State & Province Sign Collection

I thought it might be interesting to start a state & province sign collection. Although I have previously visited most states in a car, this collection will be entirely on motorcycles.

Many times it is not safe to stop and photograph the official state signs due to dangerous traffic conditions or bridges. In those cases I will find another suitable sign that will properly identify the state.

Although I have visited all 49 Continental states since I started this page, as yet, I have been unable to collect pictures of the state signs for New Jersey, Delaware, Quebec and New Brunswick due to no visible sign or dangerous sign placements.

States & Provinces I have Visited On My Bikes

(51) Ohio May, 09

(50) Rhode Island - June 08

(49) Connecticut - June 08

(48) Ontario, Canada - June 08

(47) Wisconsin - June 08

(46) Michigan - June 08

(45) Minnesota - June 08

(44) North Dakota - June 08

(43) South Dakota - June 08

(42) Idaho - June 08

(41) Arizona - June 08

(40) Mississippi - Oct 07

(39) Maine - Oct. 07 (near Peru, ME)


(38) New Hampshire - Oct 07

(37) Vermont - Sept. 07

(36) Massachusetts - Sept. 07


(35) New York - Sept. 07


(34) Pennsylvania - Sept. 07


(33) Maryland - Sept. 07


(32) Virginia - Sept. 07


(31) West Virginia - Sept. 07

(30) Florida - Near Valdosta, GA - Sept. 07

(29) Georgia- Near Chattanooga, TN - Sept. 07

(28) Alabama - At Bridgeport, AL - Sept. 07

(27) Iowa- Crossing the Mississippi River near Moline - Rock Island - Labor Day Weekend, 07

(26) Utah - Near The Great Basin NP - July, 07

(25) Nevada - Near Reno, NV - July, 07

(24) California - Near Cresent City, CA - July, 07

(23) Oregon- Near Cresent City, CA - July, 07

Oregon - Near Longview, WA - July, 07

(22) Washington- Near Blaine- July, 07

(21) Alaska - Near Skagway - June, 07

Alaska - Near Beaver Creek, YT. - June, 07

(20) Yukon Territory, Canada - June, 07

(19) Alberta, Canada - June, 07

(18) British Colombia -Canada - June, 07

(17) Montana - Gardiner, MT - June 07

(16) Wyoming - Near Henry, NE - June, 07

(15) Nebraska - Near Beatrice, NE - June, 07

(14) Kansas - Near St Joe, MO - June, 07

(13) South Carolina - Near South of the Border, SC - April, 07



(12) North Carolina - Near Kings Mountain Natl. Military Park, April, 07



(11) Louisiana - Vidalia, LA - April, 07

(10) Colorado - Near Pagosa Springs, CO - June, 06

(9) Texas - Near Hobbs, NM - May, 06

(8) Tennessee - Near Dyersburg, TN - June, 06

(7) Oklahoma - Near Sayre, OK - June, 06

(6) New Mexico - Hobbs, NM - May, 06

(5) Missouri - Near Blytheville, AR - June, 06

(4) Illinois - Shawneetown, IL - August, 05

(3) Kentucky - Paducah, KY - August, 06

(2) Indiana - Evansville, IN - August, 06

(1) Arkansas - Texarkana, AR - May, 06

"Dad, when I grow up I want to ride motorbikes like you do."
"Son, you can't do both." ~ADVRider.com~

In order for one to learn the important lessons of life, one must first overcome a fear each day. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

Iron Butt Association's National Parks Tour (NPT)

I made a list of all the beautiful places I wanted to see in America, and it turned out that many of them were national parks. The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Zion, Glacier, Big Bend, to name a few. The Iron Butt National Parks Tour appears to be an ideal retirement project in conjunction with my upcoming 07 Alaska ride. What better way to combine a passion for long distance riding, a desire to see more of this beautiful country and the freedom of retirement?

The object of the NPT is to take some time to visit the hundreds of National Parks, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, and National Monuments located in the United States and Canada.

The rules for the IBA National Parks Tour are simple:

Obtain a Passport from the National Parks Service. ($7.95)

While riding a motorcycle, visit at least 25 states within 1 year, and 50 National Parks, National Monuments, National Historic Sites, National Recreation Areas, or any other site or park listed in the Passport. I can start any time I like, ride either of my bikes, and finish any time I want within the one year time period.

Each National Park or Historic Site visitor center has a custom stamp that verifies the date visited, the Park's name and geographic location. A stamp for each site I visit will be placed in my National Parks Passport. These stamps are the primary form of verification to certify this ride.

There are three levels to this ride: Master, Silver and Gold.

MASTER TRAVELER AWARD- A custom Iron Butt Association Certificate of Accomplishment, a Master Traveler Pin, and a license plate back. By far the best reward will be a chance to see some of the prettiest parts of America and Canada.

SILVER AWARD - The same rules apply as the NPT Master Traveler, however, it requires visits to parks in these areas: WASHINGTON or Canadian parks northwest of the Washington border, California, Florida, Maine or Canadian parks northeast of the Maine border.

GOLD AWARD - The same rules apply as the NPT Master Traveler, however, you MUST visit parks in these areas: Alaska, California, Florida, Maine or Canadian parks northeast of the Maine border.

National Park stamp collecting is a growing hobby enjoyed by motorcyclists and non-motorcyclsts alike. Folks who simply love to travel and see the beauty of this land. Many of these collectors have have an impressive collection of stamps and the beautiful memories that accompany them.

Park Stamp . Org provides networking and recognition opportunities for visitors to America’s National Park System. They also maintain a comprehensive list of parks, with directions, oddly referred to as a "Noodle".



Reference sites for this page include:

Iron Butt Association- National Parks Tour
http://www.ironbutt.com/ridecerts/getdocument.cfm?DocID=11

National Parks
http://www.nps.gov/parks.html

The Parks, 100 Days, 48 Parks
http://www.danielcohen.org/100days/parks/parks.htm

The National Parks Forum
http://forums.delphiforums.com/NPSTouring/messages/?msg=293.1

National Parks Maps
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks.html



National Parks Map
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/national_parks/nps_trails98.pdf

Impossible is nothing more than a degree of difficulty.
~Nasa~

There once was a very cautious man, who never rode or played.
He never drank or smoked, or even kissed a maid.
Last week he passed away, and his insurance was denied.
They claim if he never LIVED, obviously he could never DIE.
~Author Unknown~

Reprinted from the LD List