So, turning 39 back in December made me start thinking about what life is going to be like during my 40’s. I think it is normal that those approaching their 40’s begin to worry about how age is going to slow them down, how life is fragile, and how life is short so live life to the fullest. So, call it a mid-life crisis or call it a bucket list, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to accomplish in the next decade. Some of my aspirations do not involve camping. However, many do include travel/camping. As I was thinking the other night, over a tall, cold beer, I was attempting to put together a bucket list of places I want to travel to/camp. I came up with a top ten list. In the next decade, my hope is to…

1. Travel to Italy with my wife and visit the land where our ancestors came from. We have both been to Italy but not together.

2. Try a 2-3 night backpack camping trip in a national forest or state park. I think Cloudland State Park in northern Georgia would be a great place to try backpack camping. Or Shawnee State Park in Southern Ohio.

3. Camp in South Dakota/North Dakota/Montana and explore some of the terrain that Lewis and Clark traversed over two centuries ago.

4. Camp in Acadia National Park (Bar Harbor, Maine) and enjoy the beauty of its wildlife and the ocean scenery.

5. Tent camp on an actual beach, less than 100 yards from the water. This could be in Florida, North Carolina, or better yet….Hawaii.

6. Camp and hike the state parks of the Upper Peninsula (Michigan).

7. Camp at every state park in Ohio (our home state) just to be able to say I have done it.

8. Be a camp host for an entire summer and enjoy the life of campground living.

9. Camp in Canada, specifically Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

10. Camp at a place like Kelly’s Island (Lake Erie, Ohio) or Outer Banks (North Carolina) where it requires you to take your vehicle and camper over to the campground by ferry.

Maybe you can relate to some of my ideas. Maybe not. So, what’s your bucket list when it comes to traveling or camping? I would love to hear your ideas!

HAPPY CAMPING!