by Lisa
After a bit of van travel after the Camino, we’ve settled here in Northwest Washington for the fall and winter. So far, September has been beautiful up here. Over the last two winters, I’ve talked a lot to anyone who will listen about how difficult the winters are in Washington for someone from Southern California. But we haven’t been here in September and it’s been absolutely wonderful. The days have been mostly sunny, the leaves are changing color, and each day ends with cooler temperatures. I love how we end the day by taking Teddy on a walk along the trail near our apartment with all of the newly fallen leaves.
Before we got here, I stayed a lot at our friend’s house about 2 hours south of here. And while I was visiting with them, I made a list of 50 things I wanted to do before I was 50. A kind of 50 X 50 bucket list. I made it on a whim and more recently took a serious look at it. I even organized it into an excel sheet by location. And I am excited that we decided that our next adventures include my 50 X 50 project.
Why make a bucket list?
I know the idea of a bucket list was popular for a minute when the movie The Bucket List came out. And there are a lot of people who took on travel in a kind of bucket list way, including the Bucket List Family. I have actually never watched the bucket list movie and I never made a specific travel bucket list because I basically want to go everywhere. But something about living through a global pandemic, being an empty nester, and getting older made me say, what am I waiting for? I could end up waiting forever. So I started writing down things I always wanted to do “later” or “one day.” For example, I took art history and I always wanted to (one day) go see Angkor Wat after learning about Hindu and Buddhist art. I put it on the list. I also read Explosion in a Cathedral, and the image of Liberty Leading Her People plays a role in the story. When we went to Paris, I specifically went looking for it at the Louvre, but it was on loan to another museum. So that’s on the list. I also added things I always thought looked like fun but didn’t feel confident trying, like kayaking and backpacking solo. I would say I am fairly adventurous but when it comes to physical challenges, I get a little more nervous. I really want to embrace trying things more and pushing past the nerves.
The 50 X 50 Challenge
For this challenge, I am going to complete all 50 in any order before my 50th birthday in 2027. I reserve the right to change any item on the list because sometimes I think of things later that I want to swap out for. I plan to drag Will on a lot of the adventures but I would be happy to meet up with any friends along the way to do them. I plan on posting them to YouTube, so I hope you will follow along!
I’ll share my list below
What would you add?
| 1. Solo Backpacking trip |
| 2. Try Skiing |
| 3. Hot Air Balloon ride |
| 4. Hike a Volcano |
| 5. Sleep in a tree house |
| 6. Swimming lessons |
| 7. Go kayaking |
| 8. Take a pottery class/make a mug |
| 9. Write and publish for $ |
| 10. make croissants myself* |
| 11. See orcas at sea. |
| 12. Stay on a Houseboat |
| 13. See a glacier |
| 14. set my feet in every ocean |
| 15. Go to every continent |
| 16. Sleep on a lux train |
| 17. Silent/meditation retreat * |
| 18. Hike the Pacific Crest Trail |
| 19. Hike the Lost Coast Trail |
| 20. Visit Alaska |
| 21. Stay at the Chautauqua in Boulder |
| 22. New England in the Fall |
| 23. Hike the Isle of Man |
| 24. Visit Sicily |
| 25. Eat pasta in Italy |
| 26. Eat greek food in Greece |
| 27. Iceland Blue Lagoon |
| 28. See Liberty Leading her People |
| 29. Northern Lights |
| 30. Southern Lights |
| 31. See the Northern Territory |
| 32. Hike the Te Araroa |
| 33. Visit Hobbiton in NZ |
| 34. See Angkor Wat |
| 35. Take a boat on the delta in Vietnam |
| 36. Great Wall in China |
| 37. See the terracotta soldiers |
| 38. Street food in Thailand |
| 39. See the Lotus temple in India |
| 40. See the Sahara desert |
| 41. Tea in Marakesh |
| 42. See the pyramids in Egypt |
| 43. Tagine in Morrocco |
| 44. Go on Safari in (South Africa, Tanzania, ?) |
| 45. Petra Jordan |
| 46. Dance in Buenos Ares |
| 47. Christ the Redeemer Rio de Janeiro |
| 48. Machu Pichu |
| 49. See the Amazon |
| 50. Learn about coffee at a coffee (farm?) |