--- LEGEND ---
Crimson red (FL) present
Pale red (PA, MD, DC) 2023
Pale green (SC) 2017
Forest green (CA) 2014
Cyan (TX) 2012
Aqua (VA, NC) 2008
Dark aqua (AL) 2004
Purple (NJ) 1999
Dark purple (DE) 1997
Grey (all other states) Never been
So I was trying to figure out a plan for my vacation this year and I was thinking about another little mini whirlwind multi-city visit like I did a couple years back with my little Americana Tour. I had a blast and I think back to it often fondly as one of my best and cleverest (in terms of being "Mr. Cheap Ass Traveler") so I'm really hankerin' to get down on something like that again. As I've posted recently, just because I live only an hour and a half or so away from the soon-to-open Universal's Epic Universe, it really isn't an affordable option. I'd probably be better off just going on a real trip somewhere...else.
I did a map similar to the style of the above a few years ago if you remember, you can find it here. It highlights all the states in the country I've actually visited. Not just drove through or rode a train or bus through. I have to be able to say I put feet on the ground. Now, that being said, as I mentioned in that last post, a couple locations are a smidge dubious to say I "visited" because my feet were just barely on the "ground," sometimes not even outdoors, and didn't walk very far, like, for instance, Texas in 2012.
I landed at Dallas Ft. Worth Airport on a one hour layover on my way to Vegas from Orlando. I never even left the gate location since I was hoping right back on the same plane. It was late so all the shops and bars were closed so I met no "locals" per se and I only transacted one bit of business by buying a snack from a vending machine. So can we call that a real visit? Well maybe this year it's time we make that up?
Yep. Texas is in consideration for my trip this year, but, it has been in the running for several years before yet it keeps getting ruled out since the cost of lodging seems to hit too high every time I try to plan a trip. This was most painfully apparent during the fiasco while trying to vie for a locale to view the recent total solar eclipse last year.
Other places to consider: Chicago and environs, Tennessee ('cause that gap in the map bugs me), The Ozarks including Branson, MO and maybe Arkansas (again to fill that gap) or maybe the great western frontier like the national parks in either of the big western states that I've never been to.
And, Miss Diana Ross, Girl...Let me tell you, but I think you damn well know...
In order to know where you're going to, I think it's important to remember where you've been.
By the way, in case you didn't notice the hyperlinks in the legend, you can click on the state abbreviation to see a blog post about the last time I visited that state. I know, right! Of course it'd be better to click on a state and it would link to a post but even though that's pretty simple HTML code, Blogger doesn't seem to allow for it unless I were to break the picture of the map up into 50 separate pictures somehow?