50/63: A Decade of Inspiration & Aspirations

In my last post, Fifty Rotations Around the Big Ball of Fire, I expressed my desire to travel more in my fifties. Today, I’m going to share some more specifics of that goal.

I’ve actually set two goals. “Sixth decade bucket lists” is what I affectionately refer to them as. They’re pretty simple: 1) Visit all 50 States in the U.S., & 2) visit all of the U.S. National Parks. Completing one or both of these Aspirations by the end of 2035 is what I’m aiming for.

Fifty States

This is more than just checking a box on a list with fifty names. Driving through one without stops doesn’t count. Neither does an airport layover. New, unique experiences is what I’m aiming for.

I want to ride a mule down to Phantom Ranch at the Grand Canyon. I want to ride the Ferris Wheel at the Navy Pier in Chicago. I want to spend Halloween in Salem and Sleepy Hollow.

It would also be nice to revisit some of my favorite places with family and friends. A long weekend at Disneyland with my grown children. A shopping excursion in Seattle with my mom. A girls trip with my besties in Las Vegas.

And road trips! Just me, an RV, and Route 66.

National Parks

This one might be harder. Or easier.

The United States has 63 National Parks. That’s more parks than states, and doesn’t even include national monuments and historic sites. Add in that two of our Parks are in U.S. Territories (we have sixteen of those!) and it makes visiting them all…problematic.

But other than the two Parks in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the remaining 61 fit neatly into thirty of our fifty States. It wouldn’t be difficult to visit a handful of parks within a week’s time in some states.

Alternately, several of our parks are enormous. Yellowstone needs a week of its own. Big Bend and Rocky Mountain National Parks should be given four days minimum.

So the question remains: will I be able to complete one or both of these bucket lists within a single decade? It’s a lot of planning, and it won’t be cheap. But I’m going to give it a try anyway.

Stay tuned! Coming soon I’ll share ways I hope to get started, and how you all can help.