making drastic changes in life

Since I've lived all my life in the east and usually surrounded by woods, forests always comfort me, even with the snakes, bugs, etc. I love the beach too, though, and am always drawn to water, be it an ocean, creek, lake, or river. The first time I visited the southwest US, I was absolutely enchanted by the desert and its special beauty; ditto for the first time in the plains and prairie with the big sky I'd never really seen in its entirety before. I love and appreciate all the different environments but do feel vaguely uneasy whenever I am in a place where there's a larger chance of tornadoes (and that can include my home state of NC at times as well, Florida, etc).

When we moved to the KC area for a year, my mother was so worried about tornadoes that I had to do some research and determine that KC itself actually has very few tornadoes; most in Kansas are in the western half of the state where it's dead flat. In fact, the greater KC area is full of huge deciduous trees and hills! It's gorgeous and not easy cycling as I thought it would be at all. I sent Mom lots of stats I found online and eased her mind. :D

I know I could never live in a prairie/open environment. One of things that bothered me the most about Miami and Phoenix was the flat brownness of each place. I love the desert, but unfortunately, like the song, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot." You could see the mountains, but you had to travel a ways to be in real desert. So sad. The last time I was in AZ, we stayed in Cave Creek, which is far, far north of where I lived. In the boonies. But, it felt like real AZ. I also loved northern AZ, but alas, always said it looks just like NH! The beaches in Florida were nice when I was a teen and in college, but over the years, I have become less of a beach person, and more of a mountain person, thanks to cycling. I need to live near a coast, but not necessarily to sit on the beach! I like to walk on the beach, and observe the scenery, but beach towns hold no allure for me.
I learned a lot, though from my moves. I like diversity of scenery and the ability to drive places that are different within 2-3 hours.

I don't think I could live in a prairie-type area either…no privacy when there aren't any trees! My grandparents, who are from Montana, have always said they feel claustrophobic from all the trees when they have visited us on the East Coast so it's definitely a matter of what one is used to. I just moved into a beach town, so will probably become more of a beach person just because it's so easy to get to…will be interesting to see how crazy it is around here now that summer is starting!

God, I love Montana, the sky is so wide open it's like being inside a drop of water, the sky seems to drop away beneath your feet!

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I know I could never live in a prairie/open environment. One of things that bothered me the most about Miami and Phoenix was the flat brownness of each place. I love the desert, but unfortunately, like the song, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot." You could see the mountains, but you had to travel a ways to be in real desert. So sad. The last time I was in AZ, we stayed in Cave Creek, which is far, far north of where I lived. In the boonies. But, it felt like real AZ. I also loved northern AZ, but alas, always said it looks just like NH! The beaches in Florida were nice when I was a teen and in college, but over the years, I have become less of a beach person, and more of a mountain person, thanks to cycling. I need to live near a coast, but not necessarily to sit on the beach! I like to walk on the beach, and observe the scenery, but beach towns hold no allure for me.
I learned a lot, though from my moves. I like diversity of scenery and the ability to drive places that are different within 2-3 hours.

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Of course, in the remote areas where most of those plains and prairies are, you'll only have cows or maybe antelope for company. :) Some of the counties in this region have the lowest population density in the U.S. That lack of population, though, can also add to some folk's unease.

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Originally Posted by north woods gal

Of course, in the remote areas where most of those plains and prairies are, you'll only have cows or maybe antelope for company. :) Some of the counties in this region have the lowest population density in the U.S. That lack of population, though, can also add to some folk's unease.

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But would make me very happy indeed! :D

Me, too. Just need my husband, our dogs and close friends. Anything more is a crowd. :)

And, I would not last a minute in that environment!
Need lots of people. Not a super crowded environment, but definitely not sparsely populated.

Where I live now is 1,000 metres above sea level, but one doesn't know it while in prairie land. The difference is that my partner tells me that after spending over a month or longer in our area, he cycles better on hills in Vancouver area which the downtown area is at sea level. Your lung capacity is expanded in our area.

