Council 07

[shaina]

does anyone know what the council decided on for sites for next year?

[soaringeagle]

dont think they have yet or at least i havent heard
what i heard discussed though was washington or i think new mexico again/..both would be sweet but the east is more in desperate need, i have been hopin for new england for last few years, lotsa ppl been talkin vermount ever since utah i guess, but those arent really folks who bother with vission council.
i guess my answer is then that i have no answer..lol at least not yet

[hippiestead]

there were a lot of hopes for New Mexico and some folks expressed this but I heard a fairly solid rumor that it will be Wyoming next year...

[rosyposies]

i retract and fold then. http://www.hipforums.com/forums/images/newsmilies/toetap05.gif

[soaringeagle]

what are u talking about needs to be west coast.. cali was west utah west its been west 3 outta 4 times since..hmm how long now?
its suposed to be east 1 year west the next to make it ez on every1, but more often then not it ends up west.. 80% of the east coast family is falling apart because of this..potlucks are dwindling in size, ppl are becomming disconnected
and east coast family is having as harder & harder time makin that long haul every year while west coast folks complain if its 3 states away
in all fairness the next 3 should be eastern

[WanderingturnupII]

its suposed to be east 1 year west the next to make it ez on every1, Supposed to be? Acording to who? What council consensed on that one when?

but more often then not it ends up west. Look at the geography of the lower 48. Look at where the National Forests are. Look at where the big meadows for Circle (and parking!) are.

80% of the east coast family is falling apart because of this..If y'all need Plunker and SP and Sailor and Badger &c to come by every other year to tell y'all how to Rainbow, falling apart might not be the worst thing that could happen.

east coast family is having as harder & harder time makin that long haul every year That sucks. It really does. One of the many reasons my family didn't CROSS TO THE WEST SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER to go to the Gathering this year was fuel prices. But I'd rather go to fewer Gatherings on good sites than try to gather on 'least bad' sites like WV and AR.


while west coast folks complain if its 3 states awayNV-UT-CO, for example, is a bit more of a drive than PA-OH-IN. States get bigger out thataway.


in all fairness the next 3 should be easternGo find 3 good sites.

There's never been a Gathering in Nebraska. Yes, there's a NF there, the Samual R McKelvie. The largest hand-planted forest in the world, I believe. Pretty darned close to the geographic center of the lower 48, and equally inconvienent for everybody.

[shaina]

i doubt it'll be new mexico that gathering was to close lately. also there is now going to be a regional in a couple of weeks. i heard washington. you would think they would have decided on the 7th like they were suppose to.


on another note they are suppose to do a east coast gathering after two west/middle coast gatherings

[Bumble]

i actually talked to a scouting brother while in Arkansas about why there hasn't been a gathering in the NE in a while and he simply said that there isn't a national forest that would hold a gathering, but i disagreed with him. The location this year was pretty bad in respect to the fact that there was not a good spot for main circle. So if it's the fact that there are no locations to hold a meadow area, then why was Arkansas picked this year? As Soaringeagle said, the NE phamily is getting weaker because it is harder for us to make it out to the other side of the country.

[hippiehillbilly]

As Soaringeagle said, the NE phamily is getting weaker because it is harder for us to make it out to the other side of the country.

thats no excuse,, if you rely on a annual to strengthen your tribe,, you are weak as a whole.

if your tribe is dwendling in numbers its of your own accord.

you cant blame the rest of the family outside the north east because none of you have enough motivation to bring family together.

instead of bitchin about the annuals bein so far away,, why not plan a buncha regionals,, or potlucks and drum circles??

if noone shows,, its not because the nationals are 2000 miles away,, its because the family in the northeast doesnt care to keep the family in the northeast together..

once again,, thats bullshit,, dont blame the rest of the family for yalls lack of desire...

