|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 13:32:38 GMT -5
Many people with neuroimmune disease have stated that they feel better in some locations than in others.
Some report feeling almost wholly well when they go some places. Others report getting much sicker (sometimes permanently) after visiting or moving to particular places.
The purpose of this board is to share information on the locations effect so that we can take better advantage of it. In addition, our discussions may allow us to learn more about whether the effect is shared by everyone with this type of illness, to understand what causes it, and to prompt researchers to look into it.
Neuroimmune disease includes myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), chronic Lyme disease, fibromyalgia (FM), chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS), and mold/biotoxin illness. People with these diseases are strongly encouraged to share their experiences in visiting or living in different locations, whatever they might have been.
It is possible that the Locations Effect applies to people with other diseases (such as autism/ASD, MS, ALS, Alzheimer's or Parkinson's) as well. Also, people with MCS (but not neuroimmune disease) usually report doing better in some locations than others, but whether good vs. bad locations are the same as in neuroimmune disease is unclear. Everyone is very welcome to share their experiences with particular locations and participate in the discussion, but please mention what illness/symptoms you have so that we can compare across diseases.
The main goal of this site is to share reports about specific locations. Please put these in the proper threads in the section "Location Reports."
The threads in the "Location Reports" section are for reports only, not for discussion. Hopefully this will keep the threads readable for people who are interested in learning about particular locations. The goal is for people interested in (say) Hawaii to be able to come to the forum and read 45 reports on the state, not 5000 pages of discussion on it.
Sections for discussion of the locations effect and other topics are at the bottom of the board.
Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and participating in discussions here.
Welcome!
Best,
Paul (Pol) Beith Lisa Petrison
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:48:09 GMT -5
Please post questions for Pol here.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:47:34 GMT -5
Please post questions for Lisa here.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:23:10 GMT -5
4-GOOD
I visited Amsterdam twice, in July 1997 and Summer 1998. I felt very good in this city and was very active. I stayed both times in a small old hotel with big windows, overlooking what I recall being called the “Skinny Bridge.”
|
|
|
Italy
Jul 24, 2011 9:22:27 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:22:27 GMT -5
MIXED
I visited Florence and Rome in Summer 1995. This was in the early stages of my illness, before I got the flu that pushed me into full-fledged CFS.
I liked Florence a lot and felt good there. I was staying in a small, old hotel. (4-GOOD)
I went to Rome on a day trip, visiting the Vatican and walking around the city. I got very irritable and got into a big argument with my companion for no reason on this trip. It took me several days to feel like I recovered. (1-AWFUL)
|
|
|
Wyoming
Jul 24, 2011 9:21:26 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:21:26 GMT -5
EXCELLENT (5), except for the national parks.
I spent about 10 days tent and RV camping in Wyoming in July 2009. I drove from Jackson to Worland, then went east to Yellowstone. Finally I drove south through Green River and the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area.
In July 2011, I drove north through the state hitting Cheyenne, Laramie, Casper, Buffalo and Sheridan.
Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Cody: POOR (2)
I visited Cody one afternoon, then returned to spend a night on another day. I spent a several hours driving the main circle in Yellowstone, then drove through the park to depart the area on another day.
In general, Yellowstone and Cody felt quite bad to me. This especially was the case when it was raining in the area, but it wasn't great even when it was sunny. The problem seemed to be the toxin that is most difficult for me, in diffuse form.
Leaving the park, I drove by Grand Teton National Park. It didn't feel any better than Yellowstone to me, so I kept going.
REST OF WYOMING: EXCELLENT (5)
I did pretty well in the rest of Wyoming. The scattered outdoor toxins there all seemed associated with oil wells and regular city pollution, which can be annoying but are not especially problematic for me. The oil wells are not anywhere near the issue that they are in Texas, in my observation.
I was only in Jackson briefly, on a bright sunny day in 2009. It felt okay, but I got a vague sense that the worst toxin for me might be problematic there sometimes. I’d like to hear people’s reports. (4-GOOD)
The drive on 287 and 20 from Jackson to Worland (in 2009) was uneventful except for oil wells. I spent a couple of nights at a private residence in Worland, where the slight oil fumes were somewhat annoying but I still felt really good. (5-EXCELLENT)
Dubois, on 287, was excellent (in 2009). There are a couple of nice little restaurants in that town and a decent (though oddly crowded) KOA. A couple of small campgrounds in the mountains above town were stellar; one of them (at 7500 feet) apparently is frequented by grizzly bears, though I missed that. I was there before I had my solar panel or Verizon internet access card, and ended up sitting outside the public library to charge my computer and get Wi-Fi service. (5-EXCELLENT)
Green River and the Flaming Gorge Recreational Area felt great (in 2009). The campground in Flaming Gorge (actually located over the border in Utah) had dramatic views and was pleasant. (5-EXCELLENT)
I also drove on I-80 from Green River to Hwy. 789 (in 2009), and it felt great. (5-EXCELLENT)
Cheyenne, a pretty large city, felt good to me in 2011. (4-GOOD)
I stayed overnight at the KOA outside of Laramie and then visited the town. The KOA was terrific (5-EXCELLENT).
The town of Laramie had the best vegetarian restaurant I've ever been to (Sweet Melissa's) -- it would be wildly popular if transplanted to Lincoln Park in Chicago. (There's a full gluten-free section too.) I also found an oxygen bar, an integrative physician and a nice farmer's market in this town. It's the home of the University of Wyoming and (despite being really cold in winter) seemed livable. (4-GOOD)
Casper, which takes great pride in its oil connections, was polluted enough that I decided not to stay over. (3-FAIR)
Buffalo and Sheridan, and all of I-25 except for Casper, felt good. (5-EXCELLENT)
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:18:38 GMT -5
AWFUL (1)
I spent a week at the Watergate hotel in Washington D.C. in August 2002. This was long before I started doing avoidance, and my illness was only moderate at the time.
I had a horrible time in D.C., in a way that makes me think that I got a lot of exposure to the worst toxin for me. The hotel also may have been moldy.
|
|
|
Texas
Jul 24, 2011 9:16:06 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:16:06 GMT -5
AWFUL (1)
I drove through part of Texas in November 2008. It was not a good experience.
I started out driving south on I-75 from Oklahoma through Dallas. I spent three nights in a hotel in Rice, which is about an hour south of Dallas. Then I drove back through Dallas and headed west, through Abilene, Midland and Odessa; I then turned around and went on Hwy 84 and Hwy 180 through Snyder, Lemesa and Seminole.
(I had been living in Chicago prior to this trip.)
Dallas was intolerable just driving through, as a result of what I identified as the worst toxin for me. Rice was somewhat better, but still quite bad. I was quite sick by the time I left that city.
