Have you started your fall bucket list? What are you waiting for? Here’s the start of mine.
Decorate for fall.
Bake some pumpkiny goodness.
Unplug from my phone.
Catch up on my reading.
Hike!
Take my meals outside when possible.
Rewatch Stranger Things season one
Try some new soup recipes.
Go to bed early. Rest is restorative.
Make homemade trail mix.
Buy flannel sheets to match my new blue bedroom.
Go somewhere I’ve never been.
That’s not a bad start!
It’s no secret that I despise summer. With temps in the 90’s and humidity at 100 percent, time spent outdoors is miserable. Weeds grow high because I have no desire to suffer in the jungles of Ohio just to do garden work. Then there’s the poison ivy and the snakes and the lure of central air that keep me plotting to spend most of the summer inside with the curtains drawn to keep out the heat.
I will be thrilled for sweater weather.
Yet, I feel guilty for this sensation that I’m wishing my life away. After all, tomorrow is promised to no one and there are plenty of people who would love for one more day – even if it is a miserable humid one like this.
So I continue to beat back dreams of cooler days and am trying to stay present in my current situation. So, I’m working on a list of things to do before end of summer. It’s a short list and I’m grasping at straws to think of something else to add to it. In contrast, the fall and winter lists each contain dozens of entries.
I must work on this.
What’s on your summer bucket list? How do you stay present in moments that you don’t enjoy?
Mackinac Bridge is a Michigan landmark. That’s because it is the fifth longest suspension bridge in the world. It spans the Straits of Mackinac, a body of water that connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, making travel between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan a breeze.
According to the Mackinaw Bridge Authority (MBA), it opened in 1957 to replace a ferry system that struggled to keep up with increasing traffic demands. At just under five miles long, it’s a sight to behold and something unique to drive at least once. So we paid $8 in tolls round trip just to say we had done it!
We chose to visit Mackinaw Island on Sunday of Labor Day weekend because the following day was a special occasion. Since 1958, they have closed the bridge for the Bridge Walk. This year’s event attracted about 35,000 people in a single morning. I heard people on Mackinac Island talk about looking forward to walking Mighty Mac the next day.
It’s a smooth ride at 45 miles per hour and quite a view. It took about seven decades of planning and construction to bring the dream of this bridge to fruition. Locals were inspired by the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, engineers were informed by a 1940 bridge catastrophe in Washington, and it was finally built at the cost of nearly $100,000,000 and five lives lost.
Here’s a fun fact for you. The MBA says it takes seven years to paint the bridge and that once complete, they turn around and start it again.
Our ferry captain was kind to detour underneath this famous bridge on our way to Mackinac Island so I’m pleased to say I have driven on and sailed under this bridge.
Visit the Make the Journey Fun Facebook page for a short clip of our drive across Mighty Mac. tomorrow, we will talk about Mackinaw Island, another bucket list item from this trip!
Of all the paths you take in this life, make sure a few of them are country roads. I had to pass this one up but I’ll return another day – just to see where it goes.
Today isn’t the day, of course. It’s Monday and the workweek begins again.
Do you have a someday list? What’s on it? Travel? Hobbies? Books? Trying a new restaurant? Exploring a road like this? I’m always looking ahead to the next bit of free time – large chunks and small can be used to accomplish goals and try new things if you plan.
I have spent more time lately flying by the seat of my pants but my someday list is never far from thought. I hope you keep yours close too.
For now, though, go conquer this day!
The first in the series of things I want to do when we’re free again is to take a trail ride at Uncle Buck’s Riding Stable and Dance Barn. I’ve known the owner for many years but somehow have never made it out for a ride.
His name is Dave but everyone just calls him Uncle Buck. He’s a good community minded man who loves his horses and who makes pretty music with a couple of local bands.
They do a few different rides but I have my eye one one that goes through the Zaleski State Forest to the Moonville Tunnel.
Moonville is a ghost town and the tunnel is said to be haunted. A rail trail has been built in the area and goes right through the tunnel. The state forest is expansive and is beautiful especially in spring and fall. I’ve been to Moonville and to these woods many times but never on a horse!
Uncle Buck’s draws a large number of tourists but they take out small groups so you still have an intimate and authentic experience. Once upon a time I ran the county visitors’ center so I’ve sent a lot of people their way over the years. Yet I’ve never done a trail ride.
Maybe I’ll get some friends together or I may go solo. Either way, this is the year I go support my friend’s business.
Want to read about Uncle Buck’s? If you’re ever in southern Ohio, I’m sure they’d love to get you out on the trail! Read about them here.
Most of us have a bucket list.
Mine should more or less read “go everywhere and do everything.”
That’s a slight exaggeration as skydiving and swimming with sharks aren’t on the list but it has become important to me that I try as many different things as possible.
One item on my list is to take a ride in an old fashioned biplane like the barnstormers use. You know the kind – it’s open air?
This is sort of an interesting goal for a gal who’s afraid of heights but I’m determined to not allow my fears to hold me back. That’s been the theme of the last year and a half and it has served me well in all areas of life but one.
I had the opportunity to take a ride earlier this month but chickened out and have regretted it ever since. So when I learned that biplane rides are being offered at a nearby airport this weekend, it became clear that it’s time to face the fear and check this item off my bucket list.
I’m wavering somewhere between excitement and terror but am trying hard to embrace the pure joy of anticipation.
I’m sort of an old soul and have a deep appreciation for old cars, trains, trucks and planes. There’s something romantic about these old biplanes and the tradition of barnstorming.
The plane pictured above is the one I’ll be riding in. It’s a 1929! How cool is that? This is the sort of bird you would normally see in a museum and I’ll be flying high above the earth in it in a few days!
What do you think? Would you take this ride? What’s on your bucket list?