The American West

buster

buster

Joined
Nov 16, 2002
Messages
38,012
Location
NJ
I've always been drawn to the western part of the U.S. I grew up mostly in Pa/NJ, which has its own nice scenery. Eastern Deciduous Forest ecosystems are nice too and have their beautiful fall colors. However, when I see photos of Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Idaho, I'm blown away. I've been to some of those states and I could see myself living out there one day. Coming from such a densely populated state and having everything you need within a 3 mile radius, it would certainly be an adjustment.

[Linked Image]


[Linked Image]
 
My "standing joke" about Utah is that they can wall off the lower 2/3 of that state and charge admission. It's that gorgeous.

Couldn't agree more about the beauty or the adjustments which'd be required -I live in Northern NJ- but I must say that I'm comfortable and confident with my preference for a little more moisture. I like green.

I'm the one always urging people to travel. I come from frugal people but all of 'em have said that traveling is worthwhile.

I wish there was a network of high speed trains across this continent so it'd be easier to visit places.
 
Some pictures I took at Dead Horse Point last fall.

Dead Horse Point State Park - pictures

We were here in Sept 2019 primarily to see Arches and Canyonlands, but didn't know if Dead Horse Point was worth seeing. When you drive from Moab to the north part of Canyonland (Island in the Sky) you drive right past the sign for Dead Horse Point. We thought why not and decided to pull in to...
rvthe.us rvthe.us

Kira is correct, you could charge admission to southern Utah.. I can't spend enough time there.
 
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Originally Posted by Chris Meutsch
Go to Montana and Wyoming, and hit the national parks. You won't regret it.


Agreed! The south/west deserts in UT and AZ are amazing but the Mountains in MT and WY to me are unmatched in the lower 48 states.
 
I have been through out the 48 states [ actually ,50 been to Hawaiian islands] and every where has its beauty.
 
Worked and retired in western Colorado. Beautiful mountain scenery but the state is also full of junk. Four or even three decades ago one never saw more than one or two other hikers climbing the fourteeners (58) but now it's Grand Central Station.
 
Originally Posted by Pew
Originally Posted by Chris Meutsch
Go to Montana and Wyoming, and hit the national parks. You won't regret it.


Agreed! The south/west deserts in UT and AZ are amazing but the Mountains in MT and WY to me are unmatched in the lower 48 states.


Agreed.
The mountains are something to see as well as drive through but what's most impressive is the emptiness with few towns and few others on the road with you.
Those who've lived in the crowded northeast and Great Lakes regions really should drive through these parts.
An entirely new perspective on our country.
 
They call Santa Barbara the "American Riviera" which I guess is true. Growing up here it just seems normal to look at the mountains from the beach.
 
It's well worth the time and effort to visit the west. The wife and I used to take road vacations once a year and just go somewhere we had never been before. You get to discover the places people pass by going to the usual tourist draws.

You also discover the history of the area as well. It's very easy to research nowadays.
 
Originally Posted by ZeeOSix
Where's my 6-guns and spurs.
grin2.gif




You may well need 'em...

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There are animals out there that can eat us....
 
Ahhh... In all seriousness...

Wolves can eat us.... Mountain lions think we can be tasty... Brown bears like random treats like us sometimes too
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I never ever will forget a picture in Sports Illustrated where a guy was holding a large tree branch and two wolves with teeth showing snarling at him as he backed up towards his camp in Alaska... That was way, way spooky.. and.... He had another guy there who had known of the incident above..... That guy left the camp by HIMSELF and unarmed.... The pack of wolves got him for dinner.... Only pieces of that guy's backpack were found...

Out west ... People can be on the menu... Given the wrong/right circumstance...
 
One memorable animal we saw on our trips was in fact a large yellow snake crossing the highway. We hit it with our little Mitsubishi as we were traveling the high desert of Eastern Oregon. It was about 4" thick and around 5 feet long.

We felt it for sure. We have seen all kinds of wildlife but that incident remains clear in our memories.
 
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