The Final State

Fargo, North Dakota, August 14, 2002

We had to visit Fargo, North Dakota but not to go anywhere in particular. I’ve traveled often, seen lots of unusual places, gone through many interesting adventures, but somehow managed to fall short of one personal goal for many years: I had not visited all fifty States.

North Dakota was my sole holdout and after multiple close calls I knew it wasn’t going to happen naturally. I’d have to make a special effort. On August 14, 2002, we crossed the border from Minnesota into North Dakota and I finally visited the last of the fifty United States.

We spent some time at Linwood Park in Fargo on the banks of the The Red River of the North. Here the water flows towards the Arctic Ocean. This is one of the few special areas in the USA above the northern continental divide.

Little did I know that I’d have to move onto another obsession, county counting instead.