Oh, the Places I’ve Been

I was recently invited to a party that asked the guest to bring their “bucket list” of things they wish to do or places they wish to go before they say their adieu to this world.   I thought before I can do this wish or goal list, I should reflect on the things I’ve done and the places I’ve been and celebrate those before contemplating on what I wish to do going forward.  Here is a listing of places I have been.

Ancient Places

Cahokia Mounds (near East St. Louis) The Cahokia Mounds are the largest group of mounds north of Mexico. Monks' Mound, a rectangular, flat-topped earthwork, 100 ft high with a 17-acre base, is named for Trappist monks who settled there in the early 19th century. Hopewell (near Chillicothe, OH) From about 200 B.C.E.. to C.E.. 500, the Ohio River Valley was a focal point of the prehistoric Hopewell culture. The term "Hopewell" describes a broad network of beliefs and practices among different American Indian groups over eastern North America.

The Great Serpent Mound, Peebles, OH  is a 1,348-foot-long, three-foot-high prehistoric effigy located on a plateau of the Serpent  Mound crater along Ohio Busch Creek in  Adams County, Ohio.

Mesa Verde National Park (near Cortez and Mancos, CO) Mesa Verde ("Green Table"), the most notable and best-preserved cliff dwellings and relics in the United States, covers four archaeological periods. From approximately C.E.. 600 through C.E. 1300 people lived and flourished in communities throughout the area, eventually building elaborate stone villages in the sheltered alcoves of the canyon walls.

Revolutionary War Battlefields & Sites-Boonesborough, Boston, Lexington, Concord, Valley Forge.

Civil War Battlefields-Chickamauga,  Franklin, Gettysburg, Kennesaw Mountain,  Perryville, Petersburg,  Shiloh, Spring Hill, Stones River, Thompsons Station, Tupelo.

Places-Jamestown, Williamsburg, Mt Vernon, Monticello, Washington DC, The Alamo, Independence Hall, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, World War Two Memorial, Korean War Monument, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Arlington. The Smithsonian, Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, Henry Ford Museum, Betsy Ross House, USS Arizona, Fort Laramie, Mt. Rushmore. Lincoln Birthplace, Truman Library & Home, Nixon Library & Home, Gerald R Ford Library, Reagan Library, Warner Brothers Studio, Universal Studio, Walt Disney Studios, NBC Studio, Hwy 1, French Quarter, National Mall, Las Vegas Strip, Times Square, Nashville, Hollywood, Disneyland, Disneyworld, Epcot, Taos, South Beach,  Civil Rights District in Atlanta, Time Trials at the Indy 500. 

Toured: Markers Mark, Woodford Reserve & Jack Daniels Distillery.  Budweiser, Coors and New Belgium Breweries.

Race Tracks: Santa Anita, The Red Mile & Kneeneland

Rafted: Middle Fork of the Clark River, Salmon River, Arkansas River.

Natural Wonders-Death Valley, Devils Tower,  Haleakala, Volcanoes National Park, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Zion Canyon, Yosemite, Glacier, Great Smokey Mountains, Everglades, Redwood National Park, Grand Teton, Rocky Mountain, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mt Evans.

Professional Baseball Parks-All stadiums except Miami, DC, Pittsburg & Toronto. Surfed California and Hawaii.

I have visited all 50 states, four Canadian Provinces, three Mexican States and visited Chichen Itza & Castillo San Felipe del Morro –“El Morro’ in Puerto Rico

I’ve traveled from the Golden Gate to the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. From Key West to Honolulu and Anchorage.  Attended great concerts, seen and meet famous people and celebrities.  I am sure I have left some out, yet these places and people were all seared on my mine as special. 

Places I want to visit; Israel, Masada, Jerusalem, Rome and Pompeii, Athens & the Oracle at Delphi, Troy, Easter Island, Machu Picchu, The Serengeti, The Pyramids of Giza and Thebes. The Louvre, Agkor Wat, The Great Wall of Chin, The Louve.

Of all the things done and seen perhaps the greatest is looking into the eyes of parents who loved and nurtured, a beautiful wife who make me laugh, loving children that continue to amaze me and grandchildren who I see boundless possibilities in.  All possible by living in the greatest and most moral county ever established by men.

Next, working on this year’s to do list…