My Travel Bucket List - Smithsonian, Alaska, Yellowstone & Panama Canal

I've always been fascinated by small airplanes, in addition to space-going aircraft. Whenever there is an air show close by, I attend. Mainly, I wish to tour the aircraft. Watching the planes fly is secondary to actually stepping inside the planes.

One of these days, I'll head up north to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. There are actually 2 museums. The main one is in the National Mall building in Washington, D.C., and has hundreds of planes and artifacts on display. One is the Wright Brothers plane - the 1903 Flyer. There is also the Apollo 11 command module and the Spirit of St. Louis.

In addition to the aircraft and rockets, there are also a number of exhibits, tours and shows. There is an IMAX theater (I can't handle those, so I'll pass on that one) where you'll actually feel like you are flying! The Planetarium is more my speed, where I can get up-close looks at the stars & space.

The other museum is the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is located near Dulles Airport. This one actually interests me more than the main museum at the National Mall. There are aircraft on the floor, as well as hanging from the ceiling. Some of the more interesting aircraft are the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, which is the fastest jet in the world; the Boeing Dash 80, which is the prototype of the 707; the Enola Gay; and the deHavilland Chipmunk aerobatic airplane.

This museum also has an IMAX theater - and no, I'm not going to visit it either. It does have a "Wall of Honor" which I WILL visit. It pays tribute to the thousands of people who have contributed to air and space exploration. Can you imagine what life would be like without aircraft and space travel?

Photo by toastydave

Just about everyone in my family has visited Alaska at least once. My grandparents went a couple of times back in the 1960s, and I can still remember their stories. My parents have been on both an Alaska cruise, in addition to a guided tour. My stepson is a captain on a deep sea fishing boat in Sitka, and both my late husband & my brother have been fishing with him several times. I am always quite envious when they get to go, and I have to stay home to take care of the livestock.

It will be my turn one of these days!

I don't care much about the cruises, at least on the "big ships". I wouldn't mind taking one of the small excursion ships. Those get up close to the glaciers, and go where the big ships cannot. I'd much rather get a rail pass, and ride & visit as I choose. My main goal is to see the bears & other wildlife, and hike the mountains & glaciers. Plus, I'd like to stay long enough to meet the locals, and learn just what they do to survive in a place that is so cold & dark most of the year!

I've visited several national parks of America,but have never made it to Yellowstone. It is America's 1st national park, established sometime in the late 1870s. Home to lots of wild animals, such as grizzly bears, elk, wolves and buffalo, it's sure to be a place where you can really enjoy nature!

It's also a good place to go fishing, hiking and bike riding. If you're an active person like I am, then you understand why Yellowstone is on my bucket list. Fishing here in the country is what we do in our spare time, so if I can do it on vacation, it's an added bonus!

I also want to visit because it is home to "Old Faithful", which is the most popular geyser in the world. What's a geyser? Well, it is a hot spring that erupts, spraying boiling water way up into the air. Somewhat like a volcano, I would guess. Old Faithful is not the biggest geyser, but it erupts more frequently than most - about ever 75 minutes.

Photo by Daniel Mayer

I've never really cared about visiting Central and South America. However, I'd love to go through the Panama Canal just once! While it would be fun on a mega-liner cruise ship, just think how cool it would be on a small boat! Although it takes about 15 hours to go through, which would require a lot of patience, just think of all the other boats you'd see along the way!

Besides... it's the only place in the world where you can see the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean, and set in the Pacific, all in the same day!