Dakota had a dream. A wish, really. A desire to visit all 50 states “before I go to college.”
Those last words were spoken to us, his parents, when he was maybe five years old. To him, and to us, that deadline seemed forever away.
He has always loved maps. Even as a small child, he would hold them while strapped into his car seat and look them over. Occasionally the map was indeed upside down, but that only made the flash on my camera react faster.
We thought he might not continue with this wish. I mean, really, most children that age will tell you they want to be policemen and firefighters and veterinarians when they grow up. Few of them follow through on those adamantly delivered statements. Things change. They change.
But not our son. This wish to visit all the United States stayed with him. Our driving trips to Florida became missions to see Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Georgia “on our way.”
Our son was insistent from the beginning that you could not count a state as “finished” just by driving through it. You had to do something real or see something real – a Confederate cemetery, the Tuskegee Airmen Museum, a Usonian town – and then you could chalk it up as completed.
So, state number fifty presented itself to us this year. North Dakota. The final spot on the map just a few months before he would be college bound. Sounded like a spring break trip made in heaven…by an only child with doting parents.
We loaded the car – with only two days provided for this journey to and fro – with pillows, water bottles, cameras, a mom, a dad, a kid, sweets, and a dear friend of mine. My friend and I met in junior high – not middle school! – and she has a desire to visit all the states as well. (North Dakota was #34 for her.) She shares a deep love of travel with Dakota, and they adore each other on multiple levels.
It was short, sweet and delightful. Too much food, too much driving, too much cold. But never enough friendship, laughter and smiles.
There can never be enough of those last three.
Note #1: All photos were taken in one day in two states. Many were in North Dakota and a few in that other Dakota.
Note #2: In an effort at full disclosure, state number forty-nine was Delaware and was mistakenly overlooked last year during the “East Coast Mop-Up Tour” with his grandfather. Dakota also visited Delware during this spring break, with his friend, Ryoko. Every member of our family has seen to it that Dakota had help – financially and transportation-wise – reaching this amazing goal. To my mom, her partner, my sister, my dad, my step-mom, and everyone else, I say thank you for making this amazing dream come true. Wow. What a lucky kid.
Note #3: The Grand Forks Herald – and the amazing Marilyn Hagerty – saw the magic in this trip. Our lunch with her was the the trip’s focus, the thing we “did” in that state so it could be checked off and counted as complete. She left us wanting to spend even more time with her. Read her words in the Herald here.
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Sloane, what a wonderful person you and Harl have produced! My fav pics are his very serious looks! I am so very glad that he was able to achieve his goal, with all the help from family and friends. God’s blessings on you and your family, and especially that precious child you have shared with all of us!
fabulouso !
from a fellow meanderer.
but you – with goals – and achievements.
just fabulous.
Rachelle:
Thank you for reading our blogs … we had fun on this trip but it was a whirlwind adventure!
Traveling is a blast and this trip is chock full of wonderful memories.
– sloane
this is fantastic–what a great accomplishment! and talk about the memories! awesome.
thanks for sharing!
marn
Marn:
What a nice note to receive! We had a great trip and memories for a lifetime.
And that is what the whole thing was about!
xoxox to you!
– sloane
This is just great! What a wonderful thing for Dakota to want to do from early in life, and how super special his family made this all happen.
I remember Marilyn Hagerty’s column about Olive Garden. Excellent choice of who to meet with when visiting the #50.
Good luck to Dakota in college and on into his future!
Liz:
Human are the best part of every state and we knocked it out of the park on this one. I have to be fair, my friend Sherry dreamt this visit up and I am thrilled with the outcome.
I have a wodnerful family … and a terrific lifetime friend who shared this journey with my son before he moves on to the next part of his life.
Thanks for reading our blogs and taking time to send a note.
– sloane
Cheers to Dakota! A boy after my own heart! What a great goal and accomplishment to visit all 50 states and he is still in his teens. I can’t wait to read about all the places he visits in his twenties! It’s a big world out there and I have no doubt he wants to see, and experience it all.
Sandra:
How lucky are all of us to have such great experiences with our children? Your trips with your girls have me sucking in every photo and every smile on Facebook!
Thank you for reading our blogs and making a comment. You are a good woman.
– sloane
Love reading your blog. This one was a special treat and made me smile and tear a little…
Melissa:
I am sorry to have caused a tear! But I must thank you for reading our blogs and taking time to send a note. It means the world.
– sloane
Oh so jealous – when I was in 5th grade back in the caveman days my formidable teacher – what at that time was called an old maid – had just fompleted her 50 state journey. I thought that was the coolest thing ever and I’ve been working on it every since. Still have to get to Alaska. What a great kid to make it a goal before college. Well done!
Janel:
I never truly thought my son would surpass me – at such a young age! – in so many goals. I have never been to all 50 states and I meant what I said about my amazing family in one of my notes at the end of the blog. Every member has been involved in helping this kid reach these destinations. Actually, I think they all got into it a little bit!
My husband and I were laughing the other night – ranking the states a little bit I guess – when we listed off for a friend the states that we helped Dakota get to: Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama, and the list goes on. Our friend said, “Oh. The unsexy states.”
Yep. That’s parenting in a nutshell.
Thank you for reading our blogs and sending us notes.
-sloane