Rain versus Outdoor Activities (Seattle, Vancouver: school, camping, organic)

[MechAndy]

So I built my house about 30 years ago in Cali.
It is hot as heck here in August.

Our garage is 1,200sqft
I actually sloped the concrete floor so I could wash my cars inside in the shade.
Now that I’m old I only wash motorcycles.

[Thom52]

I spent 31 years doing outdoor sports and activities in Western WA in the rain.
Literally never took raingear out of my backpack in preparation for any hike, and I hiked every weekend, and ended up wearing raingear on many of the hikes. Fenders on bikes, goretex and polypro is your friend for all outdoor activities on the WetSide.

20% chance of rain just meant the slight drizzle might let up for a few minutes to be taken over by the water dripping from the trees. Waterproof boots and waterproof gaiters were a must. Fogged up glasses were a constant battle.

I did a lot of bicycle commuting for 10 months out of the year for much of that time. I actually had boot dryers under my desk to try to get my commute outfit so it wasn't cold and soggy by my commute home.

It was a challenge and novelty for the first decade or two, and never stopped me. Strong winds which would knock down widow makers was the only reason for cancelling a hike. After 30 years of gray, solid cloud cover and being soggy, I had enough.

I now live in the High Desert. It is a lot easier to get dust off my bikes and car than caked on mud. My backpack is a lot lighter, not having to carry super high quality rain gear every hike.

But yes, rain does NOT stop people from outdoor recreation.

[pikabike]

What outdoor activities are people doing in the rain?

Depends on the person! When I lived in western WA, I hiked and kayaked in rain. Though I avoided cycling in rain, other people still do it. You could easily swim when it is raining.

If you have to ask that question, it sure sounds like you don’t like rain.

The related question is what’s your tolerance for gray sky.

[wisker]

It’s not that “I don’t like the rain”….just living in Southern California, we don’t get much and people tend not to go out in it here, so with people saying it’s a haven for outdoor sports and then saying it rains all the time, I was curious. The same regarding Arizona. It’s also is a “haven” for outdoor activities but then you have unrelenting heat most of the year. I’ve read that you have to get up early or wait until it cools down a bit in the evenings to enjoy it. I guess if I had a choice, I’d pick the cooler weather or if I had the an even better choice, I’d buy in both places!!

Anyway thanks you for your replles.

[StealthRabbit]

Bottom line in western Washington.... You best be willing to do everything in the rain. Main problem is that much exterior home repair / maint will burn up any sunny days. + Camping, walks in the park with spouse, helping neighbors also occupies the precious few clear days.

Cooler is better / more flexibility. (+ I don't have AC in home or cars)
Desert heat does not always subside in the evening. Often the coolest time is an hour after sunrise (convection cooling) and that might be 90+.

Colorado was a far more recreation friendly climate. I rode my bike to work all but 3 days the last year I lived there. We had 4 indoor public pools for town with 22,000 population. My Washington area of 250,000 finally has 4 heavily used miniature (25m) x 4-6 lanes. I need to go to Oregon to use a 50m pool. Some regions in WA have public pools, but not many.

[Botev1912]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Bottom line in western Washington.... You best be willing to do everything in the rain. Main problem is that much exterior home repair / maint will burn up any sunny days. + Camping, walks in the park with spouse, helping neighbors also occupies the precious few clear days.

Cooler is better / more flexibility. (+ I don't have AC in home or cars)
Desert heat does not always subside in the evening. Often the coolest time is an hour after sunrise (convection cooling) and that might be 90+.

Colorado was a far more recreation friendly climate. I rode my bike to work all but 3 days the last year I lived there. We had 4 indoor public pools for town with 22,000 population. My Washington area of 250,000 finally has 4 heavily used miniature (25m) x 4-6 lanes. I need to go to Oregon to use a 50m pool. Some regions in WA have public pools, but not many.

There are 164 sunny days in Seattle and 215 dry days a year,. You sound like there are only 15 sunny days and 50 dry days.

[StealthRabbit]

Days with "sun-breaks" do not equal a dry sunny day / 16 hrs of outdoor farm work.

Some times it takes 5;7 days of dry in a row before you can do field work.

