What cool stuff have you done in your life?

[ronb]

What good stories do you have to tell? I've been thinking about this a lot lately. It's because I've been going on a lot of dates. You know what? Most girls are sooooo boring! So, of course, I would look back at myself to see if I'm just as boring. Maybe I am.

Besides pursuing FI like a boss, I've really not done anything incredible notable.

One time I rode my Walmart single-speed heavy-as$ bicycle 103-miles overnight through a storm on a whim. That was pretty epic.

Other than that... nothing really sticks out. I want to climb a mountain.

What cool stuff have you guys done? Can I duplicate them?

[spider]

vacation

We go on vacatoin every summer. I'm trying to visit every state in my lifetime.

[disneysteve]

Great question.

Pretty much everything that comes to mind is travel-related. Scaling Masada in Israel or floating in the Dead Sea. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Hiking atop Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire. Seeing the grandeur of the giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park. Riding the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls. Riding the tram to Paradise Point in St. Thomas and looking out over Charlotte Amalie harbor. Snorkeling in Cozumel. Cave tubing in Belize. Zip lining in Florida.

The list goes on and on but you get the idea.

[Fishindude77]

Hunting and fishing is my recreation thing. Have pursued these hobbies in Alaska, Alberta, Manitoba, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, etc. Utah planned for this fall. Have seen some beautiful country, been stranded all night on mountains, caught out in storms, bucked off horses, stuck in the mud, nearly sunk boats, near hypothermia, and had a ton of memorable experiences with family and friends. Seems like the trips that had a little hardship or a good scare are the ones you remember most.

Also, in line with my sporting interests, purchased a farm which was wide open grain fields and converted it into 100% wildlife habitat, added two other tracts of adjoining acreage over time, have planted over 20,000 trees, planted 60+ acres of native prairie grasses, constructed two fish ponds, maintain food plots for the wildlife, etc. This has been several decades of fun.

[riverwed070707]

We go on vacatoin every summer. I'm trying to visit every state in my lifetime.

This is on my list too! I'm up to 33 I actually have an app that tracks it for me so I don't forget haha

Great question.

Pretty much everything that comes to mind is travel-related. Scaling Masada in Israel or floating in the Dead Sea. Hiking on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia. Hiking atop Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire. Seeing the grandeur of the giant sequoias in Sequoia National Park. Riding the Maid of the Mist at Niagara Falls. Riding the tram to Paradise Point in St. Thomas and looking out over Charlotte Amalie harbor. Snorkeling in Cozumel. Cave tubing in Belize. Zip lining in Florida.

The list goes on and on but you get the idea.

Ditto this - thats why travel is such a priority for us. Other things I consider awesome are usually focused around interests and goals that take a while to reach - if they were easy they wouldn't be awesome right? Trained for and ran my first 10k, became a certified yoga teacher, some of my career experiences and people I've gotten to work with I'd put in the awesome bucket... that kind of thing.

[MonkeyMama]

This is the thing. I am not really a big "vacation" person. But, I like to live a "vacation lifestyle" and live in a place where many people would come to vacation.

I've camped above the clouds (one of my most memorable experiences, but was close to home). We built our dream home. I owned a convertible and took may road trips. Seen some amazing concerts and shows. Camped on the beach. Pet a wild baby panther. Rehabbed baby birds and released back into the wild. Skied in Utah (& toured Olympic location). White water rafting, snorkeling, boogie boarding, zip lining, ocean kayaking, whale watching. I did a popular/crazy 10k walk in San Francisco (so FUN!). I've taken dancing lessons and learned several instruments. I have traveled to many unique and beautiful locations. (Yosemite comes to mind as far as absolutely stunning, and I love Hawaii). Having/raising kids is the most amazing journey of all.

The funny thing is if I Was on a first date I think I'd feel kind of "duh..." It's all spread out over a lifetime and isn't always very front of mind. But I made a list on my blog and so that is what I am pulling from. (The purpose in the blog is just to say that I haven't found being frugal to hinder my ability to "live life". Actually, quite the opposite). & I also mentioned that I have had a LOT of opportunities come up with my involvement in various activities. So if you take a leap and join a group or learning something new you might also get travel opportunities that come along with that.

