What's on my bucket List

The prompt for my modern story this week was make a bucket list. Back in 2014 I had made one on my blog. My bucket list is mainly a travel bucket list.

Ride the Hiawatha Trail (Complete)
Hawaii (Maui) - We had wanted to do this for our 25th anniversary this year. Not going to happen
Glacier National Park
Crater Lake
See the Northern Lights in Iceland

Drive the ET Highway and do the geocaches along the way. (Complete)

There are a few more that I crossed off my bucket list that weren't on that list

Tulips in Mount Vernon, WA (complete)
Oyster Dome (complete)

Def Lepard in Vegas (complete)
Whale Watch Cruise (complete)

Of course there are a few I would like to add.

Scotland
Walk the Camino Del Santiago in Spain
Mt Rainier - I have been here but would there is still a lot I would like to see
Mount Saint Helens
Olympic Park

Of course the prompt led me to other bucket lists I have. I have some genealogy bucket list items as well. I think that is a post for another day.

Crossing Tulips Off the Bucket List

It has only taken 14 years or so to go so the tulip fields in Skagit Valley.  This particular jaunt has been on my list for a while. We visited Roozengaarde fields near Mount Vernon, Washington. We went on a Sunday morning and the fields were beautiful.

There were lots and lots of people.  My husband and I are not crowd people so it was a bit too many people for us.  We were glad we were there before lunch however because as we left the crowd was significantly bigger.

They actually grow more daffodils then tulips.  The daffodils were just finished blooming.

Washington State Bucket List

I found this blog draft and I decided to post.

I have lived in Washington State for 14 years and there is quite a few things I would like to see/do that I haven't. I thought I would make a bucket list and work on seeing or doing those things. I managed to complete quite a few of these bucket list items in 2017.

Bellingham

Crab Cruise

     Crab Cruise (completed 2017)
     Sucia Cruise
     Oyster Dome Hike
     Rock Trail Hike

Deception Pass
      Jet Boat Tour
      Camping

Ebey's Landing

Diablo Lake Tour

Port Townsend Glass Beach

Olympic National Park (all of it)

Mt Rainier - We have driven Pappy through Rainier a couple times.  These are the hikes or things I would like to see - Grove of the Patriarchs and Trail of Shadows

Mt Saint Helens - Ape Caves and Lava Canyon

Seattle

Chihuly Glass Museum

    Chihuly Glass Museum at the Seattle Center - (completed Dec 2017}
    Gum Wall
    Smith Tower
    Kerry Park
    Gas Works Park

San Juan Islands
    Orcas Island - Moran State Park

Mina Mounds - (I know I am weird)

Tulip Festival Mt Vernon- attempted to do this many years ago but the traffic was backed up to I-5

Palouse Falls

Seahawks Game

Seahawks Game  (completed 2017)

Camping ( see Mrs Epi, I added this) in the great PNW

Route of the Hiawatha

I finally got a chance to check this off my travel bucket list.  We rode bikes on the Route of Hiawatha.

 

The Boys

The Route of the Hiawatha is a rail trail on the Idaho/Montana border.  The trail travels over 7 trestles and through 9 tunnels.

trestle we rode over

The longest tunnel is the first tunnel, Taft Tunnel, is 1.7 miles. The length of the trail we traveled was 15 miles.

The boys after the Taft Tunnel

Me after riding through Taft Tunnel
This is a wet tunnel

Waterfall outside Taft Tunnel

The Route of the Hiawatha is a 2% grade and downhill. A shuttle is available down at the bottom and will take you back to the top tunnel to ride back to your car. We did see people start at the bottom and ride both ways.

view of top of one of the trestles

We rented our bikes at Lookout Pass exit 0.  The staff was awesome there.  If you rent a bike it comes with a light and helmet.  They also provide bike racks.  We brought our own bike rack. You drive to exit 5 and drive to trail head.

We had some opportunities to see some really well fed chipmunks on the trail.  We also saw 2 deer crossing the trail.

This was a fabulous adventure and we saw all kinds of people using the trail.  This was a great family experience.

Just some Linkage

This High Valley song has been stuck in my brain for a while.

Problem Solving Skills for Hostile Teens on the Autism Spectrum  - may be a wee bit simplistic but good information

In the Bushes - Teacher Tom and Parenting Teenagers

24 Reason's to Make Your Bed - Oh Mom, you have been validated.  All kidding aside 99% of the time I make my bed.  See Mom all that nagging paid off.  The rest of the house may look terrible but the bed is made.

15 Chapter Book Series That Should be More Popular - Has your kid run out of quality reading  material - check out these picks (3rd  grade and up).

NW Bucket List - The must check out list for the Pacific Northwest( Washington, Oregon, and Idaho)

ET Highway Day 1- Travel Bucket List

Well, this year already I managed to take something off my travel bucket list. I wrote more about my travel bucket list here.


The Start of the ET Highway

My husband planned a trip to the ET Highway in Nevada with the purpose of geocaching along it.  We went without our kids.  This is the first time we have ever left our kids for more than one day.  We had an amazing time.  I have to give a great big shout out to Nonna and Pappy who took care of the two man wrecking crew.

The ET highway has over 2000 geocaches along it.  The highway according to hard core geocachers is considered a power trail. Specific Details about the ET Highway Geocaches.We only found a small number in comparison to what is actually out there.  We spent about a day and half caching the actual highway itself. We flew into Vegas and my husband proceed to rent an impractical but fun car - A CAMARO. 

We hit the road and found a few caches prior to the highway.  In retrospect we probably should of just started at the highway since we got such a late start. 

Alien0071

The caches are pretty much drive ups and in rock piles every 10th of a mile.  There was lots of starting and stopping. We were so glad we invested in a stamp to stamp the log book.  The first day we found about 92 caches. That was a new caching record for us. The landscape is so beautiful and so different from Western Washington.  I couldn't help but stare out at the landscape.

Landscape
Piece of Weathered Wood is a survey marker

We ended our day in Rachel Nevada at the Little  AleInn.  What a totally unique place. 

 

 

 We had no idea we were going to spend our night in a trailer but it was all good.  The food at the restaurant was exceptional and the people were friendly. We even had Alien Pie for dessert. Alien Pie I believe is Coconut, Pecan, and Raisin.  IT was seriously delish.  I also hard their alien casserole is great too.

31 Days of Adventure- Bucket List

I am joining the Nester's 31 Days of Writing.  Check out my entire series - "31 Days of Adventure."

I have a little bit of a bucket list of places I would like to visit. I even have a pinterest board for my travel bucket list

There is currently a contest called the Epic Bucket List sponsored in part by the Buried Life that sounded interesting.



My Current TRAVEL/ADVENTURE Bucket List

Ride The Hiawatha Trail - This is has been at the top of my list for a while. It is a bike adventure.

Hawaii (Maui)

Glacier National Park

Crater Lake - Another 31dayer, Ridgetop Rammblings 2 did a post on Crater Lake as part of their 31 day series.

See the Northern Lights in Iceland

ET Highway and do all the geocaches along the way. You know all 2,000 plus of them

I decided to do a poll of family and friends to see what is at the top location on their adventure bucket list

My best friend aka Mrs Epi - Alaska was at the top of her bucket list. She would specifically like to stay in a cabin and fish in a river for a couple of weeks to experience the real Alaska
.
My sister aka The Polyester Princess said the top of her list was Paris and Italy

My 16 year old son said Disneyland

My Husband said Australia

Do you have an adventure bucket list? What is at the top of your list?