Bucket lists

[JP1]

OK I want you bucket lists but I also want to know what you've done and what you
Intend doing, let's leave out losing weight cause that's pretty obvious and this is fun right? Gimme some great ideas because I'm going to give you loads and I want pictures if possible, loads of pictures and links to obscure things you wanna do..

I am going to have great fun in this thread..

[JP1]

Wish lists allowed too, something you wished you could do if humanly possible but for whatever reason you couldn't.. Eg I always wanted to climb Mt Everest but alas that ain't ever gonna happen.. So I downgraded to getting fit and trekking EBC base camp researched that and guess what super fit people can't manage it so downgraded yet again to flying near or over it on plane or helicopter with a few beers and champagne because that's the sort of geezer I am
It will happen..

[JP1]

Last September I ticked off another BL item when I visited the Gallipoli peninsular for the first time.. I have always had a keen interest in Gallipoli since my stint in the Oz Army in the 80's and being the only Brit l got crap for us Brits having dropped the Aussies in it mainly on the back of the recently released movie.. We'll wait just a minute, I then had to know more than any other bod about the subjects just so they got their facts right..

Years later I am an amateur historian of sorts of the subject with hundreds of books and when I decided to go I researched even harder to make sure I went all over the peninsular and not just Anzac Cove which is only a very small (but significant) theatre of the invasion..

Anyway I got loads of pics out there but my biggest regret was not traipsing over this beauty.. The Razor Back from end of Plugge's Plateau to Russell's Top, I assumed it couldn't be done but it can and although I got to the start of the trek, I just wasn't logistically able to do it so I am going back, probably next year after the 100th celebration which I just couldn't stomach on so many levels, when no one is about and I'm gonna knock it over..

Feel free to PM me if you have access to Twitter and I will give you my dedicated account on this with loads more on Gallipoli and links to my other stuff and interests on the net including loads of pictures if you are interested..

[ganymede]

Wow, what a climb JP! And the fact you had such a keen interest in the place must have made it so much more special for you and far more of an achievement

Mount Everest would be insane! I would never, ever do it after seeing a collection of photos of people who simply gave up and perished. They just leave them there because no one wants to risk their lives to collect the bodies From a helicopter with champagne sounds nicer and safer!

My bucket list:

Well, when my ex and I planned our trip to Utah, we have one walk in mind that we were looking forward to so much. It's known as The Virgin Narrows in Zion NP, Utah. A 16km trek, 8km up a river and 8km back. Depending on the water levels, there are parts where you have to swim though thankfully the highest the water got for me was just above my belly button. It was an insanely awesome trek, you spend the entire time wet and with your feet submerged. The walk has been described as "walking on bowling balls" and I felt such an achievement in completing it, especially since I was 10kg heavier than I am now and was recovering from pneumonia earlier in the week. Have attached as pic, not the greatest but you get the idea.

So from here, what do I want to achieve?

- Travel to New Zealand, Iceland, Tasmania (again), Egypt, see the rest of Australia etc
- If all goes to plan, I'd love to live and work in Tasmania (I fell in love with the place when I visited a few years back)
- Walk the Coomera Circuit again at Binna Burra 22km and a ton of waterfalls
- Finish my novel and try to get it published

And that's all I can think of for the moment!

[JP1]

Wow what a stunning place, I drove through Utah from Denver to Vegas in 2006.. Stopped in this quaint little town in middle of nowhere called Moab and always said I'd like to go back and explore the canyons etc it was surreal landscape in Thelma and Louise territory..

As for Gallipoli I could spend forever chatting about it but it's all detailed in my Twitter account even if you are not registered you can still access it I believe, let me know if you want to check it out.. Gallipoli is a magical place, hairs on the back of your neck stand up when you stand on The Nek thinking back to Aug 8th 1915, it's a beautiful place to spend an eternity but not as a very young man.. Pure tragedy on many levels..

