Flying over the Rockies, I look down and see majestic snow covered mountains. They are beautiful, but mostly inaccessible… If you try to access them unprepared, they will kill you. The Appalachians however, are beautiful in a different way… Lush and inviting, and accessible. Only real threat are the Huron who might try to cut your head off, but they are easily avoided.
Huron, and having to paddle faster when you hear banjos.
Not if your the one with the Banjo.
The Appalachians, while beautiful and inviting, will kill you just as dead as the Rockies if you are unprepared.
That’s true. But you have to be a lot more stupid for them to sneak up on you.
Not necessarily…it’s the beauty that lulls the unsuspecting into a false sense of security and that’s what will punch your ticket.
I lived in Colorado as a youth, the Rockies are beautiful.
I loved family trips into them.
However I want to LIVE in the Appalachians.
They have a pull, and call to me.
I want to spend my days driving the roads in them… hike their trails.
I will call them home, with a small cozy cabin, some day.
Jim
That’s our 10 year plan actually to relocate to western NC (west of Ashville, none more east) from the Sandhills. I went to tech school outside of Denver (Lowery AFB) and while I loved the rugged beauty of Colorado the higher elevations didn’t agree with me. I’m hoping by the time of our move the elk population will have grown enough that hunting them will be allowed.
Just wait until you take a ride through those mountains. You are bringing a bike, right?
If you make it to the western end of the state and find yourself in the Brevard-Sapphire area, you’ll be in my old haunts. Beautiful area. Lots of secluded mountain lakes, trout streams, waterfalls. I’m happy here in WV but western NC would be my second choice.
The Appalachians are at the other end of the state from where you’re moving to. You’ll be on the Coastal Plain: swamps, slow-moving brown rivers and longleaf pine forest. I’d consider buying a boat for combination fresh/saltwater fishing, crabbing, clamming, and oystering. If you’ve never done any of those things, the late Euell Gibbons’ book Stalking the Blue-Eyed Scallop is a good book to acquire. There’s several national forests for hunting in; Croatan National Forest is the closest. Robert Ruark’s classic coming-of-age book The Old Man and the Boy takes place in this area, too.
Fishing for redfish and trout in the creeks around Jacksonville is excellent and some spots are full of blue crabs. Croatan National Forest is pretty thick and swampy…not the best for a guy with a bad knee. Lejune actually has awesome turkey and deer hunting and if like Fort Bragg, civilians can hunt there without escorts. Private property is the best bet in NC for hunting as gamelands tend to be dangerous places as people tend to shoot at anything that moves.
I would only hunt Private… Better hunting.
Well I got your hook up then. I get a free hunting club membership every year (club fees are around 800.00 per year + other expenses, and that’s about average throughout NC) and I can take a guest with me. They have a decent lodge w/bunks and they have 5 farms to hunt turkeys, dove, deer & ducks and they have a 15 member limit for the club so the hunting pressure is very light. They know I can’t hunt alone because of my disabilities so they expect me to bring someone. My usual hunting partner was killed last fall so I’m looking for someone to hunt with me. It’s in Littleton (Roanoke Rapids area) which isn’t far away. Think about it and I’m sure we’ll talk once you get settled in.
And here is a recent addition to coastal NC’s attractions: The Frying Pan Shoals Light Station:
http://www.fptower.com/
So am I seeing future vacations to the mountains?!? We have a bunch of cool stuff to do over here that I would love us all to do. Winding rides through the mountains, highland games, lazy days on the lake and hiking to the MANY waterfalls in the area.
I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve been out to the banks, Okrecoke – no wonder the NC state bird is the Mosquito.
If you go that swampy and wet-route, try one of the Gibbs Industries amphibians?
IMO the Outer Banks are overrated and we got so tore up by the skeeters so badly that we vowed to never return. It wasn’t just around our beach house rental, it was pretty much everywhere. We prefer the Chrystal Coast and have been staying at Holden Beach for the past 4 summers. It’s also not the tourist-y atmosphere that the OBX is and it’s much more casual.
You make Canada seem so dangerous :p I love the Rockies and there are many spots in the mountains that you can travel to don’t need to worry about dying. Love this site thought its the first time being on here and I can tell you guys put effort into it.
Guy. Just one Ogre here…
Thanks!