[soaringeagle]

wanderimngturnup i dont know what year the concensus was to move east 1 year west the other i just know thats been a longstanding thing, which has been ignored in past years
i also disagree about lack of suitable sites & think several of the last west coast gatherings fell short on suitability and more suitable sites could have been easily found eastward, but less efforts been put into scouting eastern forrests

and lastly who said anything about needing plunker sp sailor & whatever to come by? those are your words not mine (you do tend to add your own interpretation of what others are saying dont u?) i was saying only that the east coast is suffering from the lack of nearby, easily reachable gatherings year after year, older veteran rainbows may make it alot less often, & lose contact with local family, & the biggest devastation is the sharp decrease in participation from newer family,
all up & down the east coast ive heard simular stories, how potlucks which for 30 years always drew 30-50 people dwindled to 3-5 just in the past several years when the tradition of moving coast to coast fairly was abandoned or deemed inpracticle

[hippiehillbilly]

all up & down the east coast ive heard simular stories, how potlucks which for 30 years always drew 30-50 people dwindled to 3-5 just in the past several years when the tradition of moving coast to coast fairly was abandoned or deemed inpracticlewell then there tribes are weak and they choose to long for something that they themselves cant recreate, instead of build on what they have,so they give up and walk away..

its not a national that killed those potlucks,,its people giving up.. if they didnt there would still be at least 30 to 50 still attending those potlucks..
if a "new to rainbow" has no where to go because the oldtimers gave up..

id say its the tribes fault.

not because the national didnt come east..

rather sad actually...

sad that people need a scapegoat for there own actions,,or non actions....

[soaringeagle]

thats no excuse,, if you rely on a annual to strengthen your tribe,, you are weak as a whole.

if your tribe is dwendling in numbers its of your own accord.

you cant blame the rest of the family outside the north east because none of you have enough motivation to bring family together.

instead of bitchin about the annuals bein so far away,, why not plan a buncha regionals,, or potlucks and drum circles??

if noone shows,, its not because the nationals are 2000 miles away,, its because the family in the northeast doesnt care to keep the family in the northeast together..

once again,, thats bullshit,, dont blame the rest of the family for yalls lack of desire...
sure thats why ya hear the exact same thing all over the east, potlucks & picnics that have been around almost as long as rainbow has all have dwindled, we hear this complaint from nyc from atlanta from virtualy all over the east..
& yes we've also lost many of our best focalizers as well
lack of desire huh? we've done mailings phone trees websites kept the lightline up tried getting together for camping trips..regionals may help slightly, maine & pa are having 1 this year for 1st time in a few.. but theres nothing in the world that gives a bigger boost then having a national within a 5 state area
especialy if its consistently every other year 1 will be easily reachable, not just 1 in 8 years

[hippiestead]

I have to agree with HHB & Wandering Turn-up, blaming Vision Council for the lack of focalization in the East just doesn't make sense. If east coast folks want to have the Annual move east, then y'all should be putting more energy into potlucks & regionals. If all the good focalizers have moved on, then find some new folks to focalize...use the regionals to scout for a good Annual site & if y'all find one, bring it to Vision Council.


Oh & by the way, 2nd & 3rd reliable rumor mongers have said that Family will be Oming in Wyoming for 2008

[WanderingturnupII]

87 NC 92 CO 97 OR 02 MI 07 AR
88 TX 93 KY/AL 98 AZ 03 UT 08 WY(?)
89 NV 94 WY 99 PA 04 CA
90 MN 95 NM 00 MT 05 WV
91 VT 96 MO 01 ID 06 CO

I could have looked up the list on WelcomeHome, but that's what I can remember. I might have MI and UT reversed. 87 and 88 were before my time. Where's the pattern? OK, after CO, someplace stupid, then WY. But where's this east/west pattern? Or has it not been present since 87?

I am wary of statements that mention how RFOLL and it's Gatherings are "supposed" to be. A Gathering is like finding some fantasy creature in the National Forest, like a gryphon, or a dragon or something. It's not supposed to be at all, not in this Universe, any way. It's a miracle that it is. I haven't found anybody that I think understands what it is any better than I do, and Lord knows I'm still trying to figure it out.

[shaina]

why did this thread turn into an argument thread all i did was ask a simple question where did council decide on for next year there doesn't need to be any arguments where council decides is where it happens.

[hippiehillbilly]

i dont see where anyone is arguing in this thread,.. fine a couple people are whining a bit,an others are trying to make them rationalise, but that happens every year ..

someone doesnt like where the gathering will be next year an they bitch an complain..

if you think this is a argument,, you've led a very sheltered life...

[papabear]

counsel is old native word for argument.

