‘I’ve been everywhere, man/I’ve been everywhere, man…” – as sung by Hank Snow.

I was overjoyed to hear that one of my high school classmates and his wife recently completed their bucket-list project of visiting all 50 states.

(Alas, one of the less-studious members of our class stopped agonizingly short of that milestone, declaring, “You can’t fool me! There are only 49 states, ever since scientists decided Pluto isn’t really a state.”)

As I researched the 50-state accomplishment, I discovered that there is no universal standard for what constitutes a “visit” to a state.

For instance, the Fifty State Club (founded in 2006 to celebrate and encourage travelers on their journey) sets a fairly low bar: put your feet on the ground and breathe the air. (In other words, no points for driving straight across a state without even a bathroom break or........

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