My United States
California-  My home town state.  I would have to say this is my favorite state for a number of reasons.  You have so many things to see and do. There are the Redwoods, Yosemitie, the wine country, Los Angles (if you like that kind of thing), San Diego, San Francisco, beautiful coast line, you can ski, surf, hang glide, do almost anything you could possibly think of.  Most of all California has my Dad.  I can't really see myself living in any other state.
California Photo Tour California Wine
Colorado-  What to say about Colorado. My grandmother's sister used to live in Colorado Springs.  I have only driven through Denver on the way to Colorado, but I do have to say this state has some very beautiful landscapes.  The one thing I remember the most about Colorado is that on a trip where we went to Colorado Springs we visited my Aunt and her children.  They took me to an Alpine slide at one of the ski resorts.  The vacation was during the summer so there was no snow, but the slide was alot of fun.  You sat in a sled-like vehical and there was one control, forward for fast and back for slow down.  The operators of the slide told me that if I was not going fast enough when I came out of the trees I would not make it to the bottom.  Well I made it, and had a lot of fun in the process.
I also remember seeing a truly magical place called Mesa Verde.  This is the site of some cave dwelings from ancient Indians.  I was very young when I was here but it still made a great impression.  This is one place in Colorado I will be sure to go back and see again.
Live photos of Colorado----------------------------Mesa Verde
Wyoming-  Wyoming has many attractions and the ones I remember the most are Yellowstone and Little America (a Hotel, believe it or not).  Yellowstone is no big surprise.  This park is truely majestic.  There is so much to see and marvel at.  For me the most impressive thing is how nature has a way of humbling us humans every time we stop to look around.  There are few places in the world that can make me feel this way and Yellowstone Park is one of them.  Little America is more of a novelty than anything else.                               Yellowstone Park
Arizona-Home of the Grand Canyon, a meteorite hit (one of the largest) and some truly beautiful desert.  It is alittle ironic that what I remember the most about Arizona can be summed up as a couple of big holes in dried up ground. ahahah.  All joking aside, the Grand Canyon is nothing to laugh at.  Here we have direct proof of how powerful water is and we can actually see it at work.  Being a chemist I have gained a huge appreciation for something that most people take for granted.  Water is life.  Water is destruction or creation depending on how you view it.  Some will say that the water is destroying the land where the Grand Canyon is.  Others will say it created the Grand Canyon.  Both are correct.  Back to Arizona, some people are drawn to the desert.  I like it, but I do not feel that pull.  The desert for me is a great place to let the emptiness clear your thoughts.  It allows me to return home with a scowered memory.  I can see situations clearer and without previous biases.
Grand Canyon--------------------------A second site Grand Canyon
Idaho- For the longest time I only thought of Idaho as the potatoe state.  Now I know differently.  Idaho has a unique park called "The Craters of the Moon".  This park is full of old lava flows.  It is very black and hot.  There is very little vegitation because the lava flowed over all the soil and is only now just starting to eroded away by lichen (a fungus? that feeds off of the lava and breaks it down).  Well, this park is full of many walks and caves (lava caves).  I was alittle unprepared when I was there.  I did not have a flashlight or even a candle.  I went into this one cave that was quite small and even in the middle of summer, there was ice and snow inside.  The temperature change is really amazing going from the outside to the inside.  There was this one cave that was huge.  It was probably a hundred feet (33 meters) high and around a thousand yards (100 meters) long.  Many people say that deserts make them feel like there is nothing else on earth.  Well this place will give you that feeling also.
North Dakota-Not much comes to mind about my visit to this state because it was not really a destination just an obstacle.  I had two experiences in this state.  The exciting one was being stuck in a "summer shower"  that blew and rained so hard, I had to pull off of the road because I could not see where I was going.  The other memory, the bad one, was a speeding ticket.  When the officer pulled me over he said, "I have you speeding on the radar, so I have to give you a ticket."  His attitude was more like, "I clocked you speeding...not like I blame you, but law requires that I give you a ticket."  I sent in my $5 and never thought about it again, till now, that is.
