Where Would You Go and What Would You Do?

[aeropb]

sounds like what I do now

 

[Progun223]

Ouray Colorado and off road, camp, hike, and set in the hot spring pool.

 

[nofearfactor]

Im actually kind of doing it already but on a smaller scale.

8 years ago I moved to Oklahoma after I met a Tulsa girl and my life totally changed. I had to run my California based business from a computer and learn how to chill out doing nothing sometimes but watching alot of television.

Me and my wife met while she was in San Francisco with her bff's vacationing. I co-owned and was working in the San Jose tattoo shop that they came in to for their 'tramp stamp' girls on vacation souvenir tattoos. Me and a few of my friends went out a few times with them while they were in town, I got to show her and her friends around SF a little, but it was her that I had the most in common with. Later we did the phone and internet thing, then tried the long distance relationship thing taking turns traveling back and forth, but after a few years it all got old, so 8 years ago this December I was the one who got elected to move being the one who was self employed and a business owner. She has a high paying career as a corporate officer in Tulsa at a company that she has been at for many years while rising up thru the ranks, her friends and family are here, and her kids were in their school with their friends, so it just wouldnt have been an option for them to move to California.

In California I worked my businesses down in the bay area but early in my adult life even though I had a nice apartment in the city I preferred to live up in the Sierra Nevada mountains on family owned land that my grandfather bought in the 1930s. There is an old 3 story house on the property that was built in 1889 that I have been doing remodeling to over the years when I have extra cash with dreams of some day finishing it. Neither of 2 ex-wives would live in the house so next door we built a smaller place from native timber and stone off the property. The place is way out in the woods near the side of the mountain and access is a dirt road that is a few miles from the main highway (#4) near Ebbets Pass and about 10 miles or so from the nearest town, Arnold. Closeby is the Big Trees National Park and Bear Valley ski resort is across the road, the 49'r Gold Rush area and Yosemite are not far away in one direction, Tahoe is in another direction which is also on the way to Reno, Sacramento is down one hill, San Francisco is back down another, etc. From 6700ft the view from my back porch is awesome. Super quiet. No one to bother you. Neighbors are far apart and most every one has a case of being pretty damn near anti-social as well as being total hunting, fishing, and gun freaks. We 100% call each other before we visit. We have mild summers and excellant spring and fall's but super heavy snow in the winter that lasts for months with snowmobiles or big 4x4s only if you need to go any where. Some nice lakes are nearby. Caves to explore. I socialize with a small close group of friends up there and we all look out for each other. One friend lives at Bear Valley ski resort part time is a world class heart surgeon. He dives for abalone in the ocean during its seasons and invites his friends over for a feast after he has been. Its almost pure heavan. Closest to it would be our access to unlimited amounts of salmon.

Politically, our area is so unlike southern Cali- most of the people up there are definitely not the vision of Californians I hear around here (this forum)- the supposed tree hugging Obama loving Dems. Almost all people I know are life long card carrying Republicans, me included. In our district our 2 state representatives and nearest Congressman are all Republicans. Our sheriff's typically havent been prone to turning down CC permits- California being an at-will state he is the one you have to go thru to get one there. I gaurentee you will find complete opposite views and opinions up in northern Cali than down in the bay area or for sure in southern California.

My dream would be to finish restoring my big old house up there in NorCal and for my wife to be able to retire with me. She is waiting for her last kid to graduate in a couple of years and she wants to fatten up her 401k and investments a little more before she retires. Myself, I have enough money put away for me to live well without working for the rest of my life but Im not so sure I could take care of both me and my wifes insurances or any big medical problems one of us could have. She is a type 1 diabetic and her buying her own insurance would be astronomical. One of the best perks of her job is her benefits package is really nice. It would be great to live equally there part time and in Oklahoma part time- with my wife up there with me instead of it always being just me and my dog going up there for months at a time. Life then would be perfect. I like my alone time like every one else but its also nice to be able to enjoy a place so nice with someone else.

For now though when I am here in Oklahoma I spend as much time at Lake Tenkiller as I can. Its not far from my house, the drive up there is nice, and its just a nice place to hang out and do what I want. My stepdad grew up around Webbers Falls, Gore and Sallisaw so I have relatives closeby and we go in to Ft Smith where I have friends and relatives also and shop and play then go back out to the lake. Fun times.

 

[kdlong]

Somewhere in this part of the country; earth-sheltered house, lots of acreage, grow my own food. Hunt, fish, etc.

Someday.

this is exactly what i'm doing now

 

[TerryMiller]

Have been all over the world and in every state. Up until cancer hit me three years ago, we would do 4 - 6 international scuba diving trips each year. I have found quite a few places that I have thought I would like to have a permanent house. But, never followed through on any of them as I always found a reason not to buy. The reason is I have never wanted to be tied down to any one spot is that I have found, at least for me, that Oklahoma City is a pretty good jumping off spot. Plus, OKC is a very economical place to live and that $300,000 you are talking about goes a heck of a lot further here than most exotic places. My current home here in the City is on the tax register at over $350,000. To find anything comparable in some exotic location would cost me upwards of $1,000,000.

I had to give up the diving and underwater photography. I sold my cruiser and bought a 35 foot goose neck travel trailer and for the last two years have logged many miles here in the US. Just got back from 7 weeks in Southern Utah and am getting ready to head to East Texas to hunt hogs and do some photography of vultures on hog carcasses. I will be heading back to YNP sometime in April of 2013, have a fishing trip to Alaska on the books for September of 2013 and planning an RV excursion to Alaska in 2014. In the meantime, I am going to spend some time in the Florida Everglades this Winter.

My point is I would rather take my money and spend it traveling, hunting, doing wildlife photography and just relaxing wherever I find myself. Having a home in OKC serves me very well as I am just a few miles from and East/West and North/South Interstate highway and not far from an Airport that will get me anyplace I want to be.

Just my $0.02 cents worth.

Very similar to this, and our plans have already begun. We have the luxury fifth wheel and a Ford F450 to tow it. While we may keep Oklahoma as a "home base," it is our plan to travel the country, spending a few months to several months in an area while we check out all the natural beauty of the United States. North in Summer and South in the Winter.

Almost all of my "shooting" will be done with the "weapon" down in my signature.

 

[tntrex]

I'd like some place with lots and lots of water. Gulf coast maybe and just go fishing all the time.


But I'd probably miss this dusty old place.

 

[XD-9Guy]

Where would I go? I'd probably stay pretty close to here. I'm right in between the majority of my family and my wife's family so I like where we're at. But I'd like 30+ acres with a GOOD sized pond(perhaps big enough to be called a small lake) and put my place at or near the middle of the acreage. I'd have a nice deep basement to hide from the naders and a great big berm so I could shoot a little at my own place. But I don't want to do the hermit thing and move off to Montana to brave the winters, we're social people and we like our conveniences. I'd still want to be close to a nice theater, grocery stores and restaurants for when we don't feel like cooking, that sort of thing.

What would I do? I'd like to believe I've got a lot of years in me so I'd keep working, probably doing what I'm doing now. Especially if the money we're talking about is just enough to buy a place outright. Now, if we are talking filthy rich; like 150 million "after taxes" Powerball rich... the housing plan actually stays the same, but I likely wouldn't work. We would travel the world - no less than 4 major trips a year.

 

[redmax51]

I have to admit that Tampa was pretty darn nice when I visited there. I could spend a lot of time on Clearwater Beach.

Pier 60 on Clearwater Beach, lots of fun.