I'm a Pacific Northwest transplant that has lived in Salt Lake for the past 20 years. As a left leaning, now University of Utah grad, micro-beer enthusiast, I have to say this place is top notch. It wasn't this way when I came here in 2003 (met a girl on flight from Seattle), but it has changed a lot in the past two decades. The beer is 5.0 percent and can be purchased on Sundays, the micro-brewry scene is up and coming, almost of my friends are also transplants, the short distance to get to a trailhead is unreal, and overall there is a friendly vibe. Also, everything from skiing, hiking, slot canyoneering, mountaineering, is all within a fairly short drive. I will say though, the inversions are brutal.
Justin here -- I used to work in the beer industry and I'm still a beer nerd. SLC is one of my fave beer towns in the country. You can get all these cool low-alcohol versions of microbrews in SLC you can't get anywhere else. Love that. My good friend is a professor at U of U, and I look forward to every visit.
Like the new format, it moved along nicely. As far as cities, Seattle hands down, add in the San Juan Islands for sailing and diving, and the fact that Whistler and Squamish are less than a 4 hour drive and it's unbeatable. On top of that we've got two mountain ranges to explore, the only rainforest in the lower 48 etc.etc. No where else in the lower 48 offers that. I don't think you can overlook Detroit either, Michigan is an awesome state, it's surrounded by the Great Lakes, has 11,000 lakes in total and if you factor in the rivers, you're never more than 6 miles from a body of water. It has excellent hiking, skiing, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, birding etc. Not sure why Minneapolis always gets the mention over Detroit. Oh ya, it also has one of the best bicycle shops ever, Kinetic Systems in Clarkston, it'll be celebrating its 45th year next year under the same ownership. If there's anybody who's figured out how to catch that local shop vibe it's Jeff and Louise.
In 2006 I read an article in Nat Geo Adventure titled "The Vegas Draw" which really put Las Vegas on my mind. I moved there in 2014. The city itself I don't care for, but it's the location that I love. Climbing in Red Rock, hiking the Spring Mountains and Mojave Desert peaks in winter, access to central Nevada and more national parks within 6 hours than any other place I can think of. The summer is brutal though.
Cas here. I think I might have written that piece, unless we did two stories on Vegas, which is possible. Or maybe I just shot it. 🤷🏼♂️ Climbing in Calico Basin, paddling the Colorado below the dam, bouldering somewhere between Vegas and Groom Lake. There's so much to around there and unlike SoCal, once you're out of downtown you can fly.
Wow, that's so interesting to know. That piece made me really consider Vegas, and now here I am, love living here, now with a family. Thanks for writing it! Is that piece still online somewhere? @@adventure-journal
I'm a Pacific Northwest transplant that has lived in Salt Lake for the past 20 years. As a left leaning, now University of Utah grad, micro-beer enthusiast, I have to say this place is top notch.
It wasn't this way when I came here in 2003 (met a girl on flight from Seattle), but it has changed a lot in the past two decades. The beer is 5.0 percent and can be purchased on Sundays, the micro-brewry scene is up and coming, almost of my friends are also transplants, the short distance to get to a trailhead is unreal, and overall there is a friendly vibe. Also, everything from skiing, hiking, slot canyoneering, mountaineering, is all within a fairly short drive.
I will say though, the inversions are brutal.
Justin here -- I used to work in the beer industry and I'm still a beer nerd. SLC is one of my fave beer towns in the country. You can get all these cool low-alcohol versions of microbrews in SLC you can't get anywhere else. Love that. My good friend is a professor at U of U, and I look forward to every visit.
Like the new format, it moved along nicely. As far as cities, Seattle hands down, add in the San Juan Islands for sailing and diving, and the fact that Whistler and Squamish are less than a 4 hour drive and it's unbeatable. On top of that we've got two mountain ranges to explore, the only rainforest in the lower 48 etc.etc. No where else in the lower 48 offers that. I don't think you can overlook Detroit either, Michigan is an awesome state, it's surrounded by the Great Lakes, has 11,000 lakes in total and if you factor in the rivers, you're never more than 6 miles from a body of water. It has excellent hiking, skiing, fishing, hunting, mountain biking, birding etc. Not sure why Minneapolis always gets the mention over Detroit. Oh ya, it also has one of the best bicycle shops ever, Kinetic Systems in Clarkston, it'll be celebrating its 45th year next year under the same ownership. If there's anybody who's figured out how to catch that local shop vibe it's Jeff and Louise.
Thanks, Vern!
If I may... Reno. Pretty affordable. Incredible access to all kinds of main attractions and hidden gems.
In 2006 I read an article in Nat Geo Adventure titled "The Vegas Draw" which really put Las Vegas on my mind. I moved there in 2014. The city itself I don't care for, but it's the location that I love. Climbing in Red Rock, hiking the Spring Mountains and Mojave Desert peaks in winter, access to central Nevada and more national parks within 6 hours than any other place I can think of. The summer is brutal though.
Cas here. I think I might have written that piece, unless we did two stories on Vegas, which is possible. Or maybe I just shot it. 🤷🏼♂️ Climbing in Calico Basin, paddling the Colorado below the dam, bouldering somewhere between Vegas and Groom Lake. There's so much to around there and unlike SoCal, once you're out of downtown you can fly.
Wow, that's so interesting to know. That piece made me really consider Vegas, and now here I am, love living here, now with a family. Thanks for writing it! Is that piece still online somewhere? @@adventure-journal