I’ve always wanted to take a unique trip: driving through the U.S. (sans Alaska & Hawaii), and photographing a “Welcome to . . .” or “You are entering . . .” sign from each state.
What would be the most efficient route (starting in Cleveland), to minimize the amount of time this would take?
Hmmm… no specifics, but definately staying on major interstates would make it the most efficient.
Some states have minimal interstate milage; e.g., I-95 is the only 2-digit interstate (2DI) to go to Maine. After touching base there, you’d have to go west along some US-Route highway to get to Vermont.
When you get out west, the large states will take a lot of time for very few visits. You’d need to figure a way to cut corners literally to avoid hundreds of miles in just one state. (FYI, you can get thru the northwest corner of Arizona on I-15 and only drive about 15-20 miles.
From Ohio, I’d go east on I-70, which’ll get you WV, PA, MD. Take the Baltimore Beltway to I-95 North. This’ll get you DE, NJ, NY, CT, RI, MA, NH, and ME. Then you’d need to cut west to get VT. Then south again to I-95.
When you get to the Washington, DC, Beltway, take the B/W Parkway (MD 295) south to get DC, then follow the signs to I-295 through DC. You’ll rejoin I-95 near the Potomac River, where you’ll immediately go into VA.
Stay on I-95 S to get NC, SC, GA, and FL. Then I’d take I-10 W to get all the far southern states.
From there, my experience fades. But I’ve gotten you through about 1/2 the states.
Pole-vaulting right over New Hampshire, of course…
You might want to do some web searches based on the information in this article.
sites to check out:
Math Forum Library
Traveling Salesman’s Problem
Travling Salesman’s Problem With downloadable software
This page provides a graph of one solution. (You’ll have to dig out your atlas and map the dots to cities in states.)
I have not yet found a pictorial solution of the route determined by G. Dantzig, R. Fulkerson, and S. Johnson in 1954.
I remember reading some guy’s site where he was talking about a trip he’d taken: he had spent a week going to every single one of the United States’ 50 states. (Some states he’d spent only a few seconds in.) I can’t find the site, though. It’s possible that I got the link here, but I’m not sure. If someone can find it, it would be interesting.
I hate to brag but…I’ve already done this! I have my picture in front of every state sign in the continental U.S. and I’ve been to almost every county in all 48 staes, Though it’s taken me 45 years to do it! I [we-my wife & I] intend to get a sign from Alaska & Hawaii (Hawaiis being at the airport) with the next 2 years. Our goal is 50 by 50 (50 states by 50 years old)
His name is Roger Johnson and I’ve communicated with him a couple of times. Nice guy and a great web site!
off-topic and anecdotal . . .
On a recent road trip trip that took me though 19 States, I saw “Welcome To” signs upon entering (always on a major interstate) every State on my trip. However, only one State (that I noticed), had a “Thank You for Visiting” sign upon exiting that State.
Minnesota, friendly folks.
It’s certainly possible that I missed a “Thank You” sign or two, but such signs definitely did not exist for the points of exit that I used for almost all the States on my trip.
I suspected other people had already done this. But I hope to take less than 45 years, since I’m already 60. Maybe I could be the oldest person to do it, as I’m wheeled across the last state border at age 105.
Way off topic, but there used to be a sign at the airport here that read
“Welcome to Baghdad International Airport,” someone spaypainted underneath it: “the good news is I saved a lot of money on my car insurance.”
Ohio has “thank you for visiting” on the opposite side of the “welcome” sign on the Ohio/Indiana border on I70.
It’s the sensible thing to do. 
I dunno, I think it could be quite great if you were able to take 45 years to do it. AND succeed 
In any case, good luck on your quest. Sounds like fun!
I’m not sure, the man I’m talking about had a page on his website dedicated to his trip to the 50 states in seven days, and also another one about his trip to 19 states (or so) in 24 hours. Roger Johnson doesn’t claim to have done this.
If someone finds that guy’s site, I’d be interested in a link; because now I’m curious.
When I tell people, I want to do something similar, people think I’m strange.
I also wanted to try to visit all of the incorporated cities in Los Angeles County in one day. The tricky part of that is that one of them is Avalon, which is on an island reachable by boat or plane. So you’d have to start the day in Avalon, take the earliest boat or plane, and then pick up a car and hope for minimal traffic.
I think it could be done on a Sunday. You would also need to have someone with you in the car.
Yeah, I didn’t do it all at once. Of course, I do consider my entire life a road trip all in all.
Most of our trips started by taking a one way flight somewhere and driving home or another place.
For instance, in 2005 we flew to Seattle and spent 2 1/2 weeks driving all around Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada and flew home from Vegas.
In 2004 we Flew to Portland, Maine and drove all through New England spending 3 weeks hitting 9 states and finally flying home from Baltimore
In 2003 We Flew to New Orleans & spent 2 weeks driving through Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama.
In 1999 We did the Route 66 vacation driving from home all the way to and throughout California.
And so on and so forth. We usually like to get off the interstates as much as possible as you get to see more things, especially “Americanna”.
If panache45 intends to do it in one trip, the I-system is the way to go though. Roger does have a map for doing it in 50 days. I’m sure if one only stopped to take pictures of the signs and not tourist attractions it could be done in far less time.
Hehe… Of course, you’d go through New Hampshire on I-95 (all 14 miles of it) before getting to Maine. The next state to get would be Vermont, going through New Hampshire again to get there.
Might want to look at some of the AAroads pages which are guides to many of the US Interstates with many pictures.