It's been a while since I experienced amnesia while pedaling up a hill. It couldn't have happened at a better time. Last night I had a conversation with a fellow camper at the RV park and he predicted mass migration of Ari-cali-fornicaters to my Little Pueblo. "I'm in the first wave," he proudly predicted. Later that night I had a nightmare: that I went back to work.
Perhaps I'm a little sensitive on the issue of population growth after seeing one of my hangouts, St. George UT, go through a population explosion. I don't care to ever see the town again.
But who needs these thoughts, especially when I can't do anything about it. So up the hill I went, and went into a trance-like, internal rant. When I came to, I had just climbed a thousand feet and had no conscious memory of doing it.
Near the continental divide I saw a cycle tourist from the Netherlands resting. I stopped to talk to him for awhile. He stank as bad as a javelina. I have to keep reminding myself that even though the average RVer has a style that is uninteresting or even repulsive to me, I managed to develop my own style as an RVer that worked well for years; something similar could happen for bicycle touring.
Comments
Regarding St. George, their is an "old St. George" just up the road towards Zion... out of the sprawl and smog of Californicators... that goes by the name of Virgin. It is aptly named because it hasn't been fornicated yet... probably because it is a little too trashy (read "lovely" in your eyes) for west coasters. Most of the homes in town resemble your mc mansion photo and can be had for a song.
Another reason you would like it there, the biggest one I think, is that it is surrounded by square miles of BLM lands networked with little used old roads and bike trails that go in every direction, some up into a national forest of pine. I think the weather there would be warmer in the winters than where you are too. I know you don't like national parks because of all the rules and people, but the off season at Zion is not ruined by masses. In fact if you stay out of the main Virgin River gorge, you'll hardly see anyone.
Virgin is high on our list of winter hometowns. I found a nice little "dump" yesterday a Realtor website for 66 K and got all excited. Let's go, Boonie. You and the pack get the shack and caretake the weeds and we'll live in Fiver five months a year.
A Dream retirement life.
mark
You might be underestimating the discomfort that a non-LDS person can feel after living in Utah awhile.
The trouble with rural or hamlet living situations is that your entire life is centered around motor vehicles. It's a major drive just to the nearest grocery store.
We biked to Zion, too, BTW.
If you want to totally rid yourself of a vehicle, you better move to Portland. Otherwise, just get an old high milage bug of some sort... or small pickup with a camper. Problem solved... except for the Mormons.