Today kicks off our 2025 Capital Buildings Road Trip. Our goal is to visit and photograph the capitol buildings of all 48 contiguous states on one uninterrupted journey. We anticipate the trip will take approximately 36 days.
Our journey started in Denver, CO, on April 23, 2025, before we traveled south to Santa Fe, NM. Notably, the New Mexico Capitol building is one of just eleven state capitols lacking a dome, and the only circular state capitol.
The day was perfect for a drive through northern New Mexico and Arizona, passing the Painted Desert and descending from the Mogollon Rim into the Valley of the Sun, leading to Phoenix.
We departed the Grand Canyon state, heading southeast through the eastern part of the Sonoran Desert, where the haunting Saguaros waved their limbs goodbye. We quickly crossed the Land of Enchantment, just ahead of a building sandstorm east of Deming, ultimately ending our day in the West Texas town of El Paso. As we traveled along the highway, numerous billboards invited us to stop and check out the World’s Largest Pistachio. I decided to pass this time, as I’d already “Been there, done that.”
The drive from El Paso to Austin turned out to be quite a long day for both of us! It became even longer when we found ourselves stuck, unable to get close to the capital due to a large crowd. On top of that, there was a college sporting event taking place just across the street. Personally, I tend to shy away from large crowds, and parking seemed to vanish into thin air! Fingers crossed that Sunday morning will bring a better experience for us.
After returning to the Texas Capitol building this morning, I watched Texas fade away in my rearview mirror. The drive north to Oklahoma City was smooth and pleasant, with only a bit of light traffic. We were fortunate to find a parking spot quite close to the Oklahoma Capitol. It was a short travel day that provided us with some afternoon downtime.
Today brought some really strong winds! Luckily, they were blowing from the westerly direction, but they did make it a bit tricky to catch some naps while driving. On the bright side, I had easy access to the capitol and managed to park right in front of it! The only little hiccup was that the wind knocked my camera and tripod over onto the asphalt, and now the screen looks like Truffles got to it!
We woke up to a chilly morning in Sedalia, MO, today, but we managed to avoid the rain until after visiting the capitol building in Jefferson City. Our luck with the weather worsened as we headed south to Little Rock. Initially, we were advised to take a detour to steer clear of possible tornadoes, which we did. Then it rained so heavily that I decided it was prudent to pull over and wait for it to lessen. We experienced a few light rain showers after that, but the sky brightened once we arrived in Little Rock.
Warm and humid weather prevails today between Little Rock and Louisiana’s capital, Baton Rouge, with a stop in Jackson, Mississippi’s capital. True to form, Truffles attracted attention as we walked around each building.
The drive to Tallahassee from Baton Rouge felt a bit longer than expected because so many folks parked in the left passing lane. I noticed hotel room rates were quite high until I found out that Florida State was holding graduations. Living in Colorado has spoiled me in many ways, and the humidity here makes that clear! A big shoutout to all the wonderful people living here, so I don’t have to deal with it myself.
I had an unexpected late start today, but it felt nice to sleep in. My usual alarm clock was asleep beside me. The thick fog outside of Tallahassee made that part of the drive challenging. We visited the capitals of Alabama and Georgia and eventually got back on schedule.
Today, we departed from Georgia and started our journey up the eastern seaboard. The air this morning in Madison, GA, was filled with the scent of honeysuckle and humidity as I readied the car. The motel offered Truffles a fantastic space to run off-leash. Watching her play brought to mind cows leaping around after emerging from the barn in spring after a long winter indoors. The traffic into both Columbia, SC, and Raleigh, NC, was pleasantly light.
This morning, we had quite a downpour! I really tried to avoid getting soaked while taking Truffles out, but those raindrops were relentless. Michael used to affectionately call this kind of rain a “Bug Wash” because it’s so great for cleaning the car. Today, we stopped at Richmond, VA, Annapolis, MD, and Dover, DE.
I’ll never forget this day: driving from Delaware through New Jersey, Philadelphia, New York City, and Hartford. It was certainly a challenge with fog, heavy rain, and traffic, especially since my navigator was fast asleep in the back! I made a few wrong turns when the GPS couldn’t keep up and had to reroute. But the real highlight was cruising along the charming two-lane roads of Connecticut, passing through quaint towns, and seeing old structures and historic places. I can only imagine how stunning the autumn colors must be! We also visited the state houses in New Jersey and Connecticut.
