Commuting
 

Hey guys, a commuting question: Anyone out there tried commuting out of Eagle or Yampa Valley? Wanting to live in Colorado and trying to decide if the Front Range is the only answer.

Don't do it. Colorado blows. Denver and the entire front range is a joke.:cool:

I have lived two places in my life. Northern California and Boulder, Colorado. Coming from NorCal, I had some pretty high expectations going to Boulder (beautiful scenery, constant warm weather, suburban/urban setting), and Boulder probably met or exceeded all those expectations. The view of the flatirons and front range never got old for me. Boulder is a beautiful town and amazing place to live. The weather is incredible in the fall and spring. Summer weather is warm, but NOT HOT AND MUGGY like most the rest of the country (South, East, etc...). And the winters are nicer than I expected. Usually the weather is in the high 40's to 50's, and that's not bad considering what it is up north and on the east coast. It hardly ever rains. You get snow, but your talking once a week or every other week. And when it snows, it is not uncommon to be able to wear shorts the next day!! It is sunny there 300+ days a year. The only thing I did not like about Colorado were the high wind winter days.
I have traveled all over this country (35+ states), and Colorado is one of the top 10 to live in (in my opinion).

I would not try to live up in the mountains, especially if you want to be an airline pilot. Commuting will be tough, especially when the weather steps in. Go to the front range. Boulder is an amazing town. Some places South of Denver like Centennial, Littleton, and Golden are also amazing towns. Commute to DIA is like 30-40 minutes. And from Denver, you can commute literally ANYWHERE with ease.

I would not try to live up in the mountains, especially if you want to be an airline pilot. Commuting will be tough, especially when the weather steps in. Go to the front range. Boulder is an amazing town. Some places South of Denver like Centennial, Littleton, and Golden are also amazing towns. Commute to DIA is like 30-40 minutes. And from Denver, you can commute literally ANYWHERE with ease.[/QUOTE]

LOL i lived it Centennial. Yeh, it's nice.... but you better freshen up on your Spanish. The entire area is swarming with illegal Mexicans!

Forget the weather, wait for ski season. You'll never get out of Eagle.

It has been a long time since I operated out of Denver on a daily basis, but Denver flights tend to be weight limited more than any city other than PHX and LAS. I'd certainly avoid any "commuter" mountainous destination. You just can't trust the weather and weights, especially during the season. If I were you, and I wish I were because I love the mountains, I'd move close enough to DIA to drive in on my own. Good Luck

Skybolt

???
 

Where are you commuting to? Our pilots who live in Denver (we had a base there once) and continue to commute to IAH or EWR have it tough. In the summer it is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. If I could give only one piece of advice to any new pilot today it would be to not commute. Aside from being exhausting and stressful, it takes time away from family and home as you try to figure out how to get to and from work when flights are full or the weather is bad. Unless you have some super important reason to commute - Don't. JMO.

Expert
 

The guy has lived in two places...and now the expert. Did you stay in a Holiday Inn? I agree w/ some of what you are saying...I lived in Burlingame,CA and San Jose, CA among 12 other cities in my life. I am no expert either but every place on this Earth has a plus and minus. I love Norcal and Boulder but I love my 4700 square foot home in TX w/ a 3 car garage on 2.7 acres...I really love my workshop behind my house next to my pool where I keep my ski boat for the almost daily trips to the pretty decent lake 2 miles from my front door and my boy's motorcycles where they ride all over the front yard...Bought most of this for the sale of a 1500 sq foot townhome in Burlingame. I know I would never be able to afford all of this in Norcal or Boulder!!!!!!!!!!So I will take the August heat in TX and enjoy the lake and even though the terrain is flat, I get my fill when I hit the slopes of beautiful Colorado for a 10 day ski trip. You can't have everything...you must prioritize the important things...I'm not even from Texas!!

Agree
 

Couldn't agree more. I am not from Texas either but my new three car garage big house in Texas with a media room and pool is about half way done. No boat yet, but that is next! Disneyland or Vail is a two or three hour plane ride.

I don't exactly see why you have to disparage Ryane over his post. He was nicely answering the other guy's post. Those of us who live in Northern California and other expensive places are quite aware of what we could easily buy if we sold our places. You don't see me posting here about when I sell my house in the Bay Area and how I could move anywhere and almost retire. I too, could move to anywhere in Texas and buy almost anything I want and probably pay cash for it. Should I boast about it in a Big Texas Style?

