So Close

I like living in Michigan. I like being close to family.  I like the resources and opportunities we have here.  I even like the scenery once you get out of the city.

But I miss Idaho fiercely sometimes. I miss mountains. We generally go to Florida for vacations, so that we can see grandparents, and because it's a pretty frugal deal. Idaho would be much more expensive. The gas to get there. Three days drive instead of two each way, so an extra motel stay on the road each way.  All the things we'd want to do and see (Yellowstone, Craters of the Moon, Wood River Valley, Stanley Basin/the Diamond D, the few friends I still have that live there) would really add up, partly because they're all pretty far away from each other.  You can't really pick one place and do day trips and really do them justice. Lodging is also an issue.  Although I know one friend has offered to put us up, that's just one friend. We're talking several thousand dollars for a trip to Idaho.

Also, Jeff wants to be able to go to a major league baseball game no matter where we go.  Seattle is the closest to Idaho, although Denver is "on the way" (not really).

Denver, though.  Denver is a solid two day drive, so cheaper right off the bat.  It's on the edge of the mountains. There are a lot of old West historical opportunities, as well as Rocky Mountain National Forest. Another one of my friends lives there.

When I mentioned we were thinking about Denver to my Dad, he immediately started, "Well, then you head up to Cheyenne, and it's not too far from there to Rushmore and the Badlands, and just a hop, skip, and a jump from there to Yellowstone."  When I brought up the lodging issue, he promptly suggested we get a tent. Yeah, that's not happening. 

So it looks like I'll finally get to show my family what real mountains look like.  Just not quite the ones I was hoping for. For now, I'll take it.