Done NZ or some of it in Queenstown obviously and helicoptered over the mountains, lander on a glacier, have pics of this too, love the place..

Egypt is on my BS and fancy Iceland as the Northern Lights are on mine.. Went to Lapland over last New Years for 3 days and it was too blizzards, was absolutely gutted..

Never heard of Coomera Circuit so might have to look that up but been to Tasmania a couple of times and loved it there too..

[ganymede]

We stayed at Moab! Exploring the canyons is definitely worthwhile, Arches and Canyonlands NP are something else... just be careful though, when we were there and did the walk to Delicate Arch (it's insanely popular for sunset, like 100's of people were there!) a guy slipped over the side and fell 80ft Was really sad and more than a little terrifying. Beautiful places but you have to be careful as well.

Being an astronomy buff, the Northern Lights is a must see. Plus I really want to visit Jökulsárlón, glacier lake with black sand! It looks unbelievable.

I'd like to journey to the US again too, maybe do Yosemite and the surrounding parks and hopefully shoot over to San Francisco as my Mum lived there for 4 years, would be interesting to see and take photos in places she remembers to see how much they've changed

As for NZ, south island for sure and Milford Sound is at the top of my list. Everywhere I go, I head straight for nature and away from the cities It's great though because I literally do my research through photography taken in certain places and it sure does take you to some unlikely, out of the way spots

I really want to travel to England as well and do the Lakes districts and all the incredible scenery around Ireland as well. I just want to go everywhere!

Would be interested in taking a look at your Twitter, JP. I'm not a history buff and I've always found I just can't seem to take in history but I definitely do appreciate it and appreciate the importance of such a place.

[JP1]

OK mine, done first..

Fly on Concorde, sail on QE2, parachute, Bungay jump, either hang glide or para glide (did the latter), go atop Eiffel Tower, get into the arm of Statute of Liberty and damn I tried but only got into the crown scuba dive, visit Cape Kennedy, find Stephen Kings gothic mansion in Bangor Maine See the Collessium, run the bulls in Pamplona, drink myself stupid at Beerfest, various Arsenal related including see them win CK final (was 13 minutes from doing it) I have no doubt missed many out already and I will add to them when I think of them but these are most of the main ones.. Also Istanbul and Gallipoli obviously, Alcatraz, San Fran and The Redwoods, great Ocean Rd drive of both Vic and Calif, Florida Keys.. Be loads more and minor ones..

[JP1]

Those are ones I have completed if that wasn't clear, these are the main ones I have left..

Egypt,
Sth America incl Rio all sites, Iguazu Falls, Naztec Lines, Machu Pichu - I've got the full 3 week itinary somewhere..
Cape Town and Rourkes Drift (Zulu)
Stalingrad
Northern Lights
China done Shanghai but want to go to Xia see Terracotta Army and Beijeing, Hanging Monastery and Great Wall

Been most places else incl Tokyo, Moscow, HKong etc

Tibet, fly over Everest..

Ballooning, fly in a giro copter lol

[JP1]

Now my crazies and you've already figured I'm a nutter right.. Well you ain't seen nothing yet..

A marathon, yeah I know I reckon this ones dead too

But try these for size..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVFsiJBSQps

Gets worse

www.youtube.com/watch?v=765cqXMBHcY

And if that not bad enough..

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmDhRvvs5Xw

Bound to be a few more I will detail in time but I have researched all of them and they are gonna be mine

[JP1]

I did Milford Sound etc.. Iceland sounds right up my alley and yeah those Canyons are really my thing, forgot to say I have flown over Grand Canyon in plane and helicopter twice but I want to go down the canyon forgot to say had already done white water rafting in Bali..

Re astronomy I have got a basic knowledge but I'm really into Space, NASA, the Cosmos and all the scientific stuff.. Yeah I'm a history buff and I know loads about all sorts of battles etc, love Ancient Rome etc..