A beautiful drive through Connecticut and Rhode Island on tree-lined two-lane roads. Providence was the only dry stop of the day where I took part in a demonstration against wasteful spending. The State House in Boston was extremely busy, with no parking available. We got soaked in Augusta, ME. Hoping for a more pleasant day tomorrow.
Today was a special day! In addition to visiting the capital building in Montpelier, I had the wonderful opportunity to drive across Vermont, the last state I hadn’t yet been to. It felt like a significant milestone! This morning brought a delightful surprise as I unexpectedly spotted the ‘home’ of Maine Cabin Masters! Many of you might recall the TV series from a few years back. Montpelier was our 24th capital on this journey, and starting tomorrow, we’ll be heading more westerly in our travels!
We set off from the beautiful Adirondack Mountains this morning, journeying south to Albany, NY. Afterwards, we drove through the scenic Pocono Mountains, making our way southwest toward our next destination, with a rest stop in Allentown, PA, along the way. And guess what? Albany marks our 25th capital city! And yes, it’s still raining most of the time.
Today’s drive was a breeze! The traffic was light and we enjoyed some lovely moments with BINOVC. We even found a parking spot right in front of the Pennsylvania State House, which made my time in the solidified humidity very brief. If you’re curious, BINOVC is a term used in aviation and meteorology reports to describe intermittent gaps or openings in an overcast sky.
Today ranked among the top days of our trip. We woke up to cool temperatures and a sky filled with only high cirrus clouds; the ground was dry, and traffic was light throughout the day. Our initial stop was at the West Virginia state house in Charleston, where Truffles encountered so many squirrels that she didn’t know which way to look. I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with a 40-year veteran Capital Policeman who seemed to appreciate having someone to talk to. We shared stories about our experiences, most of which I believe were true. Our final stop for the day, the Ohio Capitol building, is pretty impressive.
We’re now in Lansing, MI, marking the 29th capitol building on our journey. The front center of this building reminded me of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Perhaps I need a vacation. Truffles believes this is the best stop yet, as we discovered a dog park where she enjoyed a few hours of off-leash playtime with some new friends. She did remember to call her mother today.
Today, we reached State House number 30. To prevent capturing an image of the rear of the building, I asked locals on the street which side was the front. The first four, despite being residents, were unsure. However, the fifth individual was confident and identified it. Thus, today’s photo features the front of the Indiana capital in Indianapolis. I must add that it started to rain as we headed back to the car.
We’ve been on the move for an incredible 21 days! After seeing both the old and new Kentucky State Houses in Frankfort today, we will take a little time to recharge. Our dear friend Chris, who stayed with us at home last year, kindly invited us to relax at his place in Louisville, KY. We are past the halfway mark for capitals visited, but not quite at the halfway point for distance traveled. I truly appreciate everyone for following along on this road trip. Reading your comments brings me joy!
As Gene Autry sang, we are “Back in the saddle again.” After enjoying some relaxation and fun with Chris, we set off for the Capitol building in Nashville, TN, just a few hours south of Louisville. While Mr. Sunshine was hiding away, Mr. Rain decided to bring along his mischievous twin, Mr. Deluge, to join us for the morning. Luckily, the rain let up in Nashville just in time for us to snap a photo! If you haven’t heard from anyone else, our server asked Chris last night if I was his dad! I didn’t find it that funny.
Today was delightfully beautiful in the neighborhoods of Springfield, IL, and Madison, WI! We had the pleasure of visiting state capitol buildings 33 and 34. Truffles was the ideal travel buddy—just enjoying the journey without needing anything at all.
We’ve traveled through all the eastern states and nearly all the midwestern states, with St. Paul, MN, and Des Moines, IA, marking our 35th and 36th stops today. Our hotel for the night is on the outskirts of Des Moines, next to a freshly cut alfalfa field, and that aroma evokes many fond memories of enjoyable times and hard work back in the good ol’ days when I was young.
Today, we drove to Nebraska and visited the state house in Lincoln, which I heard years ago is called “The Penis of the Plains.” Afterward, driving north through Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota, the traffic was light, as one might expect, considering the strong winds and heavy rain.
