A Vicksburg man’s journey to all 50 states got a boost with a phone call from his mom in February 2021.
Jef Rietsma said his mother, Marian Herriman, reminded him how much she and her husband, Art, loved traveling out West.
“She then said they would like to make one more trip,” Rietsma said. “My response was something like, ‘Oh, that’s nice.’ But then she said they would probably need some help.”
A fifth-grade science and social studies teacher at Centreville Elementary, Rietsma said he would be happy to assist, but the vacation to the Pacific Northwest would have to wait until June.
Before that trip, Rietsma had been to 36 states, including Hawaii. What followed that June was a 6,000-mile, 16-night journey that added Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Washington, Oregon and Kansas to his list.
The reality of 50 states, however, became clearer in the summer of 2022. Rietsma’s daughter, Jessie, was between her junior and senior years at Hope College and spent the summer working at Denali National Park in Alaska.
“A long-time friend from Jackson agreed to go with me to visit Jessie and we spent nearly a week there,” Rietsma said. “No question, Alaska would have ended up being my 50th state if not for Jessie’s summer job there.”
After returning from Alaska, Rietsma’s travels became more intentional. What followed was a spring-break trip in 2023 to Oklahoma and New Mexico, and another trip with his mom and stepdad in June 2024.
The 2024 trip covered 2,200 miles and added Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont to his list, leaving South Dakota and Delaware as his remaining, unexplored states.
There was some doubt about whether there would be a trip in 2025, as Art passed away in March that year. His mom ultimately decided a journey to South Dakota would be therapeutic and eagerly endorsed the idea. They were joined on the six-day, 2,600-mile trip by Rietsma’s niece, Elena, and her 7-year-old nephew, Malcolm, making it a four-generation adventure.
“So, that left Delaware as my 50th and final state,” Rietsma said. “Delaware, of course, is small and not a pass-through state, so we agreed to take the trip in the summer of 2026, making Delaware our destination.”
They left June 12, spending two nights in Virginia and two more nights in Maryland, before crossing into Delaware the morning of June 16. Rietsma and his 85-year-old mother posed under the “Welcome to Delaware” sign along Route 113 near the town of Selbyville. A former student of Rietsma’s made a special sign for him to commemorate the milestone.
“It was somewhat emotional because mom has been such an integral part of this and it was the completion of something that meant as much to her as it did to me,” Rietsma, 59, said. “Of course, we both thought of Art and how we wish he had been there, too.”
Rietsma and his mother – who visited her 50th state (North Dakota) about 20 years ago –have been to 33 of the states together.
The bonus in Delaware came the next day, June 17, when the quartet met Gov. Matt Meyer, a Michigan native, in Dover thanks to arrangements Rietsma started making in January.
“There was really nothing to lose in attempting to try to arrange meeting with him,” Rietsma, a Jackson County native, said. “His staff was very accommodating. Gov. Meyer was beyond cordial and what an honor that he’d spend 15 minutes of his day meeting with us! He was incredibly friendly and Delaware will always hold a special place in my heart as a result.”
With all 50 states checked off his list, Rietsma said the journey will feel truly complete after he spends the night in New Jersey and another night in Connecticut, the only two states in which he has not spent the night.
He would also like to complete the route around Lake Superior, a trip he will propose to his mother for June 2027.
“My daughter is at or close to 40 states, so I would like to help her reach all 50, too,” Rietsma said. “She has been to Hawaii and Alaska, so 50 is a reasonable goal.”
Cities Rietsma said he would like to visit again: Walla Walla, Washington; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Bemidji, Minnesota; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.; Montpelier, Vermont.; and Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Most unforgettable drives: Route 20, which follows the north rim of the Cascade Mountains across Washington; the ominous “Back Road” to Hana on the island of Maui; Route 518 out of Taos, N.M., to Santa Fe; Route 1 to Key West, Florida.; Route 34 to Route 40 in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain range; and Route 100 in billboard-free Vermont.
“I’m sure there are dozens of other spectacular drives in the country, but of all the roads I have traveled, those stand out,” Rietsma said. “I will maintain, however, that the most scenic of all routes I’ve experienced is, far and away, Alaska Railroad from Denali to Anchorage. No question that was absolutely the most memorable, in part because there’s an open-air platform at the end of the train and that absolutely enhanced an already unforgettable experience.”
Rietsma is a freelance reporter for South County News.
