between two of my "airport" states, and though I did have my favorite cousin that lived here for a time, that was while I was still in high school and thus did not have the funds to fly there solo. She moved back to Minnesota before I could afford such things, and as a result I've never been to South Carolina.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: We now enter the portion of the list where I'm genuinely excited to visit the state and not just doing a perfunctory visit to get it off of a list. I'll be spending two days in South Carolina next year, focusing mainly on Charleston and Congaree. I love national parks, so Congaree should be gorgeous, and Charleston has a lot of great old houses to visit. Plus, the cuisine (particularly the desserts) should be superb so this should be fun state to visit (even if it's way redder than I'd want from such a state's voting history).
Will It Be State #50?: Not only will it not be State #50, it might be the first state I knock off of this list, depending on when I do my weekend excursion trip. We are starting in Atlanta and working our way north, so South Carolina will disappear from this list pretty quickly and won't have a shot at the Final 5.
How Have I Missed It?: Dirty secret-I don't actually know if I've been to Maryland or not. I have been to DC for vacations three times, and at least during that first trip, there's a very strong possibility I was in Maryland. I was 13 at the time, however, and wasn't keeping track of things very well so I'm counting it as a state I haven't been to, even though it's possible I've not only been here, but it was in the first ten states I'd ever visited.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: I think Baltimore could be really fun. The city has a lot more to offer (and is bigger than I thought), and I'm particularly looking forward to Fort McHenry. I loved some of the Revolutionary War sites I went to in Boston, and have not been to any sites from the War of 1812, so I think it could be a learning experience. I may also see Antietam depending on time/geography, but I think this will be a good stop on my road trip.
Will It Be State #50?: No-it's not even a shot at the Final 5 (even if I go to two states before the road trip, I'll hit Delaware after Maryland), and as a result it's not going to be my final state.
How Have I Missed It?: This is one of those situations where if I'd been an adult when I was close to the state, I would have made a point to cross the border to see Idaho, as I have been to Yellowstone National Park, which does have a very small portion in Idaho. However, my parents were driving and while we did go to Montana and Wyoming on this trip, we did not get to the sliver of Yellowstone that is in Idaho. As a result, the Gem State remains elusive.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: So, I have a second road trip planned for just me after my Southern Road Trip next year, and during that I plan on doing three states, including my final airport state as well as #4 and #2 on this list. Idaho is going to be a bit out of the way for this, and though it's a sparsely populated state, it's very beautiful and mountainous so I think it'll be fun. Shoshone Falls Park and Craters of the Moon National Monument are toward the top of the list of places I'm planning on seeing while I'm doing this three-state sojourn, and I think it'll be gorgeous based on the photos.
Will It Be State #50?: It will not. Mathematically, unless something bizarre like a work trip or I have a boyfriend (fat chance) whose home state I need to visit, there's only four states that are in the running to be the "final" state, and Idaho, since it will be the second leg of the next road trip, will not be it. As a result, it could be in the Final 2-3 states, but I don't think it's a possibility for #50.
How Have I Missed It?: Because New Mexico is ridiculously out of the way. Thanks to the Hoover Dam I have been to Arizona, and because of a trip to Dallas I've been to Texas, but honestly New Mexico is nowhere near either of those two states. As a result, New Mexico is a state that's never really been in the running for a visit for me (yet).
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: I'm thinking this is the frontrunner for my weekend trip (it'd be a great visit for a weekend in January), and if I did do that I'd go with Albuquerque, which looks like a cool city. I'll be honest here- New Mexico is high because I'd really love to do this with someone a bit more courageous than myself (hence why it might lose the weekend trip to Connecticut)-the coolest things in New Mexico are the desert and Carlsbad Caverns, and I have both a genuine fascination and an intense fear of the desert and caves. Still, though, it's a beautiful-looking state and I think would have some fun food & maybe even some cool shopping, so it's high on the list (and would be a great escape in January).
Will It Be State #50?: It could. Like I said, it's the most likely contender for a weekend trip, so that'd take it out of the running, but if I pick Connecticut (or just pass on a trip all-together), then New Mexico is not in my current travel plans and could easily be a "cross it off the list" situation.
How Have I Missed It?: Washington is an airport state, and while I have been to California multiple times, I've never rented a car while there and honestly was there for school trips every time so any going off on my own would be a no-no. Oregon is also the "third" state you see on the West Coast, and while Portland has become hip (I have some friends going there this fall), it hasn't peaked my interests in a big enough way to make me actually go visit.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: All right, though it's still quite unpopular to say out-loud, I was a big fan of the Twilight movies (what-we are allowed guilty pleasures, it just can't be all we like, and quite frankly this is one of the only ones I genuinely feel guilty about), and so seeing St. Helen's would be super fun for me to prance around town, secretly (or not so secretly-I'm on vacation) wearing my "Team Edward" shirt. Otherwise Oregon is beautiful, and has some natural wonder, and I think Portland would be a really cool city to stay in (hell-it might be cool to live in someday).
Will It Be State #50?: It technically could, but I doubt it. I honestly think the best shots at #50 are either Connecticut, New Mexico, or State #1, as I think I'll finish both of my road trips before I hit all fifty. Oregon has a decent chance of being State #49, but fifty just won't cut it.
How Have I Missed It?: Alaska, unless you live there, is not a state you go to by accident. You don't randomly drive through there and eat at a small-town grocery store for an hour while your bus fills with gas (my experience in Utah) or just jaunt up there for some morning French Toast while watching the news on one of those tiny diner TV's (my experience in Maine). Alaska is a big, out-of-the-way adventure, and while I have been to Canada, I didn't go further north than Winnipeg (and have only been to Manitoba). As a result, Alaska has always been a dream, but never one that was remotely close to happening.
What I'm Most Looking Forward To: Everything. While my slight fear of nature is doubled here, I love mountains and am not afraid of snow, and think it looks like a true adventure. Denali, in particular, would be incredible to see, and just in general there's very few things about Alaska that don't excite me (some of the whale watching could be spectacular). I suspect that Alaska is a state that I'll see via a cruise (it's not the sort of state that I'm going to do a self-guided tour like I did New England and Hawaii), and I cannot wait.
Will It Be State #50?: It probably will be. If I had to bet I'd guess 1) Alaska 2) Connecticut and 3) New Mexico, in that order, in terms of ranking likelihoods of this state being #50. It'd also be a cool state to end on-most people have their last state be a Delaware or a North Dakota because if you're shooting to finish this list, Alaska would be at the top of the list. However, since I only have ten left, it'd be an amazing spot to end this particular journey upon.
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