The skies are brighter in blueness and we do get many more days /hrs. of sunshine compared to other areas. Long time locals love the sunnier skies and tell me, that's what they don't like about Vancouver BC...more rain/grey at certain times of years, etc. I am not affected by SAD compared to others..IF I live in a city with a range of different things to see and do. I could not live in Pacific Northwest rainy seasons in the rural areas.

As for cycling in the prairies: the hardest part is a lot less tree wilderness and trees. It IS a big deal..for a woman touring cyclist needing to go to the washroom. At times there is no bush or rock, stand of trees to hide. The winds with no natural windbreak at times, can be difficult. I know some local cyclists at work, who are decent cyclists, just choose not to cycle commute to work on days when wind kicks up over 40 kmph through natural grassland prairie parks. And we have some long linear local parks like this.

I've always enjoyed living within view of large water body from home, or at least cycling a few kms. from home, to a large body of water. Where I live now I am near a major river and actually am fortunate to have view of also river parkland with natural mature trees, etc. It's a big deal in a prairie city. It does mean something to my soul to see leafy tree cover and also changing fall colours.

However, I know after camping and travelling in rural areas, wilderness that's great for travel but for myself not living long-term. Nature inspires me for creating art, what I write and cycling in areas surrounded by nature, is motivating. But I don't feel comfortable to isolate myself by living in rural area. I've spent vacation time in homes of a few friends who each live in a tiny town of 2,000 or less people. It's ok...I guess. But not for me. A lot of driving for them to daily shopping and chores.

I don't drive and hence, living in rural areas makes no sense for me. There's a time in one's life to live in rural isolated areas for a few decades...not when you become more weak/less mobile. I am not convinced that friends and family will be around to help at the right time, because they have their own schedules and lives also. Right now, except for my partner, I have no family living in the province where I am. They are 3,800 km. east of me. Canada (and US) are frickin' huge countries.

I believe it helps that a person knows who they are, their identity or what shaped their earlier years in life which propels them to select the best values and adopt other improved values/ways of living. It helps later in life when you end up living in areas very far from where you were born/raised.

For myself, it's living in a place that's clean, safe and close to amenities plus a diverse range of cultural activities and opportunities to learn via lectures, courses and some shared interests. Yes, I do value Canada's health care system. It's not perfect but whole lot better than some other places. And one is better off living in a major Canadian city to have local access to health facilities and specialists. It's mind boggling to hear of other Canadians spending their own money (not covered by public health insurance) to travel several hundred or over 1,000 kms. to a big city for specialized health care, etc. (and also find local accommodation etc.).

I also prefer to live in multi-generational neighbourhoods. By coincidence, I live in a neighbourhood that has less children at this time. (Have seen the census for our area.) Not in a retirement community until I become unable to live independently.

My parents have an ideal situation (my father died nearly 2 yrs. ago), they bought and live in an newish infill house in mid-town Toronto over 18 yrs. ago. It is across the street from an elementary public school. The house is on quiet street which coincidentally had bike lanes installed just 4 yrs. ago. Is a 15 min. walk from 2 different frequent bus lines to subway. 2 blocks from major grocery store etc. There is a community garden just 1/2 a block away. It was created over 5 yrs. ago. My parents really wouldn't have known all this new amentities. They simply needed a home that fit their budget, close to transit (for non-drivers), some shopping and not in the suburbs. They made a very wise lifestyle and for my mother, a wise financial investment.

Shooting Star, one of my closest friends in AZ is from Montreal. She is an ob/gyn nurse practitioner and midwife and her ex husband is a family medicine doctor. Both trained in Canada, althogh my friend did her NP work in AZ. All of their family who still lives in Canada go to private doctors and use insurance from their jobs. I remember, quite a few years ago, one of their parents needed an angiogram, after some heart incident. He was still youngish at the time, and it was going to be a 2 month wait. My friends were frantic, and used connections to get him in with a private doc. I think that in the end, people who have some other sort of insurance from work use it, to avoid situations like this.

If it was life-threatening, it's understandable that your friends wanted to go the private route.

Not sure if all medical conditions need the faster route to a private doctor all the time.
My partner who is a cyclist, had congestion in what he perceived in his respiratory system. Doctor looked at him....3 months ago. Then they fast-tracked him to the local hospital for respiratory and heart tests. To make it sure it wasn't anything else. It was incredibly fast their response to him. He was in the hospital clinic the next day.

