Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've gotten to the point where greenery is boring. Midwest, East Coast, South East is just...not very exciting. It's not ugly or anything, but it's just kind of bland in my opinion.
I love the West because of how open everything is. In Denver, you can see everything from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. Each state also has a very unique look/vibe.
I did a road trip last year all around the Southwest region, and I was amazed by how fascinated I was with the desert. I'm sure some of this has to do with growing up on the great lakes. But even when I go back home during the summer, "wow it sure is green", but I don't miss it. It all kind of looks the same to me.
I need trees. I need greenery. Whether it be on the east coast or the pacific northwest. The wide open brown spaces are great to visit but to live, give me the sultry damp feel of greenery.
I like hiking and I feel I need trees in order for a hike to feel like a "hike". However, I never hiked in the West before, but the deserts in America offer a lot of scenic hiking where you can hike happily without trees.
I've gotten to the point where greenery is boring. Midwest, East Coast, South East is just...not very exciting. It's not ugly or anything, but it's just kind of bland in my opinion.
I love the West because of how open everything is. In Denver, you can see everything from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. Each state also has a very unique look/vibe.
I did a road trip last year all around the Southwest region, and I was amazed by how fascinated I was with the desert. I'm sure some of this has to do with growing up on the great lakes. But even when I go back home during the summer, "wow it sure is green", but I don't miss it. It all kind of looks the same to me.
I personally think the greenery in NJ is ugly, but scenic spots on the East are still considered "bland" to me except for tropical places like Florida. Midwest is uglier than the East Coast. It's super ugly with just flat plain green land, has no trees, and has absolutely no dramatic scenery.
I always loved the desert and the vibe. The West offers a lot of variety and I personally think even the greenery out West is gorgeous and nothing like the bland East/Midwest.
Less snowstorms, less hurricanes, and less chances of weather destroying your home, and less chances of flooding land (however desert weather can encourage wildfires).
This is a bit of a misconception. Huge wildfires are not all that common in the true desert; there just isn't enough vegetation for a fire to spread far. If you look at a map of the recent California wildfires, you can see that none of them is in the desert (Mojave, etc.).
The Mediterranean climate zones (wet in winter, dry for a long period in summer) are particularly prone to wildfires and that is mainly where we see those events in California. I'm speaking of California because I live there and because we had such a bad fire season, but this is true elsewhere too.
This is a bit of a misconception. Huge wildfires are not all that common in the true desert; there just isn't enough vegetation for a fire to spread far. If you look at a map of the recent California wildfires, you can see that none of them is in the desert (Mojave, etc.).
The Mediterranean climate zones (wet in winter, dry for a long period in summer) are particularly prone to wildfires and that is mainly where we see those events in California. I'm speaking of California because I live there and because we had such a bad fire season, but this is true elsewhere too.
Based on what you're saying, I guess the wildfires in California spread and occur mainly due to the enormous amount of woods it has. The Southwest is a true desert with more blank land and just a bunch of shrubs and cacti and there are less woodsy patches for fires to spread.
I like hiking and I feel I need trees in order for a hike to feel like a "hike". However, I never hiked in the West before, but the deserts in America offer a lot of scenic hiking where you can hike happily without trees.
I like hiking in the trees, but I enjoy being above timberline more. When you're in the tundra above 12,000' there aren't any trees, but it's rarely ever above 65-70 degrees. I don't think I'd enjoy the desert as much because of the heat.
This was taken at about 13,800' on Mt. Bierstadt. The summit is the high point on the left. It's about 1/4 mile from where I took the picture. You can see people at the top - they look like ants in the picture.
This is Mt. Bierstadt (rounded peak on the right) from near the trailhead at 11,600'
This is at about 12,000' on Arapaho Pass west of Boulder. We hiked up there from the wooded area on the right.
I like hiking in the trees, but I enjoy being above timberline more.
I agree with you. I used to backpack extensively in the High Sierra, and while it's all beautiful, there is nothing like the views and feeling of being above timberline. One of my favorite places in the world.
We usually went in August and at that elevation, temperatures still went below freezing most nights.
The best part of the PNW is that no sunshine = less damage to the eyes! I have dark skin, but I'd still not want extreme sunshine, because sunshine speeds up aging and I still wear sunscreen no matter what. I ike the desert scenery. I can watch Youtube videos of desert scenery for many days and not get bored of it.
You can get contacts that have UV protection, also cloudy skies do not mean you have protection from sun damage. You should be wearing sunscreen no matter what climate you're in.
You can get contacts that have UV protection, also cloudy skies do not mean you have protection from sun damage. You should be wearing sunscreen no matter what climate you're in.
Not everyone needs or wants to wear contacts, but it's true that they protect your eyes. I've been wearing contacts for decades and my eye doctor always comments on how healthy and undamaged my eyes are, despite living for 50 years in a very sunny location, and says it's because of the contacts.
Also very true that clouds do not provide protection from the sun.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
