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Dream Living Spot


Brennan

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In the process of trying to juggle a million factors and still end up in a place I'll love and a place that is favorable for snow in Whatcom County...

 

I'd like to hear about some others dream living spots and all the factors and reasonings that would go into it.

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He's gonna have to do renovations to house you and Jim.

I'm sure he'd be thrilled to have us move in. :lol:

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Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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I think I would want to live somewhere that is fairly wide open with nice views, 4 distinct seasons, and a good amount of sunshine. Also being a fairly cold climate overall would be nice. Examples would be Central WA, Western Montana, and possibly somewhere like Vermont.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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I'm sick of the city bullscheisse but I'll be here for the foreseeable future, i.e. the next 2-3 years.

 

Ideally, I'd like to live in Revelstoke or Nelson, BC but Revelstoke is probably better for me work-wise...plus it's extremely snowy and the summers are pretty D**n warm for the location. Luckily my wife has a job she can do from home if we live outside of the Vancouver area. 

 

I drove through Revelstoke just before new years but unfortunately didn't have time to stop, even for gas. Instead I stopped in the 'wonderful' town of Kamloops. Ew.  :unsure:

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I like seasonal changes, but to me winter gets old here since it's sometimes still snowing in June and we sometimes have frost in July and August.   It's also brutally cold here at times with temperatures in the -30's fairly common (and rarely in the -50's and -60's in the area).  When you are still scraping the ice off your car in the middle of June, it does seem to get old sometimes.   We do get plenty of sunshine though and summer nights are always cool, which is nice.  I like the sunshine.

 

I think Montrose Colorado would be a good place.   It has a little bit of everything, but nothing really extreme.

 

Cedar City Utah would be a great place.   Cedar City has a little bit of everything (well minus hurricanes and such!), but if you get too cold in winter, you can be in St. George in 45 minutes where it rarely snows.    If you get too hot in summer you can be at Brian Head in 45 minutes where there are usually snowbanks at least until early or mid-July and where the temperature almost never reaches 70.  

I can't think of many places where you can do this in such a little amount of time.

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In the process of trying to juggle a million factors and still end up in a place I'll love and a place that is favorable for snow in Whatcom County...

 

I'd like to hear about some others dream living spots and all the factors and reasonings that would go into it.

Have you ever considered moving outside of Whatcom County?

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I'm thinking we could have fun with this guys...

 

Example: "i want 10 acres, half backing the base of a foothill, the other half flat and relatively open with scattered fir trees and a home site facing the mountains. The location needs to be both prone to outflow but protected from the strong NE wind. A place that often gets congergence in the fall/winter months. I'd like a Lindal Cedar home, small and practical, leaving a small foot print."

 

Please, enlighten me! Even post picture of examples, and even specific locations. This should be fun.

 

 

i guess the reason i started this thread is because earlier today i drove to the top of Squalicum Mountain at the north end of Lake Whatcom. It gets up above 1,300 feet up there and there was several inches of snow on the ground. There are some really nice homes and a couple of gated communities up there. It was so heavily treed though it just kind of felt almost too mountainous and off the grid. I love the idea of being elevated where it snows more, but for some reason being up there didn't feel genuine and kind of made me feel uneasy. The land was sloped in most places as well, and I think I'd want some big flat areas on my acreage. Anyways. I'm super picky obviously...

 

And no i want to live in whatcom county. I love it here.

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Tough, as there are many climates I'd love to experience, but I have to go with Snowshoe, WV. There's just no other place quite like it.

 

Average snowfall is ~ 200", frequent severe weather, strong winds that surpass 60mph over 50 days per year, cool summers on par with those in northern Michigan, evergreen forests, and beautiful views that span over 50 miles in all directions during clear weather. Literally an island in the sky at 4900ft.

 

They also catch the brunt of summer derecho events, being on the western/upslope side of the mountains. Hard to beat that.

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Tough, as there are many climates I'd love to experience, but I have to go with Snowshoe, WV. There's just no other place quite like it.

 

Average snowfall is ~ 200", frequent severe weather, strong winds that surpass 60mph over 50 days per year, cool summers on par with those in northern Michigan, evergreen forests, and beautiful views that span over 50 miles in all directions during clear weather. Literally an island in the sky at 4900ft.

