I don't have to take the heat anymore

[Highbeam]

"Don, I lived in WA for a while. It is as nice as it gets. Green mountains, uncrowded trout streams, nice weather. "

Western Washington is nice and green but dry enough to have burn bans all summer. Every day is a nice 75 or so degrees with nights into the 50s. Marine layer some mornings. We get hot spells that top out in the 90s but mostly sub 80. Dangle your foot in the cold puget sound and all is cool again.

In regards to fishing though, it is what we call combat fishing. Shoulder to shoulder along the rivers. You have to go mighty far away to fish in a river without worrying about your gear hanging up on someone elses.

 

[Dozernut]

Stay away from Illinois, the temp. is usualy in the 90's but the humidity runs in the 90 percent category. Feels like you could drown just breathing. Our state birds are the horse fly and the deer fly. Gets chilly in the winter (I don't mind-winter person and no flies) but the spring and autumn are really nice. I would go with what Doc Bob said, northern Wisconsin. We went up in August, which is off season, to do a little fishing. It was in the 50's during the day and you needed a jacket on the lake. We left our camp silverware in a pan of water outside and we had to break them out of the ice the next morning. A crisp clear morning when you can see your breath makes you feel alive.

 

[RockyMnt1]

39.8 gegress at the house this morning, but it will get up to 72 today. This is at 8500 msl in the mountains of Colorado.

Just got back from a week in Maine (Harpswell along the coast). I guess that we missed the week of hot weather up there because it was nice and pleasent. It was also nice in the NH White mountians. Climb up Mt. Washinton and it will be cooler up there!!!

 

[CRJCaptain]

Ontario, Canada near one of the Great Lakes is quite cool in summer especially near the lakes...my favorite was near Lake Huron or Superior. Great fishing, boating and unique granite sand beaches, remnants of the 4 billion year old rock of the Canadian Shield.

 

[ronjhall]

Michigan has some great summer weather. It's rare to get temps above 90 degrees. Lots to see and do. Rent a cottage on one of the great lakes shore line. Nice peaceful place to spend a month.

 

[billbill1]

Don, I lived in Minnesota for a year and have been back on summer vacations, I really enjoy it up there. Especially the farther north you go. Fishing is great too!! Brainerd and Garrison areas are nice.

 

[txdon]

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I was wondering how I could have misjudged the summer heat in the country. Today (Sept. 1) it was over 100 degrees. Almost every day in August was over 100, some up to 107. The weather guy in Austin (the closest city) said that this was the hottest August ever recorded. Just my luck, the first summer of retirement and I end up medium rare.

It will only get cooler now. Right?


EDDIE WALKER,
This morning will I was sitting under a shade tree, something moved, I looked down to my right and saw a big snake. I slowly looked to my left and saw more of the snake. Since he was slithering UNDER my chair I was well within striking distance. I held my breath and did not move as he continued on. I was thinking I need to get a picture for Eddie. However, I couldn't even get my camera without taking a chance of scaring the snake and getting bit. That was one long coach whip snake. I hate being in the strike zone.

 

[EddieWalker]

Don,

I think you need to change the name of your ranch to reflect all the snakes you raise there. What are you feeding them? I think I can rembember every snake I've seen on my place, and every time I'm there, I look for it again. Even if I've removed 6 feet of dirt from where it was!!! I'm still looking.

Back to places for you to go. Have you ever been to South East Oklahoma? We saw a show on TV about the mountain, rivers and lakes there and was really impressed. We're thinking about a trip sometime soon to see if it's as nice as it looked on the TV show.

I went to the state tourism site and ordered a bunch of brochures and pamphlets for free. You could do the same for every state people have recomended to you that sounded interesting.

Eddie

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

TxDon, has anyone mentioned Ruidoso New Mexico or Crested Butte Colorado?

I've spent a week in Crested Butte Colorado and would love to do it again. I would recommend a gas powered Mule or Yamaha Rhino that you two could take up into the mountains. We took our dual purpose motorcycles. One trip we ended up on the continental divide for a few miles. Top of the world feeling. It was legal back then (1996) not sure about now. There were Jeep clubs and others up there enjoying the cold air too. It gets into the 30's at night at altitude, so camping in a tent would be tough. If I was going up there without company, I'd prepare for the worst. In case of breaking down. Cold weather water proof gear, canned food and water. We had a thunderstorm hit us on the way up to Pearl pass. Pearl pass is a theoretical pass from the Crested Butte side over to Aspen. We got up to the top and I got a flat. 1/2 mile the top, in early August, the trail had not been breached yet that year. We hiked across an icy snowy treacherous trail to get to the top. If we had a shovel and some time, we could have "trenched" across the 150 foot or so snow which we could have then driven our bikes over and into Aspen. But, I had a rear flat and was mad enough to take on a hornet's nest. Rode back down the mountain on the gas tank...Kyle

 

[vlpena]

Hey Don,

Just "working" and I saw that you were on line. Just wanted to say Hi! and let you know that we survived another flood here in Houston.

Victor