Travel Bucket List.

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

I have seen lately on social media something that is being done by many folks, but something I have hesitated to ever do.  I specifically had two people I know that have asked me for this multiple times, and I finally decided to do it.

I have always question ‘Bucket Lists’ due to their intent.  First, I think lists such as these set you, me or whoever creates the list, up for failure.  If you have a list of many things to do or places to go and you never get to them there is that sense of failure.  Next, I see this as yet another way people compare themselves to others.  Just like where people, live, what they drive, how they look, how much they make, etc.  People like to use things to compare themselves for a sense of normalcy or a benchmark to see how they rank (at least in their minds).

My list is one of the places I’d like to go to.  I will list each place, in no particular order, and list the reason why I chose it.  This is where some of you will compare what you like to what I have listed.  Let me mention that Florida, California and theme parks do not make my list.  As mentioned in a previous blog, if it is popular and crowded I won’t like it.  Again I chose 10, and these are in no particular order.

Hike the Appalachian Trail.  The trail is about 2200 miles long and stretches from Maine down to Georgia, crossing through North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, and New Hampshire.   People have started and stopped, people have died and almost died on this trail.  Books and movies have been produced about this trail.  It is full of mystique and wonder and of course in nature.  My goal is to hike this trail.  Not all of it, but to hike on it, even if a few feet, it is something I want to say I have done.  I will be crossing this off this list at the end of April.  More to come at a later date.

Revisit Camden, Maine.  In June of 2015, my wife, son and mother-in-law took a trip to Maine.  We flew to New Hampshire, drove 30 minutes to Kittery and took Route 1 up the coast through large and small towns until we reached Bangor.  We then drove back to New Hampshire for the flight home.  Along the way as mentioned, we visited many beautiful towns, but one, in particular, stood out to me.  Camden.   This seaside port was filled with shops, picture-perfect streets, and there is the sound of fishing boats and seagulls in the air.  This is the place that rekindled my passion for photography, so I want to go back with a proper camera and document the things I loved about the area.

Visit Banff, Canada.  This place was brought to my attention by a friend and described as “the most beautiful place in the world”.  For now, I will have to take their word for it, but if you Google pictures of this place or have seen a Nature Valley Granola bar commercial I think it will live up to that reputation.  For me, the draw is the mountains and clear blue lakes.  Being up north the cooler temps also provide an allure to me as well.

Not far from Banff is Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  As mentioned above, the pictures I have seen of this area only show what I can imagine is pure splendor and the purity of the area.  I am drawn to the northwestern part of the United States and not surprisingly three locations on this list fall within or close to this area.  It is worth a Google search here as well.  The most famous spot or shot I have seen is a large wooden barn with the mountains as a backdrop.  Normally I steer clear of the typical iconic shots, but if I ever get there I will take this shot as well.  It is the one in the link above.

My sanity has often been questioned and will be questioned even more with this next location.  I want to go to Chernobyl (actually Pripyat, Ukraine).  Now the likelihood of me ever visiting Ukraine is very small, and the risk of radiation (you are checked before you visit and after) is low, I still want to visit this place.  The pictures I could get and the sights I would imagine I would see are a huge draw to me.  Visiting an intact town (what nature has not destroyed), that was just up and abandoned due to the disaster, is just very intriguing to me.  Google pictures of this place or if you can stomach it check out the Chernobyl Diaries from 2012.

Sticking with a semi-horror theme I want to visit Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco in New Jersey.    What makes this place so special?  Well, it is where the original Friday the 13^th was filmed.  It is an active Boy Scout camp and they do give tours but there is an application process to tour the facility.  On May 9^th, 1980 this film was released and It was the first horror movie I ever saw.  I was scared and excited from the first time I saw it and have been fascinated with that series and many others ever since.  Also partly explains why October and Halloween are my favorite holiday.  For me seeing the original Crystal Lake location is a dream.

Moving back across the county I want to go to Bannack, Montana.  This small ghost town in the North West draws great appeal to me.  First, it is a ghost town, next it is in the North West, and finally it is a historic location.  Again going to the link or Google pictures of this place and you might understand the appeal I have to visit this location.  I want to see the old buildings and any remnants of what is left of this former mining town.

China is another location I want to see.  Not the entire country but one specific part called Zhangjiajie in the Hunan Province.  These tall slender mountains are most notably seen in the movie Avatar.  The mystery of these mountains is something I read about a long time ago and the beauty that can be seen from Google shots is awe-inspiring.  I know for sure paintings have been done of these mountains and the mist that rises daily from below.  If I can capture this with my Japanese camera I will be joyful.

The next two locations take me back across the pond.  The first is to my motherland of Ireland, the other to our country’s motherland of northern England (Scotland).  I want to visit the Kyteler Inn in Kilkenny, Ireland.  This is one of the oldest inns in Ireland and thus in the world.  It dates back to 1263.  Read that again 1263!  The inn is supposed to be haunted, the food looks great, and the building itself is gorgeous (from pictures).  It is something I want to see.

As mentioned the last place is in Glen Etive, Scotland and called Skyfall Lodge.  If you have seen the movie Skyfall, then the location of the house where much of the firefight takes place is where I want to go.  The location is between two mountains and there is a grand field or prairie between them.  Imagine a cool mist rising from the land and picturesque mountains on both sides with a chill in the air.

Well, that is my list.  These are far from tourist hot spots which are my plan and to my liking.  My top 10 locations with a brief explanation of why I chose them.  Will I see any, all, none or some of them?  Only time and money will tell, but if I do, I know I will get some great pictures.  Click the links provided and Google the images and see if you agree with me on my choices.

Until next time,

Tim