Retirement Dreams

Some of us are old, some not so much.

I don't care who you are, have you thought about what you would do in retirement?  Lately I'm pushing 60 and I think about it a lot. I got some ideas, may have to sell the Mrs on them.

What do you want to do with your time?

Do you ever think about it? What do you think about? If you are already retired, how is it working out?

If all goes well in 2 years 5 months 15 days 7  hours we will retire and move to our low taxed weekend home in the Poconos. Yeah I think about it. I won't stop working fully. Just need a low low pressure job with no stress.

Harvey wrote

Some of us are old, some not.

I don't care who you are, have you thought about what you would do in retirement?  Lately I'm pushing 60 and I think about it a lot. I got some ideas, may have to sell the Mrs on them.

Do you ever think about it? What do you think about? If you are already retired, how is it working out?

Buy a house in dacks near good paddling, biking and skiing.  And build a RV or van to travel when the dacks suck.  Arizona looks like a sweet place to visit during mud season(s).

Being near a hospital is good too when you're a geezer.  That's why I like the Saranac Lake area.

Been out of my desk job for about 2 years now.  I'm not sure I'd call it retirement.  I disliked my work intensely.  As soon as we had no bills left to pay, I tendered my resignation ending a 20+ year career in IT.  I have no children.  Over the past couple of decades, I've been a lucky investor.  At this point, I don't think I'll need to work for a paycheck again. Volunteer work has become my job, as I have placed more focus on making meaningful impacts in my community, as opposed to growing my pile of cash.

It's been an interesting change of pace. It's had a healing effect on my marriage.  My wife still works, but she loves her job.  In addition, it also provides us with healthcare benefits.  Healthcare is the missing link for many who want to retire early.  Even with a clean bill of health, you still pay a fortune to protect yourself from physical liabilities.  2 hospital visits last year would have been quite costly without the health coverage provided by my wife's job.  I do what ever I can to help her out.  I'm basically her personal assistant.         

I get out in the mountains almost everyday.  It's been a double edged sword.  I have sustained several injuries over the past 2 years.  Prior to my quasi-retirement, I could count my injuries over the past 30 years on 1 hand.  My wife  correlates it with spending more time in high-risk activity mode.  To be honest, I'm not sure.  The crashes have really crept up on me.  My tolerance for blunt trauma is not what it used to be.  My body has quite resilient, and I still have a blast, but my perception of the risk-reward relationship has been significantly impacted.

Before, I was always in a rush.  Time was always wasting, and if I didn't move fast, I might miss out on something good.
Now, I take everything much slower.  At the end of the day, when you're not tied to a job, there's always free-time to try again tomorrow.

That's a great thoughtful response nepa.

I have this idea that maybe a bit crazy, but it has been my dream for several years.

I want to move to the mountains.  My wife isn't so sure. She's not dead set against it, but she just isn't sure it is for her. If, when the time comes (5-6 years) she is against it, we'll find a small place in Warren or Saratoga county and keep our cabin in the mountains. If she decides she in for it, we'll build a house on our property and live there.

In winter I want to chase snow in NY and VT.  I want to ski every area in NY and my favorites in VT. I want to be a regular at places like Oak, Royal, McCauley and Snow Ridge.  I want to publish as much as I can and take NYSB to the next level.  I want to road trip to Western and Central NY when it makes sense and get to know those areas and develop relationships there.  In the summer I want to hike and ride and paddle and fish in the Adirondacks and Catskills.  I want to ski over 100 days a year and nordic ski every day there is cover.

I hope my mind and body are still there for me, so I can make it happen.

I am assuming my body won't still be there when I retire. At least, not at my current level in intensity.

Since the grass is always greener, I imagine myself wanting to move back to a city when I retire. Have a better sense of community, more social things to do, more (way more) cultural things to do, and be nearer to a major hospital that I could trust with a severe issue. Living in the mountains is fine when you can experience them to your full potential. But there are other things I'd rather be doing than enjoying the silence and mountain view from my patio until I kick the bucket. It is extremely isolating (some may disagree but that is my experience).

