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What: #14 Go to a national park that I've never visited

When: June 20th-25th, 2016
Where: Yosemite National Park
Why: My childhood was filled with camping and road trips, spending many vacations admiring the beautiful places and spaces that were preserved for us to visit throughout this nation. Moving in to my adult life, I've tried to keep that up, but with so many of my adventures focusing on international travel, I wasn't dedicating enough time to see some of the parks still left to see in the U.S. This summer, I wanted to finally see the iconic Yosemite National Park, so I started planning the trip almost a year ago.

I lived in California for a few years, so did a few of my friends. My family still gets out to national parks every year. Somehow, neither I nor my friends or family had made it to Yosemite. It's not easy to get to...about 5 hours from the nearest major city or airport, and a pricey flight to get out there. Lodging can fill up very fast for the summer, so planning ahead was really key. We wanted to stay in the park at one of the historic hotels, so that limited our options for lodging.

Summertime is beautiful, and crowded. Early mornings, getting out on the trails, and heading along the Tioga Road were perfect ways to escape the traffic and big groups. So, without further ado, here are a few of the pictures that will never do it justice!

5 done ... 47 to go...

What: #88 Go to the new Blimpy Burger in A2

When: February 8th
Where: Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger
Why: When I started this quest of new things to do, one item that landed on that initial list was making a visit to a local landmark. That was three years ago, and it was just in time; not long after my visit, the community learned that the University was buying up the land to make way for another expansion, and the beloved burger joint was faced with an uncertain future. Then, about four months ago, all was right with the world when they reopened in another location, and lines started forming to see if it was what we all remembered it to be. Today, after a peaceful morning of meditating, it seemed like a good afternoon to appreciate the joy of reacquainting myself with the fare at Blimpy Burger. We arrived about ten minutes before they opened, and as we stood around the front door, admiring the familiar snow bear, we realized we had formed the front of a lengthening line. As the minutes ticked by, about 20 people were orderly gathered in a queue waiting for the doors to open. This is how it is for this much-loved local landmark.

What I hadn't factored in was the stress I'd be under as the official first person in line. There is a fairly specific process that each customer is expected to follow when placing your order, and I usually observe and carefully listen to those before me to remember the process. It's a lot like the "Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld, and I felt like Elaine. Luckily, the guys behind the counter took it easy on me, and I even got them to laugh at some of my shenanigans. The people directly behind us in line weren't quite as amused at the length of time it took me to place a correct order; I should help told them about the messages of patience and understanding I heard at my morning Buddhist service!