#3: Go on a surf trip

When I originally added this to my bucket list I was envisioning surfing somewhere exotic, maybe Costa Rica or something like that? The reality was that I was only about 90 minutes from my home in San Diego, at a gated community called Las Gaviotas in Baja California, Mexico.

The trip came about because a buddy of mine was celebrating his bachelor party down there. He and his friends are big into surfing, and most, if not all of them have been on many surf trips around the world. Although I had just returned days earlier from my honeymoon in Hawaii, I had never been to Mexico and figured this was a great opportunity to go with a bunch of seasoned travelers and surfers.

I took a half day from work and met up with two other guys. We loaded up the SUV, and made the 90 minute or so drive with no incidents. Once we arrived we immediately put on our wet suits and headed out to surf. One of the houses our group rented was right on the water, the other bigger house was a couple blocks away from the water. The weekend consisted of eating, drinking, and surfing. The waves were a decent size but pretty weak. I brought my smallest board which was a mistake, but luckily there were plenty of boards I could borrow that were better suited for the conditions. On Sunday morning we headed back towards good ol' US of A. The wait at the border was an unpleasant two hours of inching forward...inch by inch, as vendors came to your window and try to sell you crap.

Like I said, this isn't what I pictured when I added "surf trip' to my bucket list, but between surfing Waikiki one week, and spending the next weekend in Baja surfing...I would say it definitely counts.

#23: Swim with sharks

Me and my wife celebrated our honeymoon on the Oahu island of Hawaii. Before the trip I spent a lot of time going through a guidebook, trying to find things to do, places to see, and food to eat. One of the activities I found was a shark cage dive. It was cheaper than I expected at around $90 a person, but I wasn't sure if Pauline would be on board with the idea. A day or two into our honeymoon we went through the book again, and tried to book the weeks activities...to my surprise Pauline agreed to the shark cage idea.

We woke up at 5:00am the morning of our shark dive, ate a light breakfast, took some Dramamine, and made the 30 minute drive to the harbor. The boat took us, and about 13 other passengers 3-4 miles off the coast to where the shark cage was stored. The boat hooked up to the cage, and we were briefed on how to behave while in the cage. The cage fit about 8 people at once, so the boat was split into two groups...Pauline and I were in the first group. We put our gear on, pressed record on the GoPro, and climbed into the cage.

The water was a perfect cobalt blue, and the sharks wasted no time swimming up to the cage and checking us out. The sharks were sand bar sharks, and about 3-4 feet long...definitely not Great Whites, but still neat. Between the cage bobbing up and down, and my head moving in all directions trying to get video of the sharks, I started to get sea sick...breathing out of a tube didn't help either. After 20 minutes in the cage our time was up, which was okay with me since I was trying not to chum the water. I climbed back onto the boat and headed straight for the railing...I didn't puke, but I did spend the rest of the trip staring off at the horizon and taking deep breaths.

After the shark dive we headed back home and climbed right back into bed. Between the early wake up call, the adrenaline, and the sea sickness, we were pretty exhausted for the rest of the day. I enjoyed the activity, but I will think twice about climbing onto a boat again...no deep sea fishing trips for this guy!

#1: Get pilots license

I cant believe I did this one! From thinking it was a cool, but far fetched idea, to actually becoming a pilot. It took almost a year, and around $10,000 but I did it, and it is one less thing for me to regret not doing when I am laying on my death bed. I wonder what life as a pilot is going to be like?

To read my flying journal please visit my other blog at Journey to a Private Pilot License

#33: Go rock climbing

Paulines birthday was coming up, and I needed something for us to do to celebrate. We have decided it is more fun if we do something for each others birthday, instead of buy gifts. Originally I wanted to take her horseback riding in Temecula, but I couldnt get a reservation until May, so when I saw a Groupon for rock climbing I jumped on it.

We met our guide, and about 6 other people at Mission Trails in East San Diego, a 35-40 minute car ride for us from Encinitas. Our guide was young, and so was our group. After a quick introduction of what to expect, the guide handed out equipment. We were given helmets, harnesses, and tight ass shoes with rubber soles. Once everyone had their gear, we were off. It was a short, but challenging hike up to where we would be  rock climbing, and the inland heat didn't make things any easier. People were getting tired, and we hadn't even started rock climbing yet.

Once we reached the rock climbing area things slowed down, and got bit easier. There were two ropes set up, which meant that two people could climb at a time, meanwhile the rest of us could relax, and watch in the shade. The two climb paths were very different from each other. One was what you would typically expect, just a rock face to climb up, and the other was called a chimney, which is a narrow path between two rock walls. Although the chimney path looked more intimidating, it was actually a lot easier than the other path.

I found rock climbing to be a lot of fun, but very challenging. It seemed like everyone at some point would reach a certain spot in their climb where they would get stuck, and not know where to go next. Sometimes it seemed impossible to get any further, but somehow you do.

#34: Go ziplining

My brother was planning a Vegas vacation for his bachelor/ bachelorette party, and the whole family was going. As the best man, it was my duty to find something memorable that we could all participate in. What I found was Bootleg Canyons ziplining adventures.

The day was a blast from the get go. The guides packed everyone into two mini vans, and proceeded to peel out of the parking lot, and race each other up the windy, narrow mountain road. My heart was racing and I was still in the car.

Once we stopped the car we still had a short hike we had to make on foot until we reached the zipline. Standing on the zipline platform, and seeing what I was about to do was dizzying. Suddenly I felt like maybe this was too much, maybe I just ruined everyone's day. Once I was strapped in I waited for the countdown to take off, next thing I know I was cruising down the zipline, "this isn't so bad" I thought.

The day turned out to be a total blast. The ziplining was the perfect amount of scary, and the scenery was gorgeous. It was the perfect activity for the family to do together...who would have thought?

#6: Learn to surf

The number one question I received when I returned to MA, after my failed attempt at moving to San Diego, was "did you learn to surf?". The answer was "no". What a total bummer, I lived in San Diego, a surf city, and I never even tried to surf. I would regret not taking advantage of this one, I was sure of it.

Well as fate would have it I ended up back in San Diego a few months later. This was my second chance to do all the things I didn't do the first time around. My brother must have known how essential it was that I learned to surf if I was going to live here, because when he came out to visit just a few weeks later, he pushed for us to take surfing lessons.

The lessons went pretty well, but there really isn't a lot you can teach someone to prepare them to surf. Everything you need to know can be taught in about five minutes, the rest of the lesson is trail and error. I guess the good thing about taking a lesson though is that it gives you the confidence to get out there and try it.

I have been surfing for about two years now, and I definitely don't feel like I'm a pro at it. Progressing at surfing is such a slow process. I seldom feel like I am improving from day to day, but when I look back 18, 12, or even 6 months ago, I can see the progress I have made...even though I haven't realized it.

Surfing is an interesting past time. I cant think of anything else that can be peaceful, scary, beautiful, relaxing, exhausting, and fun, all at the same time.

#13: Go to Legoland

When I was in third grade I remember reading a Lego magazine and they had an article on Legoland, I thought  this place is amazing...I had to go there! Little did I know I just found my first bucket list item. 

Well I eventually grew up, gave my box of Legos to my nephews, and never thought of Legoland again, that is until I unknowingly got a job just a mile away from Legoland. Fate? Maybe. At 27 years old I knew I wasn't going to enjoy Legoland, but with free tickets offered I remembered I had promised myself as a kid I would see this place, and I couldn't turn my back on that. I toured the park in record time, and now I can check it off my list. Little Jeff...you screwed me on this one!