#50 Is Within My Reach

Honolulu, Hawaii

Next week at this time I will be on an airplane headed for Honolulu. For me this is an important trip, and perhaps not for the reason you might think. It is because once I set foot on Hawaiian soil, I will have visited every single state in the USA! Yes, Hawaii is my 50th state. I am excited to achieve this goal for many reasons. I wonder how many people can claim they have visited all 50 states. When I say I have visited 49 states, I do not mean just changing planes in an airport. I mean that I have spent time visiting ... finding out what makes the state unique ... shopping in the stores ... visiting historical and geographical locations. This is a fun quest, and while it does take many years, it is a worthwhile endeavor. Why don't you join me by making this your goal? There are many inexpensive ways to travel.

In thinking about and planning this trip to Honolulu, I began to reflect back to when Hawaii was not a state. I remember this well because when I was a young child, I began to collect postage stamps. I still have my stamps from Hawaii, prior to its becoming a state. Then, when I was in the fifth grade Hawaii became the 49th state. For a brief time our national flag looked like this:

Seven rows with seven stars made up the 49-star flag.

This flag was not used for very long because soon after Hawaii became a state, Alaska achieved statehood. While I have been to Juneau, Alaska before, I will be visiting it again--along with Seattle--in May. But for now, stay tuned. My daily blogs about Hawaii begin next week.