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Old 02-05-08, 01:38 PM
  #15  
Niles H.
eternalvoyage
 
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M,

Thanks for the interesting replies. Truly. They do, however, reflect a few minor misconceptions (if I may say so in all friendship, good will and courtesy).

And yes, I have seen much of rest of the world, outside California, on various continents. However, after all the travel, I happen to like the region of California and the West better than any other, anywhere. I am not alone in this. Dennis Coello is among the others who feel the same way.

Also, thanks for the information about California weather.

There are no deserts in the world that have recorded temperatures as high as Death Valley (with the single exception of one slightly higher recording in the Libyan desert). There are no deserts or other places (on this planet) -- including those in Libya and the rest of the Africa, and certainly in Australia and Canada -- that have as many consecutive days over 120.

As far as going below minus forty, it's easy to look up.

As far as the snowpacks go, forget about it.

I just got back from a tour that was designed to take advantage of the invigorating conditions created by the recent blizzards. It was great to get out in it.

The variety here is nothing short of astonishing, and simply far and away greater than most places in the world . And I love it.

*******
One would also be hard pressed to find anywhere in the world that has contributed as much in the last thirty years to cycling. Marin County alone probably surpasses anything most other countries have contributed. There is probably a wider variety of used and new bikes, and bike manufacturers than anywhere else.

And there is SF -- everyone who has any love left loves that city above any other. (Okay, that's a good one, but it is a beautiful city, and much of the state has incredible riding opportunities. Where else can you ride through the tallest trees in the world [the Coast Redwoods], then ride over to visit one of the most beautiful mountains [Shasta], then cut over to Lassen and one of the most beautiful mountain ranges [the Sierras], visit incredible alpine lakes [including Tahoe], ride some of the most beautiful trails in the world [voted as such, in Sierra County, Downieville, and parts of the Tahoe Rim Trail], dip into the Eastern deserts and Nevada, enter an ancient and giant smoldering caldera, ride up and over one of the most beautiful mountain passes [Tioga], visit the most beautiful park with the highest concentration of major and beautiful waterfalls in the world [by far], visit the largest trees that are (and ever have been) on the planet [Sequoias] and camp among them, swing up into the high country and over to the most productive agricultural area in the world [the Central Valley], and continue on to the hottest place [Death Valley], ride over to the most freewheeling city [LV], see the only Joshua trees in existence, and then visit all that the Angelinos and San Diego have to offer [quickly], before dipping down into the two states of Baja California [which many of us do] for the deserts and ocean and remote wilderness areas, and the tropics, before taking in the best whale watching on the eastern side, in the Sea of Cortez, and then catching a cheap flight to our sister state [where many of us divide our time] to the west for more...............................)

Last edited by Niles H.; 02-06-08 at 07:14 PM.
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