I drove all the way through Texas in one night, feeling quite ill. Odessa and Midland were particularly problematic with oil refineries, but there were plenty of others as well.
Whether every square mile of land that I drove through in Texas was problematic, I don’t know. I do know that I felt very bad during my whole time in that state and am not eager to go back.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:14:29 GMT -5
EXCELLENT (5)
In November 2010, I visited the Black Hills of South Dakota in my RV. I drove north on 385 through Hot Springs, Custer and Rapid City. I looked at Mt. Rushmore and toured Wind Cave.
This whole area felt great to me. (5-EXCELLENT)
Rapid City, during a snowstorm, felt a little bad but not terrible. (4-GOOD)
Wind Cave was perfectly fine, when I toured it.
I’d like to go back to this area in summer. Rapid City (an actual city) might be an okay place to live, even.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:13:45 GMT -5
MIXED
In December 1998, I spent a night in a hotel in Kiawah. My husband and I both disliked it intensely and fled as soon as we could. Objectively it seemed like an okay place, and looking back I think it was problematic. (POOR-2)
Hilton Head, a day later, felt better to us. (FAIR-3)
|
|
|
Ohio
Jul 24, 2011 9:12:58 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:12:58 GMT -5
COLUMBUS AREA: FAIR (3)
I spent a week in the northern part of Columbus in July 2010. I was coming from Richmond, Indiana, and drove on I-70. I didn’t go to downtown Columbus at all. I stayed in the home of a friend. (The house felt good to me.)
This whole area was blanketed by an unpleasant haze, the same stuff I found in Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and much of Illinois. It filters out of the air pretty well though, and the house that I stayed in felt good to me.
I didn’t run into any of the worst toxin for me.
CINCINNATI AREA: MIXED
I’ve not been to Cincinnati since starting extreme avoidance, but I spent a great deal of time there prior.
My feeling about Cincinnati is that it’s spotty. Looking back, I think there were many times that I ran into concentrated amounts of the worst toxin for me, and got really messed up as a result. Other places in Cincinnati (such as the home of a friend I frequently visited) felt really great to me.
Cincinnati is an industrial city (with certain parts much worse than others), and it also is very hilly. It may be that parts of town that have historically had more chemical spills are more problematic, and that lower-lying areas feel worse than ones at higher elevations. The Ohio River also may be a factor.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:11:27 GMT -5
NEW YORK CITY: GOOD (4)
I’ve not been to NYC since doing extreme avoidance, but used to visit there a few times a year. I almost always felt really good while I was there (much better than in Chicago), provided that I wasn’t staying in a big hotel. Presumably it's better there in warmer months, but I recall having some pretty successful trips in the winter too.
In Spring 2008, about six months after moving out of my moldy house and abandoning all my stuff, I visited for the first time in about a year. (My "core health" -- e.g. my reactivity -- had gone down since my last visit, but I was doing well enough with avoidance to make the trip.) I started out feeling really good there for a couple of days, but then slid all of a sudden (while taking a walk on the Upper East Side). I am not sure if it was from getting a Vitamin C IV (maybe the dose was too high by mistake and caused a Lyme herx) or from running into an outdoor mold plume. I think it was the IV though (it was about an hour afterward), since I stayed sick for a few days and didn't get any better from showering.
I'm hesitant to go on airplanes now, but I think I would likely be fine on a visit to NYC once I got there. It's peculiar that it would be one of the cities that I feel best in, but (like Tokyo) it does get a lot of air circulation as a result of how it's situated. And while there's certainly a lot of pollution there, maybe there's not as much industry as some places.
There also are lots of moldy hotels in NYC, of course. I always stayed in smaller hotels rather than big ones with recirculating air, because I "liked them." (Before I understood about toxins, I thought I felt better for emotional reasons.) Hotels I did well in were the Gershwin (in the Garment District), the Hotel Metro (in Midtown) and the Lucerne (on the Upper West Side).
Other than the hotels, I'm not sure most of the buildings in NYC are horrifically moldy. I did okay in one of the Broadway theaters on my last trip there (before experiencing that sudden decline), for instance.
Of course, NYC is not a good place for extreme reactors. But it's doesn't seem to me to be as bad as one might think, for moderate ones. I know one Moldie who (since abandoning a bad place and all of his contaminated stuff) has been okay in Brooklyn as long as he's very careful about where he lives, for instance.
I've spent all my time in NYC in Manhattan. I also visited Brooklyn Heights once (in spring), and it felt fine too. I have no idea how I would feel in any of the surrounding areas, therefore.
BERKSHIRES: GOOD (4)
During the summer of either 2003 or 2004, I paid a brief visit to the Berkshires. I went to a play at their theater festival and visited the home of Edith Wharton. I stayed in a small hotel that Edith Wharton lived in for a while. I felt really good during that trip.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:09:53 GMT -5
MIXED
New Mexico is a state that I would have thought would be terrific. I’ve spent a lot of time here and found most of the state to be moderately bad to okay, with a few stellar spots.
Except where noted, I’ve been tent or RV camping in this state.
SOUTHWEST NEW MEXICO: GOOD (4)
I lived in a house in Las Cruces during Winter 2008/2009 and returned briefly on day trips in April 2010. Generally, it felt pretty good to me for a city. Some days felt really good. However, on occasion in winter, the worst toxin for me blows into it from somewhere south, possibly El Paso/Ciudad Juarez. Fleeing from the city did not seem to help on those occasions, since the surrounding areas were also affected. There’s not much culture in this town, but I did like living there. GOOD (4), with exceptions.
Frequently when living in Las Cruces, I camped at City of Rocks State Park (about half an hour from Silver City). I visited there again in April 2010. It’s quite isolated and usually the air quality was excellent, though it sometimes got much worse very quickly. The showers there felt good to me. There are a few RV spots (like an RV park) with electricity and then scattered tent sites. EXCELLENT (5), with exceptions.
Silver City is smaller than Las Cruces but felt a little worse to me. Many of the buildings there are old and moldy. FAIR (3)
Truth or Consequences is another older town that I wasn’t crazy about, but it was mostly tolerable. There are lots of hot springs establishments there, and I did like the water. The one I went to was the Charles Hotel, which has a nice outdoor hot tub up on the roof. FAIR (3)
Alamagordo felt okay. GOOD (4)
The Lincoln National Forest near Alamagordo is at a higher altitude and felt terrific. I camped a few times at the Three Rivers Petroglyph National Monument, which is isolated but felt great. EXCELLENT (5)
SOCORRO AREA: GOOD (4)
I spent about a month at an RV park in Socorro in March/April 2010 and then spent a few nights there in December 2010. The RV park was pretty run down with no bathroom facility, but the air quality in Socorro was better than any I found elsewhere in NM except for the most isolated regions. (4-GOOD)
Socorro is about an hour from Albuquerque. There’s a nice coffee shop there and a few other restaurants.
