2016 Adventure Year in Review: A Bucket List Update

2016 was a bit of a stressful year -- nothing major, but a lot of little stuff that added up along the way:  medical issues, a job position I didn't really like, uncertainty about my future, a daughter going off to college...Oh, and that whole election season.  Yes, I'm looking forward to leaving 2016 behind.  On the up side, though, 2016 was a great year for the Bucket List!  This year, I visited 20 NPS sites and knocked 5 additional items off my Bucket List!  Wow!  I'd say that's a lot of adventure!  Look back with me over 2016 to see my favorite adventure photos from this year.

Snowshoeing

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, CO

Capulin Volcano National Monument, NM

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, CO.  Redwoods in Colorado!

Colorado Springs Sky Sox Baseball Game

Cristi and I conquering the Incline -- A Morning of Pure Torture.  We're thinking about going again.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, CO

The Paint Mines, CO

Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, AL

Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site, AL

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, FL

Fort Matanzas National Monument, FL

Fort Caroline National Memorial, FL

Kingsley Plantation at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, FL

Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, GA/TN

Stones River National Battlefield, TN

Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site, KS

Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, TX

Fort Larned National Historic Site, KS

Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, CO

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO (Again)

US Olympic Training Center

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, TX

Air Force Academy Football Game

San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, CA

Fort Point National Historic Site, CA

Golden Gate National Recreation Area -- Alcatraz, CA

The NPS Map at the end of the year.

So what's next year?  Here's a breakdown of Bucket List items I'd like to hit for next year.

- Skiing -- Right after New Years 

- Camping in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and Curecanti National Recreation Area.  I didn't get here last year, so I'd like to make it this year.

- I'm hoping to finally get up to the Black Hills, where I can knock out the following sites:

• Mount Rushmore National Memorial
• Badlands National Park
• Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
• Wind Cave National Park
• Jewel Cave National Monument
• Scotts Bluff National Monument
• Carhenge (think Stonehenge...but with cars -- one of those Weird America things)
• Fort Laramie National Historic Site (possibly)

- With our now-periodic trips to Oklahoma, I'd like to hit at least one of the two remaining sites there:  Washita Battlefield National Historic Site or Chickasaw National Recreation Area

- Backpacking trip on the Colorado Trail and/or Continental Divide Trail (they run concurrent for a section in Colorado)

- Climb a Fourteener

I'm sure like this year, not all my desires will plan out, but I'm equally sure that other targets of opportunity will pop up.  Even if next year only hits half as many sites, that will still be a full year of adventure!

Air Force Academy Football: A Bucket List Completion

There's something fun and exciting about going to sporting events.  It's easy to get caught up in the emotion of rooting for your team with thousands of fans surrounding you, isn't it?  That's why I knew when we moved to Colorado that we just had to knock an Air Force Academy game off our bucket list -- especially as a 20-year Air Force veteran.

True to our habit of not planning too far ahead of time, we waited way late in the season to pick a game, and by then, we only had one to choose from that fit our schedule:  the last one.  The last week in November.  In Colorado.  So we bundled up and headed out.

Fortunately, it was a beautiful day for so late in the year -- a balmy 50 degrees and sunny.  Our seats were on the home side on about the 35-yard line -- absolutely perfect!  All Academy football games start with a flyover of some kind.  This one included a two-ship of fighters, loud with the sound of freedom, as well as three members of the parachute team jumping out of a C-130 and into the stadium.  What other college football team can you get that kind of pre-game show?

One landing with the Army and Navy Flags and one headed in with the Marine Corps and AF flags

The final parachutist landing

I thought we'd at least have the entire first half of sunlight, but, alas, by the end of the first quarter, the sun was hidden behind the massive wall of the stadium, leaving us to start adding layers.  By the end of the game, we were cold, but it never got as cold as I feared, even sitting on those aluminum bleachers.

We were starting to get cold.  Oh, and notice the obviously absent AF fan gear!

The Academy was playing Boise State, and it was a great game!  We really got our money's worth!  Just when we thought AF was about to lock it up, Boise State would come back again.  In the end, AF won it 27-20 -- a doubly-sweet finish, not only to see AF win, but also, as an Oklahoma fan, to see Boise State lose (yes, I'm still bitter over the 2007 Fiesta Bowl game).  Our family looks forward to heading back to another Air Force Academy game next year, although perhaps a bit earlier in the season.  Oh, and if we're going to stay in Colorado, we might should invest in some Air Force Academy gear to wear to the ball games!

The Game of the Century

I love my Oklahoma Sooners! I’m Sooner-born (OK, well, not quite…) and I’m Sooner-bred, and when I die I’ll be Sooner-dead. Bob Stoops is a phenomenal coach, they’ve been playing like a championship team, they’re ranked #1 in the nation in all 3 polls, and at least one pundit is claiming that this weekend’s Red River Shootout with Texas is the most important game in the history of college football (perhaps because he’s paid to do that simply to attract readers). So why is my smack-talk machine not firing on all cylinders?

To start with, this is the OU-Texas game. Anything can happen, and, historically, anything has. This year, Texas is ranked #5, which means this should be a good game – even without the super-charged emotional rivalry. The Big 12 is also shaping up to be the toughest conference this year…but OU hasn’t done well in the spotlight the last few years. They’ve lost 4 out of their last 5 bowl games, and, last year, when the championship was theirs for the taking (twice!), they demurred to Colorado and Texas Tech. The record shows – as much as I love the Sooners – they don’t do well under pressure.

In their favor, the Sooners lead the OU-Texas series over the last 10 years 6-4. Despite their notable stumbles, they’ve also won several amazing games, including a run in 2000 upsetting Texas, Kansas State (#2), Nebraska (#1), and Florida State for the BCS title. Last year, they upset Missouri, who was the #1 team in the nation, to secure the Big 12 Title.

This year, the Sooners are looking great! They certainly have the talent to win this game easily. They’re averaging 50 points per game, but other teams are putting up similar stats – including Texas. No matter what happens, this game could likely be the real Big 12 Championship, with that other game in December being just a formality. So break out your crimson and cream and get ready for an exciting game!! To the victor, go the spoils! Sing with me, now: “Boomer Sooner, Boomer Sooner…”