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Most pathetic state clinches

Started by bugo, June 07, 2015, 11:52:21 AM

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The Nature Boy

The first time I visited Maine, I just crossed the Piscataqua in Portsmouth, went to Kittery and crossed back into NH. I live in Maine now so I've been to a lot more of this beautiful state.

My only visit to Missouri was in Sikeston at night with an ex to get dinner. I still have a hard time saying that I've been to Missouri.


DJDBVT

My one foray into Quebec was via the Haskell Free Library, which straddles the U.S./Canada border at Derby Line, VT/Stanstead, QC. I entered and exited via the U.S. entrance, and therefore didn't have to report to customs. So, even though I stood (and sat) north of the border, I think it qualifies as "pathetic" to say I've "been to Quebec".

The Nature Boy

Quote from: DJDBVT on August 31, 2015, 11:48:16 PM
My one foray into Quebec was via the Haskell Free Library, which straddles the U.S./Canada border at Derby Line, VT/Stanstead, QC. I entered and exited via the U.S. entrance, and therefore didn't have to report to customs. So, even though I stood (and sat) north of the border, I think it qualifies as "pathetic" to say I've "been to Quebec".

That reminds me of my only trip to Quebec.

I actually drove across the line, drove around town for a bit and then went home (which was NH at the time). It was apart of my I-91 clinch. Customs was a bit confused.

CNGL-Leudimin

Since last Saturday I can say I have driven in France... by way of having turned around just after crossing the border :sombrero:. I have been several other times, though.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

Pete from Boston

The Confederation Bridge thread reminded me–not a state, but, unwilling to pay the $40 to cross to Prince Edward Island we discovered we could ride a shuttle van for $4.  Not driving, we could both gaze out in awe at the foaming strait below us, set foot in the parking lot in P.E.I., and get back into the return van ten minutes later.

We did get to enjoy the particularly road-geeky monument of a concrete segment of the bridge erected as a monument to the workers who built it. 

Roadgeekteen

Probably my foray into South Carolina. Just a tiny trip over to get gas.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

texaskdog

Memphis airport and crossing the border in kansas but later got to both.  The only marginal ones I have left are New Hampshire on I-95 and crossing into Washington at Chain of Lakes Bridge and back.

dlsterner

My most pathetic state clinch is clipping Carter Lake, IA by flying into Eppley Airfield (Omaha's airport) and driving to downtown Omaha.  To this day, my only visit to Iowa.  (I did make the reverse trip to the airport for my flight back home as well)

Also, my only visits to Texas, Colorado, and Missouri have been changing planes in Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, and St. Louis, respectively.  But whether those states count as a "clinch" is subject to interpretation.

ozarkman417

-My layovers in Minneapolis & JFK (NY)

-Driving about a mile in to Nebraska on US 77 near Sioux City

US 89

#159
Holy 5-year bump.

My winners used to be Arkansas, which consisted of spending about 30 seconds in the state at the OK-MO-AR tripoint, and Iowa, which involved driving in from South Dakota and turning around at the state line. However, I have now spent more time in both of those states, so the winner now is probably Indiana. Drove across the Ohio River from Louisville on I-65 (before it was tolled) and back on US 31.

EDIT: MN and MI actually win this. I've had two airport layovers in MSP and one in DTW, and have never been to either state otherwise.

I-55

Quote from: ozarkman417 on May 04, 2021, 11:00:19 PM
-My layovers in Minneapolis & JFK (NY)

-Driving about a mile in to Nebraska on US 77 near Sioux City

MSP is all I've ever been to in Minnesota.
Let's Go Purdue Basketball Whoosh

MCRoads

I have 2:
1) Michigan: drove into it from Indiana on Old US 27 near I-69. We then immediately turned around, and ate lunch at a diner just south of the IN/MI border. This may also be the most pathetic interstate clench I have, as I have only been on 0.6 miles from the Indiana Toll Road at exit 356 to exit 357.
2) Possibly the most pathetic clinch here, the only time I have been to Wyoming is when my dad made a wrong turn on I-25. We didn't have GPS back then, so you needed a paper map, lol. He meant to go south, but somehow we went north. When he saw the state line, he realized his mistake, and turned right around. I don't particularly remember it, but my parents say it happened...

