phoenix or sacramento?

“I'm in phoenix now. Have an opportunity to work in sacramento. In addition to backpacking, I like to mtn. bike and snowboard. I'm weighing the grand canyon, sedona, slot canyons, superstitions, and desert sunsets etc. against the sierras, tahoe, yosemite, etc. I guess it's a win/win decision. Also trying to figure quality of life in the city, cost of living, type of people and so on. What's your vote????”

“Sacramento, surprisingly, has lots of trees. The closest ski areas (Sugar Bowl and Sierra @ Tahoe) are about 1.5 hours from Sac and are both pretty nice. Many Sierra trailheads are 1.5 to 2.5 hours away and you can get to Mammoth in under 5 hours. With Hwy 5 nearby, you can also get up and down the state pretty quickly. 2 weeks ago it took me 4.5 hours to reach a Marble Mtns trailhead. About 3.5 hours to the Trinities, 3 hours to Lassen, 3.5 hours to Shasta and about 4-5 hours to Kings Canyon. The Bay Area is about 1.5 hours away and Pt. Reyes is about 2.5 hours. Wine country 1.5 hours. It can get pretty hot but not quite as hot as Phoenix, last years high temp was 113* but it's not as dry as Phoenix. Lots of lakes and rivers in the area provide skiing, whitewater and fishing oppurtunities. Cheapest gas is about $1.85/gal, cost of living is far less then the Bay Area but there's still a large Bay Area Influence to Sac.

Hope this helps”

“I don't know you Goofy, but I am a Pheonix resident now. Pretty hard to imagine any place better for hikers than AZ, but I don't know much about Sacremento. Except they have no power over there, and we have their power plant here.

Good luck!”

“Hey Dunk, we're neighbors!

Can't add anything to what you said other than the old saying about Tomatown "in the middle of nowhere but close to everything".

Oh, well maybe just to note they're some decent fishing in town, salmon, steelhead, striper, shad, bass, etc.”

“rockbuck, I'm only in town for 2 more weeks, I'll be moving closer to work (Vacaville) once I find a place. I haven't found anything yet so may end up camping much more this summer than I had initially thought.”

“Sacatomato:

Man, when I first stepped of the plane in this place I wondered what I'd gotten myself into. Your in the heart of the ag belt for the world. Access to outdoors, as mentioned, is pretty unparalleled, offering lots of options. Two rivers converge in the heart: the Sacramento and the American. Both have salmon and steelhead runs. You can follow them out to the Bay/Pacific Ocean if you want. But this city is coming along and people are really starting to find that out. Lots of Bay Area folks tired of the rat race and overpriced everything are moving here. Kinda sucks but its also creating a booming little city that in the past really has suffered an identity crisis because it's overshadowed by the Capitol. This city is growing and still trying to determine what it is. Downtown has quite a few new tall buildings. There's a new minor league stadium downtown that's pretty sweet. $5 lawn seats. They're building up the riverfront. Biking is a realistic form of transportation and there's a 35 mile bike path that leads from downtown up to Folsom Lake in the foothills. The Gold Country wineries, which in my opinion, are way more attractive than corporate Napa (you can actually chat with the owner of the winery), are less than an hour away. Oh yeah, and by Cali standards, it's pretty cheap to live there. If you really want the desert, Death Valley is about 7 hours away. No state has the diversity of ecosystems that CA does. Ocean, mountains, desert. It's got it all.”

“Do you want a poke in the eye with a sharp stick or a dull stick? Neither, head for the hills boy. The geography of both are good but all those people. On second thought, both are great, Idaho is yucky.”

“Potatohead!”

“Tough call goofy foot. We lived in Phx for a year 2 years ago, and we DEARLY miss it! Being from NC, it was our first desert SW experience, and man does it grow on you! I'll say for Phx that a few years absolutely cannot be passed up, but to relocate there permanently is a tough call. Pretty much for 3.5 months you're living in AC, but the flip side is for 8.5 mo's you iz in da Bahamas! There's very few/zero bugs year round (of the flying/biting kind), so even in the hottest months with the exception of about 4 weeks you can enjoy the outside in the late evenings and nights. For about 3 or 4 weeks it's just too hot (dryness don't mean crap when it's THAT hot!) to sit on the porch at night. If recollection serves me correctly, monsoon season is around April/May, and it's not to be missed as well.....

Oh heyall I just read your question again and noticed you're IN Phx now! Uh, how long have you been there? Cause likely you know all this crap, including all the woundrous hiking dest's, so I don't need to further indulge ya. If you've gotten several years of Phx under your belt, then git on over to the Sierras dude! It's a big 'ole dang world out there, see all ya can!”

“Also, Sacramento has the the Monarchs (much better than the Murcury) and the Kings (who whupped up on the Suns) (only to be soundly spanked by the Lakers).

