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…

  1. Work a full eight-hour shift as a line worker at McDonald's
  2. Drive a semi-truck more than 1,000 miles
  3. Climb the Grand Teton
  4. Spend at least two nights in a villa/Gasthaus in Hallstatt, Austria
  5. Visit New York City (including the Statue of Liberty and a Broadway Musical)
  6. Earn a master’s degree
  7. Spend seven days living homeless
  8. Be an extra in a big-budget Hollywood movie
  9. Ride horseback more than 100 miles in a single journey (multiple days are okay)
  10. Live and work full-time for at least a full year in a city/state east of the Mississippi River
  11. Create a successful Internet startup company (I already have one in mind)
  12. Visit Uluru in central Australia
  13. Run for elected office
  14. Work a full week as a firefighter
  15. Sail a boat
  16. Experience 48 hours in solitary confinement at a jail or prison (preferably no crime committed)
  17. Raise or donate $100,000 to a charity, foundation, or deserving organization
  18. Scuba dive a shipwreck in a reef location
  19. Spend two weeks on a houseboat at Lake Powell (with PWCs and a ski boat)
  20. Live and work full-time for a full year in a country other than the US/Canada
  21. Drive from San Diego to Houlton, Maine (or reverse)
  22. Drive from Seattle to Key West (or reverse)
  23. Drive from Seattle to Anchorage (or reverse)
  24. Construct an entire house or cabin from bare land to the last shingle with minimal professional help—it doesn't have to be big
  25. Spend a minimum of six months volunteering in an impoverished country
  26. Learn how to weld
  27. 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
  28. Take a seven-day Caribbean or another tropical cruise
  29. Snowmobile Yellowstone
  30. Work a full week in an underground mine
  31. Hike to Havasupai Falls in Grand Canyon
  32. Achieve under 16% body fat percentage with proper diet and exercise
  33. Compete in a nationally televised game show
  34. Work a full week on stage crew of a major Las Vegas or Broadway show
  35. Be a volunteer at an Olympic Games
  36. Be a cameraman for an actual news broadcast for a TV station
  37. 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
  38. Go on a Mediterranean cruise
  39. Visit the UK—England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales
  40. Save a life
  41. Be a guest on a major national evening talk show Tonight Show or Late Night
  42. Stay awake for 48 consecutive hours
  43. Go spelunking
  44. Eat a meal at a major tech company’s corporate HQ café (Adobe, Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, etc.)
  45. Ski a full day at all (~14) of Utah’s ski resorts within the same month
  46. Learn to speak and write a second language fluently
  47. Have $50,000 in a savings account
  48. Travel at least half of Historic Route 66
  49. 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.

  1. Hike in all five of Utah's National Parks in 24 hours—September 2016 with two friends on an epic road trip!
  2. Visit a ghost town—lived in southern Utah and there are tons of them
  3. Camp in Yellowstone National Park—in major campgrounds and in the backcountry
  4. Hike Angels Landing in Zion National Park—did this several times while living in St. George, Utah
  5. Hike the Subway in Zion National Park—while living in St. George, Utah. One of the most amazing hikes I’ve been on
  6. Watch a geyser erupt—Old Faithful and others, many times in my life
  7. Hike a 50-miler—in August 2015; seven waterfalls and eight river fords
  8. Visit Las Vegas—lived there for four months
  9. Go to Australia—lived there for two years
  10. Go on a cruise—three days to Ensenada Mexico; though I'd love to do more
  11. Ride a Segway—I’ve done this twice. I live about a mile from a Segway dealer
  12. Visit the Twelve Apostles near Melbourne, Australia—1995
  13. Obtain my concealed carry permit
  14. Visit a castle—multiple in Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Hungary (1987, 2013, 2022)
  15. Experience a white Christmas—almost every year; except when I lived in Australia (it was summer)
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Donate blood—several times in my life
  19. Go to the rodeo—growing up in a “western” state, I’ve seen several of them
  20. Go whitewater rafting—Snake River near Jackson Hole several times, and the Green River near Vernal, Utah once
  21. Learn to swim—since I was three
  22. 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
  23. Learn to drive a stick shift—I was taught how to drive with a stick shift
  24. Participate in a triathlon—2009 Echo (TriUtah) Triathlon
  25. Watch someone give birth—my wife, to my three beautiful daughters
  26. Jump into a pool fully clothed—several times
  27. Go skinny dipping—several times ;)
  28. Go to a shooting range—several times
  29. Start a fire without matches—many times, several different ways
  30. Buy a brand new car—2002 Saturn L200, October 2001 with 27 miles. Sold it after driving it 206,000 miles
  31. Watch Phantom of the Opera—April 2010, Las Vegas (Row E)
  32. Visit Washington D.C.—a full week in July 2019 with my oldest daughter.
  33. Visit a WWII concentration camp such as Dachau—June 2022.