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My husband and I are 36, and our boys are 13, 11 and 11 (twins). We're all in good health and fairly active, though I'd like for us to be much more active. In our subdivision we can walk / jog / bike around safely, which we do when the weather is nice. Or we can head to the community pool. We love to be on the water, to kayak and swim. But around here, if you're on a lake you've got gators to eat you when you're in the water and mosquitoes to eat you when you get out. We can drive an hour to a nice beach where we can kayak, park and play in the water, which is nice when we can.
Well... no beaches (at least of the kind you're accustomed to), but no gators either.
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We loved hiking in Utah- we hiked through Kolob Canyon, Bryce and The Narrows. Our sons climbed on every boulder they could reach. There was such a variety of terrain to explore! And we kayaked and swam in Sand Hollow without having to worry about man-eating creatures in the water (that was nice).
I just re-read your OP and it looks like you've barely scratched the surface of what there is to do in terms of outdoor activities here in Utah. You and your husband are my kids' age (they are 38 and 36). I can just imagine how much fun your boys would have here. I mean, you haven't even been to Moab yet! You haven't gone on a guided hummer ride over Hell's Revenge to watch the sun setting over the red rock hills, and checking out the fossilized dinosaur footprints. You haven't gone on a whitewater (class 3 and 4 rapids) rafting trip on Westwater (a stretch of the Colorado River near Moab). You haven't hiked through the maze of fins and arches in the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park. You haven't hiked the Sulfur Trail in Capitol Reef or driven over Highway 12, which is considered one of the twenty most scenic highways in America. You hiked the Narrows in Zion, but probably not Angel's Landing. And you haven't even got a taste of what it's like to hike the mile after mile of trails in the Wasatch Range of the Rockies, just thirty minutes from Salt Lake City.
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I've definitely considered what it could be like to try out a winter sport, and to get the most out of that season, but I know sometimes reality can be much different from fantasy, and I worry that we might be so uncomfortable in the cold weather that we just huddle inside and don't enjoy it. But if you hate the cold and can tolerate it (and still love the seasons), that gives me hope!
You should try it out. You're still young and could easily learn to ski, and your boys would probably love to learn to ski or snowboard; snowboarding is huge with the teenagers here. I used to ski, but the clothing and equipment back in the dark ages (the 1960s) when I was skiing was so poor that I was always cold and always uncomfortable. Everybody I know who skis now, and who also skied back then, tells me it's entirely different and so much better than it used to be.
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Yes, and I think that would be wonderful! I keep telling myself people can obviously handle colder climates, but as someone who's grown up learning a tolerance for long periods of heat and humidity, I wonder how long it would take to reverse that and learn to tolerate the cold. But as you both mentioned, I do think fun new winter activities would make it much more bearable!
Well, it's an enormous decision. I can't even imagine considering a cross-country move. I guess it all gets down to how adventurous and flexible you are. It would be quite a major move!
Yes, and I think that would be wonderful! I keep telling myself people can obviously handle colder climates, but as someone who's grown up learning a tolerance for long periods of heat and humidity, I wonder how long it would take to reverse that and learn to tolerate the cold. But as you both mentioned, I do think fun new winter activities would make it much more bearable!
You're overthinking it. Just do it, but do it in proper clothes.
[/b]^^^This. And remember - hundreds of millions of people live in 4-season climates with a real winter and get by just fine. You get proper clothes and deal with it. And you'll also appreciate the summer in a way that would have never been previously possible for you.
I will not change a four-season climate for anything else in the world.....and I was born in an Island with 80 degree weather all-year-round.
Greenery is very important to me.......and so are temperatures......we have lots of WATER, some hot weather in summer, and some cold in winter......but one's body gets use to it. I live in the North-Eastern Seaboard.....will not change it, ever........I go to Florida the months of January and February.....for a change of climate and pace.......love my state......
I just re-read your OP and it looks like you've barely scratched the surface of what there is to do in terms of outdoor activities here in Utah. You and your husband are my kids' age (they are 38 and 36). I can just imagine how much fun your boys would have here. I mean, you haven't even been to Moab yet! You haven't gone on a guided hummer ride over Hell's Revenge to watch the sun setting over the red rock hills, and checking out the fossilized dinosaur footprints. You haven't gone on a whitewater (class 3 and 4 rapids) rafting trip on Westwater (a stretch of the Colorado River near Moab). You haven't hiked through the maze of fins and arches in the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park. You haven't hiked the Sulfur Trail in Capitol Reef or driven over Highway 12, which is considered one of the twenty most scenic highways in America. You hiked the Narrows in Zion, but probably not Angel's Landing. And you haven't even got a taste of what it's like to hike the mile after mile of trails in the Wasatch Range of the Rockies, just thirty minutes from Salt Lake City.
That all sounds incredible! I love the idea of our boys spending their teen years outside snowboarding and hiking- so many opportunities to challenge themselves in healthy ways! Around here, teens bike through the neighborhood, but not much farther b/c our sidewalks lead to nowhere. They hang out at the pool but get bored after awhile and start trouble. For interesting things to do, you'll need to drive out to a beach, or have a theme park pass, or pay to get into a trampoline park for a couple hours. I imagine that if you hold an annual National / State Park pass, one could do most things that you mentioned without having to spend a lot of money. And they'd be truly exciting and rewarding.
