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The Bucket List

Before I turned 18, I sat down and wrote out a list of everything I wanted to do in life, my “bucket list.” I wanted to make sure that I’m always moving forward, that I don’t become complacent and static. To ensure this, I challenged myself to knock off at least 2 items from the list every year. So far I’ve kept to that challenge, but even as I cross items off, the list has grown exponentially. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to finish this list, but I sure as hell am going to try.

 

Travel within the USA

  • Visit and Camp in all Fifty of the United States, Puerto Rico & the US Virgin Islands
  • Visit all 63 National Parks
    • Acadia National Park
    • Arches National Park
    • Big Bend National Park
    • Biscayne National Park
    • Bryce Canyon National Park
    • Canyonlands National Park
    • Capital Reef National Park
    • Carlsbad Caverns National Park
    • Congaree National Park
    • Crater Lake National Park
    • Everglades National Park
    • Gateway Arch National Park
    • Glacier National Park
    • Grand Canyon National Park
    • Grand Teton National Park
    • Great Sand Dunes National Park
    • Great Smoky Mountains National Park
    • Guadalupe Mountains National Park
    • Hot Springs National Park
    • Katmai National Park
    • Kenai Fjords National Park
    • Mammoth Cave National Park
    • Mesa Verde National Park
    • Mount Rainier National Park
    • Olympic National Park
    • Redwoods National Park
    • Rocky Mountain National Park
    • Saguaro National Park
    • White Sands National Park
    • Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
    • Yellowstone National Park
    • Zion National Park
  • Alaska
    • See Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet
    • Snowmobile on a frozen lake
    • Work with a sled dog team
    • Drive the Al-Can Highway
    • Explore Prince William Sound
    • Kayak on the Yukon River
    • Catch a salmon
    • Watch the brown bears fish at Brooks Falls
    • Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
    • Witness the Northern Lights
  • Arizona
    • See the Grand Canyon
    • Hike through Antelope Canyon
    • Anasazi Cliff Dwellings in Arizona
    • Walk amongst the Saguaros
    • Make fun of the energy vortexes in Sedona
    • Visit the town of Bisbee
  • Florida
    • Bike the Pinellas Trail round-trip from Downtown St. Petersburg, FL to Tarpon Springs, FL (90 miles)
    • Bike the Withlacoochee Trail (46 miles)
    • Visit the Coral Castle
    • St. Augustine
    • Hike the Citrus Trail
    • Visit Lake Okeechobee
    • Florida Caverns
    • Pilot an Air Boat in the Everglades
    • Bok Tower
    • Stuart, Fl
    • Visit Anclote Key State Park
    • See the mermaids at Weeki Wachi Springs
    • Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Key Largo
    • Watch the air show at Sun n’ Fun
    • See the air show at Macdill AFB
    • Swim in the Venetian Pool, Coral Gables
    • Amelia Island
    • Visit the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks
    • Seacrest Wolf Preserve
    • Wekiva Island
    • Attend a sugar cane boil
    • Sunken Gardens, St. Pete
    • Tour TECO’s Big Bend Power Station
    • See the murals in Lake Placid
    • Visit Soloman’s Castle, Ona
    • Stargaze in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
    • Blowing Rocks Preserve
    • Fantasy of Flight Museum
    • Canoe/Camp in the 10,000 Islands
    • Disney World
    • Visit the Ringling Museum
    • Visit the Dali Museum
    • Key West
    • Fort Jefferson – Dry Tortugas
    • Visit the Spanish Monastery, Miami Beach
    • Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
    • Visit Kennedy Space Center
  • Georgia
    • Explore Savannah, Georgia
    • Get to Know Atlanta
    • Hiawassee, Georgia
    • Camp: Red Top Mountain / Lake Lanier / Stone Mountain
    • Hike to tallest point in Georgia: Brasstown Bald
    • Providence Canyon State Park
  • California
    • Glass Beach, California
    • Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
    • Walk among the California Redwoods
    • Racetrack Playa in Death Valley, California
    • Drive across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco
  • Colorado
    • Wander around Boulder
    • Explore Denver on foot
    • Sleep in a tent in the middle of Denver
    • Garden of the Gods
    • Pike’s Peak
    • Black Canyon of the Gunnison
  • Idaho
    • Hike in the Salmon-Challis National Forest
    • Coeur d’Alene
    • Hike to Goldbug Hot Springs
  • Kentucky
    • Hike the Red River Gorge
    • Experience the Kentucky Derby
    • Drive the Bourbon Trail
      • Maker’s Mark Distillery
  • Montana
    • Hike: Beaten Path – Beartooth / Absaroka Wilderness
    • Rodeos and Street Dances
    • Red Ants Pants Music Festival
    • Darby Logger Days
    • Lewis & Clark Caverns
    • Upper Missouri River Breaks
    • Sail on Canyon Ferry Reservoir
    • Gates of the Wilderness
  • Nevada
    • Stay in a hotel on the Las Vegas strip
    • Gamble in Vegas
    • See the Hoover Dam
  • New Mexico
    • Hike in the Gila Wilderness
    • Traverse the lava fields of El Malpais
  • New York
    • Visit Ellis Island and climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty
    • See Central Park covered in snow
    • Ice Skate at the Rockefeller Center
    • See a play on Broadway
    • Walk the High Line
    • Hike in the Adirondacks
  • North Carolina
    • Wander around Asheville
    • Nag’s Head
  • Oregon
    • See Astoria
    • Explore Portland
    • Drive the Columbia River
  • South Dakota
    • See Mount Rushmore
    • Crazy Horse Memorial
  • Tennessee
    • Tourist Hell in Gatlinburg
    • See how it’s made at the Jack Daniels Distillery
    • Explore Nashville
  •  Texas
    • Palo Duro Canyon State Park
    • Explore San Antonio
    • Swim in the Rio Grande
  •  Utah
    • Zion National Park, Utah
    • See the sunset at Dead Horse Point State Park
    • Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah
  • Washington
    • Explore Seattle
    • Pick an apple from an orchard in Wenatchee
  • Washington D.C.
    • Tour the White House
    • Visit the Smithsonian Museums
    • See the Cherry Blossoms
    • Tour the Capitol Building
  • Wyoming
    • Visit Devil’s Tower
    • Explore Jackson Hole
    • Hike in the Wind River Range
    • Visit Quebec-01 Missile Alert Facility
  • Canoe/Kayak the Boundary Waters
  • Travel by Train in the United States
  • Bio-luminescent Bay, Puerto Rico
  • Drive on Route 66
  • Visit Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

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