I am actually really excited because we are going on a wildlife encounter this month that is supposed to be absolutely AMAZING. It's a little place that no one has really heard of, it's relatively close to home, and it's not going to be a big expensive thing. That's how we tend to do fit in a lot of life experiences without a big vacation budget.

[riverwed070707]

This is the thing. I am not really a big "vacation" person. But, I like to live a "vacation lifestyle" and live in a place where many people would come to vacation.

I've camped above the clouds (one of my most memorable experiences, but was close to home). We built our dream home. I owned a convertible and took may road trips. Seen some amazing concerts and shows. Camped on the beach. Pet a wild baby panther. Rehabbed baby birds and released back into the wild. Skiied in Utah (& toured Olympic location). White water rafting, snorkeling, boogie boarding, zip lining, ocean kayaking, whale watching. I did a popular/crazy 10k walk in San Francisco (so FUN!). I've taken dancing lessons and learned several instruments. I have traveled to many unique and beautiful locations. (Yosemite comes to mind as far as absolutely stunning, and I love Hawaii). Having/raising kids is the most amazing journey of all.

You pet a WILD baby panther? As in, in the jungle without fear of being attacked by the mom?

[disneysteve]

Seen some amazing concerts and shows.

Definitely. Some highlights for me have been seeing Paul McCartney and Paul Simon (not together). I grew up in the 60s and 70s so the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel were big. I never got to see the groups together but seeing the individuals was a close second best. I've also seen the Beach Boys and Peter, Paul, and Mary each several times.

As for shows, we just saw one of the best shows I've ever seen two weeks ago: Something Rotten. If you love Broadway shows, put that on your 'must do' list. Lots of other favorites like Aida, Les Mis, Phantom, etc.

[MonkeyMama]

You pet a WILD baby panther? As in, in the jungle without fear of being attacked by the mom?

LOL.

It was a baby panther in captivity. No idea why I wrote "wild". I should correct that.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Backpack through asia, seen now I believe 30 states (trying to do 50), swam with dolphins, turtles, and manta rays. Scuba dived in different locals. Ridden an elephant. camped and kayak down mexico. had natural childbirth (give me the drugs, seriously overrated). just enjoyed life. Started to stop and smell the roses.

[corn18]

Navy combat fighter pilot/test pilot, so I had 20 years of cool stuff. Went 1500 mph, landed on an aircraft carrier 627 times (227 of those at night), flew over many interesting places, applied kinetic diplomacy on behalf of the President, got shot at a few times, saw a lot of cool stuff on liberty. I got to sing for then Vice President GW Bush when I was in the Naval Academy choir. Built a light guided robot in EE class. Managed a $1B+ aircraft program for a couple of years.

Cliche, but the coolest thing I've done is watch my children be born.

[disneysteve]

I got to sing for then Vice President GW Bush when I was in the Naval Academy choir.

This reminded me of two things.
Got to sing at West Point cathedral years ago.
Got to attend a speech by President Obama along with my daughter a few years ago. First time I had ever seen a sitting president in person.

[GrimJack]

One summer I climbed Mt. Rainier (the summer I turned 40); I took a vacation in Australia/Fiji in the early 80s; I flew open jaws in to Paris and out of London where I visited Richard Francis Burton's Tomb (the explorer not the actor), bought 3 bottles of port with a combined age/value of 215 - the bag broke and the most expansive bottle broke (I was considering licking the sidewalk but...); I spent one Thanksgiving long weekend 400 feet underground helping map some lava tubes.

[scfr]

Some of the most rewarding things I have done involved volunteering and fundraising for a cause I'm passionate about. There are thousands of volunteer opportunities out there, and hey, you might even meet an available woman who has similar values!

[ronb]

Navy combat fighter pilot/test pilot, so I had 20 years of cool stuff. Went 1500 mph, landed on an aircraft carrier 627 times (227 of those at night), flew over many interesting places, applied kinetic diplomacy on behalf of the President, got shot at a few times, saw a lot of cool stuff on liberty. I got to sing for then Vice President GW Bush when I was in the Naval Academy choir. Built a light guided robot in EE class. Managed a $1B+ aircraft program for a couple of years.

Cliche, but the coolest thing I've done is watch my children be born.

Sweeeeet! Is there a way a civilian can get a ride in a fighter jet? I've been to big air shows where no rides were offered so I'm guessing chances are slim...