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My friend Christie and I wanted to see what each other's life goals are; so we started a list:

"My Life Dreams
Astronomy

Aurora

Eclipse

Meteors

Storms

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In no particular order:

1. To see a total eclipse of the sun (saw one, Munich, August 1999-- want to see more!)
-- to be more specific, I also to see one from at or near the centerline (for the longest totality possible); I also want to see one from the edge of the path for a better "graze totality". I also want to witness one very close to sunrise and one very close to sunset. Ones that I definitely will attend, and the possible places I will attend them:


Turkey March 29, 2006
(south central coast, along the Mediterranean Sea) or on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean

Near Tahiti, July 11, 2010

Near Iceland March 2015
(Might do this from the air b/c it's frequently cloudy there)

WYOMING AUGUST 21, 2017: EVERYONE I KNOW WILL SEE THIS ONE!!!!!

Chile December 14? 2020
(Might do this one from the edge)

TEXAS
(NEAR AUSTIN OR SAN ANTONIO) APRIL 8, 2024

Spain August 12, 2026

Egypt (6+ minutes of totality!!!) August 2, 2027

Australia July 2028
(if I can afford it!)

Japan September 2035

Montana or Alberta, Canada August 2044

Colorado or Florida
(tough decision!) August 2045

Florida March 2052
(that's a ways away!!!!)

Gotta stop there-- I'm going from memory here....

I may see more total eclipses but I WILL see these....

2. To see an annular eclipse of the sun
(a ring of sunlight around the dark disk of the moon)
-- I won't travel as far to see one; but here's the ones I really want to see:

West Coast of Mexico June 10, 2002

Utah May 20, 2012


New Mexico? October 14, 2023

Okay gotta stop w/ the eclipse thing. On to the next thing on the wishlist. The next few are places that I WANT to visit....

3. Within the US

climb Guadalupe Peak, Texas
Colorado
New Mexico
(esp. Taos)
Glacier National Park, Montana
Washington State
(esp. North Cascades, Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Parks)
Maine
the typical New England Fall Colors Tour
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Wind River Mountain Range, Wyoming
(especially Island Lake)
Alaska
Hawaii
Big Sur Drive
(highway 1? California)
Oregon
(especially the Frenchglen area, and the Pacific Ocean Coastline)
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minnesota
Wyoming
Utah
(all of the national parks there and the surrounding areas)
Caverns of Sonora, Texas
A Louisiana/ Mississippi Backroads/ Plantation Tour did a few for leonids 2001
a ride on a train
(don't care where) (this could alsobe outside the US)
Photographing ranching life in one of the western states:
(CO, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, etc.)
Hell's Canyon, Idaho
The Florida Keys

4. Outside the US

The Patagonia region of Chile
North Nahanni National Park, Canada
British Colombia Canada
Ireland
France
Norway
Nepal (or Tibet or Bhutan)
New Zealand
African Safari-- don't care where
South Africa
climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
visit the Caribbean
visit an island surrounded by clear blue water
(in this case, someplace other than the typical islands that everyone visits. I'm talking about the off the beaten- track islands)
Greece
Czech Republic
(esp. Prague)
Italy
Germany and Austria
(again)
Switzerland
Thailand
Great Britain
Iceland
Japan
Egypt


I also want to see a regular cave AND an ICE CAVE; achievable in several places above.

Some of these places appear on the eclipse list; see above (yaay!)

I plan to visit the big cities and touristy areas; but I also plan to wander the countryside of these areas and visit the small towns, etc.

Other wishes:

To see a pitch- black, star- filled no light pollution sky
(seen one-- want more!)

To see one of the above skies-- from the beach. To stand with the water up to my shins. To hear the crash of the waves as I look up and see soooo many stars.....


To have that same sky go overcast for a little while. (Under a sky full of stars, the only source of
illumination IS the stars. Now imagine thick clouds covering those stars. NO LIGHT SOURCE. PITCH BLACK. Creepy..... but only for a little while b/c I'd miss my stars...)

To have the Milky Way cast my shadow

To have Venus cast my shadow

To see a VERY strong meteor shower
(my best: 140 per hour, August 12, 1997)

To see (another) VERY bright meteor

A bright comet with a long tail
(one like people in ancient times would have feared)

A strong display of aurora borealis
(covering at least half the sky)

Aurora borealis from the south
(done! March 31, 2001: Texas and again Nov2001, Oct29 possible Oct 30 and Nov 20)

to see the green flash
(thanks Christie for reminding me about this one!)

To see the night skies of the southern hemisphere
(have to go at least twice: so that I see all of the following things: Eta Carinae region, the Southern Cross, The Coalsack Dark Nebula, Omega Centauri globular cluster (seen it from Texas but I want to see it from a higher altitude), 47 Tucanae globular cluster, the central bulge of the Milky Way (seen from Texas but I want it directly overhead), the Magellanic Clouds (both) (for those who don't know these are some of the best objects visible from the southern hemisphere)

To go on a stormchase
(want to see: an isolated supercell thunderstorm, a tornado, and a VERY strong night- time lightning display)

A sprite or a jet
(rare lightning display)

To see yet another space shuttle re-entry march 2002

To see a very detailed solar halo display

study a sunrise and sunset

to sell my photographs

to have my own website

to shoot a sports game with a professional camera and
lens

drive a high performance car as fast as it can go: at least 150 miles per hour
(preferably on a rented race track so I don't have to deal w/ other drivers)

to ride in an airplane
(and not just an airliner)

to go canoeing
(see "Boundary Waters Canoe Area", above)

to be out in the wilderness and hear ABSOLUTELY NOTHING

white-water rafting

water-skiing

jet- skiing

snow skiing

a long slow kiss with a beautiful, special woman in the pouring rain


To keep the great friends that I have now; and to gain more!

To have my friends and family share as many of the above things as possible with me.
(okay, except maybe for that kiss in the rain thing)

To be comfortable in my job

To have a family
(when I'm ready and can afford one!)


Best Wishes

Mark!!!!!

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