The Bosque Del Apache bird sanctuary in nearby San Antonio felt even better than Socorro, and I frequently visited there and walked around. (5-EXCELLENT)
My favorite place in NM is Pie Town, about 80 miles west of Socorro. It’s on the Continental Divide at 7000 feet. There is a free public campground, a small RV park, a restaurant with light food and stellar pie, a restaurant with hearty meals and acceptable pie, and a tourist center with a few groceries and a laundromat. (And absolutely nothing else.) The air quality is fantastic. (5-EXCELLENT)
GILA: EXCELLENT (5)
The Gila Wilderness felt great to me, as did the small towns (e.g. Omega, Quemado, Aragon, Reserve, Buckhorn) in this part of the state.
An exception may be the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, where I spent several days in April 2010. I encountered traces of the worst toxin for me there, and I have a report from someone who had a bad experience there since. (4-GOOD, with exceptions).
The Gila is all really beautiful. There are lots of public campgrounds and hiking trails, a few decent restaurants, and occasional RV parks.
SOUTHEAST NEW MEXICO: POOR (2)
I drove through Hobbs and Carlsbad in November 2008. There’s a lot of oil drilling here. In general, the air did not feel very good to me. However, I was already really sick from a visit to Texas at this time, so it may have felt worse to me than it would have at other times.
ALBUQUERQUE: FAIR (3)
I’ve been to Albuquerque for day trips a few times -- February 2009, August 2009, April 2010, December 2010. It seemed above average for a city its size, though hardly pristine.
Albuquerque is built in a basin. Getting out of the basin (I think about eight miles west of the center of the city) improves the air quality considerably, I think.
I was hoping that Los Lunas would feel better than Albuquerque itself, but it turned out to be about the same.
SANTA FE AREA: POOR (2)
I had a very hard time in Santa Fe. I visited the city in February 2009 for a few days (staying in a hotel), and then returned for camping at Ojo Caliente in August 2009.
My experience both these times was that the area started off feeling acceptable but then wore on me over a period of a few days until I got really sick. The problem seems to be a toxin that is a less devastating for me than the very worst one for me, and that does not cross-contaminate as much, but nonetheless was too much for me.
The only place in the whole area that really felt good to me was the Santa Fe Opera House, way up on a hill.
I put a lot of miles on my car driving around to different campgrounds, trying to find a good place. Jemez Springs, Chimayo, Espanola and Los Alamos were all problematic. The public campground at Abiqui felt good part of the time.
At the very northern part of the state, the El Vado State Park and Chama felt good. El Vado had electricity at some of the sites.
NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO: EXCELLENT (5)
In December 2010, I drove through northeastern New Mexico, from Clayton to Springer to Las Vegas. I spent the night in Clayton, in my RV. Las Vegas was okay (3-FAIR), and the rest of the area was great.
I started toward Taos at one point, but it felt like a bad idea so I turned around.
NORTHWESTERN NEW MEXICO: EXCELLENT (5)
I drove on I-40 from Vanderwagen (the Arizona border) to Albuquerque in August 2009. It felt great until about 15 miles from Albuquerque. However, this is Four Corners reservation territory, and there’s not much here.
|
|
|
Nevada
Jul 24, 2011 9:06:22 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:06:22 GMT -5
MIXED
I’ve driven I-80 several times, spent about two weeks in the Reno/Tahoe area, and lived for several months total in southern Nevada near Las Vegas. Except where noted, I’ve been RV or tent camping here.
I’m including the Tahoe-Truckee region here (rather than in California).
LAS VEGAS AREA: GOOD (4)
I’ve visited Las Vegas frequently on day trips, camped there on occasion, and (in June 2011) spent a week in the Hampton Inn in the Summerlin area.
In general, Las Vegas feels better to me than the vast majority of big cities. The Summerlin section, on the northwest side, feels much better to me than the rest of the city. It is at a higher elevation than the rest of the city, is next to the huge Red Rock recreational area, and has fairly new construction. It also is a nice Yuppie area, with a good selection of restaurants and coffee shops, a Whole Foods, an REI, and a comfortable Panera.
The rest of the city feels less good to me, but is generally tolerable. I don’t know what the strip is like though (I’ve not been there since 1989!).
Occasionally in the colder half of the year, especially at night or when the barometer is dropping fast, I have detected the worst toxin for me in Las Vegas. It’s rarely been very heavy though.
The Red Rock recreational area just west of the city always has felt great to me. There is a BLM campground on Hwy 159, just 10 minutes from the Summerlin part of the city. It is a pretty campground, but there is no water, dump station or electricity. I never found a good place in the city to get water, unfortunately. This campground was closed during Summer 2011, and I don’t like the people who run it. But the air quality is so good here, and it’s so convenient, that I’m sure I will use it again.
There’s an RV park I stayed at once on Blue Diamond Road, on the southeast side of the city. It was pleasant but expensive.
Northwest of the city is Mt. Charleston, a ski area. It is at about 8000 feet and felt great to me in February 2010.
HENDERSON AREA: GOOD (4)
In March 2010, I drove through Henderson, visited Hoover Dam and stayed overnight at a campground on Lake Mead. This area felt a little better to me than the city of Las Vegas, but not great.
PAHRUMP: GOOD (4)
This is a gambling town about an hour from Las Vegas. The air is not pristine in terms of pollution, but it usually has felt really good to me. I have been here many times, and spent January/February 2011 based here.
There are a number of RV parks in Pahrump, but no real tent campgrounds. Unfortunately there are no cafes in Pahrump, but there are a few okay restaurants (I like the German one). My favorite thing to do in this town is to have lunch at the Pahrump Valley Winery.
RENO AREA: GOOD (4)
I spent a week in the Reno area in October 2009, mostly at an RV park at one of the casinos. Despite the fact that it was raining most of the time, it felt pretty much okay to me -- better than most cities of its size.
I didn’t run into any of the worst toxin for me there. Erik tells me that it’s mostly a problem on certain days in winter (November-February), and occasionally in very specific parts of the city during the rest of the year.
Also on that trip, I camped at Pyramid Lake for a couple of nights. It felt great to me.
I drove quickly through Yerington, which is a farming community that was a CFS epidemic site in the mid 1980s. I didn’t feel worse while there, but I did note people doing some kind of strange activity using chemicals on one of the fields just outside of town.
TAHOE-TRUCKEE AREA: AWFUL (1)
I spent a week visiting Erik in August 2008, then spent another four days here in June 2009.