WatchThis, that's a bit of a cheap shot. I have some very good friends from Texas and they're not all arrogant stupid Bush types. I just had a slight problem with CargoBob's comment about "prioritizing the important things" as if having all those BIG TEXAS things were the important priorities in life. Yeah, I could have all of those things and more if I sold my home here and moved to Texas.

Instead, I live in what I consider a modest home in the Bay Area, and I "prioritize" all of the wonderful experiences that go with that. My sons could probably move into a multi-cultural Pacific Rim business environment and feel quite comfortable with that. We also can share days at the beach, days sitting with a picnic lunch on top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific ocean, as well as living amongst people from all over the world, with all kinds of experience. We also can choose any type of ethnic food we want and have it for dinner. I too have lived in other parts of the country and have had my 4000 square foot homes, etc...guess what, it's not an important priority...I too, can be at any number of lakes, mountains, desert, redwood forests within a couple of hours.

Everyone has their own priorities...for some, it's a big house, for others, it's an education of the world...

You're mighty sensitive, aren't ya?

Not really at all. I can actually be quite tough, especially in business...but I do believe in fairness, and I'm not fond of judgemental, hypocritical types, like the folks that are currently leading our country.

thou goest girl!

Thanks for the Colorado opinions - maybe I'll reconsider the plan...

BTW, regarding those "cheap" Texas houses: they might look that way, but throw in the (outrageous) property taxes and electricity costs in this state, and suddenly the number goes thru the roof. I've moved around the country 9 times in the last 16 years, and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else!

Skygirl...you are the close-minded one
 

World education...are you stupid enough to think Texas has only white people?? Yes you are...you are a liberal!! You are the close minded one and the stereo-typer. What does the president have to do w/ this??? Go grind your axe somewhere else!!! I notice you did not attck the racist from Colorado????

My children go to a school that is majority white but has a large number of Asian and Indian students because the school, even though public, is one of the best in the state. Additionally, the Asians and Indians speak very good english--unlike some places where they form there own communities!! My children have many more opportunities for a well rounded life than anything I could provide them in Burlingame, CA. You don't have to be a minority white guy to enjoy your favorite buzzword: diversity.

Square footage make it easier for hobbies and projects...whether it be off road motorcycles, skiing, or science projects that would not fit in a 1000 sq foot Norcal townhome!!

So, maybe living in TX has made me brag a little and become a little Texas-like...I don't mind. Remember--I am not from Texas but after living in many places around the country--it is pretty damn good. I still absolutely love California and Colorado--but I get more than my fill in vacations there.

Your comment visiting lake/mts "...with only a few hour drive.." BS... the traffic is so bad in the bay area, it dictates schedules and makes trips to Santa Cruz and the mts a pain in the ass...who the hell wants to sit in traffic on weekends after sitting in it all week!!!!

The secret is getting out...the property values are rising incredibly fast and I would tell you how kuch my house is worth, but I would not want to brag!!!
By the way...the agricultural exemption keeps my taxes way down and the earlier post about electricity being expensive?????????????????? Cheaper than California!!

By the way...next time you walk down the street in SF w/ your children in tow...what do you tell them about the inebriated bum covered in urine laying on the sidewalk forcing you to walk into the street w/ traffic??? I know...you tell them it is Bush's fault!!

Oh yeah, you have diversity all right in Texas. A couple of months ago, I heard all about it from just about everyone I met while there. Sitting next to me at the bar at the Omni Las Colinas was one of your local Dallas television personalities. She told me all about what a deacon of the church she was, and then as she proceeded to get drunker she started ranting and raving all about the "nigger" influx from hurricane Katrina, the stupid Mexicans, etc...when she finished, the holy gal proceeded to freak some poor guy from Iowa out by ramming her tongue down the poor unsuspecting soul's throat. Praise the Lord indeed!

As far as the bums in San Francisco, guess what? Do a poll of them and you will find that almost all of them are from elsewhere, including Texas! They all move out here because other places have ****ty weather or kick them out. I'm sure you must be in the 30% of lemmings that still support Bush. Texas is probably where most of you live, and no, I don't blame the Texas village idiot for the homeless, there is plenty of blame to spread around for that. Like states that actually put their homeless on a bus to California, Reagan closing all of the mental hospitals out here and releasing them onto the streets, etc.

