Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 18, 2012 - 10:18pm PT
The coffee's pretty good. I won't buy a cup of coffee south of, say, Grants Pass.
Every town - no matter how small - has its own brewery. Even little one-horse towns like Laconner, Port Townsend, and Birdsview have outstanding local breweries.
Bleu cheese cheeseburgers. With applewood smoked bacon. Flyers in Oak Harbor makes a good one ( and brews good beer, too ). Seeds in Laconner makes a better one. The best one I found was at Rouge River Brewing out on a pier on the Colombia River in Astoria.
My home town is Forks...to me it will always be the "Logging Capitol Of The World" not "Twilight Town"...
There are so many things to like about the PNW...the forests, the hunting, the people. Wonderful fishing, camping, climbing and peak bagging. Hurricane Ridge in the spring, Crescent Lake, and so much more. Totem poles, the ferns and the wildlife.
I guess I was lookin' at the wrong piece of meat in that first Japadog photo...
What's to like about the Pacific Northwest?
Vancouver, BC
Whistler-Blackcomb, BC
Mt. Baker Ski Area
Vancouver Island, BC
Olympic coast
Rainforests
AWESOME scuba diving
Did I mention awesome scuba diving?
Canuks
REAL alpine climbing
Music-incredible
Weather-really, I sometimes get tired of sun 360 days a year
Tattoos-I don't have 'em and don't plan on getting any, but darn there sure are a lot of them up there
Skiing-it ain't pow (okay on occasion) but still
Rivers-rafting, kayaking, fishing, dreaming, wandering, listening...
Wildlife-of the flora and fauna kind
Great colleges/universities
Still some old growth forest (for how long?)
to name a few more
oh, and the climbing ain't too bad either
I was born in Seattle, so it can't be all that bad, eh? And the view of Mount Rainier from just about anywhere in the upper left quadrant of Washington state engrains in you the desire to explore the mountains from an early age. That is one damn good reason to "like" about it, imo!
I love the place. Seattle and surrounding environs are amazing. Vancouver is IMO the best city in North America.
Except for the damn rain. I grew up in a very cold place with harsh winters. I like my life not being dictated by the weather here in SoCal. Otherwise I'd live in Seattle in a heartbeat.
Stack living in SoCal to Seattle and I'm pretty sure folks in Seattle are much more happy in general.
I just need sun.
My last Minnesota winter before I moved out here we went 3 weeks without sunny days one January and temps that never got above 20 degrees. I still went outside and XC skiied golf courses just to be outside and active but after a couple of weeks everyone was so cranky. Sun deprivation makes people cranky. That was it for me. Moved here 6 months later and have never left.
Props to you guys that live up there though. It's gorgeous and you have great climbing options and an amazing climbing community. And don't seem to let the weather get the best of you.
Then again, I've climbed all summer in the JT heat, albeit in the early AM hours or afternoons when things go in the shade. I've adapted and love it. :) I guess you make the most of climbing wherever you are. Gas is too expensive for my former weekend routines of going to Tuolumne or the Sierra in the summers.
We were right on the edge of moving back to San Diego from Seattle, and just a few weeks ago decided to stay put. We may question our decision when the rains start up again, but dang it...this place is amazing, and we've finally got an amazing group of friends.
If you're an introvert (I'm not), this is a great place for you. To cope with the long, wet fall, winter and spring, we've been hosting year 'round monthly "Bouldering BBQs" at our place (climbing wall, slackline, firepit, BBQ, general hanging out), and it's been an awesome way to hang with great people, make new friends, and make the best of the weather.
This place is actually pretty magical for so many of the reasons already stated. I totally resonate with Fluoride's comments about the sun, but we're hoping to get over the mountains more this winter to find it, since making the decision to stay.
Every Minnesotan who tells me that state is perfect and that So Cal is bad
lives in So Cal.
A friend was washing cars during the winter in Nordecota, delivered a car outside of town. The guy opened his door, took the keys, and slammed the door. Roger, wet to the bone had to walk back in the driving snow.
As soon as he opened his door he called out, "Bertie! Pack your bags. We are moving to California."
Mooser, you live in an amazing place with great climbing options and people that don't let the rain stop them from running, hiking, and doing any other activities. I think the people of the PNW are the heartiest of climbers and it shows. You guys are committed. In the best of ways.
jstan, I love living in SoCal and have for 15 years. It's got it's ups and downs but the ups are so huge (great weather, yearlong climbing).
Ever live in Minnesota? I did. Birth through 18 then back for another 3 years after college in the south then moved out here.
Winters are a hellscape but I didn't know the difference. That was just the way life was lived. From junior high til I graduated from high school I got home before the rest of my family and had to shovel our long sloping driveway. Was a pain in the ass but I didnt' know otherwise. Was just what I had to do to keep the driveway clean.
PS - when I was a little girl i got a Barbie ski outfit for Xmas. I dressed her up, put the skis and poles on her (tied with rubber bands) and went into my backyard and built a ski slope for her to go on. I threw her down there and she disappeared into a huge snowbank. Despite extensive searches with my dad, we didn't find my ski Barbie until March when the snow started to melt off.
My lost Barbie ski girl was a very traumatic loss for me at the time. :(
Let us know!