Daily writing prompt

Beach or mountains? Which do you prefer? Why?

View all responses

As a fixed water sign, I feel like I should say the beach is my favorite. We all need water in our lives, right? But I also spent almost 25 years in the Rocky Mountains. I grew up in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada. They’re both “mountains,” sure, but they’re completely different worlds.

The Rockies have so much variety, and your lifestyle really depends on which side of the range you land on. The eastern side—the Front Range, where Denver sits—is basically the doorway to Tornado Alley. I remember Limon, Colorado, getting hit by tornadoes more than once. It makes sense, since there’s a major Doppler radar system out there. Keeping an eye on everything that spins across the plains. But head over to the Western Slope and you’re suddenly drifting toward the Wasatch Mountains and the Great Salt Lake. There’s water everywhere in the form of rivers—Colorado has 158 of them starting within the state. If you like water sports, you’ve got options. I was all about fly fishing.

The Sierra Nevada might be smaller, but it’s just as fierce and just as iconic. They sit in that California Mediterranean climate, which can be gorgeous and brutally unpredictable all at once. If you doubt that, just remember what the Donner Party went through back in 1846. Keep going west, and the mountains finally spill you out onto the Pacific. And then you’ve got those 840 miles of California coastline. Every stretch of beach feels different. But Southern California really defined the whole “beach lifestyle”—sunny days, surfers, boardwalks, salty air, the whole vibe.

So, beach or mountains? Honestly, it’s not an easy choice. They’ve both shaped me in different ways. And they both keep calling me back.