
Pokemon Box State Clue
I think the first paragraph hints at drawing a circle centered on the middle em dash. Middle is the middle word in the paragraph and there are lots of circle references. "brimmed to the rim" "circular route" etc
When you draw a circle that is 5 1/2 lines tall (matching the 5 1/2 years old) it intersects 2 x's in the paragraph.
Using a map overlay with the Xs on Houston and New Orleans, the center of that circle is Arkansas.
Then the 16 capital letters may hint at drawing two lines that intersect in Missouri.
full explanation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccShZYF1o48