I still envision skiing but I can drive. Maybe I'll treat myself to an overnight stay on the mountain instead of weekend warrioring a round trip 2+ hour drive twice in a weekend. But I'll save it for midweeks and only when the snow is good.

That sounds really awesome Harv.

I’m probably F-d for retiring but I see myself doing lots of hiking and maybe backpacking when I’m old. I like the simplicity of just walking and I won’t be as fired up on the higher risk activities, I’m already starting to move away from that sort of thing. Shoot, I’ve had nightmares lately about tree strikes.

In Retirement I’m hoping for diverse emersion experiences. Month plus long experiences.  

A late august through early september trek through the Gates of the Artic National Wildlife refuge. Watch the tundra light up with that amazing crimison blood red autum glow.  Witness a wolf pack take down a caribou, brown bears fattening up for winter...

An ocean voyage through the south pacific as a volunteer on a research ship.  Tracking whales and sharks

Road trip through the heart of the plains Indian former lands.  See the greasy grass river, Paha Sapa and bury my heart at wounded knee.

Follow in the footsteps of my grandfather and land on Iwo Jima.  

Tour all our national parks.  Work as a volunteer for a season - winter, spring, summer and fall.

Spend a winter in the eastern serrias

See a symphony in Vienna, eat Swiss chocolate after a powder day in the alps

Bike Ride tour in europe hopefully on sections of the tour de france course and the band of brothers tour

Plant lots of native plants

Do a museum tour of the worlds most significant museums.  

Spend a summer living in a tree house in a redwood tree along the northern california coast

Photograph nature and publish a cultural changing book.

Harvey wrote

.
What do you want to do with your time?

Do you ever think about it? What do you think about? If you are already retired, how is it working out?

1. Ski, bike & hike, at diminishing intensity levels. Golf.
2. Yes
3. Location, mostly. And healthcare, as nepa mentions.
4. N/A

I think about location a lot because I'm trying to find a place with a simple life that doesn't cost a ton, but still allows me to do those things I mentioned easily. I'd like to be able to access biking & skiing out my front door and have a short commute to a cheap golf course. I'd also like a grocery store (preferably in walking or easy biking distance), maybe a college for culture, and other interesting towns within easy day trip distance.

The East is good for those thing (and for prices). Saranac Lake is kinda great actually. Grocery Stores, MTB & skiing at Pisgah & Dewey, tons of adventure opportunities outside the city limits and a little further out, decent hospital, etc. Someplace like Middlebury, VT would be nice. I was thinking about Camden, Maine, too, which is a nice town and adds the appeal of the ocean.

I'm just not sure that the east will have much snow in the future. I don't know if I can deal with too many more winters where my favorite mountains get less than 50" of snow.

North Lake Tahoe is nice. Whitefish, Montana or Sandpoint, Idaho look good. Nepa has a good spot. Hood River, Oregon looks interesting.

Unless I win the lottery. Then I'll retire tomorrow & live all over the world.

MC2 5678F589 wrote

 

North Lake Tahoe is nice. Whitefish, Montana or Sandpoint, Idaho look good. Nepa has a good spot. Hood River, Oregon looks interesting.

Unless I win the lottery. Then I'll retire tomorrow & live all over the world.

Take a look at Bend, Oregon.  There are plenty of reasons that Sun River has been a successful 4-season resort for decades.  Bachelor is a 20-min drive and Mt. Hood is close enough that day trips are possible.  Had a great time checking out the area last May.  Definitely want to go back.

Harvey wrote

That's a great thoughtful response nepa.

Thanks Harv!

Harvey wrote

I have this idea that maybe a bit crazy, but it has been my dream for several years.

I want to move to the mountains.  My wife isn't so sure. She's not dead set against it, but she just isn't sure it is for her.