[WanderingturnupII]

why did this thread turn into an argument thread 'cause somebody who thinks he understands the Family better than you and me both decided to go on about how things arent as they should me, and scared off that girl from Portland, what 's her screenname, rosyposy?

[WanderingturnupII]

and lastly who said anything about needing plunker sp sailor & whatever to come by? You didn't have to. You said you wanted the Annual East, I guess you mean of the Appalachains, not just the Mississippi, and they're the fleas that come with that dog, or hadn't you noticed? But if not any of the above named, then who is your guru that's destroying us by his absence?

the biggest devastation is the sharp decrease in participation from newer family,
Most of the gatherings I've been to, I want to say especially the more recent ones, but that might not be true, the typical rainbow I meet on the trail is a white male late teens to late 20s at his first gathering. They don't get much more new than that.

all up & down the east coast ive heard simular stories, how potlucks which for 30 years always drew 30-50 people dwindled to 3-5 just in the past several years when the tradition of moving coast to coast fairly was abandoned or deemed inpracticleOnce again, when was this? If this tradition was abandoned, surely you can put at least an aproximate date to the event?

[luvione]

HI,,,
As hippiestead has sd,,, Wyoming,,, my question is why Wyoming? I dont care where it is, as long as it is! I know why Vt. and Washington need healing and love,,, I know there are scary racists in Parts of Wyoming, it's reall pretty, and I actually enjoy sleeping under the stars there, shooting stars, bats, but bein outta the loop so to speak, well whats up w/ Wyoming, other than comfort? I am sure you will have a very nice way of lettin us know Turnip! By the way, I met a sis who did calm for yrs, she retired, she is in a kitchen now,, sometimes when we have done the same "job" for so long we get burnt out,,, I have found this to be true not just for myself, but others,,,what other talents might a strong minded, good brother or sister have to utilize when a new chapter opens? Just a hint. I am only a spec of dust in these universes, I dont do big things, I do however do many many small things, and I stay outta the lime light, over the course of time I have a tiny bit of wisdom,,,, so dont jump on me! Okey Dokey?
Please Let Your Lovelights SHOW!! I am smiling as I say this in a very sweet way,,,
LOVE<LOVE<LOVE

[WanderingturnupII]

So, I couldn't find the list of past Annual Gathering sites on Welcomehome, and had to rely on Welcomehere. I guess rob's hardware is, like the rest of us, getting old and forgetful. I assigned a quadrant to each state, somewhat arbitrarily up the middle of the country, I admit. Some might take exception to me placing the Texas site in the southeast, but that site was a lot closer to Vicksburg, MS than El Paso. The part of Texas where the "Buiscuit eating Baptists live", as Robert Penn Warren, a man who knew the South, said. I believe the AR and MO sites were east of there, or more or less on the same merridian, so they're also SE. MN and MI are in the northeast. I put WV in the NE, but I guess it could go either way. The southwest is the four corners states. I placed NV in the NW because the site was so near the ID border. As I recall, the only access to the site was from ID. CA is the NW, 'cause those sites were way up north in CA. Anybody that doesn't like the way I did this can come up with their own table. Southwest is quadrant 1, and they're numbered clockwise.

1972: Roosevelt National Forest, Colorado 1
1973: Shoshone National Forest, Wyoming 2
1974: Dixie National Forest, Utah 1
1975: Ozark National Forest, Arkansas 4
1976: Lewis and Clark National Forest, Montana 2
1977: Gila National Forest, New Mexico 1
1978: Umpqua National Forest, Oregon 2
1979: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona 1
1980: Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia 3

SW 4 NW 3 NE 1 SE 1

No alternating anything the first 9 years.

1981: Kanisku National Forest, Washington 2
1982: Boise National Forest, Idaho 2
1983: Ottawa National Forest, Michigan 3
1984: Modoc National Forest, California 2
1985: Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri 4
1986: Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania 3
1987: Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina 4
1988: Angelina National Forest, Texas 4
1989: Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Nevada 2

SW 0 NW 4 NE 2 SE 3

What's this? Not in the southwest since 1979? And what's that run '85-'88? OK, a couple of my questionable border states are there.

1st Half: SW 4 NW 7 NE 3 SE 4

I were an English major, but that looks like 11 west, 7 east when I add it up.