 

They also catch the brunt of summer derecho events, being on the western/upslope side of the mountains. Hard to beat that.

Didn't you live there? :P

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Have you ever considered moving outside of Whatcom County?

At one point I was strongly considering living there, but I'm to the point now I need to move where every winter is a sure thing. My tolerance for crappy winters is zero now. The northern half of the county can have wildly nasty winters every so often, but at the same time the mild winters are every bit as lame as they are here.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Share on other sites

I'm thinking we could have fun with this guys...

 

Example: "i want 10 acres, half backing the base of a foothill, the other half flat and relatively open with scattered fir trees and a home site facing the mountains. The location needs to be both prone to outflow but protected from the strong NE wind. A place that often gets congergence in the fall/winter months. I'd like a Lindal Cedar home, small and practical, leaving a small foot print."

 

Please, enlighten me! Even post picture of examples, and even specific locations. This should be fun.

 

 

i guess the reason i started this thread is because earlier today i drove to the top of Squalicum Mountain at the north end of Lake Whatcom. It gets up above 1,300 feet up there and there was several inches of snow on the ground. There are some really nice homes and a couple of gated communities up there. It was so heavily treed though it just kind of felt almost too mountainous and off the grid. I love the idea of being elevated where it snows more, but for some reason being up there didn't feel genuine and kind of made me feel uneasy. The land was sloped in most places as well, and I think I'd want some big flat areas on my acreage. Anyways. I'm super picky obviously...

 

And no i want to live in whatcom county. I love it here.

1,300 feet up there must be pretty D**n impressive most winters. I'm totally with you with wanting some flat open areas as well.

Death To Warm Anomalies!

 

Winter 2023-24 stats

 

Total Snowfall = 1.0"

Day with 1" or more snow depth = 1

Total Hail = 0.0

Total Ice = 0.2

Coldest Low = 13

Lows 32 or below = 45

Highs 32 or below = 3

Lows 20 or below = 3

Highs 40 or below = 9

 

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Wickersham, southern whatcom county. ~300 feet elevation, base of the foothills.

 

One thing i lile about this spot too is that there is a logging road that goes up to the top of the mountain right behind the property which has been caked in what looks like very deep snow almost all winter... so even in crappy near misses all i'd have to do is hop on the quad and ride a couple minutes to snow.

IMG_2735.PNG

IMG_2764.PNG

IMG_2763.PNG

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100+ acres somewhere in the Methow Valley/Winthrop area with amazing views and no seeable neighbors. My house would be set in deep within the 100 acres so other than my driveway I will also not see or hear a road. I'm tired of the hordes of people moving into my area, I'm tired of the druggies doing deals on my otherwise quiet side road that I live on, I'm tired of the mud. I crave quiet and full nature...and lots of snow in winter and warmth in summer. :)

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Elevation 580’ Location a few miles east of I-5 on the Snohomish Co side of the Snohomish/Skagit border. I love snow/cold AND sun/warmth! 

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I've always thought living in a cold air damming spot would be fun. My time in Stevenson showed me that, although I really enjoyed it out there, I would never want to live somewhere so exposed to winds of all types. I like clear and calm cold weather if possible, and falling snow is the prettiest when it's calm out. Good radiational cooling is a must. I love fog of all types, even ground fog is fun. I also like sunny, cool or chilly days that don't mix out.

 

A valley with a little bit of elevation on the leeward side of a mountain range or even a ridge would be cool. High Valley in Klickitat County comes to mind. Or even places in the Hood River Valley. Odell, Parkdale.

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Wickersham, southern whatcom county. ~300 feet elevation, base of the foothills.

 

One thing i lile about this spot too is that there is a logging road that goes up to the top of the mountain right behind the property which has been caked in what looks like very deep snow almost all winter... so even in crappy near misses all i'd have to do is hop on the quad and ride a couple minutes to snow.

Isn't that where they had the landslide in the 80's that took out a cow barn and maybe a house?  That particular is similar to Oso and just west of middle fork on mainstem nooksack, not very stable.  Do yourself a favor.  Drive to the end of mariotta rd, look up the hillside on the north bank of the river and see the house falling down the slide.  Yeah, that's what these hills are like.

