Where is paradise for the working?

It occurs to me that as my children get older they’ll be moving off and I’ll be free to move anywhere in the next few years.



I grew up in Florida and thought it was paradise then, but not it seems crowded with little free camping and mostly flatwater paddling and heat.



I lived in Beaumont, Texas and liked the Neches river and all it’s sandbars but the ocean is muddy and the area is very industrial.



Currently I live in North Carolina which has a great variety of paddling places that are uncrowded and lots of free or inexpensive camping. The only problem is that it is too cold in January and February.



So my options are to find a place that is paradise all the time and try to figure out how to make a living there; or find a way to make enough money to stay here for ten months and live in Florida for Jan and Feb.



So do you know where paradise is? Or do you know a career that lets you take Jan and Feb off?

in the eye of the beholder
no one can really tell you because it’s too personal. For example, none of the places you mentioned would be close to paradise for me because I don’t like humidity. Others have their own bias on what is good and what is bad.

Humidity is important
Once I was here in NC for the first winter my knuckles bled for a month. I had to learn to use hand lotion in the winter. Not too bad a trade for low levels of mosquitoes, snakes, and fire-ants compared to Florida.



Once I went to Scottsdale, AZ for a week and after the first three days I had a nose bleed every day because of the dryness. I had similar problems in Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming, so I want to modify my post to only include swampy humid places like New Orleans to normal humidity places like Raleigh. No dry places. Never thought anyone would consider them as paradise.

Where to live for a paddler
The whole Northwest. The best part is up in B.C.



Sure, it gets a little rainy and dark, and the water is never warm. Keeps the wimps away. Bring your dry suit.

Home is where the heart is !
I have paradise.

Cool mountain air in the summer on a pristine trout stream, and then the Florida Keys and south Florida in the winter in our little cabin on wheels always with the one I love to share it with.

-don’t need a lot of money, since the social security takes care of all my needs and bills.



I am sure it will all change someday when the cancer or heart problems set in, but until then I am sure as hell enjoying the ride.



Cheers,

JackL

The big rock candy mountain?
but seriously, lots of people move to NC for retirement. Unless you live in western part of the state, I say BS to “it’s too cold”. Many of us happily paddle year round in Maryland. Unless your water freezes, it is easier to gear up for winter paddling than it is to move.



NW is real nice, too. Surprisingly, some of those coastal areas rarely experience freezing weather, although it is probably equally cold to your area. I’m talking about Portland, Seattle, and Bellingham areas.

I’m with PhilS. but maybe
I’m a tad biased.

If i was to look at the USA and wanted to base my choice on paddling I would look at coastal areas of NW states due to:

lack of snow and continous sub zero temperatures

access to water be it flat or moving

has a paddling culture

great scenery


You had to learn to use hand lotion -
like I believe that Frank :slight_smile:


I am happy here
but winter is a real problem. To ski or paddle that is the question.



No way would I go west (I have been there being born there…the traffic is horrific)



Come to Maine. That is a state not a province.(the weather channel people always ignore it). A Maine rush hour is three cars at a traffic light. Most towns have one or none of those.



Paddle year round…ocean in winter and anywhere in summer. We had some 80 degree days this summer…about three. We have some cold days but there is no bad weather, just bad clothing.

huh
we had summer? I must have blinked

Too cold in NC?
It’s plenty cold in NoCal. I doubt the pacific NW is any warmer.



And unlike NC, the not-so-warm weather last half a year, instead of 2 months!



Mexico perhaps?

I bet Mexico is always warm
But I think I’d have a hard time getting a job in Mexico. Last year I wore a scarf and gloves. Maybe I’ll add a hat and learn to love the Carolinas even in winter. If it we could just have the high temperature above 50 every day I could deal with the long cold nights better.


What does “too cold” mean for you?
I was thinking of spending the winter in North Carolina to kayak. For me “too cold” means “less than 40 degrees.” North Carolina is a winter paradise for New Englannders.

Maybe you were away August
14-16.



No fleece was needed and the lake was most welcome.



However that time period was TOO HOT!

Okeefeenokee Swamp -Billies Island,
Georgia -Perfect place for humidity and Canebrake Rattlers

Jean Lafite National Park, New Orleans,- perfect place for humidity and Nutria.

Everglades City, Fla.- Perfect place for humidity all summer long heading into the Big Cypress Preserve, you can share it with the gators.



Wonderful places to explore, but the grass isn’t always greener for year round living.



For what it is worth, a friend told me if he could live any where in the world , it would be New Zealand, and this guy has been all over the world.



Cheers,

JackL



Cheers,

JackL

It is snowing here today.
And for the next four days. Paradise I say. VERY high unemployment, so you could just about gaurantee you won’t have to work here, because you won’t get a job. You could go to FL when the lakes and rivers ice over about Xmas. Then come back around April when the chunks start to break loose. Skeeters will all be dead by tomorrow.

NW Arkansas
We have 4 distinct seasons here - can get hot in august and cold in january, but I paddle and fish year round. There are lots of lakes and crystal clear ozark streams. Unemployment is low (Walmart headquarters are here in Bentonville. Tyson foods is headquarterd in Springdale and the University of Arkansas is in Fayetteville). There are ticks and chiggers in the summer but not on the rivers. We get a snow or two in winter but they melt within a couple of days. We have long beautiful falls and springs.

Home/paradise are where the heart is
And quit being a wimp. We haven’t seen 50 degrees (or the sun) in a week.



:slight_smile:



Alan


WA State
WA state is great for kayaking. We have many rivers that offer fast water or slow water paddling. We have many lakes, both large and small, the Pacific Ocean if that’s your thing or the Puget Sound.



The weather is mild throughout the winter. That is a huge plus, if you live anywhere around Seattle or south of it. We rarely get snow. The summers are also mild.



It’s easy to be near water w/o costing you a fortune for a house or rental, which is a huge plus for me. I live by the Puget Sound, so I can easily go kayaking at a moments notice as it’s a few minutes from my door.



We have great wildlife on land by the shore and marine life. My husband just came back from a kayaking trip w/a friend and ran into a few pods of Orcas and got great shots and video. There’s great fishing too.



I used to live in NY, so I know east coast humidity and we don’t have it here. We don’t get driving rains most times, as they tend to be light or drizzle and it’s not that rainy here, just about the same as NY.



-Capri

Hee hee
NC is too cold?



Nah…it’s too humid!