This was in Vancouver.

I had a concussion and was in rehab for 6 months last year. I saw my family doctor every 2 wks....that is how heavily monitored I was because I was also on sleeping pills since concussion disrupted my sleep patterns. She had experience dealing with a number of patients with concussion. I did have an MRI a few months later, which the doctor preferred once things "settled down" a few months later. (I did have a CT scan within 3 hrs. of my injury in Vancouver. I was unconscious at that time. They put me on a spinal board....just in case.)

I also saw sleep doctor several times. He is involved in various research studies on sleep and concussion/athletes with the university. So his expertise was real and deep. Both physicians' care for me, were on the public healthy care system. After each diagnosis, I would phone my sister, emergency medicine doctor in Ontario who also deals with concussions. Just to get her informal opinion on the general direction of care, and know that I was under the best care. I was. I did have physiotherapy (6 visits) which were funded by employee health benefit. If I didn't have it, I believe people might qualify for a few (less) physiotherapy visits.

I was injured in British Columbia. I believe the real cost would have been $500.00 for ambulance transport, as a non-British Columbian, but CAnadian patient to pay. (My work benefit paid it.) My hospital care for 1 night 24 hrs. with neurologist, etc. did not personally cost me. There is paperwork sent to the B.C. and Albertan health govn't authorities where they check for Canadian patients if the rate of care is same cost between the 2 provinces. If it's different, I believe the patient pays for the difference.

This is for Canadian citizens who already live in a specific Canadian province and have registered with their home provincial authority for public health insurance coverage. Everyone who chooses to live in Canada is advised to register for public health care coverage. It makes no sense for medical care in Canada if one chooses not to register or use the system. There are VERY few private doctors in the cities where Il've lived..and honest, I wouldn't use them unless there was a compelling reason.

May I say: my father who had diagnosed for prostate cancer for remaining 6 years of his life....did not pay for clinic care, specialist tests, not for the drugs, chemotherapy and palliative care (for 2 months before he died)...at Canada's top cancer research hospital in downtown Toronto. This is what I mean....to live in a major North American city with specialist care already there.

We could have not asked for anything better, Crankin for my father. Would have been a mistake (and waste of money) to go to the U.S. for cancer care, now that we know what limited options he had anyway in his 80's. He was already living in a city with a well-known research and care facility in the Canadian oncology world. His advantage helped maintain a high quality of life with cancer, was his general health....no respiratory, heart conditions at all to complicate things.

The useful thing as a patient, is to find a doctor who does believe in patient education, in addition to diagnosis. But personally I find, my best defense, is to be alert to ask good questions when with the doctor and a doctor receptive to being bombarded with patient questions...which a lot of people don't know how to/stressed out/feel intimidated by doctor/health care professionals.

Since this is a cycling forum: no question that being/becoming healthy at least cuts down more medical complications near the end of life. And for major injury/illness before that, you recover better. I personally vouch for this in my concussion recovery in my mid-50's.

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Originally Posted by Pax

Does anyone else find such decisions, about moving to find the "right" fit, complicated by being half of a couple?

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For me...and this being a drastic change thread...being in a relationship that for the first time has the possibility of marriage I’ve been thinking a lot about and having conversations with Alex about being a committed couple and all that means.
Both of us think it’s important to have these conversations. We both feel one of a relationship’s important aspects is based on how differences are dealt with and that we are all shaped by different dynamics.
Our understanding and respecting each other's choices, our words of affirmation, our life’s ethos, how we deal with trusting one another, how we make decisions together are just some of the things that can make a marriage easier if we take time to work out our feelings in an honest and caring way before....that's what we're thinking anyway. Relationships are hard and marriage is even harder....i know good, bad and ended ones.

Every love story is beautiful, but Alexandra’s and mine is my favorite.:)


‘The negative feelings we all have can be addictive…just as the positive…it’s up to
us to decide which ones we want to choose and feed”… pema

Hope things, work out Rebecca.

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Originally Posted by Pax

Does anyone else find such decisions, about moving to find the "right" fit, complicated by being half of a couple?

