moondog

I'm willing to count airport only visits as "been there" but I don't have any of these.

My list (5):
ND
SD
IA
MT
AR

sethweinstein

Hawaii and North Dakota. I'm almost certain to be joining the latter's Best for Last Club, though not out of any deliberate planning to do so.

Seth

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I've been to all 50 states except Wyoming. AA was flying a CR2 into Cheyenne at one point from DFW and sitting on a CR2 for 2 hours plus isn't something I'd want to endure.

mecabq

I count spending at least one night (not at an airport hotel), and am missing only VT, NH, plus the Worst State in the Union, DE.

Bluehen1

Not to sidetrack the conversation, but why do you consider DE to be the worst state in the nation? I’ve lived there twice in my life and I’ll take over MS any day.

As for myself, I’ve done all 50. IA was my last needed.

bitterproffit

ID, AK, HI

I knocked 5 states off the list 2 years ago with a trip (NE, SD, ND, MT, WY). I flew to Denver then drove to Rapid City SD. I spent time in the awesome Scotts Bluff National Monument and ticked Nebraska off my list.

I then went up to Rapid City for a few days (ticking SD off the list) where I met my travel friends. We went to Badlands NP, Custer SP, Wind Cave NP, and Mt Rushmore. Definitely some great sights.

We took an endless road trip one day up to Theodore Roosevelt NP in North Dakota (knocking ND off the list). It was a 5 hour drive north just to see some buffalo, but had a great lunch.

We then drove west for a few miles into Montana (knocking MT off the list) and then down into Wyoming to visit Devil's Tower (knocking WY off the list). It was the longest day of the year and we got to Devil's Tower while the sun was low and it was beautiful with the sun at that angle.

While that was an exhausting day, we knocked off 4 states and a NP off the list.

(We are also trying to hit all the National Parks in the contiguous US)

MiamiAirport Formerly NY George

I went to school at Salisbury U. The middle of DE is a vast wasteland but the beaches are nice. From I remember you'd have these little hick towns you'd drive through and there'd be the sheriff on the side of the road with his radar gun making revenue off the beach tourist that hadn't slowed down to 25 m.p.h.

Bluehen1

UD grad here as you could probably figure out. Lived in Dover as well. There’s a reason everything south of the canal is known as “Slower Lower”. Had those speed traps in MS and AR but that’s not what I’d hold against those states.

returnoftheyeti

I have been to a couple of the missing states when I was in my teens, but if I don’t remember it, it does not count I guess.


Fun story about South Carolina. I was in Charlotte for work, and was struggling to find decent places that were not chains to eat dinner at. I was determined to go to South Carolina “just because” so one night I drove down. As soon as I crossed the border, there was a. “Locally sourced, organic, home made” restaurant.

So solid win in South Carolina.

Qwkynuf

I have visited all 50, have driven a vehicle (car/motorcycle) in all 50, but have only slept in 42.

Missing:

AR
IA
ME
VT
RI
MN
ND
MT

jrl767

I checked off the last one (ND) on our DC-to-Seattle drive in June 2017 ... Mrs767 still needs to log AR, OK, and KS (plus MO to count for more than just the airport)

in terms of flying I'm missing AR, ND, WV, and VT entirely; in terms of commercial flights I've only arrived into ME, only departed from WI, and only transited MS, RI, and WY (plus ROTC summer camp flights to/from MS and a Boeing Flight Test mission to/from WY); also can only log DE by general aviation (in/out) and USAF (in)


paging @GRALISTAIR for "logbook" criteria

AsiaTraveler

I'm missing 2: Alaska & Hawaii. Montana & Idaho were the last 2 continental states I needed and drove over on a work visit to Washington a few years ago.

Maxwell Smart

Have been to 49/50 and Puerto Rico, just missing Alaska.

My personal criteria is must have either slept overnight, ate a meal, or used restroom facilities in a state. Plus must have stood on actual ground in the state. To clarify this incredibly elaborate and thoroughly vetted criteria is that airport-only transits don't count, even if you walked on the ground between terminals or on the tarmac.

Herb687

You really should not.

Never leaving an airport property is hardly visiting a state. I'd also say that passing through a state on a drive to somewhere else does not count, even if one does stop for food or a quick overnight stay near the interstate. There needs to be some actual reason to be in the state and some minimum amount of time/activity to count it as a visit.

So, my never visited list under the above rules is restricted to:
AK
ND
SD
MN (have connected through airport)
RI (drove through on freeway, probably didn't stop)

Questionable ones:
NM (have caught flight at ABQ when driving one way from Colorado; also spent night in GUP and stopped for dinner in LRU area during long distance road trips)
MT (passing through West Yellowstone on way to Yellowstone NP which is mostly in Wyoming)
AR (had business purpose for meeting on field at KLIT so technically a visit but I never left the airport property)


I really think that stopping to take a leak or spending the night at a generic roadside motor inn is hardly sufficient to count as a visit to a state.

DavidDTW

I have been to 42 states. Still missing Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Idaho, the Dakotas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.