North Texas

It's another beauuuuuutiful day here in Gunnison, where the expected high is a very pleasant 76 degrees. Who cares if our heat pump isn't quite up to par? We don't need it here!

Merikay asked a great question. She was wondering if this was a place where we could settle down and hang out all year, especially since we seem to like it so. I did a bit of research on this morning.

The short answer is, "No!"

One of the hazards of exploring the country fulltime is falling in love with a place while it's having it's absolutely best weather. These days, Gunnison is in its glory. Summer here means comfortable days and cool nights. You just can't beat it.

Of course, we know it gets cold here. After all, we're sitting at 7700 feet. And, there are mountains all around us. And, when winter comes to the Rockies, it gets cold.

But, my morning research revealed that when winter comes to Gunnison it can get really cold. With overnight lows that consistently have a minus sign in front of them, January and February can be brutal. Temperatures of -30 are not uncommon. And, that doesn't include any wind chill!

And, yes, it does snow here. But, really, it's not that much. But, honestly, if the temperature is -30 how much difference does a few inches - or feet - of snow make?

When we find the next place we call home, it'll be in a place that we can hang out all year if we choose. As much as we love Gunnison, this won't be it.

We've come to discover that we aren't the only folks who feel this way. As we've made our way around town and the surrounding areas, we've noticed that most of the license plates aren't from Colorado. They're from California, New Mexico and Oklahoma, among others. Many are from our native Kansas. Most are from our adopted Texas.

On our drive to Lake City the other day, we noticed a steady stream of Texas plates heading our way. When we arrived in the tiny town of 300 or so, the Texas cars far outnumbered those from Colorado or any other state. When we found Roxa and Hutch, the folks we met last winter in Kerrville, at their very fun and funky gas station and BBQ joint we asked them if Lake City was actually a suburb of Amarillo. They assured us it wasn't, but understood why we might think so.

"Some folks call this part of the state North Texas," they explained. "Seems like everybody escapes the Texas heat and comes here."

Good idea. Today's high in Austin is supposed to be 104. We'd make that escape, too. Our friends, quite wisely, serve up some mighty tasty Texas BBQ that gives these cool Texans a taste of home cookin'.

We didn't need another reason to love Gunnison, but it looks like we have one. While we're cruising around town sporting our Texas plates, we look like locals.

For the Summer, anyway.