Saturday, July 13, 2024

Unexplored Parts of the USA

 Even when you travel as much as I do, there are always new places to see and discover.  I plan to visit Alaska next summer, which will make it all 50 states at least twice.  That said, there are plenty of states in which I have not seen too much.  

Massachusetts and Connecticut-;I have been to Boston, Cape Cod and the Long Island Sound.  I have not seen the Berkshire Mountains, Hartford or Greenwich.  Perhaps that could be combined with a Fall NYC trip about 5 years down the road.

New York and Pennsylvania- I have not been to Niagara Falls since I was just a little kid.  I plan to change that very soon.  The Finger Lakes and Poconos region are also unexplored.  Getting there may be a bit tougher but it's possible.  

Great Lakes Road Trip Plan- Fly to Detroit.  Drive through Canada to Niagara Falls then come back through the USA with stops in Erie and Cleveland.  

Wisconsin and Michigan- I have driven across Wisconsin and have seen Door County and the North Shore but no major cities.  As for Michigan, I've been to Detroit and the Upper Peninsula but little else.  Michigan was ranked #8 in terms of natural beauty according to Thrillist.  I'm missing something.  Perhaps I will make it back here if I want to try for all 30 ballparks.

Iowa and South Dakota- I've only seen one state park and a couple of small towns in Iowa.  As for South Dakota, it's unexplored except for the Rapid City area.  I'd like to see more but I'm not sure it's worth a special trip.

Kansas and Oklahoma- I've seen a fair amount of both but can't say that I have thoroughly explored either.  There are a few gems in western Kansas but that's difficult to access with Denver being the nearest large airport.  I've not seen much of Oklahoma outside of Tulsa and OKC.  There are some hidden gems in the southeast that could be accessible from Dallas.  

Utah and Colorado- I've not been north of Salt Lake City in Utah and I hear Ogden is really beautiful.  Even though I've been to Colorado 5 times, I have not ventured west of Breckenridge.  How about a road trip from Salt Lake to Gunnison then down the Million Dollar Highway and back through Moab? That could be beautiful.  

Nevada- Aside from Tahoe, Reno and Vegas, I've seen virtually none of this state.  There are a couple of parks not far from Vegas that are worth a look.  I could see myself going there either to break up the trip home from Hawaii.  Also, when the A's get their new ballpark, I'll go there rather than Oakland.

Washington- I didn't do justice to Rainier and haven't seen Olympic or North Cascades.  Those are must see 

California- Been here several times but have yet to see Yosemite and Tioga Pass.  I want to drive PCH and do justice to San Diego and San Francisco.

Hawaii- Been to the Big Island and Oahu but not Kauai or Maui.

Alaska- Definitely want to see Seward and the glaciers as well as Denali State Park.  As for the Dalton Hwy up to the Arctic Ocean?  Unlikely.  I'm not even sure rental cars will cover you there.

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