DC is done! - Page 9

I've been to Big Mountain (Whitefish). It's a nice cruiser mountain with some nifty stuff that is not on the trail map. It was steep enough for me to ride a slab down one of the trails. They do get some weather though. Between the snow ghosts, the fog and the cone shape of the mountain, you can get some bad vertigo there on some days. The residents of Whitefish explained that their town was like Aspen with the clock rolled back 30 years. Kalispell is the nearby big town with all of the modern infrastructure. Flathead lake is very nice and generates it's own microclimate (i.e. it's warmer there in the winter). BM has a huge population of senior skiers midweek. Glacier National Park is the real deal. Kalispell is a long long way away from civilization.

Moscow, Idaho

We used to live in Pullman, Washington which is an 8 mile drive across the border from Moscow. They are kind of like twin cities, one has Washington State Unversity and the other has the University of Idaho. Other than the two universities there is not a whole lot else going on out there on the Palouse except for wheat farming. The only other employer in the area is Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, who make protective power relays. I think Pullman has a population of 30,000 with about 24,000 students and Moscow has about 20,000 of whom 14,000 are students. You get the idea.

It is probably one of the most isolated university communities in the country, you are 1.5 hours from Spokane, and about 4.5 hours from Seattle, drivewise. But drives are not stressful, you are more likely to drive off the road out of boredom. I think in terms of population density, this is one of the least settled areas in the US, you can drive a long way and not see much of anything. You have about a 2 hour drive to Mt. Spokane and closer to 3 hours for Schweizer. As regards the Cascades, you're about 4 hours to Yakima or Snoqualmie. So it's a fairly long ways from serious skiing (we won't count Bald Mountain in Pierce).

The climate is pretty mild. You can get some heavy snow in the winter but it usually melts pretty quickly. If it melts too fast the towns tend to flood since they are usually in the river bottoms. Summers are very nice since the humidity is low. Even when the temp hits 90 it is not uncomfortable.

Cultural life, other than what the university drags in, is non-existent. There are not a lot of fine dining establishments, despite the fact that Pullman is the home of one of the best HRI programs in the country. Also, do not expect racial diversity. There are a few Asians at Wazzoo, but most of the blacks are on the athletic teams. Both towns are like 93% white. Other than the students, the residents of the two towns are fairly aware of the pecking order at their universities and social arrangements tend to fall out accordingly.

As a matter of fact, I think you would be hard pressed to find another place in the US that was more unlike the District of Columbia than the Palouse. It's not for everyone. It would be like moving back to the 1950's. I used to joke with my wife that I fully expected a dinosaur to pop his head up over one of the hills, because it was the land that time forgot.

Back in Maryland already, phew. Made it safely home in case any of you was worried. I was only beaten down once, my house (in Md) was broken into, three of my bicycles were stolen, but none of that happened today.

Today was nice, less people, less pollen, I saw a lot of sunburned people, I was not, but now I am. Definitely felt that the season has changed. Rolling thunder has rolled on, and I saw more bicycles than motorcycles. I visited historic Georgetown three times, didn't see any acts of heroism, but saw a few random acts of kindness.

Tromano, you're crazy walking around at night. I try not to let the sun set on my ass in that town.

Originally Posted by Ski_the_Steep
He didn't even try to chase the purse-snatching creep? Talk about a missed opportunity to do the right thing, slap around someone who truly deserves it, AND score major points with your date. Duh!!!


Lighten up, there was supposed to be a humorous tone there. Ooops, so I didn't put a smiley face after it.

You couldn't possibly know what level of "knowledge of urban risks" (aka street-smarts) I do or do not possess. I certainly would give chase unless I had reason to believe that the criminal had a weapon. We're assuming this is DC, where only the criminals are armed and I wouldn't be. And no, I wouldn't continue down a alley or another spot where an ambush might be waiting.

I haven't read this entire thread, but it looked to me like we are talking about some loser snatching and running off with a purse. That is a completely different situation than being held up and he probably wasn't armed. If it was a hold-up, then I apologize. In that case I likely would not have given chase.

If you've been successfully held up multiple times, shouldn't you be doing something differently?

DC Duh, sorry about you getting attacked so many times. I only was jumped once (by four guys), I needed facial reconstruction, but they didn't get my wallet!

