DOVER, Del. — Joel and Rita Houglum have been working toward a wide-ranging goal over the past four decades.

The Chandler snowbird couple wanted to visit every state capital city in the U.S. Their journey is now complete, after one last stop in Dover, Del., in late October.

Joel Houglum is originally from northern Minnesota, and Rita is a native of St. Paul — that state’s capital and where they both went to college. Later, the two attended graduate school in Madison, Wisc. — another capital.

From there, their love of travel continued, a hobby passed on to their kids and grandkids. By chance, the trips around the nation had them visiting more and more seats of government.

“We would go down to Florida and the Grand Canyon and a variety of places across the country, and well, you pass through a lot of states,” Joel explained. “So, we started to rack up the number of capitals, and after the kids got older and moved out, we still had capitals to go to. (That’s) when we started thinking about, ‘Well, wait, how many have we gone to?’”

He keeps track on a big list, marking when they visited and whether they took a photo while there. The past several years, the two have spent their summers in Illinois and their winters in Chandler, every time routing a drive to hit as many capitals as possible.

The noncontinental states, however, took some more planning. Juneau, Alaska, was seen on a cruise, while Honolulu was visited during a family trip.

On this latest excursion, while heading south, they hit the last two: Trenton, New Jersey, and Dover.

While completing their mission, the Houglums found that capitol buildings come in many shapes and sizes. Some are grand, others are small boxes, and some, like Dover’s Legislative Hall, have a colonial look, which they enjoyed immensely.

“Every single one has some unique feature. There are no two that are exactly alike in terms of how the structure is, and oftentimes, the grounds and gardens around it accentuate the look of the building and the whole environment,” Joel said, adding that the structures tend to incorporate large domes.

Further, they noticed that capitol buildings seem to be in a constant state of construction.

One standout for the couple was Columbia, S.C., with its grounds, architecture and woodwork.

The capitols’ surrounding areas are interesting to them, too. They read plaques and take in the scenery, something they were eager to do in Dover.

“I think part of it is — especially in a state like Delaware, where it is small — going to the capital and spending time just walking around here. We remember the state more,” Rita said. “And traveling to get here, the fall colors that were out. It was a pleasant drive.”

They also noted that a favorable expedition is not always a given, remembering a nerve-wracking downhill drive during a snowstorm.
Nevertheless, the Houglums feel accomplished for reaching their goal. But they are by no means done traveling.

They hope to visit some capitals again, see national parks and even go rafting in the Colorado River.

First, they offered some advice to fellow travelers.

“I’d say, set a goal,” Rita said, “(like) ‘I want to see two capitals a year for the next five years’ or something like that or whatever they feel comfortable with.

“It could be around some culinary places. ... Who knows what your interest is? But find that in another state and travel.”

Benjamin Rothstein can be reached at brothstein@iniusa.org.
Follow @brothsteinDSN on X.