Western WA is great for office jobs (with roofs)

[Botev1912]

No, days with sun breaks are not included in this count. They are still counted as mostly cloudy or overcast or 201 days a year. Stats don't lie. Everything else is a perception and is subjective. And the OP never asked about farm work.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by Botev1912

No, days with sun breaks are not included in this count. They are still counted as mostly cloudy or overcast or 201 days a year. Stats don't lie. Everything else is a perception and is subjective. And the OP never asked about farm work.

These questions are all typically relative to the individual. So, yes, a lot of statements and opinions here come across as very hyperbolic. Maybe in that person's mind its 'as if' the sun never shines or the rain never stops. But for most that is simply not the case. And the facts don't support it either in terms of actual rain totals or number of days.

When you live out of state and all you hear is how much it rains the PNW, you get a very skewed notion of what life is actually like for the majority. Since I spend lots of time outdoors and have lived in different states, I find it all very subjective. While some folks find places which are colder with more snow easier to deal with, I definitely do not. Rain is much easier for me to live with than snow, ice, hale, etc... The lakes and rivers aren't frozen. The ground is not all brown and dried out like the high desert. The hiking trails aren't snow covered. Though I love to 'visit' snow country, living in it is an entirely different experience. By contrast, some romanticize about it as a wonderful thing, being out in sub freezing temps more often with less rain.

Since I grew in the same area as the OP, I know where they're coming. It's just so different when you're that far south and it hardly ever rains. Then, when it does, folks are shocked. It makes the news as a major event! lol

Depending on how old you are, living in CA used to get significantly more rain. I did a lot outdoors in rain as a kid growing up there - surfing, swimming, riding my bike, walking to school, etc... We didn't have the internet back then. As wild, rambunctious kids, we were outdoors rain or shine. I looked forward to it. We didn't have the level of droughts and mega fires either like they do now there virtually every year. Global warming is definitely impacting places beyond simply the world's glaciers. It's affecting the entire west coast as well.

Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by wisker

It’s not that “I don’t like the rain”….just living in Southern California, we don’t get much and people tend not to go out in it here, so with people saying it’s a haven for outdoor sports and then saying it rains all the time, I was curious. The same regarding Arizona. It’s also is a “haven” for outdoor activities but then you have unrelenting heat most of the year. I’ve read that you have to get up early or wait until it cools down a bit in the evenings to enjoy it. I guess if I had a choice, I’d pick the cooler weather or if I had the an even better choice, I’d buy in both places!!

Anyway thanks you for your replles.

Hey wisker, I moved from the same place in SoCal as did other family. My wife went to high school in SD and most of our family is still there.

We basically came to a crossroads where we had to decide between the lessor of two evils, more heat or a cooler/colder climate. We enjoy colder weather sports like skiing, snowboarding, etc... So, we gave Colorado a go and bought our first home there in a place we could actually afford - not CA prices. As an avid outdoorsman, I spent every season outside while living there including the dead of winter. While most were hunkered down by the fireplace, I was out hiking in the freezing cold mountains, etc... It was fun for a season of life. But I missed the water and lower elevation activities too much. Heck, I missed having a spring which is non-existent in high country among other things.

Fast forward to our next adventure, we moved to WA. It has been a night and day difference in terms of every day livability compared to CO. Plus we have huge bodies of water for year round activity and water sports with ocean access as well. And its SO green!! Year round, not just for a few months. No brown, dried out, bleak looking lands for miles.

Through living in different places, we also discovered no place is perfect. They all have their set of pros/cons. You just have to figure out which set you can live with and enjoy. That will be different for everyone, even PNW natives. Its human nature to get bored with 'sameness.' And sometimes its good to get out there and explore the world, experience living in a different climate and culture. It's your experience which will be be different from someone else's but no less valid. So, if you would prefer 'cooler weather' over heat like inland CA or the SW, then I highly recommend giving the PNW a go. You may love it.

In a perfect world, if money was no object, I would probably have two homes, one further south for the winter and one in the PNW for the rest of the year. But vacationing south is a very easy and common thing for PNW'ers to do. On our flight home from Florida in March, there were a bunch of us on the plane from here. It works out pretty well when you need to dry out or warm up in the rainy winter season. Then before you know it, spring is here and its glorious out!! Here's a few recent pics.













Derek