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Chuck Ballinger, a scuba diver from Marin County, Calif., was so inspired reading about Thorner's exploits that he called to say he was heading out to make a dive in every state. He finished his mission Oct. 8, 2000, in Alaska. He now has a Web site: http://www.dive50states.com
Caroline and Gene Myers of Laughlin, Nev., have a different goal. For more than 15 years they have been seeking out the smallest, most out-of-the-way post offices they can find.
"We then get the cancellation, and I take a picture of my sweetheart standing in front so we can prove we've been there," Caroline says.
The smallest so far: Odell Lake, Ore. "It's a 4-by-4 blue box hanging on the wall of a campground, and when you open it up, it says official United States Post Office," Gene says.
The most interesting: Sand Creek, Texas. "We drove for miles and miles of nothing but miles, absolutely nothing, when, at last, appeared one lonely small building. The post office."
Chris Guenzler, a teaching assistant in Santa Ana, Calif., visited all 50 states but made it a little bit harder. He traveled through them all, many of them twice, by train.
Do border crossings count?
It isn't as easy as it seems. He had to go to Canada to take a train from Halifax to Montreal in order to remove Maine from his list. And he admits he was in New Hampshire for only 20 miles before the train crossed back over into Vermont. But it still counts.
To those whose rules include having to sleep or eat or whatever in a state, Burke has this retort:
"On July 20, 1969, two guys visited the moon. They walked out of their vehicle, walked around a bit, took a few photos and then left. . . . (Some) would say they were "cheaters." That they really haven't been to the moon because they didn't spend enough time there or do anything significant."
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