South Dakota’s capital, Pierre (pronounced like ‘pier’), and North Dakota’s capital, Bismarck, came into view after we passed mile after mile of flooded fields and pastures. Yesterday and today were certainly ‘bug wash’ days! We felt grateful that it was just rain, with the wind chill at 31 degrees. Tonight, in Bismarck, they’re expecting a low of 36 degrees. We ended our day in Bismarck at a hotel with a bar, restaurant, and happy hour. What more could a coddiwampler wish for?
After driving nearly halfway across western North Dakota through some light snow showers, then about 100 miles into Montana, we were greeted by an endless sky and dry roads, and it became clear why they call this state Big Sky Country. The speed limit was 80 mph, but I kept it at 78 to help keep my insurance rates down. We took a little break in Miles City, MT, where Augustus McCrae died. Though we didn’t visit any state houses today, we truly enjoyed the breathtaking view of the snow-covered Beartooth Mountains. I was surprised to see a printed phone book today with a Yellow Pages Section. Does anyone connect that Yellow Pages spelled backwards is Wolley Segap?
Montana is behind us as we entered Idaho this afternoon. We took some time for Truffles to play at a dog park near the Montana capitol.
After visiting the Montana statehouse in Helena, we allowed Truffles some time to play at a nearby park. Today’s route took us past the headwaters of the Missouri River, which we visited last year. The mountains were covered with fresh snow today.
Today marked the 31st day of our road trip to visit the capitals of the lower 48 states. We traveled almost 500 miles along the Lincoln Highway and crossed the 45th parallel. The views across Idaho and eastern Oregon were stunning, and the vastness of the landscape left me feeling humble.
Our 41st state capitol visit was to Olympia, WA, which we reached after a scenic drive from Pendleton, ID. This morning’s journey took us down the stunning Columbia River Gorge, adorned with thick pine forests that presented a vivid green against the blue clear sky. We traveled north from Portland, OR, to the Washington state house, then headed south to conclude our day in Oregon City, OR. A special treat was seeing both Mt. Hood and Mt. St. Helens covered in snow. A Kathlamet/Kalamet Indian I met at a ‘greasy spoon’ tavern shared fascinating insights about the area, mentioning that Oregon City was the end of the Oregon Trail, and served as the capital of the Oregon Territory before statehood. I found him quite a character, reminiscent of someone from Wayne’s World.
The Capitol building in Salem, OR, was undergoing major construction, making for an unsightly view. Yet, we were treated to fantastic sights of Mt. Shasta that photos just couldn’t do justice to. Interestingly, most of the rivers I noticed in the south, east, west, and north had flowing water, a stark contrast to almost all the dry rivers in the southwest.
We woke up to a gorgeous day in northern California and had an easy drive to the Capitol building in Sacramento. Our journey then carried us north and east to Carson City, NV, under the watch of many Highway Patrol units along the way.
After a full day of driving through Nevada and most of Utah, Salt Lake City was a refreshing sight. We had a quick stop at the Bonneville Salt Flats, where Craig Breedlove set the land speed record of 407 mph in my high school days while driving the Spirit of America. We spent the evening unwinding on the hotel patio with some new friends, savoring adult beverages.
Today was the day we eagerly anticipated since we embarked on this road trip on April 23rd. After a full day of driving across the landscapes of Utah and most of Wyoming, we finally reached Cheyenne, where a gentle mist met us. As we strolled back to our car from the Capitol building, the rain started to fall, but it didn’t dampen our spirits because we had achieved our goal. With this journey, we have now visited all 48 capitals of the lower states in one continuous trip! Our country boasts stunning landscapes, featuring expansive plains, dense forests, arid deserts, rolling hills, wetlands, elevated terrains, and sea-level areas. There were also the changing weather patterns: bright sunshine, fog, heavy rain, hail, nagging mists, gusty winds, and snow. We experienced it all.
Our exciting 2025 Capitals Road Trip took us 14,348 miles, which translates to around 248 hours driving on the road! That was 38 days away from home. We purposely chose routes that kept us off the interstate highways a lot of the time. Out of the 48 capitals we visited, some didn’t feature domes; one, Santa Fe, was uniquely round, while a few were skyscrapers!
