What is your most memorable experience as a traveler that you will cherish forever?

I am curious to hear about other travelers experiences in different parts of the country. I see amazing pictures from all parts country on here that makes me want to see more and more.

I have so many favorites as a traveler from randomly meeting people on an airplane and becoming life long friends while en route to an assignment to having three spring breaks in one year. South Padre Island living in a beach condo was amazing!! Learning about different cultures in various parts of the country. I went from a predominantly  hispanic community where I learned quite a bit of Spanish (TexMex) to the r****** rivera or as my new Alabama friends call it LA (Lower Alabama) to learning more about Native Americans in Northern Arizona on the Navajo Nation. The best part is that it was all in one year!  This country is so diverse and has so much to offer and see and I would love to hear about your experiences and suggestions on what to see next!

HAPPY TRAVELS! 

I am with you.  I cannot choose one place! In the past 12 months, I have worked:
*Gulf Coast Florida, which was fantastic.  Condo on the water, facing just right to catch sunrise & sunset both.  Across from a state park with 2 pairs of nesting bald eagles & just about every other kind of bird on the planet.   
*Atlantic Coast Florida, also much fun!  Condo on the water, state parks all around, again, many birds.
*West Washington... not enough words to cover the wildlife.  So many mountains to climb & not enough time.  Housing on the Puget Sound.
*Central Coast California... great ocean view house, close to endless beaches, endless wildlife...(that contract got canceled)
*Monterey California (currently)... housing sucks, but beautiful commute to work.  Close to ocean... watched a pod of whales feeding at sunset last night.

Oh WOW, I hope to see some more responses here as the first two have me hooked to see what others will say.
Amy

Yes, Traveling has been the best decision I ever made.  I have been from AK to St. Croix in just 4 short years, and have met and done the most amazing things.  Just waking up in a new town and knowing you have never been there before is exciting.  I have flown to the Arctic and have seen polar bears, and have  been on a sail boat race around the Virgin Islands, all because I decided to be a travel nurse.  I cherish each and everyone  of my memories.

My most memorable experience was in Montevideo, MN; where I was a traveling respiratory therapist contracted as the per diem director of the department. I was expected to control the department, re-do policy and procedures in addition to providing respiratory care to all patients. I was there for 8 months, until they hired a fulltime director from a nearby city. My last day consisted of a party for me, with all staff including doctors, administration, maintenance personnel, some former patients and family members wishing me well and thanking me. There were cards, cookies form former patients, small gifts from family members and the nurses provided food. I appreciated all they did for me and will forever remember they acts of kindness.

Tough question, very difficult to narrow all of the great experiences down to my favorite.  Here are the tops of my list:
1)  golfing with Nick and friends in Cheyenne, WY
2)  hiking the sand dunes with my dogs on the Oregon coast
3)  camping in Vermont with my nieces
4)  spending Christmas in New Hampshire with snow falling down
5)  attending music festivals in Oregon and Washington
6)  attending the Traveler's Conference in Vegas last year
7)  camping beside Jordan Lake near Durham, NC

More to follow......

Who can pick just one?
1.  Everything I did in Alaska: especially hiking to a glacier, see Denali on a clear day, having my parents visit me there, seeing bald eagles in the trees.  
2.  The National parks in Utah, especially Canyonlands, but also Bryce, Arches, Zion.  
3  Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon
4. Soaking in hot springs: Wyoming, Colorado, but especially Truth or Consequences, NM
5. Ancient cities and dwellings in the western desert:  Chaco canyon, Canyon de Chelly, Mesa Verde, Hovenweep
6. Glacier National Park
7. Rocky Mountain national park 
8. Carlsbad Caverns
9 Big Bend
10 All the historical sites of american western expansion, the real history of Spanish and European colonialism, the destruction of aboriginal (american indian)  cultures, and later Indian wars.  The footprints of inhumanity at the sites of former internment camps in Colorado, Wyoming  and Idaho.  

diane

In no particular order:
-seeing a saguaro cactus up close and personal for the first time in AZ.
-standing in the same room that George Washington did in MD.
-Great Smokey Mountain National Park
-seeing Orca Whales in the Pacific
-experiencing a dust storm in NM
-seeing old friends and classmates I haven't seen in years because I was in their neighborhood.
-eating seafood right off the boat
-hiking in the arctic rainforest one month and the desert the next.
-being awed and fascinated by all the different museums around the country.
-kayaking with alligators in FL and harbor seals in AK
-finding that perfect funky local coffee shop to wile away a rainy afternoon.
-ice climbing in AK, rappelling in AL, hang gliding in TN, parasailing in Gulf, spelunking in TX
-having a moose in the backyard
-splashing my toes in the Pacific, Atlantic, Gulf and Great Lakes all in one year
-small world moments
-waking up in the middle of the night not knowing where I am, but the game is to see how long it takes me to figure it out.