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Vidalia
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Vidalia
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 12:40 pm 
This first move is a one year test so I will rent to start with. I have traveled to and hiked dozens of times to Oregon, Washington and Montana and since I find myself completely free for the first time in my life I want to spend serious time exploring the area there. I could stay in Georgia and fly out and back but you don't have the same options that I would living there.

The most difficult thing in life is making a decision to do something..... the rest is only mechanics!
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Vidalia
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 12:42 pm 
I have realized Enumclaw would not be my first choice. It's proximity to Rainier led me in that direction at first but now, not so much.

The most difficult thing in life is making a decision to do something..... the rest is only mechanics!
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Vidalia
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 12:43 pm 
The public transportation is just to try and keep my car off the road. I have been in some cities, especially in Europe where owning a car is a real liability.

The most difficult thing in life is making a decision to do something..... the rest is only mechanics!
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Michael Lewis
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Michael Lewis
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 2:22 pm 
I've taken buses to Darrington numerous times from Everett for hikes/ski/snowshoe. Community Transit services route Monday-Friday. I imagine you could commute on weekdays without driving. The commute is long though. If I had work out there, I'd probably move there. Right at the base of glacier clad Whitehorse.

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Randito
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Randito
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 2:58 pm 
Michael Lewis wrote:
I've taken buses to Darrington numerous times from Everett for hikes/ski/snowshoe. Community Transit services route Monday-Friday. I imagine you could commute on weekdays without driving. The commute is long though. If I had work out there, I'd probably move there. Right at the base of glacier clad Whitehorse.
Cool -- do you take a bike to travel from Darrington to the trailhead? How do you get from beautiful downtown Darrington-- for example the Sloan Peak trailhead?

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Vidalia
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PostMon Nov 25, 2019 6:04 pm 
This is a challenging decision.Thanks to those that have expressed their opinions. It has helped. Here are my thought and possible approach as of tonight. Bare in mind, absolutely nothing is definite until done. This is a one year experiment with a very small footprint. An Outback full of personal possessions will travel to an apartment in Portland area sometime early 2020. I will sign a one year lease. Fortunately I can afford the ridiculous rates for a small studio apartment in most areas of the city. I will use that as a base to explore all areas of the PNW for a year to find the next place to live. With absolutely no responsibilities I can move at will. All of my other possessions will be stored at a friends warehouse until I ship them or sell or dispose of them. When I hiked the AT I realized just how little you need to enjoy life. Beyond my camping gear and personal effects there is little I need to possess. My goal is to explore, ride the rails to other areas, hike everywhere and experience the culture of the west coast and mountains. I may find Portland to be antithetical to what makes me happy but it does have it's benefits. When you look at it from the perspective of a one year experiment it is easier to swallow.

The most difficult thing in life is making a decision to do something..... the rest is only mechanics!
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RayD
the griz ate my pass



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RayD
the griz ate my pass
PostMon Nov 25, 2019 8:17 pm 
With your attitude, you'll do great no matter where you end up! up.gif

don't believe everything you think
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Bedivere
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Bedivere
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PostWed Nov 27, 2019 3:58 pm 
Best of luck to you! I wish I could do what you're doing! Sounds like you're about to have a real blast for the next few years at least.

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Vidalia
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PostWed Nov 27, 2019 4:18 pm 
Thanks, I'll post as this thing progresses. I am planning on a scouting trip to Portland the second week of December. I plan on spending a week in the rain trying to feel the vibe in different areas and check out some apartments available. It may take a couple of trips to make the best decision for me. Anyone with intimate knowledge of Portland have any suggestions for areas or even better specific apartment complexes?

The most difficult thing in life is making a decision to do something..... the rest is only mechanics!
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iron
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iron
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PostWed Nov 27, 2019 5:25 pm 
perhaps reach out to gimpilator. he lives the life you're looking to.

