very easy to get caught up in the negatives.
let's focus on the positives of where i live for a minute.
within 30 miles of my front door:
- 1 national park
- maybe 15-20 state wildlife areas
- perhaps 30 county open spaces, some massively large, some involving big reservoirs full of fish and surrounded by trails, some involving vast tracts of rugged terrain, many containing ideal wintering habitat for unuglates, etc
- at least 5 large state parks, most of which allow hunting and all of which have plenty of fishing
- dozens and dozens of trailheads accessing two federal wilderness areas totalling 87,392 acres chock full of deer, elk, moose, bears, turkeys, grouse, etc. and containing some unparalleled alpine peaks, backpacking adventure and more alpine fishing than you can handle.
- i live within spitting distance of two costcos and some of the finest steakhouses i've ever experienced
- a good school district
- great neighbors
then:
- a culture that prizes public lands and access to them
- otc elk licenses
- mule deer tags every year
- multiple bear tags ever year
- small game hunting
- otc turkey hunting
- strong economy
- loving families not far away
