Updated National Park list, and other travel goals

So, when I visited Hot Springs National Park on my last trip, it kind of rekindled a somewhat dormant desire to see National Parks. Ballparks and football stadiums have been the focal points of my non-ski travel quests lately. When I stitched together this recent trip to some southern ballparks, however, and looked for things to do around Little Rock, Hot Springs jumped out at me. After stopping there (and, yeah, acquiring that Passports to Your National Parks), I imagined my next couple of vacations with what NPs I might visit as a main focus of them.

Bold shows what I've seen to date:
  • Acadia, Maine
  • American Samoa, American Samoa
  • Arches, Utah
  • Badlands, South Dakota
  • Big Bend, Texas
  • Biscayne, Florida
  • Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado
  • Bryce Canyon, Utah
  • Canyonlands, Utah
  • Capitol Reef, Utah
  • Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
  • Channel Islands, California
  • Congaree, South Carolina
  • Crater Lake, Oregon
  • Cuyahoga Valley, Ohio
  • Death Valley, California 
  • Denali, Alaska
  • Dry Tortugas, Florida
  • Everglades, Florida
  • Gates of the Arctic, Alaska
  • Glacier, Montana
  • Glacier Bay, Alaska
  • Grand Canyon, Arizona (South Rim and North Rim, on different trips)
  • Grand Teton, Wyoming
  • Great Basin, Nevada
  • Great Sand Dunes, Colorado
  • Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina and Tennessee
  • Guadalupe Mountains, Texas
  • Haleakala, Hawaii
  • Hawaii Volcanoes, Hawaii
  • Hot Springs, Arkansas
  • Isle Royale, Michigan
  • Joshua Tree, California
  • Katmai, Alaska
  • Kenai Fjords, Alaska
  • Kings Canyon, California
  • Kobuk Valley, Alaska
  • Lake Clark, Alaska
  • Lassen Volcanic Park, California
  • Mammoth Cave Park, Kentucky
  • Mesa Verde, Colorado
  • Mount Rainier, Washington
  • North Cascades, Washington
  • Olympic, Washington
  • Petrified Forest, Arizona
  • Pinnacles, California
  • Redwood, California
  • Rocky Mountain, Colorado
  • Saguaro, Arizona
  • Sequoia, California
  • Shenandoah, Virginia
  • Theodore Roosevelt, North Dakota
  • Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands
  • Voyageurs, Minnesota
  • Wind Cave, South Dakota
  • Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska
  • Yellowstone, Wyoming 
  • Yosemite, California
  • Zion, Utah
That's 28 of 59...not quite half, and 10 (bold italic) at least twice.

As I scan over the 31 I am missing, I don't necessarily see me finishing the list. I mean, I would love to go 59 for 59, but I don't know that I want to go through the effort or expense. There is certainly a desire and realistic expectation that I will get to 5-10 more, and also a hope but lesser expectation to get to at least five others. As for the rest, well, I don't know that I would dedicate a trip to them, but I would visit any in combination with other activities if I was in the neighborhood. Honestly, though, it's also the case that there are parks I've been to already that I would rather see again than visit some of the remaining ones.

But, if I'm setting travel goals, and dreaming of future vacations with completing such lists in mind, visiting each NP is certainly a worthy one. Here are some of my other travel goals...

Completed:
  • Visit all 50 states. I'm actually up to 47 a second time (the Dakotas and Alaska are missing second visits).
  • Visit every MLB ballpark. In 2012, I got to see my 30th team play a home game. In 2013, I got to the three remaining ballparks I hadn't seen (those of teams who rebuilt their park since my initial visit).
In progress:
  • Visit every NFL stadium. I've seen 27 of 32 teams play at home. After that, I currently have three other stadiums to see.
  • Attend a sporting event in all 50 states. Not sure about this one. I think I'm at 30. I've been visiting more and more Minor League venues in parts of the country where I've spent little time, which gave me the impetus for this. 
  • Attend a ballgame of every Yankees affiliate (I've been to 3 of  6).
  • Attend a MiLB ballgame of the affiliate (AAA, AA or A) of all 30 MLB teams (17 of 30).
  • Maybe see the Original 6 NHL teams at home (err, umm, just 1).
  • Visit all seven continents (shamefully stuck on two).
  • Touch the five oceans (stuck on three).
  • Visit all Canadian Provinces and Territories (8 of 13).
  • Countries...more countries. I've been to 15 I think, and would really like to up that count. 
  • Skiing...more skiing. I've skied at something like 43 ski resorts (in nine states, one Province, three countries and two continents), and I suppose I'll be content to ski a new resort or two each year. 
  • Visit all of the places mentioned in "I've been everywhere man" (39 of  91 or 92..., and really not serious about that one, though I note my last trip got me to one or two more)
  • ...And then there is this National Parks challenge.
 Hmmm...

Comments

  1. troutbirderJuly 9, 2015 at 9:29 PM

    Interesting set of goals. We're working this summer on our State Parks of Minnesota list (passbook) and did make a visit to Isle Royal N.P. out in Lake Superior...;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tthrashJuly 9, 2015 at 9:52 PM

      Nice! Isle Royal is one of those ones I'd really like to visit, but just don't know if I can practically get there. Then again, I do plan on going to a Vikings game when they open the new stadium...maybe I could see the stadium and park on the same trip. Good luck seeing all of your State Parks! Look forward to reading about your travels and seeing the pics you put up.

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