1990: Superior National Forest, Minnesota 3
1991: Green Mountain National Forest, Vermont 3
1992: White River National Forest, Colorado 1
1993: Talladega NF, Alabama, Daniel Boone NF, KY 4
1994: Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming 2
1995: Carson National Forest, New Mexico 1
1996: Mark Twain National Forest, Missouri 4
1997: Ochoco National Forest, Oregon 2
1998: Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, Arizona 1
SW 3 NW 2 NE 2 SE 2

There's an east-west thing going on '91-'97

1999: Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania 3
2000: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Montana 2
2001: Boise National Forest, Idaho 2
2002: Ottawa National Forest, Michigan 3
2003: Bridger-Teton National Forest, Utah 1
2004: Modoc National Forest, California 2
2005: Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia 3
2006: Routt National Forest, Colorado 1
2007: Ozark National Forest, Arkansas 4

SW 2 NW 3 NE 3 SE 1

2nd Half: SW 5 NW 5 NE 5 SE 3

10 west, 8 east since 1990. 11 west , 7 east before 1990. But I don't see any east/west alternating trend except for brifly in the '90s I think the Myth is BUSTED!

[WanderingturnupII]

i well whats up w/ Wyoming, other than comfort? I am sure you will have a very nice way of lettin us know Turnip!

I don't know about all that, buy '94 is way up there on my list of favorite Gatherings. My 3rd Annual, and the one where I hoked up with, or maybe I should say fell in with, the tribe I've been working with pretty much ever since. And, of course, there was fire on the 3rd, and snow on the 4th.


[QUOTE=luvione]By the way, I met a sis who did calm for yrs, she retired, she is in a kitchen now,, sometimes when we have done the same "job" for so long we get burnt out,,, I have found this to be true not just for myself, but others,,,what other talents might a strong minded, good brother or sister have to utilize when a new chapter opens?[QUOTE=luvione]

Some posts--CALM, Info, Welcome Home, some of the bigger kitchens, -- try to have someone awake there 24/7. A lot of times it's hard to find good help for the wee hours of the morning to hippie breakfast time shift. You might not have to do much but keep a fire going and a pot of coffee on, and know where the person who knows what's going on at that post sleeps, in case something does happen. Oh, yeah, and babysit the occasional wandering insomniac spunion....But that's the fun part of the night shift!

[tikoo]

yaya , ok , we're going to Wyoming !


it was a two-day council , and i felt the consensus was thoughtful . three considerations came to the fore :

. regional centrality
. a proximity to native-american reservations (and the great medicine wheel)
. a humble request from some dying elders that it be , um , 'north and westerly'


the arkansas gathering had a wonderful feeling of fine nature , balance and intimacy . like , the woodland sprites flit among and through the people with a sense of purpose . spirit leads us on ....

[areola]

Hey there,

Just my two cents about the "NE". I started my rainbow experience in the northeast, after Vermont I only went to NERF regionals for almost a decade. I have sat in many councils and have first hand experience why there are no regionals. It is a long, complicated, often painful story that involves deaths, births, fears, and olders who are tired, untrusting, and unwilling to pass along the equipment for the youngers to work with.

I have always felt that the regional was the place where most of the learning happened! A smaller, yes more intimate setting, where, in my experience, NERFLINGS passed along their skills for serving wholesome and healthy food (vegan kitchen for many years!!), hot coffee and plenty of Hot TEA, great wash dish wash stations, great water, great shitters, great discussions, and loving family.

Unfortunatelyl, this has changed over the last 6-8 years. The NERF kitchen has not even been to a gathering for many of those years: a few years by consensus not to bring the kitchen, and a couple of years the kitchen equipment was basically kidnapped. Disregarding a consensus to bring the kitchen to the annual, a few called a council on private land prior to an annual gathering. There they decided that they should go to another site because of some "family consensus" they felt was made at TGC "not to go to Pochahontas County" - (which was inaccurate, and not the consensus) This was very painful for those waiting at the Cranberry site for the equipment and the money to arrive! Some money, and equipment was kicked down - but the damage was done, and the stuff arrived too late! More pain...but hopefully growth and understanding.

Basically things have fallen apart for NERF. But some of us say now, which NERF? or What NERF? or What is NERF? Some of us like to answer this question like this: Now Everybody's Rainbow Family!

