This post is from Ryan Eller (me), an avid Bucket Lister, a believer in Brinner (breakfast for dinner), and a serious Nick Collison junkie. Check out my blog for stories about my travels. In the meantime…check out one of my favorite Bucket List stories.

Did you know I had a Bucket List? I rarely talk about it, but I do have one! Most of the items on my list were added on a flight home from NYC in 2004. I had been to the Big Apple for a journalism conference at the New York Times, and I was able to do some amazing things. I went to the top of the Empire State Building, saw the Statue of Liberty, jogged around Central Park, and mourned at Ground Zero.

I decided on that flight home that I needed to create a list of things to do before I kicked the bucket. This is where my original list was created, but many, many items have been added over time. One item in particular was added only after I accomplished it…

#107 – Riding the Skycoaster at the Royal Gorge – (June 24th, 2010, Canon City, CO)

I was in Colorado with the Northeastern State University Rookie Bridge Camp Emeritus group for a team building and leadership training. It was awesome. We camped at the base of the Royal Gorge, went white-water rafting, and even took a short bus to the top of Pike’s Peak.

We had nothing planned on our schedule for our last evening in CO, and a few of us wanted to check out the Royal Gorge. For those of you who haven’t been there, the Royal Gorge is a canyon on the Arkansas River near Cañon City, Colorado with a width of 50 feet at its base and a depth of 1,250 feet. That is one long and narrow crack in the earth. It has the world’s highest suspension bridge…and the world’s most awesome Skycoaster.

You might recognize Skycoasters from your local amusement park. They load you on a swing, pull you really high into the air, and launch you forward into the sky. It is as close to flying as you can get without jumping out of a plane. The Royal Gorge Skycoaster sets at the highest point above the canyon, and catapults you over the Arkansas River.

The few of us who went to the Royal Gorge forked out the $25 it cost to ride the Skycoaster and made a lifelong memory. Immediately after I got off of the ride I added this item to my Bucket List and proceeded to check it off. If you truly Live Your List you will find many opportunities to add buckets to the list.

If you ever find yourself in Colorado, make your way to the Royal Gorge Skycoaster…tell them Eller sent you to check something off of your Bucket List!

Have you ever accomplished something and thought you needed to add it to your Bucket List? What buckets have you added? Have you been on a Skycoaster?