States visited with the kids since 2013
My husband and I began in 2013 a mission to take all six kids to at least 48 states, and as of November 2016 we’ve since hit 35 states and/or commonwealths. We traveled before #operation48, but wanted to keep a special list of where all eight of us have been together as well as a few noteworthy things we’ve seen…and because I’m #easilyamused, here it is, in alphabetical order (date of first visit as of 2013):
ALABAMA (2014)
ARIZONA (2014)
- Grand Canyon National Park (October 2014)
- Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument (October 2014)
CALIFORNIA (2014)
- Death Valley National Park (October 2014)
- Lassen Volcanic National Park (July 2016)
- Redwood State and National Parks (July 2016)
COLORADO (2014)
- Vail Pass (October 2014)
- Colorado River (October 2014)
GEORGIA (2014)
IDAHO (2016)
ILLINOIS (2013)
INDIANA (2013)
IOWA (2013)
KANSAS (2014)
KENTUCKY (2013)
- Kentucky Fried Chicken (It had to be done.) (July 2016)
LOUISIANA (2014)
MARYLAND (2013)
MICHIGAN (2016)
- Lake Huron (July 2016)
- Lake Michigan (July 2016)
- Lake Superior (July 2016)
- Mackinac Bridge (July 2016)
- Pictured Lakes National Lakeshore (July 2016)
- Sand Point Beach, Lake Superior (July 2016)
MINNESOTA (2013)
MISSISSIPPI (2014)
MISSOURI (2013)
MONTANA (2016)
- Glacier National Park (July 2016)
- Going-to-the-Sun Road (July 2016)
- Hidden Lake at Logan Pass (July 2016)
- Yellowstone National Park, MT (July 2016)
NEBRASKA (2013)
NEVADA (2014)
- Hoover Dam (October 2014)
- Lake Meade (October 2014)
- Las Vegas (October 2014)
- Reno (July 2016)
- Toucan Charlie’s at the Atlantis Reno (July 2016)
NEW MEXICO (2014)
NORTH CAROLINA (home)
- Wright Brothers Memorial (June 2013)
- Roanoke Island Festival Park (June 2013)
- Jockey’s Ridge (June 2013)
NORTH DAKOTA (2016)
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park (July 2016)
OHIO (2013)
OREGON (2016)
- Cape Perpetua (July 2016)
- Devils Churn (July 2016)
- Pacific Coast Highway (July 2016)
PENNSYLVANIA (2013)
SOUTH CAROLINA (2014)
- Hilton Head Island (June 2015)
- South of the Border (June 2015)
SOUTH DAKOTA (2013)
- Mt. Rushmore (September 2013)
- 1800s Mining Train (September 2013)
- Badlands National Park (September 2013)
- Deadwood (October 2013)
- Mt. Moriah Cemetary (October 2013)
- Spearfish Canyon (October 2013)
TEXAS (2014)
- Survival Depot (October 2014)
UTAH (2014)
- Arches National Park (October 2014)
VIRGINIA (home)
- Crabtree Falls (October 2015)
- Douthat State Park (October 2013)
- Jamestown Colony (June 2015)
- Jamestown Settlement (June 2015)
- Luray Caverns (November 2016)
- Shenandoah National Park (November 2016)
- Williamsburg/Merchant’s Square (June 2015)
WASHINGTON (2016)
- Hoh Rainforest (July 2016)
- Mt. St. Helens National Volcanic Monument (July 2016)
- Olympic National Park (July 2016)
- Pacific Coast Highway (July 2016)
- Pacific Ocean (July 2016)
WEST VIRGINIA (2013)
WISCONSIN (2013)
WYOMING (2013)
- Cliff Creek Forest Fire (2016)
- Devils Tower National Monument (October 2013)
- Grand Teton National Park (July 2016)
- Yellowstone National Park, WY (July 2016)
And these are the state capitals through which we’ve driven or visited:
- Denver, CO
- Atlanta, GA
- Topeka, KS
- Frankfort, KY
- Jackson, MS
- Lincoln, NE
- Raleigh, NC
- Bismarck, ND
- Richmond, VA
- Charleston, WV
- Madison, WI
- Cheyenne, WY
And here are the states. listed in driving order, that we’ve visited on each trip:
Fall 2013 “South Dakota”: VA-MD-PA-OH-IN-IL-WI-MN-SD-WY-NE-IA-MO-IL-IN-KY-WV-VA
Fall 2014 “Southwest”: VA-WV-KY-IN-IL-MO-KS-CO-UT-AZ-NV-CA-NV-AZ-NM-TX-LA-MS-AL-GA-SC-NC-VA
Summer 2015 “SC”: VA-NC-SC-NC-VA
Summer 2016 “Pacific Northwest”: VA-MD-PA-OH-MI-WI-MN-ND-MT-ID-WA-OR-CA-NV-ID-MT-WY-NE-IA-MO-IL-IN-KY-WV-VA
Sarah Ballance 