Does anyone else get exorbitantly excited to spot the "Welcome to {Insert New State Here}" signs when on a road trip? I love them. I'm sad if I happen to be napping when we pass by one. When I'm pretty sure we're getting close to the border of a different state, I keep my eyes fixed on all the road signs so that I can spot the new state sign as soon as possible, and I try to snap a photo of the sign as we go by.
I've been on a lot of long road trips in my day. And when you're in the middle of an 18 hour drive, there's just something about those signs at state borders that add a bit of excitement to a long, unbroken stretch of highway driving.
When your vacation days are limited, when there's 18 hours of driving ahead of you, making stops along the way, or taking it slow and exploring the countryside as you go doesn't always make sense. Sometimes the longing for adventure must be tempered with practicality.
But those state border signs are always there. While the look of the countryside may or may not change dramatically from one state to another, those signs are the proof that all of a sudden, you're somewhere new.
They are different from state to state, too, you know. Some states have very artistic welcome signs at certain borders. Other border crossing are neglected and a little dilapidated. Sometimes the signs are different colors. I'm never wearing my glasses when I'm a passenger so I usually don't even catch sight of them until we've almost passed them, but every time, they merit a cheer. Hooray!! We're in Indiana, or Georgia, or Oklahoma, or Kentucky! Hurray!
Maybe it's silly to love a sign on the interstate, but I then again, I never claimed to be a serious kind of person.
there's a huge one on the way into florida that i've always loved. now it's the "old" way to get there, so the sign doesn't get the love it should!
i'm the same. it's like a mixture of relief and joy and excitement whenever we pass by those signs :)
-kathy
Vodka and Soda
I completely agree! It is exciting to be getting one state closer to that destination!
Haha I never pay attention. I remember when I was with people driving from MN to Virginia I slept through the night and then woke up having no idea at all where I was. It's a totally weird feeling.
Oh my goodness! I love state signs too! You and I are in the same boat with road trips. The hubby and I even drove through the night last Thanksgiving so we wouldn't have to waste a day driving. We never stop more than we have to and I have always loved new state signs!
I'm so into the state signs too...As we approach I have a countdown and after passing do some car dancing...obviously not all passengers I am traveling will get excited as I do! ;) What is the most unique state sign you've ever seen?
I always like those signs too! They definitely make road trips more fun
I always stretch my hand or foot to the end of the car (inside of course) so I can be the first one to enter the state :) ha.
I popped over for this post from the Jack of All Trades link-up :) I love state signs. I'm a big fan of travelling by car, so the state signs help gauge how much further I am. Plus, there's something refreshing about seeing a new state, even if you've been in the car for hours!
I love seeing these signs, too! Driving through Kansas or Iowa, there's not a lot to distinguish between the states, so the signs help us know at least we're making some progress:)
I enjoy the Welcome signs at each state too. But I'm especially partial to that beautiful "Pure Michigan" one...even though I don't live there anymore, it will always be home!
I do this same thing! They are fun little benchmarks in a long trip. And suddenly it feels so cool to be in a new state (even if your car may never stop within its borders!)
I once got stuck in Washington traffic for 45 minutes waiting for a drawbridge to close. The reason I was in Washington? I was vacationing in Oregon, but felt the need to drive 5 minutes out of town so I could pass into Washington and see the "Welcome to Washington" sign.
It was worth the traffic!
I always look for the sign as well! It's like a visual reminder that you are getting somewhere! And I always get excited about seeing new states and new things because sometimes things are super different and sometimes things are....just the same. it's neat to try and spot what might have changed.
HUGS!
I love looking for the state signs on roadtrips! The longest roadtrip I've been on was 18 hrs from MN to NYC. Towards the end of the trip we were getting tired of being in the car so long (and with the same people) that the signs were the only thing to keep us excited.
It might sound odd, but 18 hours of driving sounds like a dream come true right now :) I miss road trips... and yeah, those state signs are so fun to see!!
Have a nice day,
~Chantilly
I totally agree I love the state signs :)
I'm with you on this one! Though when travelling in Canada it doesn't happen nearly so often since our provinces are so huge but when we drive down to the US I've always got my camera ready for the next state sign!
A couple of years ago I went on a road trip from Brisbane to Adelaide, straight through Australia. It took 2 days and on the way BACK, I pulled over at every 'welcome to..' sign and took a picture with it. Made the road trip more interesting.. I think I was going a little insane also haha
My husband and I have a strange game when we see the state sign. We reach our hand out in front of us as far as it will go and shout "first one in (insert state here)". Our kids will think we are crazy... maybe because we are.
I always look out for those too whenever we pass by one!!
Yes! I get so giddy when I see one! Even when I've been to the different state a thousand times, I still get soo excited when I see it :)
Oh my gosh I love these! When we were kids and would go on road trips we'd count down the seconds until we reached them as soon as they were in sight! lol
We stick our hand out in front of us so we can be the "first across the line." We're dorks. Ha!
I always cheer when we cross into a new state :)
i geek out over signs in general. I even try to take pictures of them. :-)
My husband came up with a tradition of yelling every time we cross a state line. Maybe it's silly but it keeps us entertained!
Well being from Trinidad, we don't have any State signs. LOL We have town signs and I love to see those, I always try to take pics of them. So, I can only imagine that if I get excited at mere town signs, I'll go crazy for States signs. :)
I've only road tripped in the U.S when I was a youngster. We have pictures in front of every state sign that we came across. Total tourists! It was so memorable!
it's actually on my bucket list to get a photo with each of them - i'm far from making this happen, but since jon wants to visit *Every* baseball stadium, i suppose it's possible in our retirement? would be fun to make a map with all the photos...
