Travel Goal Getter Travel Blog

member spotlight - ding ning

6/10/2018

We are proud to welcome Ding Ning from Henan, China into the All Fifty Club. He visited all 50 on trips between March 2016 and May 2018 while studying as an international student at Northeastern University. At the young age of 27 he has visited 52 national parks and holds the title as the first All 50 Club member from China.

What is your all-time favorite place to visit?
Every national park I visited! These amazing and unique national parks have brought me too much wonderful memory, making me totally a super fan for diverse nature and wildlife!

What are 1-4 of your most memorable travel experiences? Please share where you went and what you did.
1. For the first time encountering a wild bear in Virginia, then becoming a bear lover and searching them in Alaska.

2. Exploring the volcanoes in Hawaii and California during their active period.

3. Hiking in Guadalupe Mountains, Arches, Haleakalā and so on.

4. Getting stunned by the beautiful sceneries of Crater Lake, Congaree, Yosemite and so on.

Final States - Hawaii and Alaska

good job amaura!

Ding also recognized his car "Amaura" for taking him to the lower 48 states. Amaura, his trusty Subaru Outback, traveled over 38,000 miles.

Amaura's memories: Parking in a comfortable garage, rugged mountain roads, crowded city streets, and high speed Midwest highways. Favorites: I-70, I-90, and I-5 highways

magnet collection of every state

Ding shares that "Traveling to all 50 states as a foreigner will be my life accomplishment!" "I truly love the diverse nature and culture of the united 50."

Check out some of his favorite pictures at:
www.instagram.com/ding_journey

We wish him many safe and happy travels in the years to come!

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Border crossing challenge

6/10/2018

4 Comments

What is your next travel goal? Most of us love looking at maps. Bob, a 50-stater, shared a new challenge with Club. The Border Crossing Challenge (BCC) described below will open your eyes to a different way of looking at state visits. I realized there are many parts of the country that I haven't been to on my travels. More places to go...

Border crossing challenge (BCC)

by bob rainville from massachusetts

Each of the 48 contiguous states touches at least one other state, and some touch as many as 8 other states. For instance, Massachusetts shares a border with New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island. If one adds-up the total number of these state/state borders, the total is 107. Each of these represents a potential border crossing (See attached list). The BCC challenge is to cross as many of these borders as possible.

There are, of course, land borders and water borders. This challenge involves any border that one can cross on foot or by boat (but see special notes below) or other land-based vehicle. Air transportation of any sort is not a valid border crossing method for this Challenge.

Worksheet to Log your border crossings created by Bob Rainville

Other details—for this BCC challenge, it does not make any difference which direction is used for each border crossing. Crossing from Massachusetts to Vermont is the same as crossing from Vermont to Massachusetts. In addition, for those who keep good records of their travels, historical border crossings can be used to achieve their 107 BCC goal. I propose that, for reporting purposes, the total number of border crossings be used. As an example, my current BCC total is only 83 even though I’ve been in all states once and most states twice or more! It will be very interesting to see if anyone has made all 107 border crossings!

So there it is, the newest challenge for those who enjoy their travel experiences and revel in the desire to conquer the best our country has to offer. Good Luck!

Special Notes

This challenge applies only to the 48 contiguous states. Alaska and Hawaii are not part of the challenge.
The following water-only borders are not part of this challenge.
1. Rhode Island/New York
2. Michigan/Illinois
3. Michigan/Minnesota
Land crossings can be made by foot, riding an animal, motorized or non-motorized vehicle, on land or over a bridge or through a tunnel. There should be some sign nearby to indicate that a border is being crossed.
Water crossings can be as simple as swimming or wading, or involve boats, including ferries. For instance, crossing Lake Champlain by ferry is a valid crossing for the Vermont/New York border.
Sitting/standing on the circular four corners monument (where the four states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico meet) automatically results in six border crossings. Note also that this is the only way to get two of these crossings.

Are you the first to have completed all 107 border crossings? If so - let us know so we can recognize you as an All Fifty Club Record Holder!

It has been brought up that there may be 109 crossings. The 107 vs. 109 is being reviewed.

Thank you to Bob Rainville for coming up with this new travel challenge and working through the details!

Bob completed all 50 in 2013 and has spent the night in each state and photographed all but one state capitol. Final State: South Dakota Favorite: HIlton Head, SC

4 Comments

member spotlight - ding ning

good job amaura!

magnet collection of every state

Border crossing challenge

Border crossing challenge (BCC)

by bob rainville from massachusetts

Special Notes

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member spotlight - ding ning

good job amaura!

magnet collection of every state

Border crossing challenge

Border crossing challenge (BCC) ​by bob rainville from massachusetts

Special Notes

Author

Archives

Categories

Border crossing challenge (BCC)

by bob rainville from massachusetts