Hopefully we are pulling the old NERF trailer - once we get the axle fixed (any helpers around??), with what is left of the old NERF kitchen equipment, and we are going to see what happens at the PA multi-bio-regional Aug. 10-20. I am certain it will be wonderful...and we can hash this stuff over once again as we dig, chop, haul, and commune together.

lovin you
areola moon

[luvione]

Thankyou all for your shareing,, lovin to all!*

[shaina]

so wyoming it is?

[WanderingturnupII]

Colorado, someplace stoopid, Wyoming--It's a Sacred Rainbow Family Tradition, and and fulfills the Vision of the Holy Fnukawi Shaman Farting Marmot. It's just the way things should be, in this, the best of all possible worlds, SO DON'T MESS WITH IT!;)

[tikoo]

ya , shaina , why om ing is it is

[Jonsey_Babe]

Centrally would work for almost everyone- because almost everyone has to come together in the middle and i think that there is something really beautiful about people coming together in the middle. don't ya think ?

[tikoo]

altogether dready twisted in the middle ,

that great vast belly middle of wild joy ,
woo

[tikoo]

also at the council was some serious comments on ranbO!consensus being manipulated through devious babylon ways ;


also the question of how to know when spirit has spoken ...

oops

[CloudFlower]

I'm hoping for it to be somewhere near the rockies, I love the blue moutains. I wasn't able to make it to the national this year but I definatly got high hopes it'll be closer in 2008

[dudenamedrob]

Long time no post family......lost my steady connection but i'll have it again in a bit.........doing the moving thing...

Anyway I don't want to place blame anywhere specifically because I think it's a combination of alot of factors, but Pete is right, NE family IS falling apart........for whatever reason....doesn't matter but we need to get our shit back together....just so everybody knows their is still a healthy dose of family in NE but we are definitely alot less connected. Around the weekend of the Summer Solstice we had a small celebratory gathering here in the NEK of Vermont, it was on private land owned by a brother from Mass, their were about a 100 or so kids there and it was a great time to reconnect, with any luck we'll get our shit together....We're still out here, but alot of us are holed up out in the woods all over the NE.......not so much in the cities anymore.

[imsublime]

i heard rumors of wyoming. if thats true i was told be someone whos been there that laws are strict. NO hitchhiking, and pots very illegal. again I ALONE dont know if this is true but if it is it should be considered. who knows what other laws they are strict about. and we want to protect the family first. if anyone knows one way or another if this is true i would love a response. luvin you family!

[hippiehillbilly]

i do know that years ago hitchin was illegal in wyoming.. ill never forget bein rousted,,all my shit strode all over the side of the road an then bein told to cross over the interstate,jump the fence and walk out of the state,,.. i was in rock springs,, wtf? walk 200 miles out of there state?? yeah ,well i waited till the trooper was out of site an hitched the fuck outta there...

[WanderingturnupII]

You can look up marijuana laws by state on the NORML website, and digihitch.com has hitchhiking laws by state. I don't recall bad problems fron State or County law enforcement in '94, but that was a long time ago. I do know USFuSs isn't too popular in Wyoming, but that's because USFuSs won't let powerful buisness interests rape Federal land as thoroughly as they would like. There are powerful Western Senators that would like to do away with USFuSs altogether, so we can expect their actions to be watched rather closely next year.

[thelittlebear]

I heard Wyoming also. Hippiehillbilly is right: gotta have local gatherings, full moon circles, drum fests whatever.

[patfromlogan]

Well... Feed the local gatherings as much as you can with energy and (hopefully) some wisdom.

We have a little going on here in Utah, but we are healthy, it seems. Had 6 parental units and 30 kids (High school and college age) in Colorado and about ten of us in Arkansas, from Logan Utah. Arkansas was good, very good for me and my family. Had some blown tire tragedy/death/injuries coming for us on the drive out from Steamboat and was somewhat healed in the muddy trails of Arkansas by Phil and friends (thank you thank you thank you - Phil, Popeye, you'll never see this I'm afraid and I'm afraid that you old hippie toothless hick redneck, how wise you are - I do love you - will never make it out here to the west, and I do love you, and I miss you and your straight ahead honesty and by God, your suffering humbles me and helps me love God and accept the cross I bear, or is that the Cross-Eyed Bear?).

