Bucket List

As with all bucket lists, many items are lofty goals, some are listed to gain better perspectives on life, others are physically or mentally challenging, or both. Some items should be easy to accomplish. Some items may never be achievable.

In no particular order…

Work a full eight-hour shift as a line worker at McDonald's
Drive a semi-truck more than 1,000 miles
Climb the Grand Teton
Spend at least two nights in a villa/Gasthaus in Hallstatt, Austria
Visit New York City (including the Statue of Liberty and a Broadway Musical)
Earn a master’s degree
Spend seven days living homeless
Be an extra in a big-budget Hollywood movie
Ride horseback more than 100 miles in a single journey (multiple days are okay)
Live and work full-time for at least a full year in a city/state east of the Mississippi River
Create a successful Internet startup company (I already have one in mind)
Visit Uluru in central Australia
Run for elected office
Work a full week as a firefighter
Sail a boat
Experience 48 hours in solitary confinement at a jail or prison (preferably no crime committed)
Raise or donate $100,000 to a charity, foundation, or deserving organization
Scuba dive a shipwreck in a reef location
Spend two weeks on a houseboat at Lake Powell (with PWCs and a ski boat)
Live and work full-time for a full year in a country other than the US/Canada
Drive from San Diego to Houlton, Maine (or reverse)
Drive from Seattle to Key West (or reverse)
Drive from Seattle to Anchorage (or reverse)
Construct an entire house or cabin from bare land to the last shingle with minimal professional help—it doesn't have to be big
Spend a minimum of six months volunteering in an impoverished country
Learn how to weld
Spend at least one night or drive at least 100 miles in each of the 50 states—Completed:
1. Alabama
2. Arizona
3. California
4. Colorado
5. Florida
6. Hawaii
7. Idaho
8. Illinois
9. Kansas
10. Louisiana
11. Mississippi
12. Missouri
13. Nebraska
14. Nevada
15. New Mexico
16. North Carolina
17. Oregon
18. Tennessee
19. Texas
20. Utah
21. Virginia
22. Washington
23. Wisconsin
24. Wyoming
Take a seven-day Caribbean or another tropical cruise
Snowmobile Yellowstone
Work a full week in an underground mine
Hike to Havasupai Falls in Grand Canyon
Achieve under 16% body fat percentage with proper diet and exercise
Compete in a nationally televised game show
Work a full week on stage crew of a major Las Vegas or Broadway show
Be a volunteer at an Olympic Games
Be a cameraman for an actual news broadcast for a TV station
Spend at least one night in countries other than the United States—Completed:
1. Australia 1994
2. Austria 1987, 2013, 2022
3. Czechia 2022
4. Germany 1987, 2013, 2022
5. Hungary 2022
6. Italy 1987
Go on a Mediterranean cruise
Visit the UK—England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Save a life
Be a guest on a major national evening talk show Tonight Show or Late Night
Stay awake for 48 consecutive hours
Go spelunking
Eat a meal at a major tech company’s corporate HQ café (Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.)
Ski a full day at all (~14) of Utah’s ski resorts within the same month
Learn to speak and write a second language fluently
Have $50,000 in a savings account
Travel at least half of Historic Route 66
Thru-hike one or more of the following
1. Appalachian Trail (AT)
2. Continental Divide Trail (CDT)
3. Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)

Done!

Some of these items were on my bucket list, others were just unusual things I've done or items I've done that I saw on other bucket lists.

Hike in all five of Utah's National Parks in 24 hours—September 2016 with two friends on an epic road trip!
Visit a ghost town—lived in southern Utah and there are tons of them
Camp in Yellowstone National Park—in major campgrounds and in the backcountry
Hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park—did this several times while living in St. George, Utah
Hike the Subway in Zion National Park—while living in St. George, Utah. One of the most amazing hikes I’ve been on
Watch a geyser erupt—Old Faithful and others, many times in my life
Hike a 50-miler—in August 2015; seven waterfalls and eight river fords
Visit Las Vegas—lived there for four months
Go to Australia—lived there for two years
Go on a cruise—three days to Ensenada Mexico; though I'd love to do more
Ride a Segway—I’ve done this twice. I live about a mile from a Segway dealer
Visit the Twelve Apostles near Melbourne, Australia—1995
Obtain my concealed carry permit
Visit a castle—multiple in Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Hungary (1987, 2013, 2022)
Experience a white Christmas—almost every year; except when I lived in Australia (it was summer)
Bike down a mountain—Mt. Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii, November 2001; an amazing 26-mile ride down a volcano with almost no need to pedal. See next entry.
Witness a major meteor shower—the Leonids at their peak in November 2001 while ascending Mt. Haleakala, Maui, Hawaii. In 1999, 2001, and 2002, the Leonids produced meteors up to 3,000 per hour. It was amazing to watch that many falling. See previous entry.
Donate blood—several times in my life
Go to the rodeo—growing up in a “western” state, I’ve seen several of them
Go whitewater rafting—Snake River near Jackson Hole several times, and the Green River near Vernal, Utah once
Learn to swim—since I was three
Go rock climbing/rappelling—several times in my life. The highest was Phantom Falls at the base of Survey Peak (Grand Teton N.P.); a 300 ft. rappel
Learn to drive a stick shift—I was taught how to drive with a stick shift
Participate in a triathlon—2009 Echo (TriUtah) Triathlon
Watch someone give birth—my wife, to my three beautiful daughters
Jump into a pool fully clothed—several times
Go skinny dipping—several times ;)
Go to a shooting range—several times
Start a fire without matches—many times, several different ways
Buy a brand new car—2002 Saturn L200, October 2001 with 27 miles. Sold it after driving it 206,000 miles
Watch Phantom of the Opera—April 2010, Las Vegas (Row E)
Visit Washington D.C.—a full week in July 2019 with my oldest daughter.
Visit a WWII concentration camp such as Dachau—June 2022.