States and Provinces

Halfway through the year in 2026, and I'm closing in on the Fifty State Challenge. Last month, I added West Virginia and Ohio to my tally, so the total is now up to 43 states (44, if a layover at the Boston Logan airport counts for Massachusetts).

A lot of people don't think that Airport-only visits should count, but I believe that it does, and I even explained my reasoning in a blog post that I wrote a few years ago. LINK

It doesn't really matter whether Massachusetts should be counted or not because I need to get the other five New England states, so I will almost certainly be in Massachusetts while hitting the other five, so I'll end up with a clean tally anyway.

Mt last state will be North Dakota; I'm saving it for last because there is a special award for people who make it number 50. I have learned that, among people who have a goal to visit all fifty states, for a large number of them, North Dakota turns out to be their last one. So many people, in fact, that the tourism people in Fargo now specifically honor people who complete their quest in the Peace Garden State. They maintain a list, give you a free T-shirt, and have a minor celebration in the office. That's enough inspiration for me; I'll make North Dakota my fiftieth, also.
https://www.fargomoorhead.org/plan-a-trip/best-for-last-club/

As for Canada, I also managed to make it into Saskatchewan for my first time ever in the first part of this year. I was in Edmonton, and decided to make the three hour drive across the prairie over to Lloydminster in order to notch the province which is known as Canada's Breadbasket. I now have a pretty solid line along the 49th Parallel, as I'm missing only Manitoba. I should be able to hit Manitoba whenever I go up to North Dakota for the first time.