I. H. T. F. P. (I Have Truly Found Paradise)
Dear Friend,
For years I have
been looking for an ideal place that combines mild climate with greater
isolation and the company of like-minded people. The stress of life near a big
city was making me hypersensitive, anxious, intolerant and hostile. People
there are too loud, too fast, too filthy and too rude. I need to get away.
Several years ago,
after careful research, decided that western North Carolina and the Pacific
Northwest were generally good and had a lot of potential. Among other things,
they both share surprising mild year-round climates. I visited the Appalachians
and made an extended tour of the Rocky Mountains.
In the past few
months, I have done additional research and begun to focus on southwest Oregon,
specifically the Rogue River Valley from Ashland, Oregon to Grant’s Pass – all
surrounded by forested mountains. Now, in this trip, I have been able to