Progress on the state-border quest

Atop the Tri-State Peak in Cumberland Gap, where Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia meet

Well, let's just cut to the chase. Five more state lines were traversed in 2021 and since I previously posted here. Two were crossed on my trip down to the Smokies in May, one when I went to the Cumberland Gap NHS and made it to the Tri-State Peak, and a second when I took a detour south to knock off NC–GA. Two more were crossed when I pushed a September road trip a bit farther north than prudence might dictate, but I did score AR–MO (an old near miss) and MO–OK. Finally, I got the AZ–CA monkey off my back in November, crossing that one on I-10 plus I-8 for good measure.

Here's the list as of this January 9, 2022 posting (with the up-to-date list and details toward the end of this post):

Alabama	Florida
Alabama	Georgia
Alabama	Mississippi	✅
Alabama	Tennessee	✅
Arizona	California	✅
Arizona	Colorado	✅🥾
Arizona	New Mexico	✅🥾
Arizona	Nevada	✅
Arizona	Utah	✅🥾
Arkansas	Louisiana	✅
Arkansas	Mississippi	🙁
Arkansas	Missouri	✅
Arkansas	Oklahoma	✅
Arkansas	Tennessee	✅
Arkansas	Texas	✅
California	Nevada	✅🥾
California	Oregon	✅
Colorado	Kansas	🙁
Colorado	Nebraska	✅
Colorado	New Mexico	✅🥾
Colorado	Oklahoma	✅
Colorado	Utah	✅🥾
Colorado	Wyoming	✅
Connecticut	Massachusetts	✅
Connecticut	New York	✅
Connecticut	Rhode Island	✅
Delaware	Maryland	✅
Delaware	New Jersey	✅
Delaware	Pennsylvania	✅
Florida	Georgia	✅
Georgia	North Carolina	✅
Georgia	South Carolina	✅
Georgia	Tennessee	✅
Idaho	Montana	✅
Idaho	Nevada
Idaho	Oregon	✅
Idaho	Utah	✅
Idaho	Washington	✅
Idaho	Wyoming	✅
Illinois	Indiana	✅
Illinois	Iowa	✅
Illinois	Kentucky	✅
Illinois	Missouri	✅
Illinois	Wisconsin	✅
Indiana	Kentucky	✅
Indiana	Michigan	✅
Indiana	Ohio	✅
Iowa	Minnesota	🙁
Iowa	Missouri	✅
Iowa	Nebraska	✅🥾
Iowa	South Dakota	✅
Iowa	Wisconsin	✅
Kansas	Missouri	✅
Kansas	Nebraska	✅
Kansas	Oklahoma	✅
Kentucky	Missouri
Kentucky	Ohio	✅🥾
Kentucky	Tennessee	✅🥾
Kentucky	Virginia	✅🥾
Kentucky	West Virginia	✅
Louisiana	Mississippi	✅
Louisiana	Texas	✅
Maine	New Hampshire	✅
Maryland	Pennsylvania	✅
Maryland	Virginia	✅
Maryland	West Virginia	✅
Massachusetts	New Hampshire	✅
Massachusetts	New York	✅🥾⛷
Massachusetts	Rhode Island	✅
Massachusetts	Vermont	✅
Michigan	Ohio	✅
Michigan	Wisconsin
Minnesota	North Dakota	✅🥾
Minnesota	South Dakota	✅
Minnesota	Wisconsin	✅
Mississippi	Tennessee	✅
Missouri	Nebraska	🙁
Missouri	Oklahoma	✅
Missouri	Tennessee
Montana	North Dakota	✅🥾
Montana	South Dakota
Montana	Wyoming	✅
Nebraska	South Dakota	🙁
Nebraska	Wyoming	✅
Nevada	Oregon
Nevada	Utah	✅
New Hampshire	Vermont	✅
New Jersey	New York	✅
New Jersey	Pennsylvania	✅
New Mexico	Oklahoma	✅
New Mexico	Texas	✅
New Mexico	Utah	✅🥾
New York	Pennsylvania	✅
New York	Vermont	✅
North Carolina	South Carolina	✅
North Carolina	Tennessee	✅
North Carolina	Virginia	✅
North Dakota	South Dakota	✅
Ohio	Pennsylvania	✅
Ohio	West Virginia	✅
Oklahoma	Texas	✅
Oregon	Washington	✅
Pennsylvania	West Virginia	✅
South Dakota	Wyoming	✅
Tennessee	Virginia	✅🥾
Utah	Wyoming
Virginia	West Virginia	✅

So, two sad faces were removed, and I climbed from 88 to 93 of the 107 crossings. [Quick note: Some lists have 109 crossings, which results if including DC. If DC ever gets statehood, I'll make it 109—and add two more checkmarks as I have crossed from DC into both Maryland and Virginia many times.] 