During my first visit, Erik directed my movements so that I didn’t get hit too much with anything bad. I felt mostly great on that trip -- it was a revelation that I could feel that well.
I did feel more irritable than usual though. This especially was the case when I went out on my own without informing Erik, after which I got really angry with him for no particular reason.
On my second visit, I stayed at a campground at the Sierra Hot Springs, in Sierraville. I spent time in Truckee, visited Tahoe City, put on my swimsuit to wade into the lake, and hiked in the woods overlooking the lake.
For the first three days of my visit, I felt great. There was one spot on the hot springs grounds where I felt some of a particular toxin, but I didn’t seem to be affected by it. The air quality in Truckee seemed scattershot. I could sit in one place and have it feel great for a while, but then it would suddenly feel much less good. Moving even a few dozen yards could make a big difference. But again, regardless, I was feeling okay.
On the third night, the barometer dropped sharply at about 1 a.m. I woke up feeling strange at exactly that moment and wanted to leave, but decided to wait until daybreak. I fled the entire area, driving through Nevada to Idaho.
During the subsequent week, I was more severely ill (with all the symptoms described as being characteristic of the Tahoe cohort in “Osler’s Web”) than ever before in my life. It took me several weeks more to feel like I’d recovered to even close to the point that I was before that experience.
Whether going into Lake Tahoe had an effect on me, I don’t know. The fact that my car and my camping supplies continued to make me sick for months afterwards makes me think that the exposure was from the air though.
My conclusion about Truckee-Tahoe is that the air there is extremely good, except for small patches of a particularly bad toxin that drift around. Unfortunately, and especially at certain times, those patches can get extremely strong, in my observation.
I would be extremely reluctant to go back to this area. Life is too short.
I-80: EXCELLENT (5)
I-80 goes through such towns as Elko, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Lovelock and Fernley. All of these felt terrific to me. There’s not much to do in any of these towns, however. Even restaurants, RV parks and campgrounds seemed in short supply.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:04:28 GMT -5
MIXED In November 2008, I drove through Omaha and spent a night in a Hampton Inn there. It felt a bit better than Chicago did to me, but not much better, at that particular time. (3-FAIR) In November 2010, I drove through Nebraska. I started in Omaha and went west on I-80 to Sidney, then drove north on 385 to Chadron. Omaha and Lincoln felt average, as big cities in the middle of winter go. (3-FAIR) The rest of the state felt great to me, though rather desolate. Conceivably spending time here in the summer could be really pleasant, since I see lots of campgrounds on the map. (5-EXCELLENT) I spent a night in Sidney, at the RV park next to the Cabela’s. There are a few okay restaurants and a decent bookstore-cafe in that town. (5-EXCELLENT) In September 2011, I drove east on I-80 from Wyoming to Sidney, then north on 385 to Chadron (near the SD border). It still felt great to me. (5-EXCELLENT) In late October 2011, I drove south from Nebraska City to Kansas on 75. This was following a lot of flooding. It felt mediocre to me. (3-FAIR) My feeling is that apart from the cities on the eastern edge, Nebraska is a terrific state. However, it's the kind of place that most people seem hesitant to visit. For inspiration, here are some photos: prairieecologist.com/2011/10/31/a-slide-show-of-nebraska-nature-photos/
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 9:01:12 GMT -5
POOR (2)
In June 2010, I drove through Missouri, from Kansas City to somewhere near Hannibal.
Kansas City felt reasonable, for a big city. I spent one night there, in my RV. (3-FAIR)
The rest of Missouri was agricultural land, mostly corn and soybeans. I spent one night at an RV park, in a small town. It felt the same as the other “Corn/Bean States” -- like there was a haze of unpleasantness floating over the whole area.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:59:56 GMT -5
POOR (2)
On a sunny day in June 2010, I drove across Michigan on I-94, through St. Joseph, Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson and Ann Arbor.
I was surprised to find an extremely strong presence of the worst toxin for me in Ann Arbor. It hit me as I first entered the western part of the city on I-94. I then drove through the city and went south a few miles on Hwy. 23. It felt okay (after decontaminating). Then I retraced my route, encountering it again just within the boundaries of the city. It was so problematic that just a 20-minute exposure to the city and its contamination of my car/RV continued to have an effect on me for a few weeks. (1-AWFUL)
The rest of the Michigan I visited felt like other parts of the Midwest (Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois) to me -- with a cloud of unpleasant haze over it. I spent a night in my RV in Battle Creek, but otherwise did not stay over in this state. (2-POOR)
All of this was surprising to me, since I spent almost a week in the Ann Arbor area (driving that same route) in October 2008 and did reasonably okay. (3-FAIR) Part of this may have been that my reactivity went up as a result of having gotten really clear, but that wouldn't have been the entire explanation.
|
|
|
Kansas
Jul 24, 2011 8:58:45 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:58:45 GMT -5
EXCELLENT (5)
I spent about a week in Kansas in June 2010, and then another two weeks there in November/December 2010. I RV camped and stayed in the home of a friend.
For the most part, it was absolutely terrific.
In June, I drove across the whole state on I-70, then drove down to the area near Wichita. All of I-70 felt great to me.
I liked the KOA in Waukeeney, and drove through some campgrounds (including one on a lake) that felt equally great. I didn’t find any RV parks in Salina I liked, but there are a few more restaurant choices there than in much of the rest of the state.
Topeka felt pretty good for a city, driving through. (4-GOOD)
Kansas City (the Kansas and Missouri sides) was reasonable for a city, though not great. (3-FAIR)
In December, I drove from Salina to Wichita and then on I-50 to Elkhart (near the Texas panhandle).
Wichita, where I spent a week in December, was the best “big city” I’ve ever been to. I may have encountered a bit of the worst toxin for me one day, but it was minor. The RV park (USI) in town was okay, and the shower/bathroom was fine except for the plug-in air freshener. (5-EXCELLENT)
Most of the small towns near Wichita that I drove through felt really good.
The exceptions were Mulvane (some kind of chemical spill...1-AWFUL) and El Dorado (oil mining....2-POOR).
I spent a good bit of time in a town just south of Wichita, and most of the time it felt great. Occasionally though, small amounts of the worst toxin for me blew up from south of the Oklahoma border. It wasn’t catastrophic for me, but enough to be noticeable.
I-50 from Wichita to Elkhart felt great, but it’s extremely isolated. Dodge City is the biggest town.
Kansas is an agricultural state, but I found the fields (mostly wheat and alfalfa) to be refreshing rather than offensive. Rivers and lakes also felt good to me.
There’s a lot of wind there, and that may be helpful in terms of air quality in the cities.
|
|
|
Iowa
Jul 24, 2011 8:55:57 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:55:57 GMT -5
POOR (2)
I’ve driven through Iowa twice, in November 2008 and November 2010. Both times, I took I-80 all the way across, through Des Moines.