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Late to the party here, things have been crazy lately. But I just wanted to mention that it's no picnic going through everything alone.

I'm very happy for you and Alex, Rebecca.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

Late to the party here, things have been crazy lately. But I just wanted to mention that it's no picnic going through everything alone.

I'm very happy for you and Alex, Rebecca.

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I wonder about what it would be like to be alone, sometimes. We've been together for 26 years and while many decisions are easy because we have so much in common, others can be a bear because we have different timetables or ideas about the future.

Do you ever find, without having someone to bounce ideas off of, that you can be prone to over-analysis paralysis?

I can't imagine what it would be like to NOT be alone, I've lived alone now for over 20 years.

Good question Pax, for me and my tendency to over think (though I do generally make big decisions quickly, it's the little ones that take time), living alone does make it...challenging sometimes to set aside obsessive thinking patterns when I go there. Thankfully I've learned how to recognize the signs and have developed ways to deal with it. I admit wondering if it would be easier to stop it if someone was around to distract me. Or not :o

Interesting, Catrin. My honey is more like you, she was a bit obsessive about decisions when we first got together, she had to weigh and consider and ponder. I, on the other hand, review, decide, act, almost instantly. It was very disconcerting for us both initially, we've adjusted to each others ways over time and that's helped immensely.

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Originally Posted by Pax

Interesting, Catrin. My honey is more like you, she was a bit obsessive about decisions when we first got together, she had to weigh and consider and ponder. I, on the other hand, review, decide, act, almost instantly. It was very disconcerting for us both initially, we've adjusted to each others ways over time and that's helped immensely.

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I do both - it depends on what it is. The bigger the decision, the less time I consider/ponder. The opposite of what one might assume :o

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Originally Posted by Pax

I wonder about what it would be like to be alone, sometimes. We've been together for 26 years and while many decisions are easy because we have so much in common, others can be a bear because we have different timetables or ideas about the future.

Do you ever find, without having someone to bounce ideas off of, that you can be prone to over-analysis paralysis?

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Yes. Combine that with the fact of only 24 hours in a day and no one to split household tasks with, and there are plenty of important things that never get done.

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Originally Posted by ny biker

Yes. Combine that with the fact of only 24 hours in a day and no one to split household tasks with, and there are plenty of important things that never get done.

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I know when my honey had her hysterectomy and I had to do everything for a few weeks, it felt overwhelming. I eventually starting letting things slide because I ran out of hours in the day.

Hi All,
Early on in this thread I mentioned that we were checking out area for possible retirement. So now we are in western NC. It ticked a lot of boxes on paper so we wanted to come check it out. It is a beautiful area of the country. It reminds me of the Adirondacks in NY. There seems to be good trail accessibility and lots of outdoor stuff to do. I am not sure how anyone could cycle here, the roads are SUPER scary.

The cost of living sure would be a huge bonus for us, but I do have a few concerns about living here, and I do not mean to offend anyone, so please keep that in mind.

I think it may be a bit conservative for me. Although all of the people we have chatted with have been lovely, there seems to be a very strong religious thread running here and we are not religious at all. Down the road that may be a problem. Also I did not expected to see people flying rebel flags. I know that should not bother me, but on some level it does. So maybe this is too far south for a girl that grew up in the northeast? I do not know.

Maybe I should not worry about the religion thing but we had a blow up with our best friends of almost 25 years this winter over religion and it shook me. Over the years as they were raising their family they have become super conservative. It never really bubbled up because we have been friends for so long and because we are always doing stuff. And then I showed them a picture of us at 14,000 feet last summer hanging prayer flags atop a peak out west to honor my Mom. And then it hit the fan
So it has made me gun shy. It probably did not help that when they were saying grace before dinner when the said amen, I said Ommmmmm. I just could not help myself.

But It sure si beautiful country and they have a kicking farmer's market!

