Back in 78, I took a train trip to Vancouver in March from Winnipeg. Though I was raised in southern Ontario, I had worked for a couple of years for a heavy construction company in northern Ontario and Manitoba.
I woke up on the train in the morning and looked out the window and behold there was lush green everywhere .When I walked around Vancouver, the air just smelled so refreshing. I took a CP ferry over to Nanaimo and I was enthralled by the environment.
After I got back to northern Manitoba, I met my future wife and gave my notice that when the contract ended in a couple of months, I was quitting and going back to southern Ontario.
A month later I was asked if I wanted to accept a position on a construction project in Nanaimo, B.C. !
To make a long story short, I did quit the company in order to stay on the island, a decision that considerably cost me financially and career wise, but I have no regrets.
The lifestyle out here is wide open, outdoorsy and laid back. Very stimulating. Ocean,lakes, streams, mountains, wildlife, big trees, mild climate etc. Hunting, fishing,skiing, sight-seeing.
I do miss the winter sun though, and you do get used to it and take it for granted, That is until you get back east for a visit.
It’s funny, the very phrase “out West”, and the contrasting phrase “back East”. I’ve lived all my life in Alaska and Washington, so the idea that the east is the default, the place you move from, is just kind of weird and bizarre.
Much has been our sorrow since my last missive to you, my sweet and most beloved, sent from Fort Leonard, where we dispatched with most high and optimistic thoughts in our travels. Our passage through the Kansas territory nearly left our entire party bereft of all hope, as try as we might, we found naught in the way of Whitecastle and cheese steaks. Our most dogged leader, the Reverend Noah, has exerted great efforts to sustain our aspirations of a newly found life in the untamed West, and I do fear for his sanity, now that we have reached Arizona, and pass taco stand after taco stand. He has diligently withheld our access to this abominable form of sustenance, but I dare say that I have viewed–discretely, as you might imagine–the sparkle of more than one of our party’s eye upon coming across the aromas which emanate from from these savage eateries.
But we remain forever hopeful that upon reaching the Pacific Coast, we will indeed find the sacred orange groves and Elysian havens that beckon us, and I have full faith that upon my arrival, I will set about establishing the means by which I intend to deliver you once again into my trembling arms, whereupon you shall be free to provide me with the moral sustenance and Brooklyn style pizza which will render my life whole once more.
I remain humbly and obediently your most loyal spouse,
I grew up in Georgia. I decided I wanted to move somewhere where it will snow, and be cold. I ended up moving to Houston two months ago with my fiance.
ETA: I was wearing shorts last week. I’m going to die this summer.
I grew up in the Rocky Mountains in Utah, and after an all-to-brief stint in CA, I moved back to Salt Lake City. While living in Utah has its pluses (and sometimes I do still get overwhelmed by the beauty), a lot of the time, I really hate it. I hate the lack of diversity. I hate the fact that there are absolutely no jobs in the industry I’m actually interested in. I hate the fact that today I had to drive from my mom’s place in Kamas to SLC (about 40 miles) and the whole way it was snowing, with very dense and low clouds, and poor visibility, and there’s a good chance that we’ll continue to get snow storms until May. I was an adult before I realized that for most people, spring begins in March/April, not June (the month I have always associated with green grass and sunny days).
Also, Utah is growing crazy fast and many of the most pristine, beautiful areas have already become housing developments. Idaho is lovely, though. Check out the area around Boise/Eagle (I can’t encourage you to move to Wyoming).
Fwiw I’ve lived in Colorado for nearly all 27 years of my life (I’ve been in India for this last year for work-related reasons). I cannot recommend it enough. The diversity of people, the fresh air, the mountains, the seasonal polarity, it’s magnificent.
Having been gone this last year has really made me appreciate all that I’ve taken for granted. Man, I miss that place.
The surrounding region is gorgeous (Gallatin/Yellowstone, etc.), but Bozeman? That place is an armpit. Hie thee to Missoula and the hot springs in the Lochsa’s cedar forest, and don’t bother with a return ticket, for you will want to stay there.
BTW, I chose to hang out my shingle in a community (in northwestern Ontario) where lawyers do not earn anything like they do down in the big smoke, but I have no regrets at all, for I am able to have a much better lifestyle despite having a smaller bank account. Even then, it gets better financially each year as I get to know more people in the community.