East coast vs. west coast let’s get ready to rumble…

[Patrick46]

whaaaaaa????

old...you said you're OLD??



oh, I get it........you're COLD!!!

 

[sephson]

A BOLD statement from the FOLD I'm TOLD.

Lest ideas take HOLD, making my brain Mold, on the west coast I'm SOLD.

 

[user 423]

I need:

3) WILD Places that will kill me in a heartbeat if I disrespect them.

The west has those places in abundance, the east has nearly none.

Gee, I thought just about any big east coast city could provide that...

 

[Zil]

Gold? Georgia is where the gold rushes started.

 

[compassrose]

I long to leave the litterbox known as NM. We have been here far too long and still have over a year until we leave. Ever since David & I met over 35 years ago, we talked about going "out west". Okay we've been here. It's mostly beautiful in it's own way but I would rather a shortish visit and not a stay measured in years. I would like to do Carlsbad Caverns once more before we leave. I've seen the cliff dwellings at Bandelier NM. When my daughter get's married next spring, we will play tourist for a week and hit Santa Fe and ABQ's Old Town while up there (maybe hit 4 corners and see shiprock just so I can say we did) . We are planning on spending a week this fall back in Socorro getting stuff sorted thru to toss or keep. Planning on riding up to the Very Large Array and do the freebie walking tour. Would also like to stop in Lincoln when we pass thru in the bus. Last time we were too pushed for time.

We will head back east to rain, green and high humidity! :heart:

Our trip East will also include a couple of tourist stops (the Alamo, the Lexington at Corpus Christi and Moody Gardens in Houston/Galveston). Getting tourism guides from Mississippi and Louisiana is like pulling teeth. TX, AL & FL were pretty prompt about sending out books. Until we buy a place, we will alternate public campgrounds & cheap boondocking with 1/2 price Passport America stays for a night or two.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes I know there is gold back east, but mostly on private property, and not in the quantities that you can dig out west. highdesertranger

 

[user 423]

Hey Compass, what would a summer spent at a state park near T or C be like? With the yearly permit, the fees are pretty low. I used to live in Santa Fe many years ago but it's at 7200' and summers there weren't so bad.

 

[GotSmart]

After 20 years in the middle, I am ready to head West. I will catch Highway 1 around LA, and head North to Washington State. I have always wanted to take the slow way up the Coast Highway.

I was raised in the Napa Valley, and spent 35 years in N. CA. Lots of old GF's wanting to say hi.

Perhaps next year I will go East and see what is there.

 

[akrvbob]

I've never understood why so many people gushed over NM. I haven't spent much time there but all the country I've seen is mediocre at best. I don't believe I've ever seen a picture of NM and thought, "I've got to go there!"

Every other state West of the Rockies I've thought that many, many times.
Bob

 

[Patrick46]

I've never understood why so many people gushed over NM. I haven't spent much time there but all the country I've seen is mediocre at best. I don't believe I've ever seen a picture of NM and thought, "I've got to go there!"

HA!!! I'm right there with ya Bob!

 

[caseyc]

I've only been to New Mexico once in my life long ago. It was for downhill skiing in Taos Ski Resort in the dead of winter. I am nearly an advanced skier and can handle a single black diamond run on a good day. But that Taos resort had by far the scariest ski runs I had ever seen. I almost cr@pped in my trousers when I looked down the double black diamond runs from the top of the mountain! On the way back home, I drove 14 hours from New Mexico to Texas to catch a plane ride home. There was nothing but long endless stretch of desolate roads from my recollection. I didn't see anything that was worth stopping for along the way.

 

[compassrose]

compassrose,

If you have the time while in the Carlsbad area check out "Sitting Bull Falls" to the west. A nice little place, closed at night, we spent the night just outside the gates sleeping on the ground but that was 25 years ago. Good place for easy rock scrambling.

Guy

I think Sitting Bull Falls is closed. It seems they were saying that but
I forget. It may have only been temporary. Or may not have been it at all. Last fall they closed some falls near Carlsbad.

---

Hey Compass, what would a summer spent at a state park near T or C be like? With the yearly permit, the fees are pretty low. I used to live in Santa Fe many years ago but it's at 7200' and summers there weren't so bad.