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Isn't that where they had the landslide in the 80's that took out a cow barn and maybe a house?  That particular is similar to Oso and just west of middle fork on mainstem nooksack, not very stable.  Do yourself a favor.  Drive to the end of mariotta rd, look up the hillside on the north bank of the river and see the house falling down the slide.  Yeah, that's what these hills are like.

 

The one you are talking about was near Smith Creek on the Lake Whatcom side... Or at least that's what it seems like from what I've found. 

 

http://www.cascadiaweekly.com/cw/currents/11235

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This is taken right above TT location on top of rattlesnake ledge. See that big plateau behind the lake? I would love to live there. I envision a master planned community of 500 homes. Great location close to Seattle and I-90. Lots of snow in winter

 

I'm playing though. I would never tear those trees down.

 

Great pic!    Our house is just to the left... we can see the ledge where you took this picture from our living room.    

 

That land you mention is part of the Cedar River Watershed which surrounds Chester Morse lake which I believe is the main source of water for the Seattle area.   Its also in the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and protected.   So it would be impossible to build there...but I assume it would be about the same as here in terms of snowfall.  Not sure what elevation that plateau is though.   

 

When did you take this pic?

**REPORTED CONDITIONS AND ANOMALIES ARE NOT MEANT TO IMPLY ANYTHING ON A REGIONAL LEVEL UNLESS SPECIFICALLY STATED**

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I recently visited Snowshoe for two days, and it re-affirmed why I want to live there at some point. You drive through four different climate zones within a span of under 10 miles, eventually reaching the summit at 4900ft, which is a preserved ice age ecosystem of evergreen trees and loamy, glacial soil.

 

Got there..and while lower elevations were blowtorching with temperatures in the 50s/60s, Snowshoe was poking into the heart of the cloud deck, with a temperature of 25 degrees and heavy rime icing, with winds sustained above 50mph. Then the cold front and thunderstorm line blew through, however the precipitation fell as graupel instead of rain, and it accumulated between 2-3". Winds gusted to 77mph at the village station, and the thunder/lightning was awesome.

 

When the winds flipped W/NW behind the front, the upslope snows began and temperatures dropped to 5 degrees. A solid foot of snow fell over the next 10hrs, and winds were gusting around 60mph the whole time making for whiteout conditions and epic fun.

 

Left the area the next day, and within 5 miles, went from a 20" snowpack and single digit temperatures to bare ground, green grass, and temperatures in the 40s. Amazing what topography can do.

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This is just the last month at Snowshoe, which overall was a fairly mild/tame period of weather for the region.

 

- Temperature range from 63.3F to -2.2F.

- Dewpoint range from 50.7F to -26.7F

- Max sustained wind at 70mph, gust to 80mph.

- Total snowfall of 47" during this period.

 

http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww243/phillywillie/Mobile%20Uploads/E2E30745-CEA4-4247-B2CE-3928184F87DB_zpstlwewcne.jpg

 

http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww243/phillywillie/Mobile%20Uploads/72EAC24B-0E32-415C-BDE5-7B0ED2DE1B82_zpsj2v1roxg.jpg

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Supercells. 'Nuff said. ;)

 

Well not exactly a disaster kind of area but in the middle. I do love storms. And maybe no 110 degree weather in the summer. SOME snow I will welcome in the winter but I have limits. K-Falls apparently is more than I want to bargain for.

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Ashland, KY Weather

'23-'24 Winter

Snowfall - 5.50"
First freeze: 11/1 (32)
Minimum: 2 on 1/17

Measurable snows: 4
Max 1 day snow: 3" (1/19)

Thunders: 11
1/27, 1/28, 2/10, 2/22, 2/27, 2/28, 3/5, 3/6, 3/14, 3/15
3/26, 

-------------------------------------------------------
[Klamath Falls, OR 2010 to 2021]
https://imgur.com/SuGTijl

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Supercells. 'Nuff said. ;)

 

Well not exactly a disaster kind of area but in the middle. I do love storms. And maybe no 110 degree weather in the summer. SOME snow I will welcome in the winter but I have limits. K-Falls apparently is more than I want to bargain for.

So..Oklahoma?

