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Shortest possible route through all 48 States? Shortest possible route through all 48 States?
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Route Planning Where to go, when, what are the interesting places to see
Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #1  
Old 23 Apr 2007
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Shortest possible route through all 48 States?
I know a lot of folks have ridden to all 48 States in various record attempts and personal trips, but has anyone here done research on, or seen website discussion on, the shortest possible route that touches on all 48 'lower' states?

br.
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  #2  
Old 23 Apr 2007
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One of the most common questions is "when to hit Kentucky'.
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  #3  
Old 23 Apr 2007
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I take it that is a comic reference, but sadly this Scot isn't sufficiently in the loop to get the joke :confused1:
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blueron View Post
I take it that is a comic reference, but sadly this Scot isn't sufficiently in the loop to get the joke :confused1:
No, a strategic question.

Play with a mapping program.
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lone Rider View Post
No, a strategic question.

Play with a mapping program.
Aaah, I see -- not comic, but cryptic. Thanks for the tip. I will look at mapping programs' suggestions, but if anyone on the forum has advice they would like to share, I would be delighted to hear from them.


br
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  #6  
Old 23 Apr 2007
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It's a fun game.

What have you come up with so far?
I assume by 'shortest', you're referring to time.
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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No, actually not by time -- but simply by miles. I hope for the lowest possible number of miles of route that touches upon all 48 states. Some states will involve hundreds of miles of riding, but others, maybe only a handful of miles.

One route that a friend came up with starts just inside the California/Nevada state line, then from Nevada basically heads due east to Memphis before dipping south to take in Mississippi, Louisiana and touch Florida before a big north-east leg all the way to Maine. From there, a long westerly zig-zag to touch upon all the remaining states until Washington state. That comes out at a bit under 8000 miles.
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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One possible route is to start near the CA/NV/OR border, going north, then east, finish at 4 Corners (AZ/UT/CO/NM). Just a hair under 7500 miles using highways.

I'll guess that a 'shortest route' could be found at less than 7000.
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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I found this map online.
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Shortest possible route through all 48 States?-48states.jpg  

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Old 23 Apr 2007
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I was able to find a route of 6,968 miles.
More can be trimmed.
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Old 23 Apr 2007
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Wow,

Thanks guys. Thanks John for the graphic, which is very interesting. Could you possibly point me to where you found it on the Web?

Lone Rider: could you share with me some details of the route that came in under 7000 miles -- or point me to the software you used, please?

I apologise for looking for help from other folks in the know -- but I am just researching something at the moment, have zero personal experience of long-distance travel in the USA, and all the help I can get from folks with experience is a big plus that is much appreciated.

br
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Old 24 Apr 2007
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I used Streets n Trips which works OK, but you still need to tell it your key points.
If you get this program, I can send a file.

There are several good programs that work.
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Old 24 Apr 2007
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Yes, I know I'm being a presumptuous pain in the whotsit here, but does your program allow you to save a route in a simple document file that would give me an idea what sort of route it predicts? If so, could you possibly email it to me?

I'll look into buying the program -- in fact, for what I have in mind, I might well end up investing in more than one program -- but at the moment, any pointers available would be a lot of help.

My email address is ronmcmillan@gmail.com


br
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Old 24 Apr 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blueron View Post
Yes, I know I'm being a presumptuous pain in the whotsit here, but does your program allow you to save a route in a simple document file that would give me an idea what sort of route it predicts? If so, could you possibly email it to me?

I'll look into buying the program -- in fact, for what I have in mind, I might well end up investing in more than one program -- but at the moment, any pointers available would be a lot of help.

My email address is ronmcmillan@gmail.com


br
Given some time, I could list the key points (corners) which you would use in the mapping program. I'm not a 'puter person and don't know how to save these files as anything other than what they are.

These programs are inexpensive and you will need one before being able to properly plan this type of thing/game.
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Old 24 Apr 2007
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OK, thanks for your help. I'll pick up a program or two and do the research. I appreciate the advice here.

Does anyone else have experience of these programs and would recommend a particular program?

br
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