 |
| Visitors to Volcanos National Park on The Big Island of Hawaii pose for photos in the eerie glow of the lava flow. Photo: copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.JeromeShaw.com |
I have set foot in 47 of the 50 states during my lifetime of travel. Admittedly, some of the visits were quick hits like the time I made a dash from Connecticut into New Hampshire in search of a patch of snow big enough to shoot an overdue magazine cover. Vermont had an equally short visit during a trip to Maine to shoot photographs for a travel article. New Hampshire and Vermont deserve better than a quick border crossings. I hope I’ll have the opportunity to explore Vermont & New Hampshire more fully but they don’t make this years US travel wish list.
The two of the three states I have yet to visit do though. Along with a couple of perennial favorites and one state I have visited but haven’t been to its most famous city.
In part one of My Travel Wish List I shared the background of my travel lists over the years. In part two I listed my thirteen top international travel destinations and then 6 islands I want to visit in the next twelve months.
Here are the six places in the US that are calling my name.
1. North Carolina
Mayberry and Mount Pilot are two famous places in North Carolina and I am not sure they are real. Even so, I want to see where Andy Taylor, Opie and Aunt Bea brought small town living to the small screen. The Cape Hatteras Sea Shore and coastal North Carolina are another draw for me. At the other end of the state are the Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mountains. I want to see the historic barrier to westward expansion in colonial times. History is the biggest reason I want to see NC.
2 South Carolina
I admit to being almost entirely ignorant about South Carolina. The most recent addition to my knowledge base about SC is that they beat my beloved Cornhuskers in last year’s bowl game. I need to know more. Charleston has made its way onto my list of cities I want to experience. Myrtle Beach is about the only other place in South Carolina that I can name without a map. I’d like my readers to educate me. What are some other places I should see in SC?
4. Washington
There are several places in Washington State that have garnered my interest in recent years. One has a very personal slant. My great Uncle Clarence Shaw lived in Gig Harbor. Uncle Clarence lived life out loud in the front half of the twentieth-century. He was a champion of Gig Harbor and certainly its chief tourism promoter. Legend has it he established a contest for the roundest rock pulled from the Puget Sound each summer season. He originated Roosterville and rooster races that became known across the US. He was also a photographer as was his son Frank O.Shaw. A true renaissance man Clarence ran a sign painting business and drew cartoon for Colliers magazine. I want to go visit place he called home for most of his life. While I am in the neighborhood I’d like to see Seattle again for the first time.
5. Louisiana
I have been to Louisiana. I have never visited its most famous city, New Orleans. I plan to rectify that omission in 2013. I likely won’t make it in time for Mardi Gras but I hear there is a pretty good party most nights on Bourbon Street. I am late to the party for sure and I should’ve found a way to get to N.O.long before this. It is well past time for me to hear the music and taste gumbo in one of the most unique of American cities.
6. Hawaii
Hawaii could have easily made my list of Six Islands I’d Swim To if I hadn’t already given it a place here on my USA list. I have made many visits to Hawaii. Oahu & Maui were my first big photography job when I was getting my start in travel journalism. Yet, I still have never visited Kauai, Lanai or Molokai. And if that were’t enough reason to crave a return trip to Hawaii, I haven’t been to Oahu, Maui or Hawaii in over 15 years. I have plenty to see and do in Hawaii, it may take two trips to catch up.
Honorable Mentions: Alaska, Montana, Texas
I have made two trips to Alaska, one for nearly a month, but I have barely grazed the banquet that is travel in the 49th state. Something above the Arctic Circle or out in the Aleutians are on my list. I have made many trips to Montana and enjoyed everyone, I expect I’ll enjoy the next one just as much. There are two place in Texas I want to see; Austin and San Antonio.
Future posts
My Travel Wish Lists are composed of places I have yet to visit so in another post I’ll name the 6 places I have already visited that I want to return to. The cherry on top of the wish list pie is a list of my favorite places in Colorado and the neighboring states.
#NorthCarolina #SouthCarolina #Washington #Louisiana #Hawaii #Alaska #Montana #Texas
What is your favorite place in the United States? Give me some advice on where my next trip in the US should take me. Please share your Travel Wish List with me here in the comments and tell me why your choices should make my next list.
My #TravelWishList posts:
Part one - The History of My Travel Wish List and The Candidates
Part two - 13-4-’13 - Thirteen Places To See
Part three - Six Islands I’d Swim To
Part four - Six Places In The US That Are Calling My Name
Part Five - Six Places I’ve Been But want to Go To Again
Part Six - My Favorite Places in Colorado And The Neighboring States
