[pct-l] CA/OR

gwschenk at socal.rr.com gwschenk at socal.rr.com
Sun Dec 6 17:54:55 CST 2009


Fortunately, nobody EVER moves to California.

---- Matt Thyer <matt_thyer at hotmail.com> wrote: 
> Oh it extends well beyond the northwest.  I grew up in western Colorado.
> For those of you who don't know Colorado is essentially three states in one
> package.  There's the West which includes the Rockies, the urbanized Front
> range, and western Kansas.  External economic pressures from places like
> California and Texas were a constant in my childhood.  I spent most of my
> early adulthood working for the Forest Service above Meeker in the White
> River NF and got a front row seat to what kind of havoc money can bring.
> 
> Essentially, the private land of the north and south forks of the White
> river were bought up by really wealthy people for second homes and hunting
> lodges.  What used to be arable, even irrigated land of which a first son of
> Colorado might be able to afford a small, sustainable bit was quickly
> transformed into Dude-ranchettes, quazi-Scottish abbey-like retreats and
> Long Horn bedecked hunting lodges.
> 
> At one point my first wife and I were trying to complete our educations at
> Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO.  Both of us has applied and been accepted
> to the school and we knew that finding housing was going to be difficult.
> That summer we moved into a camp ground outside of town and spent six weeks
> looking for a place that we could afford to rent.  My spirit was finally
> broken when we were at a town park and were chatting with another couple.
> They complained about something regarding their house (right off the main
> drag and just east of the railroad station) in town when Jennifer asked how
> they managed to land such a great rental.  "Oh, my Daddy just bought the
> place.  We don't actually rent it."
> 
> They were both from California.
> 
> It took me a while to get over the invasion, I had to lose my sense of
> "home" or at least gain a more mature understanding of what that concept
> really means to me.  Also, realize that many people, some of whom still live
> in these places and daily experience this kind of incursion, will never get
> over their loss.  They've lost something, often they can't even tell you
> what it is, but they know it's gone and the natural reaction is to blame.
> Blame is an easy response, and over the long haul it becomes prejudice.
> 
> 2 cents,
> 
> Matt Thyer
> 
> PS: We welcome all, and hope that all welcome us back.  Even people from
> California.
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net [mailto:pct-l-bounces at backcountry.net]
> On Behalf Of Ken Powers
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 10:29 AM
> To: PCT-L
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] CA/OR
> 
> I was raised in southern Idaho. They have the same feelings about 
> Californians.
> 
> On the ICT this year we were looking for NFS maps for northern Idaho. 
> Someone told us that if we told one shop owner we were from California we 
> would be given directions that would send us in the wrong direction.
> 
> I remember the word "Californicate" which is used in sentences like "Don't 
> Californicate Idaho." Seems the whole Northwest has those feelings.
> 
> 
> Ken,  who now lives happily in California
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <jomike at cot.net>
> To: <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Cc: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Friday, December 04, 2009 10:12 AM
> Subject: [pct-l] CA/OR
> 
> 
> but I guess I would have to keep it a secret
> where I came from, even if all I can afford is blue tarp yurt in the
> forest.
> ________________________________
> 
> When my oldest daughter moved to OR and still had CA license plates, she'd 
> get all sorts of nasty looks and being flipped-off from the locals (Salem). 
> But, then again she was a wild driver!
> 
> are we there yet
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