Your plan does not seem all that crazy to me... in fact it sounds pretty simple to execute; therefore I think its highly likely you'll succeed at making it happen. I wouldn't worry too much about you mind or body.  If your lifestyle is what I suspect it is, both will be re-born upon retirement.  Even though my body has taken a beating over the past couple of years, I feel as strong, and as clear minded as I ever have.  I've been fortunate that my wife and I have always been on the same page when it comes to mountain recreation.  She needs the mountains just a much as I do.  That said, we would eventually like to move down a bit lower in elevation.  After 8 years, I have come to the conclusion that living at 3500ft has more disadvantages than advantages.  Spring comes early in the valley, and fire danger is reduced significantly.  Even in the thin years, snow removal is a real pain in the ass up here.... not to mention yard maintenance required for fire protection.  Driving 20 minutes to get to the ski area doesn't seem like too bad of a trade off.

raisingarizona wrote

I like the simplicity of just walking and I won’t be as fired up on the higher risk activities, I’m already starting to move away from that sort of thing. Shoot, I’ve had nightmares lately about tree strikes.

I'm in the midst of this transition now.  It's been a bit strange, as my wife, who is only 5 yrs younger seems to be going in the opposite direction.  She gets bored quickly with subdued single-track and low-angle hippy-pow.  Fortunately, she has found a group of middle-aged fem-bad-asses to pursue adrenaline inspired mountain objectives with.  I suspect she'll sustain a thought provoking injury soon enough, but it's hard to tell... She crashes a lot, but the impact doesn't seem to bother her.  She says it's her gymnastics background.  When she was a kid, she would experience the impact of a big crash 15 to 20 times a day... I guess that makes a couple of crashes on a ride pretty manageable.    

nepa wrote

When she was a kid, she would experience the impact of a big crash 15 to 20 times a day... I guess that makes a couple of crashes on a ride pretty manageable.

When I was a kid I crashed all the time and always walked away.  Now,  I get hurt every time I fall.  I don't think all my extensive crash management experience helps at all. YMMV.

mm

MC2 5678F589 wrote

North Lake Tahoe is nice. Whitefish, Montana or Sandpoint, Idaho look good. Nepa has a good spot. Hood River, Oregon looks interesting.

Whitefish is not very affordable...it's been developed heavily over the past 10 years.  I was up there a couple times, most recently in 2016, and it struck me as very cookie-cutter resort style stuff.

Sandpoint is awesome, not only do you get Shweitzer, but also an easy trip up to interior BC.  It's not a huge town, but it has everything you listed.  The only downside is you'd have to get used to the ultra-alt-right-gun-crazed culture.  A significant percentage of residents, both male and female, proudly display their pride with this emblem on a shirt or hat:

A good friend of mine re-located from Bonner's Ferry to Wenatchee... he's a bow-hunter.  He didn't feel comfortable among all of the gun nuts

Definitely Hoodriver as opposed to Bend.  Bend is pretty crowded, and it's getting super expensive.  On the other side of the Columbia, across form Hood RIver is White Salmon.  I have a friend from college who has lived there for 20 years.  I visit often.  It's really a sweet spot.  It's pretty cheap, as there are no cash-flush industries to drive real-estate values up, and no state income tax.  As long as you don't buy anything big, you can also avoid most sales tax, buy shopping for day-to-day things over in HR.  It's a short drive to year round recreation in any direction.

I retired and moved west in '97 , burned out and tired of operating a small seafood company. I kept my shares and my partner went on to build a popular restaurant on the property. After living one year in Taos I moved to Whitefish in '98.
     
Twenty years goes by really quick! And injurys add up .This summer I crashed on a pig farm ride and tore rotator cuff.
Recovery is very slow, I don't know when my ski season will begin.
I don't regret retiring too young, time flyes like an arrow , fruit flys like a banana.
My partner bought me out this spring, that restaurant was worth alot more than any fish market.
It's a big ol goofy world out there and life is SHORT, so do or be whatever you can , while you can!

What made you leave Taos after one season 2koldskier?

Some good stuff here, I like hearing about people's dreams.

