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Good lord, the scenery out west is incredible. In particular the southwest in the greater 4 corners area. Ever been to the Bisti Badlands? Its another world.
Yes, the scenery can be fantastic, but so can the scenery east of the Rockies. We all get tired of looking at the same thing whether it's brown or green.
The plant life east of the Rockies is far more diverse than it is west of the Rockies because of the rain. If you think large green deciduous trees are boring, try living where mountains have nearly nothing but pines and firs and the flat lands are made up of almost nothing but small drought tolerant shrubs like creosote.
I've lived in the desert SW for nearly 50 years and recently visited KY. The green and rain felt like I was on another planet. It was wonderful and so beautiful. To have green everywhere as far as the eye can see with water in the form of streams, rivers, lakes, ponds was beautiful beyond words to me, instead of brown, brown and more brown, dry riverbeds and dry lakes.
You'll never see this in the SW unless it's a man made golf course sucking up millions of gallons of underground water to keep it green.
So, it's true that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. This pic was taken in NW Kentucky. No irrigation needed.
Last edited by marino760; 12-19-2018 at 06:04 AM..
I've lived in the south and the west, and I can't stand the dryness and ugliness of the west.
There's nothing desirable about looking at moisture-starved landscapes, and nature and wildlife severely reduced. It's hell on the skin, nose/sinuses, and bodies in general, as water is what we are largely composed of. Drinking lots of water doesn't cut it. It's needed externally as much as internally.
Can't wait to get back to greenery, moisture, and nature fully-alive.
I had occasion to visit Phoenix for a business trip a few years ago, and I was blown away by the stark beauty of the Southwestern desert. It was like nothing I had ever seen as an Easterner born and bred, and I was in awe of the jaw-dropping beauty.
And yet . . . I just couldn't escape feeling the dryness of it all. I drove on bridges over river beds wide enough to put a 10-lane freeway in them, yet they had less water in them than the tiny stream out back behind my house. After living surrounded by greenery, the near-total lack of it was quite a shock to my system.
Here is a view of the Salt River, near Sky Harbor Airport. Notice something missing that is traditionally associated with rivers?
When I flew back home, I looked out the window as we took off from Phoenix, and I gazed out at all the brown dryness. But later on, as my plane made its landing approach to Baltimore, I looked out at the verdant greenery and ample water, made even more prominent at the time because we were landing in a light rain storm. And I knew I was home.
There are areas in the west where you can enjoy the best of both desert and greenery in close proximity to each other.
I'll disagree because this is about desert. Yes, you can live in the Pacific Northwest and have lots of green. In the desert southwest, you're limited to higher elevations in mountain which are mostly pines, junipers and the like. It's nothing like the green east of the Rockies but maybe I'm being too picky.
I'll disagree because this is about desert. Yes, you can live in the Pacific Northwest and have lots of green. In the desert southwest, you're limited to higher elevations in mountain which are mostly pines, junipers and the like. It's nothing like the green east of the Rockies but maybe I'm being too picky.
I'll disagree because this is about desert. Yes, you can live in the Pacific Northwest and have lots of green. In the desert southwest, you're limited to higher elevations in mountain which are mostly pines, junipers and the like. It's nothing like the green east of the Rockies but maybe I'm being too picky.
It's nothing like back east, that's correct.
Living in New Mexico after having lived for 65 years in Missouri, a very green environment, I often hear people (who usually have no idea or life experience in the desert SW) make foolish statements about the lack of green color in the desert. That may be true in some areas of an exceptionally harsh desert but not in most of the places where people live. There is a trade-off that people make. I gleefully gave up the almost impenetrable thicket of tick-infested undergrowth and the somewhat stunted second or third growth forests of the Midwest for the open horizons and (yes, green) mountain views. I can see five mountain ranges from my house in the desert. My larger Juniper trees are about four hundred years old and once belonged to the King of Spain. I can see the bones and muscles of the desert and mountain terrain and discern the limits of the rift valley where I live. The mountains near me are snow-capped and clad in tall Ponderosa Pines. I can be there in about 30 minutes. The (riparian) bosque forests that follow the desert rivers are massive cottonwoods that turn gold in the autumn, rivaling the colors back east. The same can be said of the Aspens. It is a different kind of environment and the high desert (around 5500 ft where I live) has possibly the best four-season climate in the US.
You're not telling me specifically anything I don't already know. I grew up and lived in the desert SW almost my entire life. I've been there quite a bit longer than you have and have seen every national park in the area. I live at an elevation of 3000 ft. It's beautiful yes. It's also dry for most of the year sometimes going 8 months without rain. With enough winter rain, the wild flowers grow and bloom and the brown turns to green with lovely colors. Then by May, it's mostly brown again.
Like you, some people want a change of scenery. For myself, that happens east of the Rockies. There's no right or wrong answer, it's personal choice.
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 think you've said at one point that you've never even been to the Midwest, correct?
It sounds to me like you're mistaking the Midwest for the Great Plains, which is drier and mostly lacks trees.
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