I will answer you, based on my personal experience, living in the south and the west, as a northeastener.
When I moved to Miami as a teen, it was the height of the late 60s. All I saw, sort of blended in to the urban/suburban landscape, were Confederate flags, KKK signs not that far out of town, and other kids telling me I was going to hell because I was Jewish. It was such a culture shock, I didn't speak to my dad for months. Fast forward a few years, when I moved to AZ. That was fine at first. I also had my sheltered little world in a university town and my friends from the Jewish Community Center. Work was full of super conservative teachers and students from one particular religion. I had a great job, a house in a very desireable area, and lots of friends. But in the end, I wanted my kids to grow up with the values I grew up with. It just felt super hard to do it in AZ, as the political climate became increasingly repressive. I think it would have been easier in Tucson, which is more liberal.
I have been enamored of the climate and other recreational activities in quite a few places I have visited, but I know I could never live there. Hence, my list is very short when it comes to places I could actually live. I love where I live and we decided about 5 years ago, we are never moving. This is why we are now living in a smaller townhouse that is paid for. We will travel and maybe buy a small 2nd home in western MA, but I learned a long time ago that there's more to a place than the scenery.

but I learned a long time ago that there's more to a place than the scenery.

Yep. I do like it where we live, we are just concerned that it will not be sustainable in retirement. Oh well, time will tell.

That is why we have downsized now. We don't have any bills except utilities and our condo fee and our own fun!

RnR, as a North Carolinian, I will comment. I totally, completely get what you are saying. I was born and raised in Raleigh, the state capital, a university town, and much more progressive than either western or eastern NC. There are a few well-known "blue" enclaves in NC, and these tend to be much more tolerant of all forms of diversity (in religion, sexuality, etc. etc.) (I am also not religious.) I always thought Asheville, in the western part of the state, and probably where you are looking, would be included on this list, but according to this site: https://www.roadsnacks.net/these-are...orth-carolina/, it is not. However, there is a strong artistic community there, and it is always thought of as a diverse and progressive city.

I have lived in each of the four top cities on the list from the site above, and I can vouch for them. They also have better cycling than the western part of the state, which is mountainous, roads are skinny, most have no shoulders, and very short sight lines. It's absolutely beautiful, but I don't feel comfortable riding in most places in western NC. We own a small piece of property in the NW corner of the state, on a river, and I would not ride my road bike there. I only ride my MTB on the dirt road the property is on, which is very rural and a dead end road.

The cycling in the Piedmont is much better, though you will still run into the occasional problem with loose dogs, rude drivers (who tend to be driving the huge pickup trucks), etc. The rural areas of the Piedmont are a lot more conservative than the cities themselves.

So, you might want to check out Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, and Durham. I am partial to Hillsborough, as it is the smallest of these cities, but they all have their good and bad points. Durham, to me, would be the least cycling friendly of the four. Chapel Hill and Carrboro have the university, some bike lanes and paths, a good farmer's market, lots and lots of crunchy granola types, runners, cyclists, outdoor activities. I love this area and would certainly live there again if the opportunity arises. Chapel Hill is the most expensive of these cities but probably very decent by your northeastern standards.

I know you are a trail runner, and I think you would find places to run in all of these communities. I suspect Umstead Park (which is in Raleigh) is the nicest park for trail running (I've MTB'd there but not run), but I am sure there are many others I am not even aware of.

If you have any questions I can help with, feel free to ask!

Thanks Emily. I am sure there will be lots and lost more discussion and searching for us before we make a move. I will check out the places you have mentioned.

Moving to the south has been a huge cultural shock for us. The religious aspects are difficult because the separation of church and state isn't adhered to down here; go to any public school event and they will open and close with a christian prayer. The rebel flags and the culture attached to them is ubiquitous; the conservative political views are also dominant and freely discussed... in the grocery store by a clerk, by the guy at the tire store, coworkers, etc.

A current NC person chiming in here.

There are definitely isolated pockets that are more progressive - but as soon as you get outside of them, the culture shock is real. I live in CH. I used to live in Durham. In town, it's mostly OK. I think for day to day cycling (except a very small core in the center of CH), Durham is actually better for biking now. Chapel Hill has won all sorts of awards, but my bike commute sucks (and that's not really unusual). There just aren't safe connectors from some parts of town to other parts of town. Carrboro is better, but very small. Once you get out into the country (where you would do long rides), there is a lot of cyclist hate. Someone told me (though I haven't been able to verify it) that a pace line was shot with pepper spray recently. My DH was hit by a car last week in Wrightsville Beach, NC. On another forum I frequent, a poster was hit on the same day in Greensboro, NC (and the driver was planning to leave the scene). There's a group in the rural areas outside Chapel Hill that absolutely hates cyclists and have been working on advocacy to keep bikes off the road (Schley Grange).