I didn't mention walking in my list of activities but it might be the most important.  Not sure what you mean about my lifestyle nepa. It's not too unhealthy, I'm not too fat, I eat ok, but I definitely don't get enough exercise.  Mrs and I try to walk every day, but in winter our system breaks down.

I went on a very cool adventure, when I was in my 30s, hiking up into the West Branch of the Sacandaga. If you really want to see the river you have to do it in low water when you walk right up the river bed. The sides are steep and in high water you just can't do it.  Most people do it as a day hike, in and out, as there is almost no place to camp up in there, literally just one or two spots.  There are four waterfalls and there is a cherry spot right at the fourth (farthest) falls.  We went up with packs for a two nighter and we knew that if we got there and the spot was taken we were screwed with no easy way to get back out before dark. We went on a weekday to cut down on the chances that the spot would be taken and when we arrived we were in luck.

I was with my girl and it was a tricky hike both in and out.  I carried more of the weight to make it easier for her.  In many tight spots I had to grab the loop on her pack (near her neck) and pull her through.

By the time I got out of the gorge, I noticed that my knee had a limited range of motion and the next day it was really swollen. I never had anything like that. I went to the docs and he told me I had arthritis.  It kind of freaked me out. (I now have a much different understanding of that word. Arthritis can be really bad or it can be just a general term to mean you are getting older and your joints ain't what they used to be.)

The doctor was a sports medicine guy and a complete jerk in my opinion. He told me to stop whining and come back when I needed knee surgery. Fuck that you asshole.

After that I felt like "wow if I can just walk again without pain" I will be forever grateful.  This was one of the few times in my life I prayed with any real sincerity.

For several weeks I faced the idea that I would never be able to hike the way I used to.  I took aspirin every day for two months and some other wholistic voodoo thing that I don't totally remember. Eventually it got better. I was always a runner (xc) decided to quit running forever.  That made it hard for me to stay in shape as it's great exercise when you only have 30 mins a day. Once we had our daughter... I find it is much harder to stay in shape when you have a kid. Your schedule become much less flexible. Or at least mine did.

This article posted by MC a while back has, to a some degree, changed my life:

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/04/10/an-amazing-new-prescription-medication/

In the past I often would do nothing for exercise if I couldn't really sweat.  Now we try to walk every day.  It's a good thing for our relationship too as we talk more.  It is helping that our daughter is now 12, she doesn't want to walk with us and we feel ok leaving her home alone.

RA     97-98 began with alot of el-nino hype and november snow, I wigged out, packed up and split the east.
I lucked into renting a tiny cabin 100 yards from the lift. It snowed a bunch and many adventures were had.
Why leave ? It was just too dry for me.I quickly learned water was important in my liftstyle. Hydrology maps pointed me to Flathead county.

Harvey wrote

Not sure what you mean about my lifestyle nepa. It's not too unhealthy, I'm not too fat, I eat ok, but I definitely don't get enough exercise.  Mrs and I try to walk every day, but in winter our system breaks down.

Definitely a complement.  My perception is that your lifestyle is much healthier than most in today's hyper-consumptive landscape... I think you're probably underestimating your level of baseline fitness.  Even with a busy schedule, you seem to effectively prioritize the important things in your life.  It seems that you have found fantastic balance.  I don't really know you, but it's obvious that family comes first in your world.  I know several small business owners who have put their family on the back-burner so-to-speak.  Two good friends of mine have been working on a Cana-business for the better part of 4 years now... I rarely see them anymore, so I suspect it's the same for their wives and children (used to see them quite often too). To me, that is the "unhealthy lifestyle" red flag.  You obviously have a strong passion for the outdoors, coupled with a creative drive to communicate via your outdoor pursuits.  I think you're an awesome story teller, and often look forward to reading your blog posts.  Heck, I bet you could easily parlay your blogging skills into a supplemental retirement income.  It goes without saying you should have no problem remaining active well into your eighties or nineties.  Retirement will only make it easier.  

Wenatchee is an AARP favorite.... we've been on several top 10 lists... If anyone is interested, here are some good recreational promo's.