Bonus: For a long time, I clinched an ENTIRE CONTRY(!) in a pathetic manner:
We went to Niagara Falls in upstate New York because some family lived nearby in Corning. We had our passports for some reason, so we decided to walk to Canada, simply because we could! Upon leaving the customs building, we went back to the US. Funny thing, they don't charge you to go to Canada, but they do change you to leave... and they only accept Canadian coins. We had to ask a passerby to make change for us, which thankfully they did. We still joke that we were almost trapped in Canada!
I build roads on Minecraft. Like, really good roads.
Interstates traveled:
4/5/10*/11**/12**/15/25*/29*/35(E/W[TX])/40*/44**/49(LA**)/55*/64**/65/66*/70°/71*76(PA*,CO*)/78*°/80*/95°/99(PA**,NY**)

*/** indicates a terminus/termini being traveled
° Indicates a gap (I.E Breezwood, PA.)

more room plz

jp the roadgeek

My clinches of Georgia were quite pathetic: blowing through on I-95 as a 6 year old passenger, and a couple stops at Atlanta airport.  Even more pathetic was Missouri: two stopovers at Lambert going to and from Hawaii.  West Virginia moved up from pathetic to weak when I went to the racino in Charles Town (other than that, it was just passing through).  South Carolina was pathetic as well (a rest stop just over the GA border, and a stop at Pedro's).  North Carolina was weak as well, but it did involve an overnight stay.
Interstates I've clinched: 97, 290 (MA), 291 (CT), 291 (MA), 293, 295 (DE-NJ-PA), 295 (RI-MA), 384, 391, 395 (CT-MA), 395 (MD), 495 (DE), 610 (LA), 684, 691, 695 (MD), 695 (NY), 795 (MD)

Bruce

Airport clinches of Minnesota and Texas via MSP and IAH.

Pass-through bus clinch of Connecticut at night.

Very short layover at ORD that I used to escape the airport, ride the Blue Line one stop, and turn around to clinch Illinois.

peterj920

On a visit to Yellowstone crossing just over the Montana/Idaho border on US 20 to say I've been to Idaho.

CNGL-Leudimin

Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on June 08, 2015, 04:50:28 AM
I have two pathetic Spanish province clinches. While I have travelled across Biscay, I have never set foot there. On the other hand, I barely entered Albacete province, but at least I managed to get off the car in it.

I've since corrected the second one thanks to a high-speed train ride that went across it. However I've also defined "state" as any first level national subdivision provided the country is large enough, and in Spain that distinction goes to autonomous communities, not provinces. I don't have any clinches of enter and turn back, although there are a couple regions in Italy I just passed through without stopping (Emilia Romagna and Lombardy). In addition I've only stopped at service areas in Liguria (Italy) and Provence-Alps-Azure Coast (France). The same was true for Languedoc-Roussillon (France) prior to its merger with Midi-Pyrenees to form Occitania.
Supporter of the construction of several running gags, including I-366 with a speed limit of 85 mph (137 km/h) and the Hypotenuse.

Please note that I may mention "invalid" FM channels, i.e. ending in an even number or down to 87.5. These are valid in Europe.

sparker

It's occurred to me that once I-49 is fully completed (hopefully), travelers on it will have an inherently pathetic clinch of Texas just by staying on the road (like I-684 and CT).  But for me, DE has always been the most pathetic clinch, since I've never ventured south of I-95/295. 

formulanone

#167
Quote from: formulanone on August 16, 2015, 11:32:05 AM
One night, I drove from Denver to the Welcome Station in Wyoming. I turned around because I had work the next day...20 minutes in the dark.

Utah was only by a one-hour layover at SLC. I still got to see much more of it compared to Wyoming, though...looks gorgeous from the sky, though.

Spent 6 hours at Lester Pearson Airport in Toronto, so Ontario really doesn't count, either.