The state felt quite unpleasant to me both times, and so I didn’t stop. I didn’t encounter the worst toxin for me though.
On my 2010 trip through, the air started to feel somewhat better about 30 miles east of Omaha.
In late October 2011, I drove south on I-29 through Iowa, passing through Sioux City and Council Bluffs. I briefly stopped in Council Bluffs for dinner. I would not have wanted to stay longer in this area. (2-POOR)
|
|
|
Indiana
Jul 24, 2011 8:54:59 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:54:59 GMT -5
POOR (2)
I’ve spent a great deal of time in Indiana over the years (I grew up there), and then returned in my RV in Summer/Fall 2010. I traveled through a high percentage of northern and central Indiana on that trip, but did not go to the southern part of the state.
I also drove from Chicago to Indianapolis and then back in September 2011.
Indiana has a cloud of unpleasant haze hanging over it. I believe it is related to its agricultural production (corn and soybeans).
Lakes in Indiana almost all feel particularly unpleasant to me, which is unfortunate since almost all the campgrounds in Indiana are located next to lakes. The fact that these campgrounds tend to fog for mosquitoes is another negative aspect of them.
Though not great, Indianapolis actually felt better to me than the rest of the state. (3-FAIR)
Indiana Dunes (near Lake Michigan) also felt somewhat better than the rest of the state, but not so good that it would be worth purposely seeking out. (3-FAIR)
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:53:42 GMT -5
CHICAGO: FAIR (3)
I lived almost my entire adult life in the Chicago area, and spent July-November 2010 and then September-October 2011 there.
I lived in Skokie, which is a leafy suburb north of the city. My house was at a higher elevation than the surrounding area (just a few hundred feet higher), and I think this was helpful. On returning to the area, my neighborhood felt pretty good to me most of the time. It was just the house itself (Stachy) that was a problem.
During most of the year, the Chicago area feels better to me than most major cities. It is polluted, but not with the sort of stuff that has a big effect on me. This is especially the case with most of the northern suburbs (except for a few areas right along the lake), but the city itself has never been terrible for me either.
Certainly Chicago is a very dirty city, and I do feel toxic when there. However, the inflammatory environmental toxins that prompt my CFS-type symptoms seem to be less an issue there than in some cities.
In winter (November through February), Chicago does often go moderately bad with the "worst toxin for me." This is mostly during times of downturns in barometric pressure, a few days a week.
The best place I’ve found in this area is the Chicago Botanic Garden in Highland Park. Spending a few hours every day there made me feel much better, and I’ve never been there when it didn’t feel good. Ravinia, also in Highland Park, is an outdoor music festival that felt pretty good too.
The worst place I’ve found in this area is the shopping district in the eastern part of Evanston (Davis/Dempster Streets), near the lake. It’s mostly fine in summer months. Starting in November, the worst toxin for me is especially problematic there. There are big storm grates on some of the sidewalks there, and I have gotten badly hit from walking over them.
OUTSIDE CHICAGO:
I own a vacation condominium at a golf resort in Galena, which is near Dubuque. This area of the state feels worse to me than most of the Midwest. This is a different toxin than the worst one for me, but still problematic. (2-POOR)
I drove through central Illinois in June 2010 and November 2010, in my RV. They mostly felt a bit better to me than most of the Midwest. Champaign-Urbana felt reasonably good that June, and Dixon (boyhood home of Ronald Reagan) felt pretty good to me on a sunny day in November, for instance. (4-GOOD)
|
|
|
Idaho
Jul 24, 2011 8:52:14 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:52:14 GMT -5
GOOD (4)
In June 2009, I drove through Idaho from Jackpot, Nevada, to Jackson, Wyoming. The towns I went through included Idaho Falls, Pocatello and Twin Falls. I was tent camping.
This is farm country, with pesticides being used throughout. However, it didn’t feel nearly as problematic to me as (for instance) Indiana and Michigan. I did not have any sense that the worst toxin for me was a problem here.
There are a fair number of campgrounds and RV parks in this area. Restaurants seemed to me to be slim pickings.
The most impressive issue, toxin wise, was the fumes coming from the Simplot potato processing facility. I never will eat McDonald’s french fries again!
|
|
|
Florida
Jul 24, 2011 8:50:56 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:50:56 GMT -5
AMELIA ISLAND: FAIR (3)
I used to have a beachfront condo on Amelia Island Plantation in Jacksonville. We went there primarily during winter (December and January), to avoid Chicago winters.
When we first purchased it in 1998, it felt really good. Over time, it felt much less good.
Part of this was likely because the condo itself went moldy (the management eventually figured this out and did a big remediation). But I am not convinced that the air, even on the beachfront, was terribly good either. I remember a few days on my last visit there (December 2007) when the sun would come out and both my husband and I felt much more energetic. That makes me think that the air quality on the other days was not very good.
Probably it was a still a bit better than Chicago, during winter months, in terms of how it made me feel. Not much better though.
Amelia Island is only a short distance from Jacksonville, where I never felt good and always tried to avoid. (2-POOR)
Once I drove to St. Augustine and felt particularly bad there. (1-AWFUL)
ORLANDO: AWFUL (1)
I spent a few days at a conference at Disney World in 1998, and walked around the Epcot Center for a while. I felt quite bad, in a way that makes me think that there was a lot of the worst toxin for me there.
I stayed at a hotel near Epcot Center, with a “boardwalk” theme. I felt about the same inside and outside the hotel, maybe worse outside.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:49:10 GMT -5
AWFUL - 1
I spent three months in Delaware when I was in college doing an internship for the big newspaper there. This was September-December 1984. I worked in Wilmington and lived in Newark.
I was extremely depressed the whole time, much more so than I ever was anywhere else. I told my family and friends that I hated Delaware, and spent as much time as I could visiting other nearby places.
I’d like to hear more reports on Delaware, therefore.
|
|
|
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:48:14 GMT -5
Everyone, please include the Lake Tahoe/Truckee area in the Nevada section.
*
MIXED
I’ve mostly tent or RV camped here, during the past three years. I visited California a number of times prior to that, but am not including those reports.
DEATH VALLEY: EXCELLENT (5)
I’ve been to Death Valley National Park a number of times during 2009-2011. The air quality is consistently terrific, and it’s really gorgeous with nice hiking.
Death Valley is about two hours from Las Vegas. The nearest town is Pahrump, Nevada -- about an hour away.
This is the lowest altitude in North America (-180 feet). Although tourists from other countries visit there (briefly) in summer, the camping season is October through early June.
Furnace Creek is the central part of Death Valley. The complex includes a couple of restaurants and a small general store, along with a very nice inn (it feels good to me) and a motel.