I got the hell out of the Bronx. I haven't been held up since. Not all the hold-ups were successful by any stretch. The worst was when I was driving a cab in NYC. Two robbers, both with guns. There was no good resisting that one. The most feeble was a guy who stuck his finger under his shirt in the subway. he was not so successful, by a good margin. My most exciting episode was chasing six teens who had shoved a lady down a flight of stairs, and took her purse. I chased them until they ran into an apartment building. The police response time was fantastic. Less than ten seconds after I broke off chase becasue they had gone into a building, the police rolled cars from two different directions onto the street in response. The 44th precinct had some of the best cops in the world at the time. It wasn't that I was doing anything wrong, it was that I lived on 162nd street. In general I know where not to go, and avoid such spots, and I have not done a lot of return visits to my old neighborhood to reminisce.

...and change your perspective?

Perhaps if our nation's capitol was in a more hospitible and less dangerous place our government might work better...

The attempt to move it to Richmond, VA, in 1861, was extremely unsuccessful.

Fact: The residents of DC are the most highly taxed of any state in the country.

DC isn't a state.

Amend to "more highly taxed than the residents of any state..."

When I lived there, I always thought they should relocate the seat of govt to someplace like Leadville or Fairplay, CO. There is something about living at the mercy of nature, in the middle of gigantic mountains, that humbles men. Mankind in DC needs humbling ... they think they are in charge of everything, bigger than everything, but they really aren't even close. (This is party-neutral, by the way.)

The residents or the business entities that operate in D.C. :

Marion Barry ring a bell?

Kalispell is a real nice town. Low elevation for the west so it's abit warmer, cherry orchards are cool. Flathead Lake, Big Mountain and Glacier NP. You should put your stuff in storage go on a tour and check out a bunch of places.

Small resort mountain towns are littered with folks that moved from the big city but really weren't prepared for the changes and sacrifies that come along with a move like that. In many resort mountain towns, the real estate prices are more in line with DC than you might think. I guess you'll never know until you give it a shot.

Kalispell might be a good choice cause it's not really a small resort town, Whitefish fits that bill for the area, but the commercial center of the region.
Locationwise to say that Kalispell is isolated would be an understatement.
Good luck on your quest.

Fact: For the purposes of taxation DC is treated like a state.

Also consider that Virgina and Pennsylvania are both actually Commonwealths?!?!?!

What'd you do for the DLC?

Kalispell is considered a major metropolitan area in Montana. I think they are building a second high school...

Utah too Dry? As in you can't get a drink? You just have to remember the rules If you can't remember the rules your too drunk and should go home .
Is the air too dry? Yes the humidity is low here in Utah 2nd driest state in the country. Think less nasty bugs.
Could it be that we are famous for our dry humor? Couldn't be that! However we do poke fun at ourselves and this wierd little corner of the world. Polygamy Porter Beer is a fine example. The slogan " Take a six pack home to the wives." If yuki moved here he would add a lot of credibility to the dry sarcastic humor of Utah. Nothing like living in " Jersey to bring out your inner sarcastic *** wipe from h*ll. You know I love ya yuki
If you say the powder is too dry, then that's just sacrilege and you should be banned to the depths of H*ll Oh wait you already live in DC

Fact: The Federal Government pays for 25% of all of the entire budget for the "Municipal" entity known as D.C.

Snippets of facts are known to hide a greater "truth".

Based on the fact that the fed government owns and operates most of the real estate in DC I would say 25% is not what I would call a "fair share". According to a news report yesterday DC residents are not happy about this and are publically protesting.

Edited by BushwackerinPA - 4/16/2009 at 02:32 pm GMT

North Idaho , close by Washington and Canadian resorts nearby all got over 300 inches.

Well, I'm selling my house and moving to Aspen this summer, it's 1/2 way between Bridger and Big Sky in the Hyalite foothills, 2000 sq ft on 2 acres, horse fencing, barn. Still thinkin bout it? 

 

After the absolutely amazing time I had in Bozeman, I'd be tempted to take you up on that!

 

 

... with their kids.  And skiing, and running 10Ks, mountain biking, etc.  Thanks, Harry.