The weather has been nice for the past several weeks with only one or two “cold” days. We will get our wind, rain and storms over the next month along with daily warmth, and then it will be Colorado summer in all it’s hot, dry glory. Nobody ever wants to leave Colorado in the summer because it is the most perfect place to live. The weather is perfect. Mountains wait to be explored. Lakes to be fished. Baseball games to attend. Races to run. I’m sad this is my last Colorado summer 😦 Next year I will be in Wyoming. But hopefully, I will be back after that 🙂 But for this summer, I fully plan on exploring to the greatest extent. I’m in a young adult hiking group through church and our first hike is Saturday morning! I can’t wait to get out and enjoy nature.
While Jackson Hole has endless stretches of nature it also has bears, moose, wolves… all vicious animals I will need to think about while venturing out on a hike. After all, it does close the gap between Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. No more hiking alone, which is something I’ve done a lot of in Colorado. It’s easy to research a busy-ish trail and head up with Copper for a day. People are around and I don’t feel threatened even though I’m alone. I think I will feel a bit differently in Jackson – which is why I plan on finding a place that allows dog(s) because I haven’t forgotten about my need for a big, strong, German Shepherd. I’m a young, single, blonde girl who likes to be outside running, hiking…. I need a big dog by my side. And not a nice lab or a friendly golden retriever – I need a protector.
Casper also has the upside of living near natural beauty with a nearby mountain range. Hiking is available. However, with the massive amounts of wind I am not sure I can enjoy Casper. I am not sure I’d like it. I don’t want to agree to living somewhere and then absolutely hate it when I arrive. Sure, it will have the amenities that Jackson Hole won’t have much of (gyms, stores, plows, Walmart) but 30-40 mph winds 3-5 days a week? I asked a guy who grew up in Casper and lived there his entire life until a year ago if the wind horror stories are true. His reply? “Yes, and probably even worse than that.” YIKES! I’d also want a big dog here. There is something creepy to me about living in rural Wyoming alone. Is that mean? The crime rate is extremely low. Still…
Gillette is flat and without scenery. They call it the “true Wyoming frontier” and apparently it’s where I’d discover old America at it’s finest. This sounds appealing to me, a girl who is just very recently admitting that maybesometechnology is cool and helpful but still wishes she could go back to the days of Semester at Sea when she didn’t have a cell phone or unlimited internet access. Maybe in Gillette kids still play outside and aren’t glued to the computer, iPad or Wii? The obsession kids have with electronics and there parents allowing it is one of my biggest pet peeves in life. My “poor” future children will not have access to any of that for years into their kid lives. And if they need to because of school or because of how disgustingly technological we will be by that time, they will certainly be limited to no more than a few short minutes a day.
Rock Springs and Wheatland are out of the question. The only way I’d choose Wheatland (2 hours outside of Colorado) is if I decide I can’t stand to leave Colorado and instead decide to split my time between Co and Wyo. I’d move to north Fort Collins and find a very cheap place to rent in Wheatland. I’d live in Wheatland only when I have clinicals and spend the rest of my time in Colorado. When I interviewed, the faculty women told me this is what a group of Colorado girls did last year. But they lived in Gillette – 5 hours from Co!
School starts in 2.5 weeks. I’ll have to make a decision shorty after.
| jenn at home | 