This guy visited all 50 states in a week’s vacation (that’s the standard five days off plus weekends on both ends plus leaving after work on Friday for 10 total days, or 9.5 really, since that Friday isn’t a full day). Of course “visited” means he simply crossed the state line–no time for sightseeing (or pictures, or food or much sleep).
As cool as I think this is (I’ve counted how many states I’ve crossed in so many days before), I think it’s funny how much we celebrate arbitrary milestones. Whether it’s the round number in an anniversary or the zeros in the calendar or the man-made state lines of a trip like this. It really doesn’t mean anything. Yet we still do it. (link via kottke.org)
Wait … wouldn’t five days plus two weekends (2 days each) equal nine days? Because that’s even more insane.
OK, revised my math (which was never my strong suit). Five days off plus two weekends is nine total days, but he also left on Friday after work. So it’s ten days, though really more like 9.5.
Pretty insane no matter how you do it.
Not to belabor the math issue, but he didn’t really go to all 50 states, either – just the 48 contiguous states.
But beyond that, the whole purpose of the trip seems pretty pointless to me. Just looking at his map, my favorite parts of Minnesota are the north shore and the Brainerd lakes area, and he just skirted the southern edge of Minnesota. I’ve been to Washington State a couple times, and the Olympic peninsula is some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen, and he didn’t see that, either. So I guess my point is, he went to 48 states, but did he see anything worth seeing, or did he just spend 9 (or ten, or however many) days in car burning gasoline? Based on his map, it looks like the latter, and to each their own, but his trip doesn’t sound like much fun to me.
And he did it all in 1998, which means he didn’t even have an iPod. Yikes!
Actually, dave, he did hit Hawaii and Alaska. The map just shows his driving route, but if you read the account he drove from Friday through to the next Saturday hitting the lower 48, and then flew to Hawaii on Saturday and Alaska on Sunday. Back in time for eight hours sleep and work on Monday morning. (sheesh about it!)
And you’re right, it is kind of goofy. But his point wasn’t to see the beauty of every state, it was just to hit every state and prove you could do it in a week’s vacation. Nothing like an arbitrary milestone.
He went to Alaska and Hawaii, too? Whoa. I guess that is impressive, in a completely insane sort of way.
The arbitrary milestone aspect of your post is interesting. I wonder what it is that makes us ascribe importance to big round numbers. I also wonder if more primitive cultures with less-refined versions of Outlook ascribe the same high level of importance to the tenth anniversary of something, while for some reason thinking that the ninth or eleventh year isn’t as big of a deal.