I know what you mean! I always feel a little rush too whenever I cross an invisible border!
www.momfever.com
I love it too! and its fun seeing the different styles each state goes with...or, ya know..lack of (the dilapidated ones!). we used to play this game when we were kids (there are 5 of us in my fam, so rents had to get creative) that whenever we passed a state line, we'd lift up our feet for good luck. it just got us excited for each moment!
Your state signs sure look more interesting than ours! Ours are generally green or brown with the name in the normal old font. They could do with some brightening up to make travelers cheerier as we pass them!
We often used to stop and take photos when we crossed from province to province in Canada : ) It made for great scrapbook pages.
bisous
Suzanne
In New England the signs come very quickly. Rhode Island is tiny! But when I'm driving from Boston to Florida, every sign is a milestone!
I love them too! It means you are getting close to where you want to go!
www.amemoryofus.blogspot.com
I love state signs! We travel home to Kansas about 3 weekends of the month and I love the sign each time.
I like watching for state signs, too! I like having a marker for passing from one place to another :)
I'm the same way I love watching the signs, I think it's like a countdown - one less state to cross to reach your destination. A sense of accomplishment that you've made it that far :) Happy Hump Day Rachel! -iva
I've noticed how every welcome sign in the USA looks different. Here in Europe, they are treated as traffic signs and therefor strongly regulated. They are all blue, with the European flag and in the middle of the circle of scarves it says "Belgium" or "France". Nothing very fancy or creative! But still their effect remains. I am always SO happy to see them, especially after a long travel. You wouldn't believe my excitement when I saw "Italy" after 26 hours on a bus with 74 other people, 2 stops and only a tiny seat to move around in... xo
*scarves = stars (silly auto-correct)
We have a family tradition of taking pictures of the welcome signs as we enter each state. We make at least two trips across several states per year so it's fun and definitely something to look forward to!
I love this! I agree finding those new state border signs are always fun - plus it does break up a long road trip!
Haha, I love this post. It's true that our perception of where we are can totally change just because of (gasp) a silly little sign! But it's so magical at the same time. Placemarkers and markers in general are so important, yet such a strange thing.
Also, can I just say that I love how you remembered the EXACT time it happened? You. Are. Cute. And I want to be like you. I think mine was somewhere from 9:50-10:00. It was. SOMETHIG IN THERE! EEP!
*your first kiss, to clarify the second part of my above comment!
My husband has started a habit of reaching his hand to the tip of the dashboard first. It is his way of "entering" the state first. We play about it now.
That's a good point about how different states do their signs differently. Wisconsin actually does a decent job. Their signs are wooden in the shape of the state. Do you have a favorite that you've spotted?
Yes, majorly! Though in my case, it's province not state and it's a pretty big deal (unless you live right new the border of two of them) because we only have 10 provinces and 3 territories spaced out across the second largest country in the world, so entering a new one is pretty darn exciting to me!!! To date I've been to (and/or lived in) five provinces and sincerely hope (it's one of my life's goals) to see all 13 chapters of this vast nation.
♥ Jessica
Yes! Love them!
I love them too! Especially on a road trip. Passing them feels reassuring that you are in fact getting closer to your destination!
Totally love the state welcome signs! Like you said it feels exciting after long road trips to make it to our destination and if it is a state we are going for the first time it also feels like an accomplishment, one more place we wanted to see that we've been to. :-) XOXO, Elif
http://theboxqueen.com
I hadn't seen that Welcome to Michigan sign in a few years. Thanks for the photo. I get excited about crossing state lines as well as the Canadian border. It feels cool - you know it's like you are well-traveled. LOL
Nice stopping by your lovely blog, again. =)
The only time that I went on an actual road trip, I was asleep for most of the state signage, or it was dark. I get excited at city welcome signs though, if the ones around here are bland. My siblings do this thing called, "I was the first/last person in such-and-such city!", by making sure that their limbs are as far ahead or back as they can possibly be without being unsafe. I like to do that game with my husband on occasion. :D
I love the Michigan welcome sign. How did you get such a good picture while you were driving? I mean, did you take it through the windshield , or out the window, or what?
Ha! You always make me smile. You're right though...a state sign is like the signal for beginning a new adventure.
Debbie
www.fashionfairydust.blogspot.com
Driving back and forth between Alabama and Florida is giving me tons of excitement! I totally get it.
I remember that excitement as a kid...what a joy. One day I hope my son will feel the same excitement. Happy Saturday Sharefest
I totally stopped on the OR-CA border on my most recent road trip to get a picture of me and my daughter at the "Welcome to California" sign. I live on a state border, so I cross one frequently, but I get excited every time.
I still sing "Back Home Again, in Indiana" when we cross over the Indiana state line. I love those state signs.
I'm not an interstate kinda girl (give me Route 66 and backroads any day!) but I have to agree I love it when you enter a new state and see the "Welcome to Whatever State" sign. I get excited whenever we cross into Arizona or California. I may have been to both states a lot (and lived in one for a majority of my life) but it's still exciting to be somewhere other than home. Man, I really need a road trip. Getting antsy again. LOL
I love those signs! It cracks me up how some state lines have really fancy signs and some are just a standard road sign.
I love crossing the SC/NC state line. We have this rinky little place called South of the Boarder. It's so ridiculous, but my family has been going there since we lived in GA. I was tickled when I found out we would be living 15 minutes away when we were in Charlotte. One day I'll have to take Little J so she can experience SOB. Everyone should at least once in their life...
Yes! I love state line signs too! And we often try to stop and get pictures with every one we can! Your right, it's super disappointing when there's a terrible dilapidated sign! :)
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