To the subject of this thread, YIPPI!! Wyoming is close and beautiful. I'm planning to bring my Ford 150 FWD as a supply vehicle and get myself insulated with the better parts of A-Camp.

See you all there.

Arkansas was a good place: a mix of hardcore family (Warriors of the Light, Montana Mud, Rainbow Zion, Phat Kids, Ozz and such) and locals, very good folks from around the area States. Only about 8 thousand people. Instant Soup had half the space and maybe half the people that were there in Colorado, but it went very well indeed, thanks to John, Paisley, Rich In Spirit, not to mention Garrit and that wonderful woman who made the organic chocolate cookies and all the good vibes from Paul and all them good folks.

Oh |edit|, the vision thing, uh, don't you have to be willing to be there, at the meeting? No use bitching about the (lack of) wisdom, if you aren't there to begin with. I remember how impressed I was with the first National I went to in Idaho when Vision was held at NOON in the BAKING SUN! If you weren't ready to pay the dues and cook along with the Holy Holies and commited fools, the that's just too bad, huh?

[soaringeagle]

You didn't have to. You said you wanted the Annual East, I guess you mean of the Appalachains, not just the Mississippi, and they're the fleas that come with that dog, or hadn't you noticed? But if not any of the above named, then who is your guru that's destroying us by his absence?try everybody? are those people your gathering? im talking about making it easier for everybodyto get home..right?



Most of the gatherings I've been to, I want to say especially the more recent ones, but that might not be true, the typical rainbow I meet on the trail is a white male late teens to late 20s at his first gathering. They don't get much more new than that.
again arguing my pint without realizing it
mostly new folks, mostly comming fropm where? nearby
especialy the new folks make shorter trips
the gathering lands in your neighbourhood 500 new rainbows are born in your back yard
this is how areas get new blood to replace old
west coast is strong cause west coast has constant influx of new folks
east coast falls apart as no new blood comes in & old drift away

Once again, when was this? If this tradition was abandoned, surely you can put at least an aproximate date to the event?
the pattern was never stricty so not easily seen as a right left right, but care was put into fairness, & a legit attempt was made to go east central west as much as possible im way too tired to follow your lil chart above but seems to me approx 8 years orso would seem about right
lets see the last east were pa & wv..michigan would be central unless you concider dead center nearly an east coast gathrring..so when was the last 1 east of central before pa? how many years?
after utah cali was chosen over an east location because of the concensus for a no permit gathering in the region that was ruined by the utah permit, but if it hadnt been for that reason alone from what i hear it would have gone east then
nyc had some of the biggest potlucks a few years back & the best focalization anywhere, raising a lotta $ every year with benifits & stuff all goin into the nationals
if a city that size with that record of excelent focalization is havin trouble getting 5-10 people these days after no east coast gatherins in years how can u blame an entire 1/3 of the country for every area being weak? weak or weakened? weve been weakened only by lack of support, lack of new blood
2 east gatherins in the next 6 years would make a huge difference..none & were done

[dudenamedrob]

^^well said, I vehemently agree, the kids are all there.........just in limbo.....

[tikoo]

Wyoming .


i took off from the colorado regional to scout a bit in the Bighorn mountains . i got there but then passed on by because smoke from the montana fires had settled thick in that region - and i would discover - all the way into the BlackHills . so my scouting report has to do with hitch-hiking in Wyoming .

yes , soliciting a ride in that state is illegal . you are entitled however to stand , sit or walk on state highway or Inter-state . foot travel is permitted only against the flow of traffic .

one may NOT fly a sign , nor a thumb . don't do it !

but the penalty is only a day in jail .

after a discussion with a patrolman near Casper , Wyoming i quit the thumb-sign and just sit there playing the banjo and thinking .

i think if a patrolman asks you where you are going , and for example you want a ride north , then say you are going south (against the flow of traffic) otherwise you'd have to go to the other side of the road and actually walk .

your friend ,
Tuba

[Bumble]

thanks for the info tikoo! I'm actually glad that the 2008 gathering it going to be in Wyoming because I think I'm going to check out CO before hand. I'm moving to CO in 1.5 years, so I need to find an area that I want to call home for a while.