One thing I've been reminded of while working at this quest is how it pairs nicely with other road trip goals and planning: 

• First, when I worked my way up and over from Oklahoma into Arkansas and then Missouri, I continued as far north as Joplin, as seeing the George Washington Carver site has been on my to-do list for a few years. It did make for a very long driving day, but I knew it would have bugged me had I not made the effort. There are other sites I want to visit just north and east of here, and seeing the GWC site on this trip could very well save me some time on a future road trip when I return to this part of the country. 
• Further, I had joked enough about my repeated failures to cross from California into Arizona that I got the idea in November to cross it twice. I took the direct route into Phoenix on I-10, and enjoyed the ride at the state line, as the setting sun behind me bathed the rocks in front of me in a fiery red color. I recall wishing I had a dashcam to capture some of the scene. When returning to California from the Saguaro/Tucson area, the quickest way would have been back up through Phoenix on I-10 again, but I went with I-8 and enjoyed a beautiful drive through the Sonoran Desert National Monument, where I was treated to what seemed to be an hour of saguaro cacti waving as I passed. This route added about a half hour to the longest driving day of my trip but was very much worth it, and it was the extra crossing that pushed me to see it.

As for what remains, it looks like this:

With 14 remaining, it's too early to set a target date for completion. Five years seems reasonable. Some of the next few trips I have sketched in my mind could allow me to check off two or three at a time. There are a few left, though, where crossing them will take some effort. I'll append here as progress is made with this fun goal. 

As for my friend Scott's progress, he has it here. We're hoping to get two of the trickier ones checked off together...

Updates after the above January 2022 post:

Alabama	Florida
Alabama	Georgia
Alabama	Mississippi	✅
Alabama	Tennessee	✅
Arizona	California	✅
Arizona	Colorado	✅🥾
Arizona	New Mexico	✅🥾
Arizona	Nevada	✅
Arizona	Utah	✅🥾
Arkansas	Louisiana	✅
Arkansas	Mississippi	🙁
Arkansas	Missouri	✅
Arkansas	Oklahoma	✅
Arkansas	Tennessee	✅
Arkansas	Texas	✅
California	Nevada	✅🥾
California	Oregon	✅
Colorado	Kansas	🙁
Colorado	Nebraska	✅
Colorado	New Mexico	✅🥾
Colorado	Oklahoma	✅
Colorado	Utah	✅🥾
Colorado	Wyoming	✅
Connecticut	Massachusetts	✅
Connecticut	New York	✅
Connecticut	Rhode Island	✅
Delaware	Maryland	✅
Delaware	New Jersey	✅
Delaware	Pennsylvania	✅
Florida	Georgia	✅
Georgia	North Carolina	✅
Georgia	South Carolina	✅
Georgia	Tennessee	✅
Idaho	Montana	✅
Idaho	Nevada
Idaho	Oregon	✅
Idaho	Utah	✅
Idaho	Washington	✅
Idaho	Wyoming	✅
Illinois	Indiana	✅
Illinois	Iowa	✅
Illinois	Kentucky	✅
Illinois	Missouri	✅
Illinois	Wisconsin	✅
Indiana	Kentucky	✅
Indiana	Michigan	✅
Indiana	Ohio	✅
Iowa	Minnesota	✅
Iowa	Missouri	✅
Iowa	Nebraska	✅🥾
Iowa	South Dakota	✅
Iowa	Wisconsin	✅
Kansas	Missouri	✅
Kansas	Nebraska	✅
Kansas	Oklahoma	✅
Kentucky	Missouri
Kentucky	Ohio	✅🥾
Kentucky	Tennessee	✅🥾
Kentucky	Virginia	✅🥾
Kentucky	West Virginia	✅
Louisiana	Mississippi	✅
Louisiana	Texas	✅
Maine	New Hampshire	✅
Maryland	Pennsylvania	✅
Maryland	Virginia	✅
Maryland	West Virginia	✅
Massachusetts	New Hampshire	✅
Massachusetts	New York	✅🥾⛷
Massachusetts	Rhode Island	✅
Massachusetts	Vermont	✅
Michigan	Ohio	✅
Michigan	Wisconsin	✅
Minnesota	North Dakota	✅🥾
Minnesota	South Dakota	✅
Minnesota	Wisconsin	✅
Mississippi	Tennessee	✅
Missouri	Nebraska	✅
Missouri	Oklahoma	✅
Missouri	Tennessee
Montana	North Dakota	✅🥾
Montana	South Dakota
Montana	Wyoming	✅
Nebraska	South Dakota	✅
Nebraska	Wyoming	✅
Nevada	Oregon
Nevada	Utah	✅
New Hampshire	Vermont	✅🥾
New Jersey	New York	✅
New Jersey	Pennsylvania	✅
New Mexico	Oklahoma	✅
New Mexico	Texas	✅
New Mexico	Utah	✅🥾
New York	Pennsylvania	✅
New York	Vermont	✅
North Carolina	South Carolina	✅
North Carolina	Tennessee	✅
North Carolina	Virginia	✅
North Dakota	South Dakota	✅
Ohio	Pennsylvania	✅
Ohio	West Virginia	✅
Oklahoma	Texas	✅
Oregon	Washington	✅
Pennsylvania	West Virginia	✅
South Dakota	Wyoming	✅
Tennessee	Virginia	✅🥾
Utah	Wyoming
Virginia	West Virginia	✅

Boot added for NH-VT, Jan 2022 when walking across at Brattleboro.

Four more crossed on my June 2022 trip, including three of the ones that had frowns due to near misses while on my 1991 trip: IA-MN, NE-SD and NE-MO, plus MI-WI. 97 of 107 now done.

Here are the 10 that are left: