Never leave your bubble of comfort...

[lloyd3]

Just got back from a week in Nowhere, Minnesota. A long drive up there (2 days at 600-miles per day)) and then a long drive back (2 more). Did finally (after several trips now) find a decent place to hang my hat about halfway in-between (reasonable, safe, clean, quiet & comfortable) in a small town in Iowa, just off of the interstate.  I used to just go and stop whenever I ran out of energy but... as an older dog now, that has a few downsides (I get pretty rummy when I get tired anymore and that ain't great at 85 miles an hour). I also have some food-allergies now (a souvenir of Lymes Disease) that makes it nice if I can source some decent chow along the way (I can pack road-food too, but sandwiches get old after a few days of it). Ideally, it's nice to be able to get a "real" bite to eat before you shut-down for the day and this place does that nicely too. Win-win, right?

Anyway, after a good recovery day yesterday (this was my 1st post-surgical trip since my injury) I hit it fairly briskly this morning, physical therapy, shovelling various forms of paper, and then paying all the bills that accumulated in my absence. Figuring that I'd earned a small break, I chose to dig out the old car and go price some new tires for it (finally). I'd also figured on an oil change (it's been 3-years according to the sticker) and maybe even a haircut.  I should have just changed into grubby cloths and mowed the lawn instead because the traffic and crowds everywhere I went were astounding(!).  Long lines and long waits absolutely everywhere I went, certainly way-more that I had anticipated. The receptionist lady at the tire store told it's like that all the time now after a major holiday....ok. Even a few years ago it wasn't like this but maybe I'm out of touch now?  I had some other plans I was considering as well but looking outside revealed some big boomers headed our way, so I wheeled out of the tire stores' parking lot (& before anybody had even officially waited on me) and headed for home.  Maybe it's because I was in such a quaint, rural place for the last 10-days, & maybe it's just because I'm a such grumpy old bastard now (I've never liked to wait very long for service & I've always hated crowds) but ....damn it! Colorado is getting way too-crowded (and stupid!) anymore.  Retirement looms and maybe that'll make it better, but I tend to doubt it.

[Mike DC]

 
It sounds good that you are even able to make those long drives a few months after surgery.  Sometimes the ability to do that is permanently lost.

The roads are just crowded everywhere.  Since about 1960 the USA has doubled in population, the western states have gained more than that, and the interstate system has barely enlarged at all.   
 

[Kern Dog]

Life begins outside of your comfort zone.
(Written by a man sitting on his couch)

[LaOtto70Charger]

I had a friend move to the Denver area over 10 years ago. Lots of people moving there from all over. You could move to BFE when you retire, but than if you want good medical care you may end up right back there.

[RallyeMike]

Maybe find a bigger, better bubble?

When I retired 5 years ago I moved away from the population centers to an area with 1/100th the population per square mile, just an hour and a half away.There is no traffic, no crime, 1/3 the property taxes,etc. It feels like its 1976 out here, but I'm still close enough to go back to the present for a visit. One of the best decisions I have ever made.

[Kern Dog]

That is excellent, Mike.
Traditional life, traditional values and if you need modern stuff, it isn't too far away.

[lloyd3]

That is probably the better solution, but uprooting would still be a gigantic pain. No, I'll just tough it out here for a few more years. As long as I can time my visits a bit more carefully (i.e. earlier in the day), I can usually avoid the bigger mess here.  The next few years will tell for sure.  If there is a "Nirvana" somewhere I guess I haven't found it just yet.

[73rallye440magnum]

Lloyd, time to move to Colorado City.
Half an hour south of Pueblo.

Population 2500.
One hour to the Springs.

At least one Charger addict.

[lloyd3]

Appreciate the suggestion. You know, I was just down in New Mexico (at the Whittington Center) for a Vintager shoot in April and I was enjoying how largely uncrowded everything was south of Pueblo. It's the big cities (just about everywhere now) that have become so unliveable (IMHO). The trade-off, of course, is that so many of these small(er) towns are suffering from a severe lack of services. The fact that you're so close to the Springs is a big help, I'm sure. Amazon can only do so much.

It's a balancing act, for sure, far enough away to avoid the traffic (and other stupidity) but close enough to access all the services that a bigger metroplex offers. There is no obvious "Silver Bullet" and I guess everyone has to figure out just what they will and will-not live without. I was up in rural Canada just last week (fishing) and that is looking like a 3rd world country anymore. Simply don't know what's coming next and where I'll be in response.