My Bucket List

by Ken Peters, Green Valley Parkinson's Support Group Board Director 

It was one of the most frequently asked questions upon my retirement: “What are you going to do in retirement?” OR “Do you have plans to do anything in retirement?”

For a man who had worked 35 years at various firms in different capacities, the thought of retirement could have been scary, but I was prepared for that last day with a plan--a BUCKET LIST.

My bucket list included going to all of the U.S. National Parks. My wife K.C. and I started on the list by checking-off the parks we had already visited. That number grew to over twenty. Then we bought a small RV and off we went.

It took us about eight years to check the next 58 of them off my list. Eleven were not in the continental United States. We visited those without our RV.

Ken Peters and his wife in Alaska

One of the eleven parks was in ALASKA--a total wilderness! There were no roads nor man-made structures of any kind in the park. Since we didn't have survival skills to enable us to stay overnight, we took a bush pilot plane into that park.

In the process of working on my bucket list, we found that two parks had been added to the National Park list. Our total was now 61 parks. We visited those two new additions in 2019.

To date, we have visited 60 of the 61 parks. We plan to complete our bucket list with a trip to the National Park of American Samoa in the heart of the South Pacific.

In 2011 I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The VA said it was caused by my exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant chemical used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. So far with two prescription drugs and exercise, I have only experienced a left-hand tremor and loss of balance.

The Parkinson's Support Group of Green Valley has been a “Godsend” by providing an exercise outlet. Last year I joined the Board of Directors to give back. What a talented and dedicated group of board members!