Amazing and Exciting Places

We have all been places that amazed and excited us throughout the years, and the memories of said places have stayed with us to the present day. The 2 things I got to do when I was 11 years old was to take my first plane ride and it was to California where I went to Disneyland. Those memories will last forever. So, the question is, what amazing and exciting places have you been to?

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I will take that 1 step further (or backward, depending on if you look at it historically) when I was 5 years old my memory reminds me of a day in 1957 my parents drove us to Disneyland and we sat in an auditorium filled with seats that moved front to back and side to side as ‘our rocket ship’ in the center launched into outer space!

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One other amazing place at least for me (again very young) was visiting the Science and Industry museum in Chicago and going down an elevator into an ‘actual coal mine’. I remember the tour guide getting us together ‘down’ there, turning off all the lights and having a ‘Tom, Becky, Huck and Injun Joe’ moment in pitch darkness.

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I have many stories-most true-lol…Have traveled quite a bit but when Young I moved to Mountains and sometimes studied the Bible at night. Few times the room seemed to turn a golden color and a deep peace would linger for a day or so. At the time My Cousin Joey wanted to become a Priest so We traveled to the Holy land and Middle East during the Lebanon-Beirut crisis. All tour groups canceled except for 19 American and Canadians that still wanted to travel and they called us the Superstar group. When in the rose red rock City of ancient Petra Jets screamed by overhead and very loud booms were echoing. We all scattered and the Guide stood there and laughed. Said that this happens every day at this time when the Jets break the sound barrier and no worries… Truly was amazing few weeks.

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That sounds like a wonderful trip. Never been to the Holy land, but always wanted to go. Thank you for telling us about that experience.

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I missed that ride. Sounds like it was fun.

When I was 13 or 14 My father and I went to Moab, Ut. He had to check on some oil drilling up there. We checked into the Arrow Motel and found John Wayne and the cast of The Comancheros staying there. Had breakfast with the cast and John Wayne every morning. Evenings were spent playing chess with Pat Wayne at the pool and went swimming with Ina Blaine every evening. We were invited by John Wayne to be his guest on the set for one day. For a young kid that was exciting. Second meeting with John Wayne and the cast of the world premier of the Horse Soldiers in Shreveport, La.
William Holden, and Constance Towers were interesting also.

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That is an awesome experience. Thank you for sharing.

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your welcome

I went to college in southern California and was able to take multiple trips to Joshua Tree National Monument. It was incredible, going from Suburban Los Angeles to an area where you were 50 miles away from the closest artificial light. At night you’d see so many stars that you could barely tell the Big Dipper because of all the stars inside it. There were also some incredible rock formations, and I loved climbing. I had an old metal Nikon camera that had dents all over it from banging against the rocks as I climbed them.

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That is so cool. I have been to California, but have never been there. Thank you for sharing.

We took a trip to New Zealand. I loved visiting the rainforest there–hiking the glaciers, visiting the location where Sir Edmund Hillary prepared himself for his Mt. Everest summit in 1953, visiting a bird sanctuary where we saw a pair of flightless birds thought to have gone extinct until they were found in the forest and brought in to be nurtured and preserved. I could go on and on. I’d move to New Zealand in a heartbeat!

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@JanCee
Shuuush… Don’t tell everybody how beautiful it is here. We don’t want all kinds of riffraff trying to get in.:grin:

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I’ll shush but to keep it as my dream destination! I live in California, where the dream has died due to over-population. :frowning:

Just a few suggestions for your next (longer) visit.
In no particular order’
Kayak to Cathedral Cove and visit the nearby hot water beach where you can create your very own warm water pool/spa
Hobbiton is a must for Lord of the rings fans as is Central Otago
The hot mud pools in Rotorua are amazing. After a good soak in those you actually get younger.
Able Tasman National Park. Stunning Tropical coastline with beautiful forest and beaches.
Take a whale watching trip off Kaikoura.
Visit the Albatross and Penguin Colonies and stay a night in Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula.
Cruise Doubtful Sound (highly recommend the overnight cruise) and drive to Milford Sound. Sheer cliffs and countless majestic waterfalls. On a rainy day it is easy to believe that all the water in the world is pouring over those falls or that God himself has left the tap on.
World renowned star gazing opportunities and locations such as Lake Tekapo or The Catlins.
There are so many excellent wine & food tours that will blow your socks off.
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway. (allow time for the 20,000,000 photo’s you will take)
Arthurs Pass is a superb drive but not for the faint-hearted. Steep, rugged and beautiful, formed by the meeting of 2 tectonic plates, it crosses the main divide from east to west coast.
West Coast. All of it. The whole place.
Thats just for starters. Allow at least 3 months

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Venice Italy has always been a favorite of mine and coming in 2nd is Palma de Majorca, Spain.

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Good news: I did visit Arthurs Pass and also Lake Tekapo. Cruised Milford Sound. Wooot! Much, much left to do. Next time!

One amazing place is Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. Every night from spring until fall, hundreds of thousands of bats fly out of the caverns, and it’s quite a sight.

Knowing what to expect, i went well equipped with a hair net, bathing cap, pith helmet, and full bee=keeping gear, because, you know, bats like hair and stuff.

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