Ever miss the beach? (Denver, Boulder: fit in, homes, to buy)

[Mach50]

I surf so I do miss it, but not enough to leave Denver and the mountains hold more than enough fun to keep me busy.

[gmm_24]

I miss it a lot I miss the sand, the smell, the breeze, the hot sand burning your feet, even the seagulls. Not the green flies that come out in Aug, nasty little buggers!

Every Summer it gets me and I think about it the entire time. Going to a lake and pretending is just not the same.

I have considered going and breaking off California so it would be closer, lol Kidding Cali people!

[ucbedge]

I lived two blocks - literally - from the beach in California. I could've walked there everyday if I wanted to. Do I miss it? Heck no. Beaches are totally overrated in my opinion - esp Cali beaches where the water never gets above 70 degrees.

Now if I ever had to move away from Denver and somebody asks me, "do you miss the mountains?" I would say heck yes! We just hiked our first 14er, as a day-hike no less, last weekend. Who else in the country can say they can hike a 14er and be back at home in time for dinner?

Mountains > beaches. But that's just me......

[bentstrider]

I'm from the CA desert and went to the beach often enough that it became sort of "meh" for myself after awhile.
With Denver and any place along the 25 in my crosshairs, the coasts are just going to be another passing thought in the night.

But like everyone here said, plenty of freshwater that won't leave a bad taste in your mouth and if you really need that salt air, there's always a vacation.

[brittanyindc]

Thanks everyone! Your input has been really helpful and confirms that I will be just fine without the beach. I checked out prices of flights to the East and West coasts from DIA and we can easily get away at an affordable price for a weekend if I need a saltwater fix.

[blacksmith76]

I grew up in North Carolina and spent a good part of every summer in lakes or at the beach. I moved to Colorado after high school and ended up staying for about 15 years (11 in Denver). I really did miss the beach, and I guess I'm more of a beach person than a mountain person. My wife got tired of my complaining (especially in winter) and we decided to give South Florida a try. We have been here for two years and like it, but due to family circumstances we may be headed back to Denver.

If we make it back, I will miss Florida a lot, but I guess my perspective has changed a bit and don't really see it as just "the beach" or "the mountains." I will miss the lazy Florida lifestyle, never getting cold, the tropical vegetation and fruits, and the wildlife. But, I right now I miss a lot of things I took for granted in Denver like the progressive politics, a safe and fun downtown, a huge population of young, educated people, much better Asian and Mexican/Southwestern food than the East Coast, etc. I say give it a shot. You can always move elsewhere if you don't like it. I know we don't regret moving down here to at least get it out of our system.

[brittanyindc]

Thanks blacksmith76! It sounds like we had similar childhoods - my DH and I both spent a lot of time at lakes growing up. Colorado has lakes obviously, so I think we will be just fine. As I mentioned earlier, we currently live in DC and Denver's lifestyle appears to be much more our style. We are very active and work hard, but want a better work/life balance.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by brittanyindc

Thanks blacksmith76! It sounds like we had similar childhoods - my DH and I both spent a lot of time at lakes growing up. Colorado has lakes obviously, so I think we will be just fine. As I mentioned earlier, we currently live in DC and Denver's lifestyle appears to be much more our style. We are very active and work hard, but want a better work/life balance.

Do not get the idea you can swim in these lakes. Even in the reservoirs in the Denver area, the water is very cold. Up in the mountains, swimming is out of the question.

I grew up in W. PA, not really near the beach, but in an area with a lot of water (Pittsburgh's three rivers and their tributaries for starts), and I do miss it. We've taken a lot of beach vacations. Unless you live right on the beach, as several posters here have, it's a vacation thing anyway.

[hammertime33]

I grew up in Denver. I never understood the appeal of the beach. It smells like dead rotting fish, salt water leaves the most unpleasant crust on your skin, terrifying creatures lurk about, sand gets everywhere and you can never get rid of it, etc, etc, etc.

I hate spending long periods of time in most coastal areas. I miss the mountains too much.

[brittanyindc]

Originally Posted by Katiana

Do not get the idea you can swim in these lakes. Even in the reservoirs in the Denver area, the water is very cold. Up in the mountains, swimming is out of the question.

Thanks Katiana. Does the water warm up in the summer to a "swimable" temperature? It looks like there are some lakes within driving distance of Denver that folks use for water sports, is this accurate?