Traffic here, yes it is bad. I've seen equally worse traffic in both Dallas and Houston, so don't Texas brag too much there! By the way, I noticed that you still vacation in California.

San Franfreakshow = once world class city, now a dump
 

Hey guys, not to stir the fecal matter more, but I was born and raised in SF- and it's no place to raise a family. My friends next door, who moved in from North Carolina, saw advertisements for the Folsom Street Fair one day and figured it would be a great place to take their kids and have a fun family outing. Thats when they figured out why we call this place San Franfreakshow. But credit must be given where it is due... geographically, the Bay Area is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Unfortunately, the people living here can be some of the nastiest, most vile, self serving hypocrites that walk the face of the earth. Where else will you have your truck vandalized for having a "W '04" bumper sticker? Not once, but 6 times... the last time they also ran off with a $600 HF antenna for my ham radio. And not only is the traffic some of the worst in the nation, but the roads will destroy any 4x4 vehicle as well. Try driving down 880 in Oakland. I used to drive it every day when I was a boxlobber at FedEx.... needed new tires and shocks constantly. (thank God for warranties!) There's been a pot hole in front of my house for almost two years. We've gone through all the channels to get it patched... nothing's happened. This weekend the people on my block are all pithcing in $20 a piece, and we're getting it patched ourselves. And what about Proposition H, here in SF? The "No San Franciscan can own a handgun, but people from other cities can" proposition that these nutty people passed. Yeah, let's disarm the citizens and see what happens to crime. Can I hear "Field day" for the criminals from Oakland?

Eh, ok enough of my dumb ranting. What do I know? I've only lived here for 24 years and watched this place go from a world class city to a pit of ignorance and hatred. People think the high cost of living is worth it? Okay, well more power to them. Me, personally, I'm not raising my kids in this vile place. There's a reason why there are more dog owners than parents in SF.

Ok, flame away! :D

Where else will you have your truck vandalized for having a "W '04" bumper sticker? Not once, but 6 times...

I wonder what they will do with Michael Savage? Its a shame what they have done with SF. I agree with you 100%

Oooh SkyGirl. . . I like you so MUCH more now.

Sounds like what we need to do is a trial run of split government.

1. We can let the people who love to complain about the government, and who don't like to stand up for their freedom(they just like to use it), we can let them run their section the way they like for a while. They can ***** and complain about everybody else, then they can negotiate with everybody who threatens their freedom(terrorists). Let's see how far that will get them!

2. The other half of us(Texans and people who like their lives and the country they live in), well, we will have our half. In our half, there will be peace and happiness, security, a nice living. We will stand up for our half with everything we have got. We will try our best and use all of our resources to keep the things the way they are and constantly we will strive to improve them.

Then we will check in once a month on each others progress to see how happy and peachy the first half's lives are going. How things are holding up in their wonderland!

The point is, stop blaming other people(BUSH) for everything. If you don't have a better way to handle things and ensure that we keep our freedoms, then keep your mouths shut and enjoy the ride.

Have a good day!

Does this mean the blue states will be converting to communism? Eh, they're half way there. Better get out before it's too late! :D :rolleyes:

Skygirl...you are a close-mided, arrogant, liberal
 

You meet a couple racists in a bar in TX...so everyone from TX is a racist. You are as ignorant as someone having a negative experience w/ a single African American and then blasting them all...I think you are not only a close-minded freak but also a complete liar!!! I bet the event never happened...or if it happened, you are mad the guy made out with the other girl and left you w/ the 68 year old janitor--so you are now mad at all Texans because they think you are unattractive. News flash: you are!! You are a sterotyping, arrogant, closeminded liberal. OK, I'll admit I'm a TX bragger...I still win.

I'm not ignorant enough to blast all of California because of a bleeding heart liberal freak like you lives there...California has many great people and awesome places...you are just not one of them! As you can read...your opinion is in the minority...Again...one last time...I am not from TX...my dad flew in the Navy and I grew up in CA, FL, AK, TX, Hawaii, Misawa Japan and a few others...I have experienced many states and TX offers some things California can't.