There are a several nice campgrounds in Death Valley, though the only one with electricity are a few RV spots at the park at Stovepipe Wells (about 40 minutes north of Furnace Creek). Campers can use the pool (mineral water, good temperature) and its showers for a fee. A small golf course is also on the property.
In spring 2011, I was able to get Verizon cell phone service but not 3G service. Internet access is available but expensive (about $10/day). It’s possible to sit on benches in front of the general store or restaurants to charge computers or other electronic devices.
Scotty’s Castle is an old mansion that is worth seeing, in DVNP about an hour from Furnace Creek. It felt good to me in the main level and in the cellar. The visitors’ center in the building next to it felt problematic to me, though.
Tecopa is a hot springs town about an hour outside Death Valley National Park. The water there is the most detoxifying I’ve ever experienced. There are sewer ponds there that periodically act up with the worst toxin for me in the winter though, and many mosquitos and horse flies from mid-May onwards. Delights Hot Springs has private baths and an RV park. Tecopa Hot Springs is a BLM facility that has tent and RV camping (some with electricity) and separate communal baths for men and women. Tecopa Hot Springs Spa also has tent and RV camping, but their baths are moldy. Tecopa Palms is another RV park.
Also in Tecopa is the China Ranch date farm, which is a pleasant place to visit. Shoshone (near Tecopa) is a tiny town with a couple of restaurants. Unfortunately, on my last visit, the general store had a lot of mold growing in it.
PALM SPRINGS: GOOD (4)
I spent Spring 2011 in the Palm Springs area and liked it a lot. The air quality in Palm Springs felt okay to me, and in Desert Hot Springs (which gets a lot of wind) it a bit better.
I also spent Winter 2011/2012 in Desert Hot Springs. Like most places, the air was worse in the winter than the rest of the year. However, except when the wind was blowing hard from the NW, I did not find any of the worst toxin for me here, and in general (compared to other winter options in the contiguous U.S.) it wasn't too bad.
This is not pristine wilderness air, but for this sort of cosmopolitan location it’s about the best I’ve found.
Palm Springs and the adjoining cities have lots of restaurants, shopping and activities.
Desert Hot Springs is a spa town, with great mineral water and more than a dozen spa establishments in different price ranges. (4-GOOD)
Joshua Tree is about 45 minutes from Palm Springs and felt great to me. On the drive there, Yucca Valley (with a Starbucks) and Twenty Nine Palms felt really terrific. (5-EXCELLENT)
BARSTOW (AND SURROUNDING AREA): EXCELLENT (5)
Barstow is noteworthy because it’s about halfway between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, and the KOA makes a good stopover. The Calico Ghost Town was a little interesting (with a surprisingly good restaurant), though their RV park looked pretty crowded. There’s also outlet shopping here.
As towns go, this one felt good. The other towns in this part of California (Needles, Ludlow, Mojave, Baker) all feel good as well.
I last visited Barstow in March 2011.
I spent the night in Needles in November 2011 and thought it was terrific.
MOJAVE NATIONAL PRESERVE: EXCELLENT (5)
I spent a couple of nights at the campground here in April 2009. It felt really good to me, except for an area that had recently experienced some forest fires. I didn’t run into any of the worst toxin for me. It’s pretty, in a stark desert sort of way.
LOS ANGELES AREA: FAIR (3)
I drove from Barstow to Los Angeles and spent the day in Newport Beach in March 2011. In my opinion, the air started to feel worse at about Apple Valley.
Newport Beach felt pretty reasonable, and better right along the beach with ocean breezes. (Mike Dessin, who is "mostly recovered" from very severe CFS and who seems to have a knack for finding good air, was spending the winter at a house a few doors down from the beach.) I didn’t hit any of the worst toxin for me on that trip. (4-GOOD)
Another good microclimate in the L.A. metropolitan area is Loma Linda, which is a town up on a hill. Loma Linda was cited as a "Blue Zone" (a town where people live a long time), with the authors suggesting that the residents' diet is responsible. I think the air quality also has something to do with it. I visited here in January 2012. (4-GOOD)
I visited downtown L.A. on a sunny day in May 2012 and did reasonably okay there, though it conceivably could be worse at other times of the year. It was quite polluted there, of course. (3-FAIR)
On my visit, I went to the Ahmanson Theater. It seemed moderately problematic in terms of mold but not horrific.
In May 2012, I got lost and drove around Pasadena one afternoon. It did not feel good to me, and I would be hesitant to return. (2-POOR, possibly worse)
Also in May 2012, I stayed at the KOA in Acton, north of L.A. This is not a very charming area, but I felt okay there. (4-GOOD)
SAN JOQUIN VALLEY: MIXED
I spent about a month in this region in June 2009 and some additional time in Summer 2012. Despite its being an agricultural area (mostly fruit trees), I have felt really good in much of this area.
In 2009, Sequoia National Park felt generally very good, but I ran into small scattered amounts of the worst toxin for me near the hotel up in the mountains. The national park campground nearby and the one at the base of the mountains both felt good to me. (4-GOOD)
In 2009, the RV parks and campgrounds I encountered in Sequoia National Forest felt great. (5-EXCELLENT)
Visalia and Three Rivers felt good in 2009, as towns go. (4-GOOD)
Los Banos felt excellent in 2009. (5-EXCELLENT)
Bakersfield and the surrounding area felt problematic as I drove through it in both 2009 and 2012. (2-POOR)
Hollister generally has felt okay to me, in 2009 and 2012. (4-GOOD) There is a good Starbucks there, and the China Garden restaurant felt good. Cafe Ella unfortunately felt problematic.
MERCEY HOT SPRINGS: 5 (EXCELLENT)
I spent a lot of time at Mercey Hot Springs, which has some campsites and RV spots. This also is located in the San Joaquim Valley. It’s very lovely, though the sulfur water may not be tolerable for some people. The nearest town is Los Banos (45 minutes away).
J-1, going from Mercey to Hollister, felt problematic to me on two different occasions in 2012. (1-AWFUL) I would be more inclined to take I-5 and 156. (The restaurant at Casa de Fruta on 156 felt okay, not great, to me.)
CALIFORNIA COAST: MIXED
I drove from Mercey Hot Springs to the coast of California on day trips a few times in June 2009.
