XCD Vacation: Where would you go?

[MikeK]

I appreciate the input on the other locations... but...

Al my wife has been pestering me to quit my job, sell the house, get a camper van and go drive around the country for a year or so. Find out where we want to live. Where's the best skiing, best outdoor rec, best public lands, ect...

Man I love it here, but I don't know much else. Always thought I'd get a camp in 'Daks and move up there full time when it was economically feasible.

Doin' something like that is scary. Gotta ditch my boats somewhere too, don't want to sell those ever... I'll never get those same boats again. We lose our sweet healthcare and my wife will lose her NYS retirement.

I've got nothing but family tying me here. And well, we don't get together but a couple times a year, and I can manage that from afar. Technically I could do a leave of absence with my job as well, but those aren't really worth much. Means they might take me back if I decide I want to be back here after said amount of time.

[lowangle al]

Wow Mike, most guys would have to convince their wives to do something like that, you just have to convince yourself. I couldn't believe my wife agreed to move to Ak. but I think it had something to do with her lunatic ex husband. It would be great to take a whole year off if you were willing to go through that much of your savings but I think you could find a good spot in much less time after you eliminated all of the places that would be hard to find a job in your field.

I decided to move to a snowier place after driving to the High Peaks area for a New Years weekend and it was raining and everything was iced over. My feeling was that I could find another crappy job but in a place that I didn't have to drive 6 hours and still not find snow. Not knowing if it would work out I rented out my house and it paid off. I sold it 2 years ago and used the money to help buy a place on a lake to retire to.

Whatever you do don't go without at least one canoe, for a trip like that you will need your toys more than ever.

[MikeK]

Yeah, she would do it.

We both have the same idea of finding somewhere snowier, somewhere I don't have to drive to ski or go canoe tripping, you know, all the shit that comes with being a flatlander.

Concerned to take my tandem... it has wood trim and being out on the road with salt and moisture I'm concerned it will take a beating. I'd probably just pick up a beater Wenonah with aluminum trim for travel and keep my nice boats somewhere safe (probably with Dave Curtis, the guy who built them), until I was ready to pick them up or have them shipped to me.

Believe it or not I think my wife likes skiing as much or more than I do. She would be on this forum if she liked forums. She would quit her job and be a ski bum. She tells me after a weekend of skiing she can't stand to hear her co-workers talk about their boring lives in undereating, making babies and going to the gym. She only cares about skiing.

She watches ski videos of CIMA and says I wish I could ski like that. Every time she sees a picture with snow on this forum she asks where that is and why we aren't there.

I think the funniest thing to her is seeing me fall on skis.

She's pretty equally into canoe tripping during the summer.

Unfortunately she thinks MTB is like the most dangerous thing in the world and she's not all that interested in it. She also thought that when she started skiing though, so she may come around...

[lilcliffy]

My recommendation? In the Northeast?

Quebec...Quebec... Quebec

Mountains
Spectacular forests and scenery
Reliable snow conditions (especially in the mountains)
Wilderness
Endless accommodation options (including wonderful hut-to-hut tours- with available gear transport)
Incredible food and drink
Wonderful people and culture

There is excellent Nordic touring most anywhere in the Laurentians or the Gaspe.

And for a trip with your sweetheart? It doesn't get any more romantic than QC...if we went more often we might have a dozen children by now! (my two youngest children were conceived on a mountain in QC- the youngest is named "Roselin"- after a certain hut in August)

My wife would move to QC in a heartbeat- but her french is much worse than mine- securing work would be difficult.

A close second? Western Newfoundland- Long Range Mtns. But a long way to go- especially in the winter. My wife and I hiked and backcountry camped on the North Peninsula for our honeymoon. I have only skied there once- incredible terrain, snow, scenery, and hospitality!

[anemic]

What about Quebec? Snow is not good this year?

[MikeK]

We did some talking about this and I think we've decided Yellowstone/west is too much for next year.

I'm pretty sure the Laurentians are going to be where we go. Chic-chocs are cool and chic, but a long drive and maybe terrain-wise more than we can handle. I think we'll have just as good a time north of Montreal. It's the home of the Jackrabbit afterall!

And hey, maybe Bri7 can be our tour guide?

[kumachan]

If I were saving my pennies for a big trip (which I'm not right now), I'd think pretty hard about Hokkaido Island, Japan. For not only the skiing (friends have said its fantastic), but a host of other reasons (e.g., experiencing a different culture, good food and drink, great scenery, new wildlife species to see, possibly tenkara fishing in mountain streams, and meeting professional colleagues, etc). I've never been to Japan and would love to check it out.

Japan is a very beautiful and interesting place. If planning a ski trip to Japan, go in knowing that Japan is an insanely expensive country, after the airfare. This coming from a guy who lives in NYC. You should also learn as much of the language as possible as the majority of Japanese don't speak English. It's always a good idea to factor in time to adjust to the 12-13 hour time difference (depends on daylight saving time), too. That said, there's nothing quite like hitting onsen (hot springs) at a mountain ryokan (inn) after a fun day of skiing!

[athabascae]

Thanks for the info. I do hope to travel to Japan someday.

Tom