As far as my priorities being a big house...yes it is! But my first priority is my family. Being able to swim, ride motorcycles, and hit baseballs in my batting cage without leaving my yard has provided me and my sons some pretty awesome experiences...you can do that in SF, California only if you are a rich liberal like Robin Williams or you can do it on an XBOX in your 100 sq foot living room!

There are other states besides TX that still allow an awesome quality of life in a big home and yet still close to a major city: Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, etc...

Quit being jealous...it is unattractive!

CargoBob,

You do know what being "liberal" means correct? Liberal and Close-minded do not go together my friend. Conservative and Close-minded fit better than my little brothers 10 piece puzzle he got for his birthday. Feel free to consult your desktop or pocket sized dictionary for more help.

Also, you say there are other states besides TX that offer the same QOL you speak of. . . but then you list cities that are in Texas. You may want to try to be a bit more specific, especially when trying to inlighten someone about other states. Perhaps cities like Kansas City, Knoxville, Bettenville, etc would of worked better for your example. There is an edit button, so feel free to fix it so others don't get as confused.

Best of luck enjoying the Texan lifestyle, I'll stick to my city boy, free-thinking lifestyle. If only you conservatives werent trying to drive us back to the stone age, we may be liked by the rest of the world. But ofcourse, we are Americans and we shouldn't give a rats a$$ about the rest of the world...we can just bomb the **** out of them. :)

Me thinks thou doth protest too much. Perhaps if you actually "read" one of my previous posts before waiting to pounce on someone from the Bay Area, you would have seen me actually defend the finer folks in Texas.

BTW, my guest from England and I were actually quite entertained by the chick in the bar. I'm sure they're still talking about it back in England.

Reverse Bragging
 

Unless I am trying to sell my house, I tell everyone I live in a terrible area. This discourages people from moving in and causing congestion.

The same principle applies if a pilot with more seniority asks how you like that new airplane you just trained on: "It's horrible! Do not bid that thing under any circumstances!" :p

Difference is... San Francisco really has turned into a terrible area. And I tell you guys because I doubt anyone is going to ring my doorbell tomorrow morning and say "Hey! I read about you on APC! Here's two million dollars for your house, you closed-minded freak!" :D

Eh, seriously though... the left and right are both equally idiotic. You can't trust a Liberal as far as you can throw him with a Conservative strapped to his back- and vise versa. They've both got evil agendas to get the hard earned dollars out of our pockets and into theirs. The Libs do it through government, the Conservatives do it through big business.

We should all get together and chant "When in doubt, we'll vote from the roof tops!!" while clenching our high powered .308 and .50BMG rifles in one hand and Old Glory in the other. :cool:

... maybe that would finally send a cold shiver down their collective spine. I'm pretty sure they'd prefer that cold shiver over the hot stinging of an 800 grain frangibile projectile.

The conservatives do it through big business and organized religion through the heartland. :)

And the libs like to rape people through taxation.... eh, they're all the same. Dirty rotten crooks! :p Stupid politicians!

Say what you want about San Francisco. I could make an argument but I really don't have the energy to do it tonight. Let me just point out some real quick things.

1. There is a reason why houses cost so damn much. Because everyone wants to live here. Do u think they want to move here because its a terrible area. No. It is because it is beautiful. It is where all the jobs are. People are quick to point out that the bay area is expensive. But you have to remember that people make A LOT MORE MONEY working here. Lots of jobs here. Silicon Valley! I think average in the U.S is like $35,000. Bay area average is $70,000. San Mateo, Marin, and Santa Clara county are upwards of $90,000. And that is AVERAGE.

2. Beautiful weather. I would not trade Bay Area weather for anywhere else (except maybe Hawaii). Between 60-80 degrees. About 5 days a year in the 90's. No humidity. No rain from late spring until late fall. No thunderstorms. Downright amazing weahter.

I can go on and on. But let me leave you with one little thought. I flew the bay tour today. Takeoff from KSQL, fly through SFO's Class B. Fly along the bay. Over the bay bridge, along the embarcadero, over alcatraz, angel island, sausalito, golden gate bridge, golden gate park, lake merced, down the coast to half moon bay. The most beautiful scenery on the face of earth.
More beautiful than the beaches of Thailand. More beautiful than New York's skyline. More beautiful than anything I have ever seen in Texas. The bay area is downright spectacular.

