State Signs Adventure

This blog post is my version of the states we visited on this adventure through my photos of the state signs. You know the ones...signs along the side of the road when entering a new state. You pull the vehicle off the road and everyone jumps out to stand by the sign and take a photo. Well, we did that with the kids when they were little and we traveled. I bet you did, too.

Because I blog and make photo books documenting our travel adventures, when in the U.S. I do try to take photos of the state signs. Hubby knows of my need and whenever possible he does slow the speed of the vehicle and tries to be in the right lane for the minute moment of opportunity. I have the camera turned on and ready. I have the cell phone in the other hand and ready, while juggling maps, papers, and sometimes GPS units because after all, the adventure is about geocaching.

And this adventure to the Northeast U.S. was about being a tourist, but also about geocaching.

The green colored states indicate I have found at least one geocache in that state. (Except for DE which is already green, but not because I had been there.)  This is how my geo map looked on September 1, 2019. Being a tourist with OFD was going to take care of 4 states and 1 Canadian Providence, but I had a plan to geocache in several more states once OFD went back home on Monday. I am not certain of the number of miles we put on the rental car, will know that when we end the adventure on Saturday.

So here is my version of where we traveled through my photos of the state signs as we sped along at often ridiculous speeds, dodging commercial vehicles...

headed north from Boston to New Hampshire

across the bridge into Maine

back through New Hampshire (missed the sign) to Vermont

back through New Hampshire (missed the sign again)

 

to Massachusetts 

missed the sign entering New York, but did get this one

In my defense, the sign locations were never consistent; sometimes on the right hand side of the interstates/freeways/turnpikes/highways and sometimes in the center median. Sometimes the foliage covered the signs until the very last second. Sometimes the signs were very colorful, so I had an idea it was coming. If it was the same background color as other road signs, it was hard to catch until the very last second. And the driver needed to keep his eyes and concentration on the road and the the traffic, so he was not to be counted on as a spotter. He was busy!

from NY through Pennsylvania

across the border to Maryland

then to Harpers Ferry to get 3 states

in 33 minutes

(we may have spent 33 minutes trying to get the 3 state signs

in the 1-2 mile area amid the heavy traffic!)

then east to Delaware

and across the bridge to New Jersey

we knew we entered NJ when the GPS announced we had

no sign visible on the bridge

then back through PA into NY and again, no sign

just the Google maps/GPS announcement we had entered NY

when crossing the bridge

my sign to prove we were there

then to Connecticut

(I missed the big sign, but did catch this one)

and last but not least...well, maybe it is least in area size...

Rhode Island

and this is how my U.S. map looks tonight

13 states added

(the Washington D.C. area may be white-that is for another time,

as are the Carolinas and Georgia)