We lived at Socorro, which is slightly north of TorC. Socorro is freakin hot in the summer. It is not as windy/dusty as Roswell. Might be because Socorro is backed up to the mountains. We have only been to TorC twice and once was for an event we worked (food cart). The first time we were looking at moving to TorC and street vending. We changed our mind once we found how restrictive the town was.

We drove thru Elephant Butte SP. We like Bottomless Lakes SP better.

There is a place west of Socorro called "The Box" where you can stay for free. Also "Water Canyon" which I've been told is better for camping (Mar-Nov, 12 sites. By car, take Highway 60 west from Socorro. Turn left - east - about 15 miles from Socorro at the Forest Service marker - about a mile beyond the Water Canyon Bar - proceed 4 miles to the campground). We had a few customers who would only come into town every so often as they were bouncing around the freebie campgrounds and would pull into Socorro to resupply. They would stay at Wal-Mart for a few nights and then leave out again. If you weren't panhandling, then Socorro didn't mess with you. If you were panhandling, the local drunks would run you out of town.

 

[SoulRaven]

I have read in other travel blogs about the panhandling epidemic in New Mexico.

A well known disgraced city former manager of a city in Northeast Pennsylvania got a job as a city manager in a good sized city in New Mexico.

“Go west young convict”

You are no longer accepted in East Coast polite society are forever banished by the Humongous to the wastelands.

 

[compassrose]

"Come to NM on vacation, leave on probation". This is what my NM co-workers are always saying. Roswell is very corrupt.

 

[LeeRevell]

I drove through NM a couple times in my Navy Daze in the early eighties. I remember somewhere there on I10 a stretch of highway was paved in PINK! Weird.
Saw a Road Runner (the bird...) on the side of the road, running my direction. He couldn't keep up with my Firebird.

 

[Patrick46]

Saw a Road Runner (the bird...) on the side of the road, running my direction. He couldn't keep up with my Firebird.

well...it's hard to run with only 1 leg!!!

 

[Chum]

I've lived in NJ most of my life. I dislike the winters that rust my car, high rents, crumbling roads, and too many people. I've always lived in suburbs and cities, and my stress level seems to increase every year, so I would like to try living somewhere rural. I don't really care about culture, nightlife, or restaurants. South Jersey is much different than north, so I will probably try there. There's also the Poconos in PA, and the Catskills in NY I may consider.

I have been to coastal CA, OR, and WA and loved it. This summer I am going to check out the states I have yet to visit, which are WY, MT, ID, SD, ND, IA, MN, WI, and MI. I am especially interested in seeing Devils Tower, the Balck Hills, etc.

 

[mockturtle]

I will admit that Appalachia is stunningly beautiful and the people, in general, are great.

 

[raygun]

I'm in between in MN. Whenever I can get away, I always head West. I love The Badlands and Yellowstone. About 6 years ago we sold everything and packed up myself, my husband, my daughter (who was 6 at the time), my dog and my cat and headed out in a 1971 VW Camper for about 2 months on the road. We went from MN through the Badlands to Mt. Rushmore and then to Yellowstone. From there we hit Vegas and down over to San Diego. Then (after getting food poisoning passing through SF) we went up to Portland and visited my uncle. When we left there, we drove back down to San Diego area and crossed AZ and NM and ended up in Alamo, TX (my MIL had a huge house there very close to the Mexico border). Got tired of Alamo and passed through New Orleans on our way to Tampa. It was mid summer and was too hot so we didn't stay long. We went back to Alamo to regroup and (somehow) decided that it was a good idea to move back to MN. I always wonder what we were thinking when winter rolls around. I'm hoping that maybe we can winter someplace warm and come back to northern MN for the summers. I love it up there.

 

[GypsySilver]

East coast vs. west coast let’s get ready to rumble…

disclaimer: I was born and raised on the west coast - lived in Texas for many years - also lived in Okla, Pa, Indiana and almost bought a house in Fla... so......


The west is awesome but a lot of nuts there, the east is full of Yankees and so is Fla

Okla has tornadoes, Texas is hot, Indiana is.. Indiana, lol.


Actually I have found good and bad in most everywhere I have lived