Look Out Texas

[rebeccaC]

Big Bend has been designated Epic by IMBA. It's a very cool area. We also love FT DavIs, but more for bird watching.

The Sonoran desert has some beautiful landscapes too and I luv Joshua Tree in the Mojave desert but yeah from the photos I’ve seen including sky's trip the Chihuahuan desert can also be beautiful, peaceful and looks like some great riding.

[Crankin]

The Sonoran Desert is beautiful and so is Joshua Tree. I've never ridden in either, though.
After living in warm climates for 23 years, weather doesn't enter much into the equation of what I like, though. I like change! I'd like to ride more in the PNW. As I get older, I find that I mostly enjoy visiting places where I would feel comfortable living; beautiful scenery is one thing, but if I can't deal with the values of the place, I can't get past that. Maybe it's immaturity, but since I've become more like this as I age, it's more than that. My son and DIL just came back from a road trip/visiting her relatives in 2 different states and kind of said the same thing last night. He has traveled quite a bit and lived in Europe for 6 months. She has not been to that many places, though. I don't necessarily think where I live is "the best" for everyone and everything, but in those 23 years I lived in the sunbelt, I never felt comfortable, despite good jobs, friends, nice home.

[Sky King]

Well it took the DH 4 years to convince me to go to Texas - I thought it would be to hot & to dry - nope - Alpine Texas has better weather than Boise - not as cold in the winter and not as hot in the summer. I totally appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions - I grew up in Yellowstone National Park, another type of scenery I love. Lived outside of Baltimore for 7 years, that was my least favorite - too humid, too crowded and very claustrophobic due to all the trees and underbrush Talk about "values of the place" well having lived in Idaho for 24 years I find one has to seek out pockets of like minded people - sometimes those pockets are really tiny...

Am working on my blog post and we'll put a flicker page together.

A note on the Javelina's - we met some great fellow bike riders who live in Alpine, Max let us park our truck and trailer at his house for 3 days while we went riding. I was telling him about seeing some Javelina's and I said Jalapeno instead. I immediately realized it and we were just roaring with laughter - I said well, you can sure tell I am a tourist. Haven't been to the Sonoran on my bike yet, Death Valley last year was also a fun ride.

[Crankin]

You are a better person than me, Sky King! Really. I got so tired of having to explain myself to people in AZ, I sometimes thought I was an alien! Seriously, I was fine if I stayed within my own little community of friends, but at work and out in the world, no. Living in a college town helped, but I remember even when I transferred to ASU, as a senior, listening to some of the other women students made me shake my head in wonder.
But, I still have plenty of places I want to see. In the process of researchig a trip to France for the summer.