San Simeon, where Hearst Castle is, felt terrific. The mansion itself was fine except for the media room, and well worth a visit. (Note that buses must be taken from the parking lot to the mansion.) (5-EXCELLENT)
Carmel felt fantastic to me. (5-EXCELLENT)
Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo both felt okay. (4-GOOD)
Morro Bay was tolerable. (3-FAIR)
Monterey felt problematic driving through, and I didn’t stop. (2-POOR)
I drove all through Big Sur, which was a mistake. The beaches I visited felt terrific, but the forest campgrounds felt especially problematic. There had been forest fires here the year before. What I ran into wasn’t the worst toxin for me, but I nonetheless would not plan to stay in this area. (2-POOR)
MAMMOTH LAKES AREA: EXCELLENT (5)
In October 2009, I drove down from Bridgeport to Big Pine, then cut over into Nevada. At the northern part, near the ski areas and the entrance to Yosemite, I felt small traces of the worst toxin for me. Otherwise it felt terrific.
The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is very high in the mountains and may be the best place I’ve ever been. There’s a campground there, but it was too cold for me to stay overnight. I want to go back.
|
|
|
Hawaii
Jul 24, 2011 8:45:54 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:45:54 GMT -5
POOR (2)
I visited Honolulu for a few nights in (I think) 1993, a year before starting to get sick with CFS. I stayed in a hotel near the main beach. I felt pretty irritable the whole time and had no desire to go back.
Best, Lisa
|
|
|
Arizona
Jul 24, 2011 8:40:10 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:40:10 GMT -5
MIXED
I’ve spent a substantial amount of time in Arizona. I thought it was mostly okay, with some particularly good and particularly bad areas.
I’ve RV and tent camped here, with a few exceptions (noted).
NORTH CENTRAL ARIZONA: GOOD (4)
This area includes Flagstaff, Sedona, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Prescott and Jerome. I spent about a week in this part of the state in March 2009 and almost a month in May 2010.
In general, this area seems to me to be pretty good. The air did not seem to be bad to me, but it didn’t seem fresh either. I felt very good during my time here, but not absolutely terrific. The only place I ever encountered any of the worst toxin for me was in one of the parks near Sedona (on Oak Creek Canyon), and that was just a little bit of it.
Each of these towns has its own character. Flagstaff is a medium sized city that feels working class but is rather expensive. Sedona is a very expensive, crowded tourist town catering to upper middle class overachievers. Jerome is an artsy town on a hill. Prescott has more of a big city feel (and felt really polluted to me -- I definitely wouldn't want to live in town).
I spent a lot of time in Cottonwood, which is where Dead Horse Ranch State Park is located. It is a nice park, and its tent/RV sites have electricity. There are showers (they felt marginally okay to me) and cabins. The hiking in the park was pleasant. Cottonwood did not have a good coffee shop, so I spent a lot of time enjoying the air conditioning at the Panda Express. (My RV was out of commission during this time, which is why I spent so long there.)
Flagstaff’s air quality isn’t pristine, but it’s better than that of most big cities. The KOA a little east of the city felt terrific to me on several different visits, including in winter. I suggest avoiding the RV repair shop in Flagstaff at all costs.
NORTHEAST ARIZONA: EXCELLENT (5)
This is Four Corners reservation territory. The air quality is generally fantastic, but things are spread out and in most cases fairly desolate.
Winslow has a great hotel, La Posada. It was built in the 1920s and felt really good to me. Their restaurant is a good lunch spot.
Holbrook has a KOA and is near Petrified Forest, which I liked a lot.
The Canyon de Chelly National Monument is beautiful, and there was free camping at a local park. Hiking down into the canyon (which was made famous by an Edward Curtiss photo) was a treat. It is certainly out of the way though.
Navajo National Monument is pleasant, though the cliff dwellings are not very easy to see.
Monument Valley is very impressive, but also very dusty. I didn’t do the long drive around the park; just looking from the visitor’s center seemed sufficient.
GRAND CANYON: GOOD (4)
I visited the south rim of the Grand Canyon in April 2009 and March 2010.
On my first visit there, I ran through a plume of the worst toxin for me on the drive there, somewhere north of Flagstaff, but the park itself felt great. On the second visit, my first day in the park felt great, but the air quality went down somewhat when a storm blew in. I feel okay enough about it that I would consider going back though.
There are campgrounds here and an RV park with electricity. This is a big tourist location, with restaurants, hotels, Wi-Fi and cell phone service readily available.
WESTERN ARIZONA: GOOD (4)
I’ve driven on I-40/Rte. 66 a few times, most recently in March 2010. The main towns are Williams, Seligman, Kingman. It felt fine to me.
Lake Havasu City is a touristy place on a lake with palm trees. The town purchased the actual London Bridge (built in the 1800s) and now uses it as a bridge of its own. The town felt good and had a good Starbucks, but the RV parks were quite expensive.
TUCSON/SCOTTSDALE: POOR (2)
I spent several days in Tucson in March 2009, trying to find scout out locations for a friend who was living there. I had a very hard time in the city and felt fairly sick while there. The worst toxin for me definitely a problem throughout the area, though at a low level. (My friend says she feels worse in winter, so I imagine it becomes more of a problem then.) (2-POOR)
Mt. Lemmon was scattershot, with some parts feeling excellent and others feeling bad. I’d hesitate to spend any time in it though, even in the parts that seemed good.
Picacho Peak, between Tucson and Phoenix, had some of the worst toxin for me in it. I would not want to be there on a cloudy day.
The only towns even close to Tucson that I felt were acceptable were Oracle Junction (way up in the mountains -- Oracle did not feel good) and Benson (and all areas east of Benson). (4-GOOD)
Scottsdale felt a little better than Tucson to me. (3-FAIR)
Taliesin West (Frank Lloyd Wright’s residence) is up on a hill and felt terrific to me. If I had had to stay in Scottsdale longer, I’d have spent as much time sitting on the patio as Taliesin as I could. (4-GOOD)
I didn’t go into Phoenix, but a few people have told me that it’s worse than Tucson.
At that time, Happy Valley just north of Phoenix was in the process of being converted from farmland to a shopping area. It felt pretty good to me, but I don’t know what it would be like now. (4-GOOD)
|
|
|
Utah
Jul 24, 2011 8:26:53 GMT -5
Post by Lisa Petrison on Jul 24, 2011 8:26:53 GMT -5
I’ve been through Utah a few times and have spent a few weeks total in the southern part of the state. With a few exceptions, I’ve had very good experiences.
I've always traveled here in my RV.
ST. GEORGE AREA: GOOD (4)
This is a medium sized city about two hours from Las Vegas. It’s very hot in summer. I spent about a week here in June 2011.