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zephyr
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zephyr
aka friendly hiker
PostWed Nov 27, 2019 6:43 pm 
Have you touched base with these folks? They could point out various neighborhoods in the city that would suit your taste and budget. https://www.oregonhikers.org/ Look through their forums. You should be able to introduce yourself and ask for local advice. Good Luck with your venture! ~z

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Riverside Laker
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PostWed Nov 27, 2019 9:23 pm 
Check out the Max routes. If you live within walking distance it might be pretty convenient. https://trimet.org/max/index.htm#map

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Bosterson
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PostWed Nov 27, 2019 10:35 pm 
Vidalia wrote:
Anyone with intimate knowledge of Portland have any suggestions for areas or even better specific apartment complexes?
Couldn't say on apt complexes - there are so many new ones being built every day, and they're all so $$$ compared to how things used to be here a decade ago. In terms of areas, it depends on what kind of lifestyle you want - do you need to commute downtown? (Sounds like not.) Do you want coffee/bars/whatever in walking distance? Do you want somewhere not totally yuppified and gentrified? (Getting harder to find this...) So short answer - I recommend the east side. The farther out you live, the less you likely will need to pay, and if you don't need to commute, then being close to downtown is not necessary. (There is nothing of everyday interest downtown, it's a commerce hub you can mostly avoid until you go to the Symphony or Opera or the big Powells or something.) The closer in, fancier, and trendier areas on the east side are a zone of homogenous gentrified expensiveness, though YMMV about whether you mind that. I would stay away from "trendy" areas like Division, Hawthorne, Alberta, Mississippi, etc - they only exist for tourists now. Keep in mind that Portland's core isn't that big, so as long as you're west of I-205, you're only 10-30 minutes from downtown in a car, depending on traffic. I live about 4.5 miles from downtown, and my bike commute to work each morning takes 20 minutes. Public transportation in PDX is good for the USA. The MAX is substantially quicker than the bus, though its routes are limited. If you live reasonably close in, you can bike almost anywhere year round (except for the 2 days it snows), and that is your best bet for getting places. The rain is not actually that bad - it's really more the lack of sun (endless cloudy, drizzly days) coupled with short winter days - so the solution is just to get out and do things, and if you don't have a job, you can go hiking all the time! Oregonhikers.org is pretty close to mostly dead (I am a moderator there), hence my becoming a refugee over here amongst the Seattleites. (OH seems to have lost most of its core users to a spinoff FB group and I decline to use FB.) There is plenty of hiking within a short drive from town, though I would say we don't have anything nearby that's as epic as Seattle does, like Alpine Lakes and N Cascades. (Our cost of living is still lower though!) Once you finish hiking all the Gorge trails, you can then graduate to wandering around the forests looking for little ridgelets, dirt gullies, and logging remnants, which seems to be the natural progression for me and the other hikers here I know. Feel free to PM me here or on OH if you have more specific questions! smile.gif

Go! Take a gun! And a dog! Without a leash! Chop down a tree! Start a fire! Piss wherever you want! Build a cairn! A HUGE ONE! BE A REBEL! YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE! (-bootpathguy)
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cdestroyer
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PostThu Nov 28, 2019 8:04 am 
As I recall from living in pdx there is a large urban wilderness in the northwest part of town with hiking trails. The is an old hotel built during the lewis/clark expo "the fairmont". Prices and new construction have boomed since I left. The light rail train is probably the best way to get from one side of pdx to the other without a lot of stops inbetween. As mentioned for areas the are probably the best to check out first then look at the other little communities. While I was there mount tabor which is a cinder cone had a minor earthquake, early 90's i believe. As for myself I would not live in the lesser portland area, outer fringe may be better.

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zephyr
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zephyr
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PostThu Nov 28, 2019 10:51 am 
Bosterson wrote:
Oregonhikers.org is pretty close to mostly dead (I am a moderator there), hence my becoming a refugee over here amongst the Seattleites. (OH seems to have lost most of its core users to a spinoff FB group and I decline to use FB.)
Thanks for the update. Who knew? Sounds kinda sad for the Oregon folks. We're pretty fortunate to have NWHikers up here. ~z

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