Union of Intersections

Matt and Emma had been looking forward to a trip this summer, but unfortunately it had to be canceled. Instead, they decided to go on a virtual trip.

Note: All distances are straight line distances, as the crow flies. In all cases "the largest city" means the most populous city.

Start in the city whose citizens can vote for presidents but not for senators.

1. Cross via a land border into a neighboring state; The capital and the largest city in this state are adjacent to rivers that exit into the same body of water; One end of a canal is located in this same state and exits into the northern part of this body of water; The other end of this canal exits into a river after crossing another state; Travel to the first state whose capital is upstream along this river. This state has 116 total seats in both houses of its state legislature.
2. From this state's southernmost point, go due west and travel to the 6th state in that direction, crossing through two bays on the way. This state has 136 counties.
3. The smallest border between this state and another state contains a point where one river flows into another; From this point, go upstream along the latter river until you reach the second instance of a tributary river sharing a name with a state flowing into this river; This tributary river is eventually connected by canal to a large city; From this city, go about 210 miles in a straight line to reach a city that shares the name of a Spanish city; This city is on the shore of a major body of water; This body of water shares its name with another city on its shore; Travel to the state this latter city is in. This state has 183 seats in the lower house of its state legislature.
4. A river begins in this state's 2nd largest city; Follow the river until it eventually reaches the sea; Travel to the first state due east of this estuary. This state has 39 electoral votes.
5. This state's most populous county was originally named after a person; Travel to the state this person was born in. This state’s total area is about 16 thousand square miles (rounded to the nearest thousand).
6. From this state's capital, go along a straight line past a city in the same state that shares its name with a large Egyptian city; About 80 miles past the latter city along this line is a city in another state that is named for a British city; The name of this city is contained in the name of a major city in a neighboring state; From the easternmost point of this neighboring state, go straight northeast until you reach a state; Travel to that state. This state ratified the Twenty-Seventh Amendment in 1980.
7. The largest city in this state is about 70 miles away from a pair of neighboring towns in another state, which are named after alternate names for the same Irish city; This new state's entire border with another is along a river; Travel to the last state this river passes through before reaching the sea. This state’s highest point is 2360 feet above sea level.
8. Travel to the coastal state with the smallest ocean coastline, which is 2 states away from this state. This state first voted for the GOP presidential candidate in 1832.
9. From the northernmost point of this state, go due west until reaching another state; The largest city in this state is about 100 miles away from a city named for a British city; Travel to the first state that is encountered due east of this latter city. This state’s largest island is the 1st most populous island in the US.
10. From the capitol building in this state's capital, go in a straight line for a certain distance to reach the capitol building in the capital of the largest neighboring state; Travel to the state which contains the point double that distance along the same line past the second capital. This state’s largest city is the 16th largest city in the US.
11. The largest city in this state is one end of an Amtrak route, and the other end is in another state; Travel to the state this other state shares the 2nd-longest border with. This state has 19 seats in the upper house of its state legislature.
12. This state's border with a neighboring state is a single straight line; A river flows through the capital of this neighboring state; The name of this river is contained in the name of the largest city of a coastal state; Travel to this coastal state. This state was admitted into the union in 1793.
13. Go to the state that borders all states this state borders; The river on the border between this state and two other states has its source in yet another state; Going due east from this river source, you will pass through 2 other states before reaching the ocean, both of which start with the same letter; Travel to the state the 2nd state was once a part of. This state has 19 members in the US House of Representatives.

Return to the city you started in. Using what you've learned along your journey, take a drive around it to figure out its hidden secret.