In general, as cities go, the town itself felt good to me. There’s a variety of restaurants, including a Vietnamese place I liked a lot. The best grocery is Harmon’s, and there’s a decent health food store and two Starbucks (both felt okay). My feeling is that the water in this town isn’t great (it comes from the Virgin River). (4-GOOD)
Snow Canyon State Park is terrific, and only about 15 minutes from the closest Starbucks (on the edge of town). The air quality there was excellent and the shower in the campground felt good to me. There are two types of camping choices: RV park style in a row with electricity and water at the sites, and campground style with room to put up a tent. The views throughout the park are lovely and there are a number of hikes of various difficulties. There’s no cell phone or Internet service at the campground, but driving a few miles in the park gets a weak signal. The water here seemed good to me (there are springs in the park). (5-EXCELLENT)
There are a couple of RV parks in Leeds, which is about 10 miles north of the city. This is an agricultural area though, with alfalfa being grown right next to the parks. (4-GOOD)
ZION NATIONAL PARK: EXCELLENT (5)
I drove through here in June 2011 but didn’t stay overnight. It felt really good to me though, and I’d like to go back. The national park campground is crowded but felt pleasant. It always fills up, but there are non-reservable spots open every day.
Springdale, a little town just outside the park, is touristy and busy in summers. It felt good and seemed like a pleasant place.
Note that to do things in this park, you have to take the shuttle buses.
This is at a low altitude, so it’s hot in summer.
BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK: EXCELLENT (5)
I spent a few nights here in June 2011 and liked it a lot. It’s a high altitude and cool in summer, and the campground is wooded and pleasant. It felt much less crowded than Zion. I got a pretty good Verizon signal right at my site, allowing me to use Internet.
Bryce is a long way from civilization though. There’s a small touristy area just outside the campground. The RV park has fee showers for people not staying there, and I sat in the Ruby’s Inn lobby and used their electricity and Wi-Fi service for my computer. I was unimpressed with the restaurants.
I stayed at the KOA in Paguitch (about half an hour away) one night. This region felt good to me in terms of air quality, but the KOA shower wasn’t great.
On the road from Zion to Bryce, I hit one little area along a river that felt problematic to me. I wish I’d had the bedding in my RV covered to protect it, since I slept somewhat less well than usual that night.
ESCALANTE REGION: EXCELLENT (5)
I stayed for a few nights at the Kodachrome State Park in June 2011. This is beautiful and has superb air quality, and the showers felt good to me. Some of the campsites have electricity. It’s at a moderate altitude, warmer than Bryce. Unfortunately, during my visit, there were a lot of gnats.
Kodachrome is very isolated. The nearest place for an Internet connection or cell phone service seems to be Tropic, which is a half hour away and has a couple of restaurants and a small grocery store.
I also stayed for two nights at Goblin Valley State Park in July 2011, which is even more isolated. This is a lovely place which seems to be a magnet for large groups of 10-year-old boys (due to the interesting rock formations that look a little like goblins). It was a 45-minute drive from I-70, so it was a commitment! The closest tiny town is Hanksville, but I don’t know if there is cell phone or Internet access there. The showers aren’t vented, and I can’t vouch for how they’d be for people who are really reactive to mold (I wasn’t during that visit).
CEDAR CITY AREA: EXCELLENT (5)
This is a small city about an hour north of St. George. It is best known for its Shakespeare Festival (with what I consider reasonably good quality productions) in the summer. The theater with the Shakespeare plays is outdoors and very pleasant. There also are non-Shakespeare plays performed indoors in a building that felt fine to me.
I was here in the summers of 2009 and 2011, and the town felt okay to me. There’s one Starbucks, a decent health food store and some restaurants. The KOA in town is really overpriced. The water seems really good (it’s from the mountains and they brag about it in their city report), and thus perhaps worth the 15 cents a gallon (plus $15 dump fee) the KOA charged me for it when I was staying elsewhere. (4-GOOD)
Up in the mountains (8100 feet) west of the city on Hwy. 14 are some campgrounds with (I thought) superb air quality. The closest (12 miles) is Cedar Canyon, which is a pleasant BLM campground. In July 2011 it seemed to be having maintenance problems -- the water was broken and the whole park closed one Saturday night.
Cedar Breaks National Monument (similar to Bryce Canyon in formations) is about half an hour from Cedar City in these same mountains. It has a fairly crowded campground that I would have stayed at had it not been full that same Saturday night.
CENTRAL UTAH: EXCELLENT (5)
Fremont Indian State Park is on I-70 just east of I-15, and made a good break driving through (July 2011). The mountain campground is lovely, nestled in the Fishlake National Forest. The visitor center has interesting displays and trails with petroglyphs. There is cell phone service (Verizon) here, and it all felt good to me.
MOAB AREA: MIXED
I’ve been to this area several times (July and September/October 2009, July 2011) and have come to know it pretty well.
Based on several people’s experiences (including Erik’s and mine), Moab itself is a problem due to the same “stuff” that makes parts of Lake Tahoe a problem. It seems to have gotten worse over the past couple of years. (3-FAIR)
Thus, the extent to which people can go to Moab even to buy groceries may vary. To my knowledge, the closest other towns to the area are Grand Junction (maybe 90 minutes away) and Green River (about 45 minutes). The nearby parks do not have food service or other concessions.
For those who can go to Moab, it’s a charming tourist town. Unfortunately though, I never found a coffee shop that was a good place to hang out. (Chain businesses, except hotels and the main supermarket, are not welcome in this town.)
The KOA is about four miles outside the city, and there are a number of inexpensive BLM campgrounds with lovely scenery on Hwy. 128 along the Colorado River. I felt fine in all of these in October 2009, but I’m not sure how they are now.
The area surrounding Moab has always been terrific for me. (5-EXCELLENT)
Arches National Park (about 20 minutes from I-70) probably is my favorite national park, with amazing rock formations and lots of good hikes. There’s a great campground that always fills up (get there really early in the morning to obtain one of the non-reservable sites). I could get a Verizon signal here.
Dead Horse State Park has great camping with electricity. It is on the outskirts of Canyonlands National Park, with hiking on the rim of the canyon and amazing views. (There was a vendor selling sandwiches and coffee drinks there during my last visit.) The nearby Horse Thief Campground also is very nice -- less expensive without electricity. A problem with both of these campgrounds is that they don’t have water. (Dead Horse SP has a dump station.) I could get a weak Verizon signal in both of these places.
Canyonlands is huge but certainly worth visiting at least for a bit. I had one of the best entertainment experiences of my life here, at an outdoor concert during the Moab Music Festival.
NORTHERN UTAH: FAIR (3)
I stayed overnight in Provo and in Salt Lake City in August 2008, and then drove through Salt Lake City in October 2009. My best guess is that compared to other big cities, SLC is better than many but still pretty problematic, especially in winter. Provo felt a little better than SLC to me, during my one visit.
I’ve driven from SLC to Reno twice, in August 2008 and October 2009. Hwy 80 through Nevada is terrific, but the part in Utah (especially near Salt Lake) felt much less good.
|
|