Ya know, no one is holding that M1A to your head and keeping you here in San Francisco....:p

Right on Ryane! I hope that you waved to me today when you flew over Marin..:)

I don't live there, and I do love the Bay area, however there is this little thing about earthquakes ....... :)

Surreal1224
 

This is an airline pilot forum...what are you doing here? Take your liberal blather to the Al Roker website.

Perfect example of a liberal hypocrite, attacks me for needing to edit my work (which is very lame) then misspells enlighten. "...especially when trying to inlighten someone about other states. Perhaps cities like Kansas City, Knoxville, Bettenville, etc would of worked better for your example. There is an edit button, so feel free to fix it so others don't get as confused." I was attempting to explain that there are a few states out there that you can have a castle and still be near a major city. I listed cities in TX. Point taken...I could have been less confusing to the weather dork.

I have said time and time again SF is a incredibly beautiful city...Almost impossible to rival in that respect. My whole point from day one is that people must prioritize what is important. I want a big house, big yard, etc...some want pretty views of scenery with bum urine mixed in. How are those rolling blackouts??? Did the republican Gov fix the prob?? Oh, I know...it was Bush's fault. There was not a homeless problem during Clinton.

Well, Ryan, can't argue about the scenery.. it is the most beautiful in the country.. next to Hawaii. I've never knocked the scenery. After doing thousands of bay tours, they still amaze me. Unfortunately, the people around here are a little off the deep end. But, then again, every place has it's strong points and weak points. Atleast we can all agree to disagree about living here! :D

btw.. no more politics, please! It'd like beating a dead horse with the bent up prop blade of a plane you just landed gear up. :p

hehe.. yeah, you're right, Skygirl. I'm moving at the end of the month. Tis sad, and I'll miss the scenery dearly, but it's a needed change! :D

What part of Marin are you from? My girlfriend lives in Novato... there's some great hiking trails up there. Ever hike the Earthquake trail?

I would like to try that too. group 2 can all move to texas and group 1 can take the rest of the US.

can you answer me a question please. why did we only send about 20,000 troops after osama (the terrorist who attacked our freedom) and about 120,000 troops after suddam. Too bad we didn't go after the men that attacked us with everything that we had.

1. Yes, California fixed the problem. Was it our governer? Maybe. What I do know is we have a several BILLION dollar budget surplus this year.
2. Lets look at WHY there are homeless people in SF. Two reasons. The first is we offer them more aid than anywhere in the country. Good or bad, its a fact. The other BIG reason is our weather. I wouldn't want to be homeless in many places in this country. Can you imagine being homeless when it snows outside. Or when its freezing cold. Or when its blazing hot and humid. These conditions happen just about everywhere in the country. Not in San Francisco. Like I said before, our weather is always between 60 and 85 degrees. You get about 5-7 days a year in the 90's. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. Thunderstorm, what the heck is a thunderstorm? Snow, it never snows here? Perfect weather.

I remember the 1989 earthquake. It was a 7.0 (like a category 4 hurricane or an F4 tornado on the earthquake scale). So powerful, it hit with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs. What happened? Not much. A concrete onramp to the Bay bridge collapsed (this is where most the people died, maybe 30?). Umm... well, I think a few houses in Santa Cruz were destroyed... A 20ft section of the upper deck of the Bay bridge fell (down to the lower deck)... Some groceries fell of the shelves...What else? What else?? Not much! Remember there were 60,000 people in a stadium watching the world series when the earthquake hit. No one was injured. Can you say that about an F4 tornado in a major urban city. Or a category 4 hurricane. No.

The other thing is 4.0 and 5.0 earthquakes are actually pretty cool. Nothing ever gets damaged. You just shake for 15+ seconds. Yee haw. Can you say that about an F2/F3 tornado, or a category 2/3 hurricane? No.
Blah blah blah, I am going on and on. I know your comment was in good humor fireman, but I just want to point out a misconception that earthquakes should scare people away from California. Not true. Hurricanes/tornadoes/floods are a lot more dangerous.

CargoBob, take a dose of your own medicine there pops. This is an aviation forum, quit your liberal bashing and go talk airplane struts.