John Hickenlooper's bucket list for experiencing Colorado in 2012

In recent decades, this state has been the focus of numerous doomsday predictions that Colorado -- if not the world itself -- was in imminent danger of disappearing. The most recent furor involves the Mayan calendar's prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012 -- a prediction debunked by 2012: The True Mayan Prophecy, a film by homegrown PeaceJam. But just in case Colorado is about to be wiped off the map, we asked the governor for a bucket list of can't miss experiences in the state.

Here's John Hickenlooper's list:

Governor John Hickenlooper's Bucket List

1. Gorge on corn at the Olathe Sweet Corn Festival.

2. Ride the historic Kit Carson County Carousel in Burlington.

3. Try a pint at a brewery in Fort Collins, Durango, Denver, Colorado Springs and everywhere in between.

4. Enjoy a summer show at the Creede Repertory Theatre.

5. Meditate at Naropa University in Boulder .

6. Hike to Hanging Lake in Glenwood Canyon.

7. Eat a peach (or a pie) at the Palisade Peach Festival .

8. Celebrate the banjo - and other fine instruments - at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.

9. Hike a 14er, or two or more. Colorado has lots to choose from.

10. Eat some snake at the Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant.

11. Trade my pint glass for a wine glass and visit one of the many wineries near Grand Junction.

12. Spend Halloween night at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park.

13. Walk the route of Christo's "Over the River" at the Arkansas River.

14. Visit the historic railroad roundhouse in the small town of Como.

15. Ski during the summer at Arapahoe Basin.

John Hickenlooper rode into 2011 -- and his gubernatorial inaugural party -- on a beer wagon.

See the slide show of John Hickenlooper's bucket list here.