San Fran is great and I'll give you some big tips if you go and as for England and Ireland just about done it all, Wales and Scotland too, been hunting Nessie - hey even went to Rachel Nevada and the Extraterrestrial Highway around area51

[JP1]

PM'd you my Twitter account btw Shelley if anyone else wants it no problem just ask and I will PM it.. It links to a second personal account that outs me not that that is a problem but not going to advertise it by a link from here..

[ganymede]

NOPE. NO. HELL NO. Big fat NOPE factory.

I couldn't watch all of it because my internet is horrible right now but watching that reminds me of Angel's Landing in Zion NP. It looks CRAZY! I've always said I'd love to do it because the views look incredible but it looks utterly terrifying. And I'm uncoordinated at the best of times

I suppose I should have listed everything I HAVE done first followed by what I want to do so let's rehash because I'm a bit crazy although in a different way to you, JP

What I have done:

- Raratonga, Cook Islands
- Coastal towns - Sydney to Eden (edge of the border) in a camper van
- Great Ocean Road, Vic + Otways NP in a camper van
- Tasmania (all over) in a camper van (except when it snowed at Cradle Mountain, I wanted an electric blanket )
- Utah, Nevada and Arizona (Antelope canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Las Vegas, Zion NP, Moab, Lehi - aspen forests + early snow in the mountains)
- Springbrook NP, Binna Burra, Green Mountains
- every single coastal location with rock formations as far as Noosa Headlands and down as far as Yamba

What I want to do:

- New Zealand, South Island (very possibly next year with my parents) in a camper van
- Egypt (I'm a huge Egyptian mythology buff)
- Iceland (Jökulsárlón, Northern Lights, ALL THE SCENERY)
- Aitataki, Cook Islands (my honeymoon when I met that rich, sexy man of mine? )
- California and Wyoming (Yosemite NP, Grand Teton NP, San Francisco etc)
- Canada (Banff NP etc)
- Death Valley, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon and maybe revisit a few places again)
- England (Lakes District NP)
- Ireland
- Tasmania again (hopefully to live!)
- Antarctica

All of these places are mainly for photography, it's a huge passion of mine, I love landscape photography, especially coastal and waterfalls or basically anything where I get my feet wet!

If you're interested in checking out my stuff, let me know

I really wanted to see the Grand Canyon but I chose Horseshoe Bend instead . I didn't get the photos I wanted though because I had pneumonia and we'd already driven 7 hours that day and I was dosed up on medication Next time...

I love anything to do with space, the cosmos and NASA as you say. Love science and have a huge intellectual crush on Neil de Grasse Tyson I do find Ancient Rome very interesting as well, I've just never really been able to get into it, my brain just refuses to accept the information. And yet ask me what our closest star system is or any other random astronomy fact and I'd probably know it or start rambling about something to do with it

P.S I know who you are now but I promise not to stalk you....................

[JP1]

Haha! No probs.. I'm pretty cool a outing outing myself but you seem to forget I know who you are now too

I don't know if I could name closest star system, Alpha Centauri isn't it though I did read that it will or has changed recently? Is that possible or am I just bluffing here?

Yeah I'm pretty big into a Cosmos and all that stuff.. Got history/geographic channels on 24/7 when I'm not obsessing about Arsenal FC as you probably noticed haha..

Yeah I like all the. Egyptian stuff too, basically my head is full of everything and nothing

Been to Lake Louise and Banff too btw

[JP1]

Had to Google who Neil de Grasse Tyson was but yeah he is great, no good with names lol

Oh and been to Niagara Falls too..

[ganymede]

Ah, that is true. So the stalking can go both ways...

Banff looks incredible, argh I'm so jealous! I feel weird now about travelling by myself because I've never had to before.

Yep, closest star system is Alpha Centaura, Beta Centauri and Proxima Centauri (which is the closest star)

Cosmos is incredible, I'm excited about seeing the remake but Carl Sagan will always have a special place in my heart

I had not noticed your obsession with Arsenal, not. at. all.

I have too many hobbies and it really confuses my brain sometimes!