Collect Them All!

As of Wednesday of last week, I have now visited all fifty U.S. states. Here's the complete list with the occasion for visiting that I best remember. It may not be the first visit, or the most recent; it's just the one that comes to mind when I think of that state:

Alabama: Guest at SF convention in Huntsville. Alaska: Cruise vacation in 2010. Arizona: Vacationed in Scottsdale to attend several Spring Training baseball games. Arkansas: Vacationed in Horseshoe Bend when Julie's job was being really stressful and we needed somewhere quiet. California: Attended the San Diego ComiCon a couple of times, among many other visits. Colorado: World Science Fiction Convention in Denver. Connecticut: Lived in New Haven one summer as a kid, when my father was on sabbatical and doing research at Yale. Delaware: Day trips to Rehoboth Beach. Florida: Disney World, Key West, other vacation destinations. Georgia: Multiple conventions in Atlanta. Hawaii: Two-week vacation celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary in 2017. Idaho: Drove through it last week on the way to Seattle. Stopped in Coeur d'Alene for fuel and snacks. Illinois: Chicago World Science Fiction Conventions, 1982, 1991, and 2000. Indiana: Drove through it repeatedly on the way to Iowa or Illinois or Wisconsin; ate meals, bought gas, and I think I spent a night in a motel there once. Iowa: Our daughter went to Drake University, so we visited Des Moines for orientation, graduation, etc. Kansas: Was hired to speak to the librarians of Johnson County as part of their annual training session. Kentucky: Lived there for nine years, in Fayette and Clark counties. Louisiana: World Science Fiction Convention in New Orleans, 1988. Maine: Honeymooned there in 1977. Maryland: Lived there, 1986-2018. Massachusetts: Born and raised there. Michigan: Writer guest at a gaming convention. Minnesota: Drove through it last week. Made a stop or two. Mississippi: Guest at an SF convention in Biloxi. Missouri: Vacationed in Branson. Montana: Drove through it last week; stayed the night in Billings. Nebraska: Drove almost the full length of the state delivering Julian to grad school in Boulder, CO. Ate lunch in Lincoln. Nevada: Las Vegas, 2018. New Hampshire: Many drives and vacations with family. New Jersey: Attended Princeton University. New Mexico: Day trip to Santa Fe when we were vacationing in Pagosa Springs, CO. New York: The World's Fair, 1965. North Carolina: Owned a timeshare on the beach in Duck. North Dakota: Rode the Empire Builder through, made a couple of brief stops. Ohio: Watched the Cincinnati Reds play at Riverfront Stadium. Oklahoma: Guest at an SF convention in Tulsa. Oregon: Visited Portland to see friends and consider it as a retirement possibility. Pennsylvania: Lived in Pittsburgh, 1974-1977. Rhode Island: Toured Newport's "cottages" on a brief vacation. South Carolina: Port call in Charleston on a cruise in 1998. South Dakota: Drove through it last week with stops at Wall Drug and Mount Rushmore. Tennessee: Knoxville World's Fair, 1982; Nashville vacation, 2017. Texas: Visited Julie's retired parents in Weslaco. Utah: Visited Zion National Park on vacation. Vermont: Summer camp, 1965. Virginia: Vacationed at Colonial Williamsburg. Washington: Visited Seattle in 2010 and 2016. West Virginia: Went camping there. Also guest of honor at Munchcon, a convention at Marshall University. Wisconsin: Visited Milwaukee a couple of times, once for a vacation and once as a convention guest. Wyoming: Drove through it last week, admiring the scenery.