2011 Goals Almost Accomplished...on to 2012!

This year was full of adventures, capitalizing on long weekends for local travel and scratching the surface of my real goal for the year – visiting the 49^th and 50^th states.  While it may not be as exotic and far-flung as planning a trip around the world or even to another country, I had never been to Alaska and Hawaii and 2011 was the year I was going to accomplish visiting both.

Ketchikan, Alaska

Alaska was breathtaking.  The magnitude of the lush, green mountains, the dramatic, icy blue cracks of the glaciers and watching salmon as long as my legs fight the river currents were sights difficult to do justice in either descriptions or pictures.

I’ll spend Thanksgiving expressing gratitude for my great travel life in Hawaii. Kauai beckons - hiking along the Na Pali Coast, exploring Waimea Canyon and kayaking or bike riding as much as I can on the island.  I have no reason to believe it won’t live up to all my outdoor enthusiast expectations. 

Exploring these two states, which seem to be more unlike the U.S. than like it, has just begun.  There is something about getting away from the mainland that brings a fresh perspective and appreciation for the amazing experiences this world (and even our country) has to offer.  I plan to return to both Alaska and Hawaii over the course of my life and know there is much more to discover.

The Wave, compliments of the Utah Office of Tourism

Next up?  I’m going to win the lottery next year.  Not the California state one (although I wouldn’t complain), but the daily lottery to be one of the lucky 20 people to enter The Wave in Coyote Buttes area.  One of my many travel goals next year is to explore southern Utah. Another area I haven’t been to, but one that provides me with a sense of complete wonder and pure excitement in the thought of running through the red rocks and seeing the U.S. desert at its best.

Another goal of the much larger kind is percolating as well…but that’s for another post.

PS - I'm joining the 30-day Indie Travel writing project through BootsnAll!