I’m on a road trip right now out in the midwest, so apologies for the delay in posting from earlier this week. Driving across the prairie of eastern Colorado and Kansas is quite the contrast to our mountain home. Though most associate the Rocky Mountains of Colorado with the “west”, I’ve often thought the prairie is more reminiscent of the west. Traveling across the wide open spaces, where few people live, and the skies seem to go on forever harkens images of Conestoga wagons rolling westward across the Oregon Trail or other western trails leading to Colorado or other points west.
Today, as the miles pass so much more quickly on the interstate highways, as we pass the small towns on the prairie, I wonder about the people who choose a life in these remote prairie towns. It’s hard not to contrast with the life we’ve chosen living in the mountains above Boulder. As I mused about this, I happened upon a web forum of someone who was interested in mountain living in Nederland, who had inquired of others about the experience. While I have a wealth of stories of the last six years we have lived in Nederland, it was fun reading what others had written. Without breaking any copyright issues, I wanted to post a few excerpts from a City-Data forum. What I found most amusing about these posts were the people who didn’t live there, who judged it has having nothing redeeming, and condemned the place and the people. As a Nederland resident, I’m so glad they aren’t living in my precious mountain community.
mountain living + quirkiness = Nederland
No way to even walk into town without a baliklava-face/mask and goggles for eye protection. The Colorado weather station has clocked over 200 mph winds on top of Pauite Horn Indian Peaks.
think that 1st and foremost when moving to Ned (as the locals call it) You have to be cut out for harsh winters. The winds can get gusts of up to 80mph at times. After all of the snow , that can create some pretty crazy snowdrifts that you have to contend with day after day after day….The windchills can get well below 0…..We actually got over 3ft of snow this past weekend (April 18th) and expect to get more even into May and not unheard of into june….However…today is reaching almost 70….
People….Love them! Quirky and liberal….yes and darn proud of it. To me we are some very well educated and artistic people that are cultured but don’t fit into city living. During the summer we do have some transient kids going through. They look homeless but most are being funded by mom and dad while they are on summer vacation from college….or touring with a band. They get a bad rap but are for the most part harmless. We welcome new people but roll our eyes at them until they make it through a winter…if they stay we welcome them with open arms….but we have seen a whole lot of people come and go.
A thought: rent first, make sure you can live with the winters. A lot people buy, and then sell within three years when they get tired of the winters.
…”In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.” –Albert Camus.
And the summers are wonderful, better yet when you earn them!Two dogs for every person and leash laws that are for “other” people. Did I mention the wind? Nine months out of the year Ned is scoured by wind driven grit, gravel, sleet, snow, rain, and hail. I’ve never seen a windier place.
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/boulder-area/7511-nederland-info-aka-neder-not-neder.html#ixzz3sr7fG2BK
Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/boulder-area/13118-tell-me-about-nederland-co-2.html#ixzz3sr658Enk