TL; DR: After I finish medical school (residency at the latest), we plan to get the heck out of NC. There's just too much cyclist hate in addition to other hate (HB2, anyone?).

"The rebel flags and the culture attached to them is ubiquitous; the conservative political views are also dominant and freely discussed... in the grocery store by a clerk, by the guy at the tire store, coworkers, etc"

Though I am not religious, I do have some degree of tolerance if the person holds conservative views but their heart and actions to others outside their community, consistently demonstrate openness to learn, inclusive for all, and to be compassionate nor do they prosthyletize to me.

I live in a Canadian province that is more gun supportive than some other provinces (but still pretty tame compared to some of the U.S. states which continues to bewilder Canadians with NRA's tactics), also a province that still has a lot of people not trusting govn't at all especially if they can't benefit personally. But interestingly, we have several Muslim and Sikh Canadian politicians at the provincial and federal govn't level so one has to define "religious" when these people have given a lot of themselves in the general public.

On a long term basis, it is doubtful I would find it liberating for myself to live in an area with rebel flags, ant-immigrant sentiment and patronizing attitudes. My attitude is: life is short and I wish to make life easier on myself and give the best of myself in an environment that is more open, less hostile.

Sometimes it's tiring especially for someone like myself who has worked for 3 different government organizations in 3 different Canadian provinces over the past 3 decades. (also worked for small, national and global private firms) I think I know a little by now, about how govn't functions, why it has its flaws (because it has people) and areas where govn't can be good and helpful.

Everything Blueberry says is true. We lived mostly in the rural area of Orange County near Hillsborough, and we did experience some "cyclist hate" incidents, but very few given the 1000s of miles we rode over the years. However, loose dog incidents were more common, and that's exactly what caused my accident in '05 where I fractured my pelvis and have never been the same (though I've come a long, long way). Despite leash laws, there is a pervading mentality in the south that dogs are for protection and should not have to be restrained. I agree with not chaining dogs, which is cruel, but to leave them free to roam is another matter entirely.

That said, on our recent RV trip through SC, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas, being terrorized by loose dogs was a whole different level than rural NC. I knew within every mile or so cycled on rural roads in the aforementioned states, we were going to be chased by at least one dog, if not a couple or three together. I got to where I didn't even want to ride other than on bike paths or in park boundaries. Since getting into the midwest/plains (not really sure what to call it, but Missouri/Iowa), we have not had ONE dog incident. And we almost never have had problems with dogs anytime we've ridden in the western US. Pepper spray is a must when riding in the southeast, sadly.

All that said, I was born and raised in Raleigh and know many, many educated, progressive, artistic, amazing people. None of my friends or family would ever fly a Confederate flag! I am as liberal as anyone I know, and I wouldn't hesitate to live in Hillsborough, Carrboro, parts of Raleigh, parts of Chapel Hill, or parts of Durham. Even in the rural areas, there are enclaves of progressive types. Our neighborhood of custom homes on 10+ acre lots in Orange County was full of university professors and their ilk.

One of the reasons we were attracted to the area is that we do want winter, and the sports that go with it. So I think moving east will probably negate that. Someday that might change but for now, we want to ski and snowshoe.

We were driving a bit on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday and chatting and I said to my DH, we really need to stop pressuring ourselves. We are a few years out from retirement and a permanent move would not happen right away, so we have lots of time. We need to enjoy the process and not feel disappointed if a place does not work out. And as much as he would probably ignore what bothers me and move for location, he said that I/we must be 100% comfortable wherever we end up.

All that being said, it is lovely here and he FINALLY got to have some good bbq last night. He just can't get the really good stuff at home. And like I said, we have chatted with some lovely folks.

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

...We were driving a bit on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday and chatting and I said to my DH, we really need to stop pressuring ourselves. We are a few years out from retirement and a permanent move would not happen right away, so we have lots of time. We need to enjoy the process and not feel disappointed if a place does not work out.