 

Personally I'm not sure I could handle the flat, boring terrain that dominates the Plains. You can drive for hours and still be in the same climate zone.

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So..Oklahoma?

 

Personally I'm not sure I could handle the flat, boring terrain that dominates the Plains. You can drive for hours and still be in the same climate zone.

 

I do like a bit of changing scenery. Are there any locations in eastern Montana that doesn't get a lot of snow? 

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Ashland, KY Weather

'23-'24 Winter

Snowfall - 5.50"
First freeze: 11/1 (32)
Minimum: 2 on 1/17

Measurable snows: 4
Max 1 day snow: 3" (1/19)

Thunders: 11
1/27, 1/28, 2/10, 2/22, 2/27, 2/28, 3/5, 3/6, 3/14, 3/15
3/26, 

-------------------------------------------------------
[Klamath Falls, OR 2010 to 2021]
https://imgur.com/SuGTijl

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Great pic! Our house is just to the left... we can see the ledge where you took this picture from our living room.

 

That land you mention is part of the Cedar River Watershed which surrounds Chester Morse lake which I believe is the main source of water for the Seattle area. Its also in the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and protected. So it would be impossible to build there...but I assume it would be about the same as here in terms of snowfall. Not sure what elevation that plateau is though.

 

When did you take this pic?

I run that ledge every week. Great work out.

 

Judging by the multiple house pictures you have posted, don't you have a green roof? Your home is very obvious from the top.

 

You are correct that plateau is part of the watershed. That entire plateau is incredibly flat. You could easily build a runway there or master planned community (bigger than snoqualmie ridge) haha. Jk!!

 

I believe that entire plateau is between 1200-1600 feet elevation. Would be an awesome location during the winter. I can only dream!!

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I do like a bit of changing scenery. Are there any locations in eastern Montana that doesn't get a lot of snow?

Depends. What is your definition of "a lot" of snow?

 

Honestly, if severe thunderstorms are your thing, I wouldn't recommend living anywhere west of the Rockies, because you simply won't experience much severe weather there. The ingredients for legitimate severe weather simply don't exist until you reach the Gulf of Mexico moisture plume, with the exception of monsoonal setups in the desert southwest on an occasional basis.

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Depends. What is your definition of "a lot" of snow?

 

Honestly, if severe thunderstorms are your thing, I wouldn't recommend living anywhere west of the Rockies, because you simply won't experience much severe weather there. The ingredients for legitimate severe weather simply don't exist until you reach the Gulf of Mexico moisture plume, with the exception of monsoonal setups in the desert southwest on an occasional basis.

 

Eh, I could manage half foot average in a year, or maybe more. Kind of like Pendleton OR amount of snowfall but then more amplified storm season? 

 

I figured East Montana may still have a relatively decent storm season (I know not as many supercells as Oklahoma...) but, they have their times. And it's the location where you don't necessarily "worry" about tornadoes. But they still get them of course.

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Ashland, KY Weather

'23-'24 Winter

Snowfall - 5.50"
First freeze: 11/1 (32)
Minimum: 2 on 1/17

Measurable snows: 4
Max 1 day snow: 3" (1/19)

Thunders: 11
1/27, 1/28, 2/10, 2/22, 2/27, 2/28, 3/5, 3/6, 3/14, 3/15
3/26, 

-------------------------------------------------------
[Klamath Falls, OR 2010 to 2021]
https://imgur.com/SuGTijl

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Eh, I could manage half foot average in a year, or maybe more. Kind of like Pendleton OR amount of snowfall but then more amplified storm season?

 

I figured East Montana may still have a relatively decent storm season (I know not as many supercells as Oklahoma...) but, they have their times. And it's the location where you don't necessarily "worry" about tornadoes. But they still get them of course.

Haha, well in that case I think Montana is probably too snowy for you. It's also cold as a mofo up there during winter with the dry air and radiative cooling at night. If you want less than a foot of snow per year, I think you'll probably have to move south. :lol:

 

A good proxy for convective vigor is lightning activity. Here's a high resolution, satellite-derived lightning map averaged from 2005-2014, first sorted by flash density, second sorted by stroke density . Gives a pretty good idea of where to expect the best convection:

 

http://www.vaisala.com/VaisalaImages/Lightning/avg_fd_2005-2014_CONUS_2km_grid-800px.png

 

Here is stroke density, as opposed to flash density.