On the other hand, our population groth is a bit out of control (kinda like Phoenix). But I guess we could make room for another backpacker!”

“Also, Sacramento has the the Monarchs (much better than the Murcury) and the Kings (who whupped up on the Suns) (only to be soundly spanked by the Lakers).

On the other hand, our population groth is a bit out of control (kinda like Phoenix). But I guess we could make room for another backpacker!”

“Geeze, I worked and worked and tried real hard, and I finally achieved my goal, to be a fan! Dang, what an accomplishment. But its really a personal thing, don't mean to be bragging here.”

“You better Dawg! 'Cause a Rebel Flag is a'goin up in your neck of the woods come August 10 or so!

The South 'ul rise again! ..... soon as I finish off 'is beer, and I gittis truck off 'em blocks, reckon I oughta change 'ese drawers, and ....

I know whut ya mean 'bout population overgrowth Dawg, ever one'a our Mama's and sisters is knocked up here too!”

“Hey Nekkid! I have a picture of your dog! I still laugh when i come across it. Are you moving to San Fran or not? Just wondering. Would love to see you again and maybe even meet the Mrs. sometime. Take care my friend!”

“If you choose Sacramento, please visit our governor and offer to take him on a snipe hunt. I think he will go.

Then lose him.

Thanx!”

“Good post Phil!!!”

“He's already lost and PG&E done found him. A warning tho Don't part your big rig at the Capital building, it's a tow-a-way zone”

“Placerville.
50 miles east of Sacatomatos.
Up in the Gold Country, out of the traffic, in the Sierra foothills.
Used to be called "Hang Town"”

“...and Markleeville, another 60 miles over Echo Summit and Luther Pass has Hangman's Bridge over the Carson River.”

“They are both ecological disasters in the making, IMHO.”

“Placerville and Markleeville?”

“I have asked before a while back and got suggestion or two, but this seems like a good place to ask again.....
if a southeast coaster arrives in Sacramento and has one day to spend in/around that area before heading to the Sierras.....how could one get the best Sacramento experience? visit a grape orchard? walking tour of downtown? oh and where to buy fuel for backpacking since those are not allowed on airplanes?
thanks and have a beautiful day......get out there and rejoice somewhere......”

“one day!Walk around Old Sac for a while,head over to Chevys on the river and have several cold ones and watch the yaughts go by.Call jvz and offer to buy him a cold one too. Eat chips and salsa.”

“Izat where you are Mel, or did I miss something? Yeah Freedom we'll be movin sometime before the Ides of August. Where on earth did ya get a pic of Agnes!? Hehe, she's a funny lil critter, but the tiny goofnut just don't understand that she's supposed to be my wife's dawgie, not mine!”

“OM - Somewhere I think I recommended Old Towne, the train museum, Sutter's Mill (Gold Rush), and there is the State Capital.

If you have access to transportation, a day or two at Lake Tahoe on the way to Mammoth would be fun!

You could hang out with the TT people who live there.

What is that about Freedom moving?”

“I might suggest that if you are from the lowlands, that a extra day at a mid alltuide could/may make your trip more enjoyable.”

“ok jvz...a cold one on da river at Chevys....say...sunset...after i have walked all over the OLD town. then i guess as trinity sez...should head to higher places on saturday and get some of that high elevation breathing going.
I just spoke to a friend this morning who just came back from hiking in yosemite.....his first time in ANY kind of mountains.......he has the fever now.......but he also got me stoked about coming out to those parts myself....”

“Yosemite is something to behold (except for the summer crowds).”

“I vote Markleeville. In fact, I think I'm gonna hold a meeting at the Cutthroat Saloon... Uh, ladies... wear something you can leave behind!

Dunk, you GOTTA be there, Okee Dokee?”

“Markleevilles is nice...Carson Iceberg W'nss, Mokelumne W'nss and Tahoe all within 1 hours drive. The Carson River is great and there's hot springs in the area.”

“All of the above.

JVZ... beer, chips, salsa, yachts, Old Towne...Perfect.

So also is the spending a day a little higher up, altitude wise.

Yosemite is best seen by hiking in from Tuolumne Meadows, but NEVER between mid-July, and the end of August.

Nekid...

Nope, I'm from the other side of the mountains, the east side.

But if you need to work near a major population center, the western foothills of the Sierras are grand.

Markleeville is a bit removed from civilization, but is a REALLLLLY neat little town.

Obi..
I will wear something I can leave behind, but you will be sorry.

Are we going to Grover Hot Springs?

You can't go nekkid there.”

“If you are only in Sac for one day, best visit Sutter's Fort. Built in 1846. First American outpost in Cali. Not to be confused with Sutter's Mill which in Coloma.”

“Don't forget to check out LA, which is in the lower intestine.”

“LMAO @ Dung, er, I mean Dunadan!”