Since then, I've visited Wyoming for a few more days, but I have only spent 15 minutes in Idaho; basically a 5-mile turnaround in Lewiston using ID 128 - US 95 - US 12.

I've also spent much more time in Toronto and Ontario, thanks to my company finding out I have an addiction to all-dressed potato chips and snacks.

Still haven't had any projects in Utah, but several more layovers.

Rothman

Quote from: Rothman on June 18, 2015, 10:47:56 PM
For the longest time, my only step into Michigan was a short drive from the Indiana Toll Road into Sturgis.  We were returning to our New England home from Utah from vacation and my father just decided to take us over the border since we hadn't been to Michigan as a family yet.

Come to think of it, the next time I was in Michigan was during a snowstorm where my wife, kids and I had to stay overnight due to flights being grounded.  Never got out of Wayne County, I don't think.

However, I've basically done significant stomping in all of the 49 states that I've visited now.  Still waiting to get to Alaska.
Yep.  Situation still the same.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

NWI_Irish96

Quote from: cabiness42 on June 08, 2015, 09:01:59 AM
As part of our honeymoon, my wife and I spent a night in Savannah.  We crossed the US 17 bridge into South Carolina, immediately turned around, are crossed back into Savannah.  Could not have been in the state longer than 2-3 minutes.

Since this old thread got bumped, I thought I'd mention that I've since been back to SC for a few days. Now, my most pathetic state clinch would be Delaware, driving back and forth once between DC and NYC. Did stop for gas/food both directions but still wasn't in the state more more than an hour.
Indiana: counties 100%, highways 100%
Illinois: counties 100%, highways 61%
Michigan: counties 100%, highways 56%
Wisconsin: counties 86%, highways 23%

Avalanchez71

My most pathetic state clinch is Nevada via the LAS airport.

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: cabiness42 on May 05, 2021, 07:06:13 AM
Quote from: cabiness42 on June 08, 2015, 09:01:59 AM
As part of our honeymoon, my wife and I spent a night in Savannah.  We crossed the US 17 bridge into South Carolina, immediately turned around, are crossed back into Savannah.  Could not have been in the state longer than 2-3 minutes.

Since this old thread got bumped, I thought I'd mention that I've since been back to SC for a few days. Now, my most pathetic state clinch would be Delaware, driving back and forth once between DC and NYC. Did stop for gas/food both directions but still wasn't in the state more more than an hour.
I think that everyone's clinch of Delaware is pathetic.
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

Flint1979

For me it's Kansas. I went to Downstream Casino one time which is in Oklahoma, but you enter the casino parking lot in Missouri and part of the parking lot is in Kansas so that was my only clinch of Kansas ever to this point.

Roadgeekteen

Quote from: Flint1979 on May 05, 2021, 08:34:27 AM
For me it's Kansas. I went to Downstream Casino one time which is in Oklahoma, but you enter the casino parking lot in Missouri and part of the parking lot is in Kansas so that was my only clinch of Kansas ever to this point.
Was that a tripoint?
God-emperor of Alanland, king of all the goats and goat-like creatures

Current Interstate map I am making:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?hl=en&mid=1PEDVyNb1skhnkPkgXi8JMaaudM2zI-Y&ll=29.05778059819179%2C-82.48856825&z=5

hotdogPi

Quote from: Roadgeekteen on May 05, 2021, 08:37:42 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on May 05, 2021, 08:34:27 AM
For me it's Kansas. I went to Downstream Casino one time which is in Oklahoma, but you enter the casino parking lot in Missouri and part of the parking lot is in Kansas so that was my only clinch of Kansas ever to this point.
Was that a tripoint?

It's near a tripoint. If you're there to visit the casino, it's easy to hit all three states even if you don't hit the tripoint itself.

Spellcheck does not recognize tripoint for some reason.
Clinched, minus I-93 (I'm missing a few miles and my file is incorrect)

Traveled, plus US 13, 44, and 50, and several state routes

I will be in Burlington VT for the eclipse.



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