 

http://www.vaisala.com/VaisalaImages/Lightning/avg_sd_2005-2014_CONUS_2km_grid.png

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Haha, well in that case I think Montana is probably too snowy for you. It's also cold as a mofo up there during winter with the dry air and radiative cooling at night. If you want less than a foot of snow per year, I think you'll probably have to move south. :lol:

 

A good proxy for convective vigor is lightning activity. Here's a high resolution, satellite-derived lightning map averaged from 2005-2014, first sorted by flash density, second sorted by stroke density . Gives a pretty good idea of where to expect the best convection:

 

http://www.vaisala.com/VaisalaImages/Lightning/avg_fd_2005-2014_CONUS_2km_grid-800px.png

 

Here is stroke density, as opposed to flash density.

 

http://www.vaisala.com/VaisalaImages/Lightning/avg_sd_2005-2014_CONUS_2km_grid.png

 

 

Interesting how there's a hotspot over the Denver area and a deadspot (relative to surrounding area) over the Snake River plain.

 

Denver's convection season is awesome, at least in my short experience in a very wet spring/early summer in 2015. Colorado Springs was even wetter and qualified as a subtropical highland climate (Cwb) in Köppen's system that year, thanks to a slightly cool summer. Denver was a monsoonal subtropical climate (Cwa) that year if I recall correctly. And despite that, there was 10" of snow on Mothers Day.  :lol:

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I like where I live. Plenty of snow, not to hot. The older I get the less I enjoy extreme cold, so the moderate climate is okay. I think I would enjoy living somewhere with a little more sunshine and drier spring weather, and maybe a few more summer t-storms. 

 

I've always thought Spokane would be nice. At the top of my list is probably Joseph, Oregon. 

 

My wife wants to retire to the Crescent Lake area of Central Oregon, her dad worked on he railroad and they spent a lot of summers there when she was growing up, as they'd follow him on the job in the summer. They probably get about 140" of snow a winter at least there. 

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Snowfall                                  Precip

2022-23: 95.0"                      2022-23: 17.39"

2021-22: 52.6"                    2021-22: 91.46" 

2020-21: 12.0"                    2020-21: 71.59"

2019-20: 23.5"                   2019-20: 58.54"

2018-19: 63.5"                   2018-19: 66.33"

2017-18: 30.3"                   2017-18: 59.83"

2016-17: 49.2"                   2016-17: 97.58"

2015-16: 11.75"                 2015-16: 68.67"

2014-15: 3.5"
2013-14: 11.75"                  2013-14: 62.30
2012-13: 16.75"                 2012-13: 78.45  

2011-12: 98.5"                   2011-12: 92.67"

It's always sunny at Winters Hill! 
Fighting the good fight against weather evil.

 

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For me, somewhere tropical where's it warm all year, but never extremely hot. Hawaii, for example, is much less brutal than Florida in the summer and sometimes even a bit cooler than inland Orange County. Yet, they have showers pretty much year round, and it never gets too cold, so the showers are refreshing and the hills are not brown.

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Mr Marine Layer, on 26 Mar 2017 - 6:37 PM, said:Mr Marine Layer, on 26 Mar 2017 - 6:37 PM, said:Mr Marine Layer, on 26 Mar 2017 - 6:37 PM, said:

For me, somewhere tropical where's it warm all year, but never extremely hot. Hawaii, for example, is much less brutal than Florida in the summer and sometimes even a bit cooler than inland Orange County. Yet, they have showers pretty much year round, and it never gets too cold, so the showers are refreshing and the hills are not brown.

 

Don't you think high humidity is a negative factor?  Hawaii is humid.

 

Ideally, I prefer a climate that includes both regular winter and summer rainfall w/ dry springs/ autumns. Arizona fits the criteria but winter rainfall is often meager. Even this year, Phoenix is running slightly below normal rainfall. Monsoon is a real plus but summer heat is unbearable especially when combined w/ dew points exceeding 70° like around El Centro/ Mexicali.

 

Edit: Flagstaff meets criteria but is too cold for me; Sedona is real nice

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