This is great.

I'm not into lists as such, but we can't all have instant gratification for everything; so it wouldn't be hard to make a list of things I'd like to do that I haven't had time for yet. You could call it a 'bucket list' or just a 'to-do' list, but it all works out the same. That Pennsylvania ride sounds interesting, but I just can't do it this year. Add it to a list?

I'm a list maker myself. Todo lists, shopping lists, problems lists, etc.

I also have a bucket list but it's only in my head. Mostly daydreams but dreams are pleasant to "ride" for a little while. Ride a century. Backpack the Grand Canyon extended trip. Backpack lots of places, different according to my mood. Travel the country in an RV, a bicycle, etc.

The purpose of writing a list is to commit yourself to DOING something. There's nothing wrong about that. Of course a lot of items on lists get lost in the shuffle. But that's just the nature of things. It's impossible to do everything.

Bucket list:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h8...1851E5B547.jpg

I guess you're right Doug64, @ 65 I still may have a few years left, so I should start another list. Nothing inspires me at the moment, but I'm sure something will come along!

Rick / OCRR

No offense...... but why would those items be on a before I die (kick the bucket) list? Ride a century... or take a backpacking vacation isn't something you need to wait till your 80 to turn your attention towards. Those are things that might even be difficult to accomplish.... on a "last list". And no doubt about it... a bucket list is a last list.

If your safety... was no longer a consideration. If your being here to provide, to help, support, was not going to be a consideration in the near future. What have you set aside.... for the sake of being a loving family member. What would be the selfish indulgence you could allow yourself to have.

I don't think a bucket list is a last minute shopping guide to things you forgot to buy (or didn't make time for) while you still have/had good health and others to share you experiences with.

LOL. No offense taken.

To "a bucket list is a last list", Who says so? To me a bucket list is a list of things I have always wanted to do and haven't or a list of things I did while young and want to do again before I'm too old. And yes the years have limited my capabilities.

Ride a century has been on my do it this winter list for the last 4 winters. Each winter I have hit a setback, whether over-training, minor injury, just plain wimping out, or all of the above.

Good enough for me.......Bucket List | Definition of bucket list by Merriam-Webster

That's why I call mine a "life list". Heck, you could start a bucket list at age 12! They are things you want to do sometime in your life. The definition above could have just as easily said, "a list of things that one has not done before but wants to do." Obviously, they can't be done after dying:)

I'm too lazy. I don't even have a bucket.

Because it would be pointless having them on an after I die list.

Now that that's settled ... I don't keep lists but there are a few cycling things I'm going to do when I get a chance. I'd like to try a cross-country tour, or tour at least a good size portion. Also, a cycling vacation. I'd also like to train seriously for a season or two and try the state age-group time trial competition.

I'd like to put a 1000 watt motor on my fared upright, and if that's fun then rebuild it with carbon fiber. That would be pretty awesome, and maybe what I'd take on tour.

A bucket list is a bad idea because what do you do when you've completed it?

They are dynamic- The "add-ons" are more frequent than the "accomplished" on mine. Some items are taken off because I changed my mind about wanting do them. I'd have to live into the early 100's to do what is on it now. Prioritizing is the hard part. No way is it chiseled in stone. Heck, my wife and I are talking about long bike tours, and other activities that have only been on our mental list which changes pretty rapidly.

Of course it isn't. Anymore than your dream bike will be your last bike. A bucket list is what you'd like to do before you kick the bucket, whether you do it tomorrow or 20 years from now.

Yeah.... I get the impression many people mix their aspirations with their expirations. But... It doesn't matter to me.

I am confused though.... where do people get their information? In order to make a bucket list 20 years before you die.... how do you find out that date of expiration? I assumed (apparently wrongly by some) in order to make a “before I die list” I had to have some idea of when that time would come. Otherwise If I have a list of say 40 items to accomplish before I die.... with no time-line to structure the events... how do I know which one to do 1[SUP]st[/SUP] and when to do it?

Or are some referring to some non-practical, whimsical, fun things to do... that will never be accomplished... list?

Start another list.

Done that several times,

All the peaks in the San Gabriels, with a name on Robinson's map.

All of the 5 star in Vogel's or 3 star in Bartlet's, 5.9 climbs in Joshua Tree

All of the routes 5.10A and under at Tahquitz

All 15 of the California 14,000 ft peaks

1000+ routes in Joshua tree.

Now I'm starting on the bike list.

That's where I am right now but I really don't think it was a bad idea because now I feel somewhat amazed (in a good way) that I actually completed all the rides I decided I wanted to do when I was in my early 20's. Yes, it took a long while but by golly, I did them!

Rick / OCRR

Why would anyone even care if another person had a bucket list, let alone take the time to ostrasize them for it?

You gotta dream of what you want to do.

Then you gotta dare to take the first step to achieving that dream.

And finally you do the dream.

Hence: Dream. Dare. Do.

Someone said that once. Oh yeah, it was me. It came during a particularly active part of my life.

It's sometimes easy for me to forget it. And reading this thread, and posting this reply, very simply has helped me remember when my motivation is somewhat subdued.

Age also doesn't mean we don't have dreams or aspirations to do certain things in life. It's even better to have a partner who can share those dreams and aspirations.

Some people are 'goal oriented,' and some are 'process oriented,' but in any event, things like bucket lists seem kind of silly to me, like those lists of places and things one MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE. :rolleyes:

Lists are not plans, and these kinds of lists are merely affirmations of desires or opinions. They can help one sort through and prioritize options, but only make sense if the thing or activity is important to begin with.