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That is what I keep repeating to husband. We're 2-4 years from retirement and we know we are moving out of this big house and Montreal suburbs. Since all is still so far away - even if it will come sooner than later - there will be a lot of water going under the bridge. It is useless to create scenarios, etc...as we don't even know where we're heading at that time. We'll worry when we get closer to the objective. We know winter will be as snowbirds. Just don't know where. And for the rest of the year, it will have to be somewhere in Canada. Fulltimers in a motorhome...or deciding to buy a modular home on a campground somewhere. Time will tell.

For now, I try to concentrate on living the moment. Needless to see too far ahead.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Everything Blueberry says is true. We lived mostly in the rural area of Orange County near Hillsborough, and we did experience some "cyclist hate" incidents, but very few given the 1000s of miles we rode over the years. However, loose dog incidents were more common, and that's exactly what caused my accident in '05 where I fractured my pelvis and have never been the same (though I've come a long, long way). Despite leash laws, there is a pervading mentality in the south that dogs are for protection and should not have to be restrained. I agree with not chaining dogs, which is cruel, but to leave them free to roam is another matter entirely.

That said, on our recent RV trip through SC, Alabama, Louisiana, and Arkansas, being terrorized by loose dogs was a whole different level than rural NC. I knew within every mile or so cycled on rural roads in the aforementioned states, we were going to be chased by at least one dog, if not a couple or three together. I got to where I didn't even want to ride other than on bike paths or in park boundaries. Since getting into the midwest/plains (not really sure what to call it, but Missouri/Iowa), we have not had ONE dog incident. And we almost never have had problems with dogs anytime we've ridden in the western US. Pepper spray is a must when riding in the southeast, sadly.

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It's funny, I've always heard about loose dogs being a problem, but I've never come across an issue here in New England somehow - now I see where all the loose dogs are! :D
rocknrollgirl - I just saw my former next door neighbors, who just moved to NC (Hillsborough) and their biggest culture shock is how non-walkable it is - they have to get in the car to do anything! YMMV of course, depending on where you are coming from.

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Originally Posted by obie

rocknrollgirl - I just saw my former next door neighbors, who just moved to NC (Hillsborough) and their biggest culture shock is how non-walkable it is - they have to get in the car to do anything! YMMV of course, depending on where you are coming from.

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This is true to a large extent, but the more of a cyclist you are, the less limited you are in this way. Sure, if you want to go to the mall, Costco, etc. you have to drive, but we managed to cycle to the farmer's market, food co-op, library, post office, etc. We are definitely on the "fringe", though. :D Heck, we even cycled to Costco in Kansas City (MO) from Prairie Village, KS. Not many would do that, I realize. LOL!

Downtown Hillsborough is very walkable and historic with sidewalks, etc., but once you get to the outskirts, it is more of a haul. Chapel Hill is nicer for those who aspire to drive less -- the bus system is free, and we used to take it all over when we lived there.

But yeah, RnR, if you want to ski, there is a lot more winter in the NC mountains than in the Piedmont. Some years the Piedmont gets a snow or two, but they tend to be of the 1-3" variety. Although in 2000 we got 22+"! But that's very rare. We did enjoy winter hiking there as it can get quite cold, but then often warms right back up to what you would consider spring temps in a day or two. DH still finds NC to have too much winter for him. :rolleyes:

Sounds to me like you really want to move north, but just don't realize it yet. I highly recommend the U.P., if you want skiing (both kinds) & snowshoeing, plus mountain biking, road biking, trail running,...... The biggest Great Lake,.......

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Originally Posted by Skierchickie2

Sounds to me like you really want to move north, but just don't realize it yet. I highly recommend the U.P., if you want skiing (both kinds) & snowshoeing, plus mountain biking, road biking, trail running,...... The biggest Great Lake,.......

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I'll second that. North central and Northest Wisconsin are cousins to the U.P. NOT places if you don't like winter, though. Comes early and stays late, but that's a good thing for those of us who love winter sports and, this next winter, I'll be adding fat biking to my list of winter fun things to do.