The All-America Challenge

The All-America Challenge

Think you've seen America? Visiting all fifty states is quite an accomplishment, but it sometimes seems meaningless as you are passing through a state at 70 MPH. For example, I've been to Bettendorf, Iowa, which is right across the Illinois border. But have I really been to Iowa? I haven't seen its endless fields of corn or other cities, like Des Moines.

For the true diehard travelers out there, I propose the following All-America Challenge. Your goal is the following:

1) To visit all fifty states
2) To climb to the highest point of each state
3) To visit the capital of each state
4) To visit the largest city of each state

What is the point of all this, you say? Let's start with item number two. The point is not to climb every highpoint "because it is there." The point is that by hitting all fifty highpoints, you are visiting parts of the country that you would have never considered visiting. To reach a highpoint, you are frequently required to drive several miles of winding country roads through the smallest towns imaginable. Take a look at Maryland or Nebraska for examples. You are also put in touch with the land and climate as you hike to the summit.

Okay, now let's justify point number four. Visiting the largest city in each state should be an obvious goal. The largest city is frequently the cultural center for the state. It is also probably rich in local and state history. But what is the largest city in each state? This is actually not as obvious as it may seem, because city limits are an arbitrary designation that can be made as large or small as the local government wants. For example, Jacksonville is classified as the largest and most populous city in Florida. But common sense tells us that Miami has a much larger metropolitian area. My solution is to find the most populous county, and then the most populous city within that county. Even this is flawed because county lines are arbitrary, but it's the best I can do. So, what is considered a visit? This is really an individual choice; I say that I've visited a city when I get off of the major expressway and travel through the city on secondary roads.

Now back to point number three. You may think that the capital of each state is usually the largest city, so this item is redundant. Not so... only 18 states have a capital that is also the largest city. By visiting the capital, you are frequently seeing a totally different city that is also very rich in local history and culture. How do you know when you've visited a capital? Again, this is arbitrary, but I consider it a visit when I have seen the state capital building.

One final point... don't let a bunch of silly rules or designations keep you from having fun. Make up your own list of things to see, and go do it. Just remember that the point is to see as much of the country as you can and to spend some quality time in the places you visit.

So, what is your score? According to the terms I've described, there are 182 points to check off (50 states, 50 highpoints, 50 capitals, and 32 largest cities). Abiding by my own personal rules, I've accomplished 45, which gives me a completion percentage of 25%. Send me an e-mail and tell me what your number is. And if you know of anyone who has accomplished all 182, I would love to hear about it.

xxx@yahoo.com