East vs West Coast Mountains?

[OakLeaf]

I've never lived in mountains, but I've visited the Rockies several times (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico), cycled in Napa-Sonoma once, and we live in the Appalachian foothills and frequently travel south to Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. To me, while the western mountains are definitely awe-inspiring and I love to visit them, I'm a country girl at heart, and for me it's all about the land. I just could not live somewhere so dry and austere. I wrote a poem about it once (it was a love poem actually, using contrasting lands as metaphor for before and after finding love, but anyway) - the line went "life's blood clawed from parched earth, each blade of grass proof of a battle won."

So for me, for a place to live, it's the eastern mountains hands down, the dripping of water off leaves in the morning, the loamy smell of the earth, the deep cover of fallen leaves, daffodils and mushroom hunting in the springtime, the intense smells of honeysuckle, blackberry and rose blossoms in summer, the lush gardens in the lowlands, fireflies in July lighting up the trees as bright as the Las Vegas skyline.

Sorry Gray, you caught me at a homesick moment.

[GraysonKelly]

I've never lived in mountains, but I've visited the Rockies several times (Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico), cycled in Napa-Sonoma once, and we live in the Appalachian foothills and frequently travel south to Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. To me, while the western mountains are definitely awe-inspiring and I love to visit them, I'm a country girl at heart, and for me it's all about the land. I just could not live somewhere so dry and austere. I wrote a poem about it once (it was a love poem actually, using contrasting lands as metaphor for before and after finding love, but anyway) - the line went "life's blood clawed from parched earth, each blade of grass proof of a battle won."

So for me, for a place to live, it's the eastern mountains hands down, the dripping of water off leaves in the morning, the loamy smell of the earth, the deep cover of fallen leaves, daffodils and mushroom hunting in the springtime, the intense smells of honeysuckle, blackberry and rose blossoms in summer, the lush gardens in the lowlands, fireflies in July lighting up the trees as bright as the Las Vegas skyline.

Sorry Gray, you caught me at a homesick moment.

No need to apologize at all! You just described almost exactly how I feel about living here. I love this area. I love CO as well and want to move there really badly, mainly because of jobs and different attitudes, but this will always be my home. It's funny you mentioned the smell of honeysuckle: the other night at work I was walking down the hallway and said, "I smell honeysuckle". One of the nurses said, "Does honeysuckle even have a smell?" I never heard anyone else talk about the smell of the earth and deep cover of leaves like I do. I love that smell! I'd live either place, but I'd always come home here.
Gray

[Eden]

It's funny you mentioned the smell of honeysuckle: the other night at work I was walking down the hallway and said, "I smell honeysuckle". One of the nurses said, "Does honeysuckle even have a smell?"

Does honeysuckle have a smell?!? Of course it does and its heavenly.... (and quite distinct). Maybe she's never seen or smelled it.... I remember when I was a kid we used to pick the flowers, pull the bottom off, pull the stamen through and eat the "honey".

[GraysonKelly]

Does honeysuckle have a smell?!? Of course it does and its heavenly.... (and quite distinct). Maybe she's never seen or smelled it.... I remember when I was a kid we used to pick the flowers, pull the bottom off, pull the stamen through and eat the "honey".

That's what we did! Actually, I still do. And we chewed on birch bark. I don't think she ever has smelled it. That stuff they sell in bath and body works just isn't "it" you know? and I don't know if there is honeysuckle out west or not, I haven't explored that far yet.
Gray

[Eden]

I don't know if it grows wild out here. I don't think I've ever seen it quite like we had it at home, I grew up in Pittsburgh, - it was more like ivy there. We had a whole hillside covered in it in our backyard. There is a house down the street from me (I live in Seattle now) that has a small bush growing up and over their fence. I love to smell it in the summer.

[OakLeaf]

I don't know if it grows wild out here. I don't think I've ever seen it quite like we had it at home, I grew up in Pittsburgh, - it was more like ivy there. We had a whole hillside covered in it in our backyard. There is a house down the street from me (I live in Seattle now) that has a small bush growing up and over their fence. I love to smell it in the summer.

There's a bush-type Asian honeysuckle that's become invasive in the East. I wonder if it's the same thing your neighbor has? Our native honeysuckles are vines.

Yeah, we used to drink the "honey" too. And snap the snapdragons. (sorry snap ) Made whistles out of blades of crabgrass.

[Eden]

There's a bush-type Asian honeysuckle that's become invasive in the East. I wonder if it's the same thing your neighbor has? Our native honeysuckles are vines.

Yeah, we used to drink the "honey" too. And snap the snapdragons. (sorry snap ) Made whistles out of blades of crabgrass.

What they have is more of a vine - they have it trained up a wire fence, but its smaller than I remember ours in Pittsburgh, the whole plant, the leaves and the flowers. Like I said, the kind we had in Pittsburgh, was growing all over a hillside, very much like (and probably mixed in with ivy) Also I seem to remember the flowers being more yellow out east - the ones down the street, I think are almost white.

[Crankin]

Funny how smells evoke memories. At this time of the year I miss the smell of pinon burning from fireplaces in the crisp desert air. But that's about all I miss.
I've never lived anywhere with big mountains, although they were not that far away from Phoenix. I visited Boulder once and while I loved the scenery, the altitude did me in, so I don't believe I'd be moving anywhere at altitude. Where I live is very hilly and the further west you go, the steeper they get. This is fine with me.

[GraysonKelly]

My best friend lives in CO and teases me all the time about the size of my mountains compared to hers, it's all in fun. But one thing she said did strike me as a bit odd. She told me when she had to spend a week "over here" in TN, she felt claustrophobic and paranoid because of the trees. Anyone else from out West feel that way? She said she felt that way because she couldn't see beyond the trees. Said it made her feel unsafe. It was weird because that's exactly why being out there makes me feel safe. To me, it's open but secure. I feel more crowded in town surrounded by buildings and such than I do out there. Different perspectives, I guess.
Gray

[vinbek]

I have lived in California for 15 years now and still miss the plushness of trees and foliage from home. I was raised in Mississippi where we had beautiful trees and bushes - lots of honeysuckle growing in thick vines - just like kudzu.
We would pick the locust shells off the pine trees and throw horse apples in the street. That was back when the bug spray truck would go up and down the streets blowing out that thick white spray and we would run and play in it! sURELY it affected my brain??? I think you always have those fond memories of "home". Having said that, I would never consider moving back to Mississippi. I have moved to many different states and would consider moving back to Winston-Salem, North Carolina. I loved the beach and the mountains being so close. I still loved the Southern appeal. Road and mountain biking were great. We would drive to West Virginia to ski - its beautiful there. I think they should have declared WEst Virginia a national park rather than a state - it is beautiful. We have cycled the green and white mountains in the east and the mountains in the west - I like them all.