For instance, the fascination with bucket lists seems to indicate a kind of acquisitiveness - a desire to accumulate notable "experiences" and knowledge of the wider world. People often seem to believe that acquiring such knowledge is noble, but as Pascal put it in the context of travel: Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it. Frankly, it strikes me as rather ignoble to commit oneself to accumulating experiences before one dies if one can't put such knowledge and experience to use somehow. It's like dying a greedy miser, only worse - you can't leave your experiences to anyone in your will.

:bang: :bang: :bang: mea culpa

A little OT:

I don’t pretend to know why other people choose to travel. I can only use my autobiography and those of friends. I am not talking about just traveling to xxxx; I’m talking about traveling by bicycle. I don’t know of anyone who rode their bike across the country that did not say the trip enriched their lives in some way. When traveling by bike, “the Journey is truly the destination.” When someone asks my wife or me , “what was the best part of your trip”; our usual relpy is, “ the people we met”.

I believe that traveling anywhere for three months on a bike will change your viewpoint of the world and people in a positive way. There are people who get it and there are some that never will; and it is pretty easy to tell who is who. I’ve seen that understanding in the smile and eyes of a little old lady who has probably never seen an American cyclist, or any cyclist for that matter, riding a bike loaded down with panniers. She understood what we were doing, and approved. I can almost say with certainty that Pascal never crossed a continent on a bicycle.

I also believe that doing anything that pushes me outside my comfort zone helps me grow as a person. It is almost impossible to gain skills, knowledge, or experiences that will not be used in some way. Experiencing an activity that pushes physical and mental limis, transfers into almost any area of a person’s life. How can riding an average of 50 miles a day for 74 consecutive days not make you stronger both physically and mentally. Wouldn’t you be outside your comfort zone cycling for extended periods in areas where you are reliant on the things carried on your bike, where there is no cell coverage or handy bike shops, are unable to read the road signs or menus, and unable to communicate effectively because of language differences. The self reliance and confidence gained from this type of experience are assets in any situation.

Knowledge and experience make you the person you are, for better or worse. I find it much easier to gain knowledge and experience while I am alive. What is the option, being in a “place” wearing blinders and using earplugs? Sure, we talk about our ventures; that is who we are. However, I’d enjoy listening to your stories much more than telling you mine.

We got back from a two week river cruise, in August, that covered 5 countries, including Germany. There were bicycle paths everywhere, especially along the river. It seemed as if you could bike along the river through each country we visited. I drooled the entire time we were there. I love cycling; no matter where it's at or how short or long the ride is. While we were there, I saw several advertisements for cycling river cruises. They are the same as a regular river cruise except you do all the touring on bikes rather than buses and walking. I wouldn't say that I would put this on my "Bucket List", but I sure wouldn't mind doing one of those cruises before I'm too old to ride a bike.

I've never done a three month journey on a bike but certainly would love to try it. On a smaller scale, my son-in-laws best friend does the Florida Coast 2 Coast ride every year. Many years ago, when he found out I was a cycling addict, he tried talking me into doing this ride. Each year since then, I kept finding new reasons why I shouldn't do this ride. Last year, at age 68, I finally gave in and signed up for the 210 mile ride. I can say, without a doubt, that I could kick myself in the a$$ for waiting so long to do it. It was by far the best thing I have done for myself in years. Meeting new people with the same passion as you, new friendships, sharing the hardships of other riders and the feeling of accomplishment that we all got when we put our front wheels into the Gulf of Mexico was something to experience. This years ride is on October 23rd, and my bike and I will be there, ready to do it all over again.

Thanks for those insightful comments.

I was planning on going over the pub for a few pints tonight and possibly, among other topics such as the Rugby and Syria, chat about the holiday we've just booked in Venice, but I now realise that would demonstrate my pathetic acquisitiveness and vanity. I'll just open a few cans in the house while watching TV.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” —Mark Twain

Ahhh....done everything I wanted to do, and a lot of stuff I shouldn't have/didn't. I be ready to die now. Not as negative as it sounds. Feel most free to do any weird ass thing I feel like without consequence worries. :)

Well, I can say so with absolute certainty. To begin with, the modern safety bicycle wasn't even invented until about 200 years after he died. :) As a youth, he invented the calculator, not the brifter.

I didn't mean to denigrate travel any more than I meant to denigrate knowledge of any kind. But like anything, it's what you make of it. What good is the approval of some old woman in a foreign country if you can't even appreciate a good movie at home - a movie that has the potential to change your life if you let it?
I have no idea what may be worthwhile or what may be pointless self-indulgence for anyone. It could be travel, it could be rugby, it could be a university education, or it could be cycling. Nothing is necessarily pathetic, but it's not worthwhile or noble just because we think it's interesting or has some kind of prestige or because we "get something out of it" - we have to do something with it besides talk about it and cross it off our list. Not that there's anything WRONG with that.... ;)

I did the bucket list summer bike mania back in 2011. I convinced my wife that because I was 60 I was going to die soon and I wanted one last big event. We rode in Calif, Oregon, Washington, Victoria Canada, Idaho and did two week-long Adventure Cycling rides that included Yellowstone and the Washington Cascades.

But I didn't die. So now were planning a 19 day ride from Lake Tahoe to Portland Oregon via Mt. Lassen and Crater Lake this summer.

Make it work for you.