"I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!"

I moved to Utah.

A lot of people have asked me why. "Why are you moving to Utah from Kansas?"

For a long time, I felt embarrassed to just say, "I want to," but really, that was the upshot of the matter. It was not because I didn't have friends - I have many wonderful, wise, witty friends where I lived before. It was not because I didn't like my job... well, I didn't like my job, but that's not the point. I could have gotten my preferred job back had I chosen to stick around. 

It was because I was ready for something new and exciting. With my current situation of having no dependents, I had perfect freedom to uproot and move along. I knew when I first arrived that I did not want to put my roots down there. I ended up staying seven years, and I figured I had better get a move on.

I should begin by telling people that my favorite Disney movie has forever been Beauty and the Beast. I have identified with Belle since I was a child, but it was only after I became an adult that I discovered why. I finally understood that I loved Belle's song not just because the music was beautiful, but because the lyrics expressed a deep longing of mine:

I want adventure in the great wide somewhere!

I want it more than I can tell!

I love the outdoors. Anyone who knows me well knows this. The downside of living in Kansas is that there simply is not much in the way of outdoor recreation. I had to drive thirty minutes to find a tiny patch of woods in which trails had been created, looping in and out on themselves to create mileage for bikers and hikers. I had biked the trails around town a dozen times and more. Even the nearby park had meager trails to choose from.

In contrast, I moved to a county ringed with mountains. I can drive thirty minutes (or less!) to any number of trail heads and walk for miles and miles. Sometimes, I have company when I go, but often on a fine, summer or autumn afternoon, I strike out on my own. My trusty little car, Zippy, takes the gravel roads into the canyons like a champ.

When I hike solo, I take precautions to be sure I'm safe. I always let someone know where I'm going and when they should anticipate my return. I carry my Glock on my hip, and in my backpack, I have at least 40 oz of water alongside a snack, an extra, long-sleeve shirt incase I'm caught out after dark and the temperature falls, and a well-stocked first-aid kit. With the higher elevation and sunny, blue skies, I quickly made the decision to buy long-sleeve, sun-protective shirts, and I always wear a hat while out hiking.

Are hiking and adventures the only reasons I moved out West? No. But they're awfully good reasons.