Top Ten Nature Sights I Want to Visit

I have a Top Ten Nature Sights I Want to Visit list in my head. Heck, it's probably a Top 20 or 30 list! Every time I see something cool on a nature show or read it in the travel section of the newspaper, I file it away in my brain.   I've never actually put pen to paper on the topic, though. A nature blogging friend, Melynda at YourWildChild.com, posted a photo of the Northern Lights on her Facebook page. I commented that it's on my list of Top Ten Nature Sights I Want to Visit. We got to "talking," along with Debi from GoExploreNature.com, and decided it would make a great collective blog post.

First, I must reveal a list of Top Nature Sights I've Already Seen!

• A mama moose with TWIN calves
• The Grand Canyon
• The Grand Tetons
• Yellowstone National Park, WY
• Hurricane Ridge, WA
• Tons of deer and fawns from my time in Colorado
• Vashon Island, WA
• Red rocks of Sedona
• Flown in a helicopter over lava pools and cinder cones on the Big Island of Hawaii
• Walked inside the Thurston Lava Tube on the Big Island
• Waimea Canyon, Kauai
• Black sand beaches
• Snorkeling with sea turtles
• Walked on a rope bridge with a view of countryside and a Bavarian castle called Neuschwanstein
• Seen a gray whale breech (jump straight up out of the water and splash on its side) near Anacapa Island
• California Poppy Preserve in bloom
• The sunrise and sunset over the ocean (on the same day!) on the island of Oahu
• Hiked in the Swiss Alps
• Taken the cog train to the top of Pike's Peak
• Swam to Chinaman's Hat on the island of Oahu
• Wondered at the beauty of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs
• Eaten apfel strudel at the top of Zugspitze in Bavaria
• Cross country skied in Whistler
• Mountain biked in Ute Valley Park
• Licked an icicle
• Swam with sea lions in the cave at Cuerva Valdez anchorage on Santa Cruz Island
• Made snow cones out of real snow and maple syrup
• Driven over miles and miles of Louisiana swamp on the I-10 during a lightning storm
• Ridden the Glacier Express train from Lucern to St. Moritz
• Walked along the Thames in the English countryside
• Body board and body surf in the Pacific
• Spent the night in a Curry Village camping cabin in Yosemite
• Seen Golden eagles, Bald eagles, and bears in the wild (Montana, Canada, and Colorado)
• Watched the sun set and moon rise over Glacier Point in Yosemite
• Walked on glaciers in Washington and the Jungfrau
• Hiked close to the Matterhorn above Zermatt
• And probably many more sights from everyday nature all around us . . .

So here are Ten Sights I still want to see:

1. The Northern Lights (the photo for this post is from the Adventure Club at Legoland - that doesn't count!).
2. Go inside one of the largest sea caves - Painted Cave, Santa Cruz Island.
3. See the fjords of the Milford Sound in New Zealand and all the natural wonders of Australia. My sister spent 6 months in Brisbane, Australia and I've always wanted to see all the amazing sights she saw during her time there.
   
4. Explore the Maine seashore where Rachel Carson was inspired to write about nature.
5. Visit  Pelee Island in Lake Erie where my great grandparents owned a farm and my dad spent time as a child.
6. Go boating around the 1000 Islands near Ontario.
7. Walk Switzerland - take a LONG trip with NO car.
8. Adventure around Crater Lake.
9. Go to EVERY National Park with my kids.
10. Go to EVERY California State Park with my kids.

This whole topic got us into an enthusiastic discussion over dinner. So I'll have to share lists from my husband and kids in a separate post.

In the meantime, go check out Melynda's post on YourWildChild.com where commenters are linking up their posts on the same subject!