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Originally Posted by Katzpur
Well, it's an enormous decision. I can't even imagine considering a cross-country move. I guess it all gets down to how adventurous and flexible you are. It would be quite a major move!
It's terrifying, actually. We'd be leaving behind most of our family, friends and neighbors, as well as our jobs, and all the places we like to go. But I think our quality of life could be much better elsewhere (safer roads, better environment, healthy lifestyles), and if we're afraid to get out of our comfort zone and make a change then our roots here will only grow deeper and we'll end up never leaving.
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Originally Posted by kletter1mann
You're overthinking it. Just do it, but do it in proper clothes.
Thanks, Shellybug. What you're describing sounds very much like what we're after. As a lifelong Floridian, how have you all adjusted to the (much) colder weather in Salt Lake? I've heard so many wonderful things about SLC, Provo, Odgen, Park City..... but they get so COLD and we don't know how we'd handle that, coming from such a different extreme here in FL.
We're from Fort Myers/Naples area and have lived in SLC twice now (2009 - 2012) and (2014 - Present). We love it here and it's now "home". It is colder than FL but we have come to appreciate the usable and beautiful snow. Having year round accessibility here to the mountains and outdoor recreation is valuable for us.
We lived in upstate NY for 2 years (2012-2014) and experienced "real" winter. From October - May it's gray, icy, bitter cold, and miserable. Here it could be 30f and compared to 30f in NY it's nothing. The moisture in the air there makes the cold feel so much colder. I'm biased but would much prefer living in SLC area to St. George as the quality of life is better. You can always take quick vacations down to St. George/Zion/Moab as it's 3-4 hours away.
We're from Fort Myers/Naples area and have lived in SLC twice now (2009 - 2012) and (2014 - Present). We love it here and it's now "home". It is colder than FL but we have come to appreciate the usable and beautiful snow. Having year round accessibility here to the mountains and outdoor recreation is valuable for us.
We lived in upstate NY for 2 years (2012-2014) and experienced "real" winter. From October - May it's gray, icy, bitter cold, and miserable. Here it could be 30f and compared to 30f in NY it's nothing. The moisture in the air there makes the cold feel so much colder. I'm biased but would much prefer living in SLC area to St. George as the quality of life is better. You can always take quick vacations down to St. George/Zion/Moab as it's 3-4 hours away.
Good luck on figuring it all out!
LOL, you said it. And 30F would be a warm snap. Northern New England is as bad, or worse. Since moving here I've been asked "Aren't the winters here just so cold and awful?" or some such. I can only laugh.
LOL, you said it. And 30F would be a warm snap. Northern New England is as bad, or worse. Since moving here I've been asked "Aren't the winters here just so cold and awful?" or some such. I can only laugh.
I know all you people who have lived back East keep saying that, but as far as I'm concerned, winters here are "just so cold and awful!"
I know all you people who have lived back East keep saying that, but as far as I'm concerned, winters here are "just so cold and awful!"
Best to stay here then than to experience something immeasurably worse.
[A real frigid cold story:
Back in the 70s a buddy came up to our cabin in VT in January. He had SAE30 oil in his car. When he started it the oil pressure light came on almost immediately. The dipstick said that there was no oil in the sump! Turned out the oil turned into sludge, it being -25F outside for days at a time, and pumped up into the cylinder head but couldn't drain back to the sump fast enough to circulate. We put a spaghetti pot underneath and the oil drained out in about 36 hours. We then melted it on a wood stove, poured it back in and engine ran OK. He had to keep warming it up every few hours before it froze again. Can't make this stuff up. ]
Best to stay here then than to experience something immeasurably worse.
[A real frigid cold story:
Back in the 70s a buddy came up to our cabin in VT in January. He had SAE30 oil in his car. When he started it the oil pressure light came on almost immediately. The dipstick said that there was no oil in the sump! Turned out the oil turned into sludge, it being -25F outside for days at a time, and pumped up into the cylinder head but couldn't drain back to the sump fast enough to circulate. We put a spaghetti pot underneath and the oil drained out in about 36 hours. We then melted it on a wood stove, poured it back in and engine ran OK. He had to keep warming it up every few hours before it froze again. Can't make this stuff up. ]
Relative indeed! But to return to the OP's concerns, here's something more concrete:
A couple years ago my son moved from NY/CT to Richmond VA. I was thinking about this thread and we got to talking about the differences in climate. He said that about HALF his clothes, by volume, became immediately obsolete - a dress wool over coat, various sweaters, fleeces, flannel and wool shirts, winter socks, boots, etc. And FL is a lot warmer than Richmond.
The take-away is that dressing for winter isn't just getting a warmer coat. It's also heavier shirts, pants, sweaters, hats, proper boots, etc. The key to comfort is layering. Coming from FL expect to buy a LOT of new clothing. And don't go cheap. You'll have it for years and cheap synthetics don't work as well and fall apart quickly. You may not enjoy the cold, but without rethinking your wardrobe there's no chance of not hating it and outdoor recreation would be miserable or even dangerous.
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