Pennsylvania-  I kind of remember seeing a few Pennsylvania Dutch, but my clearest memory is Hershy Pennsylvania.  You know CHOCOLATE!!  We went on a tour and saw their facility.  I was a little disappointed because we did not actually see where the real candy was being made.  We saw a building that was built for the tour.  The candy we saw was fake.  It was on a rotating convayer belt and the people were not even real.  It was a little disappointing compared to the cheese factory in Wisconsin.
Utah-  Home of the Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City and Green River .  I have seen the Great Salt Lake and driven across the salt plains on the way to Salt Lake City.  This is very intresting territory.  I can imagin corssing the Rocky's on covered wagon but I could never see myself corssing open land like this that is as white as snow but as hot as the desert.  Utah as a feel about it.  You know you do not belong.  Green River is a little bit of an inside joke.  This is a wide spot in the road that my family and I have happened to stay at a number of times.  They are even less used to visitors than other parts of Utah.  In this area of Utah there is alot of  Uranium mining and I just have an erie feeling when ever I am there.  That does not mean I don't like it.  Actually I do, and I would like to go back to Salt Lake City ,and spend time seeing the things that I don't remember or missed the other times I have been through there.  Utah was similar to North Dekota never a destination but more of an obstacle.
Hawaii- Hawaii was a stop off for a couple of our flights to Australia.  I have only spent a couple of days there and don't really have alot to say about it.  I went to the USS Arizona, a volcano (sugar bowl, diamond something, I am sorry to say I do not remember).  I never made it to the beach, what a waste.  I have an opportunity to go with a friend some time and I am hoping to do that.  I feel like I am guilty of something when I write about my visit to Hawaii, like I did not even deserve to go there.  :(  But let me ask you this who ever deserves to go anywhere.  We are all just lucky when we get the chance to travel.
Nevada-The state with no taxes and lots of money.  I have been to Nevada alot because it was an easy place to stop at when traveling east rom California.  Although most of the time I have only been there as a child I still have fond memories of it.  I think I like South Lake Tahoe for its beauty (plus it was the closest to Sacramento), I like Vegas for the lights and atmosphere and Reno (The biggest little city on earth, their slogan) falls some where.  It just happends to be the closest airport to my mother so I have flown in there a few times and it is fine.  Reno is intresting I like it but once you have been to Vegas (Las Vegas) you know there is a big difference.  None the less Nevada has alot to entertain people with, even if you do not gamble.  It is fun just watching some times.  I have never been to Alantic City to compare but I look forward to the opportunity, I am sure it will happen some day.
Minnesota- I was only in Minnesota for a few days with my family because we went to The Mall of America.  At the time it was the largest mall in the world.  It had a theme park in side and three or four levels, many night clubs and activities to do after mall hours.  I was not able to explor the many options there because I was not twenty-one.  Perhaps some day I will go back and really see all there is to see.  Till that time Minnesota is a vague memory to me.
Oregon-I have never been to Oregon as a primary destination.  My family and I have driven through it a number of times on our way to Canada.  So as a result all I have ever seen of Oregon was what I could see from Interstate 5.  I know this is boreing to read, but waht can I say I am not gonig to make anything up.  I did have an intresting experience in a Denny's once, but that will have to be addressed later.
Alaska- My trip to Alaska was too short for starters.  This is an area that truly has all the rugged beauty that you imagine it would.  In late Novermber it is COLD.  During the day it was about 20 *F and at night it was 10 *F.  This is the coldest weather I have ever been in.  I am very happy to say that I did survive it and I actually loved it.  Even in the winter there is so much to do.  It is not that you have very little day light, it is just that dawn and dust take about an hour each.  It always seemed very peaceful there and the people were very friendly. 
New York- Now the state in which I call home.As far as sights are concerned.  I have yet to see the Bronx zoo, Central park, Empire state building, and I missed the World Trade Center.  The only part of New York I would say I have some knowledge of is the vinards that are out on Long Island.  I have to admid that I have not even seen the wine country of California.  But I do enjoy seeing the vinards and tasting local products.  I have seen Nigera Falls, but I stayed on the Canada side and so there fore only looked at the New York side I did not touch the water on the US side.  I like New York well enough.  I but there are a lot of things that I do not like, but what choice do I have.  Like I always say you have to make the most of what ever you do.
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I'm tired I want to go HOME.
Enough with the "States" I want exotic.