Welcome to the Sierra

I had a flash back yesterday of when Darren and I first looked into houses in Manitou.  We had seen a house of Craig's List that looked very cute, and it was the first place in which we inquired.  It was old, but fit our needs and had a super low monthly rent.  And we thought we would only be living there a year or two, so it did not matter that it was extremely small, no did not have a washer, dryer, dishwasher, nor even a garbage disposal.

Six years later, we have finally moved away, but once again we are going to rent the first place we looked at.  Part of the reason is that other folks we called never returned our messages, but the other is that Darren's dad thinks it is a good deal.  Plus, we finally will have washer, dryer, dishwasher, garage, and a lot more storage space and rooms.  Sure, we will be paying twice what we were paying in Colorado, but we were honestly getting a steal.

The positive aspect of not having anyone else contact us about housing, was that it gave us more time to explore the area instead of looking at houses.  I have been to the Sierra several times, but had never  gazed at it with the eyes of someone about to live there. We met up with one of my best friends who lives here, encouraged us to move, and found Darren the job opportunity.  We had several caffeinated beverages, checked out the gear stores, and drove up the 395 to meet friends who live in Mammoth for lunch.  I don't know how long it has been since we have seen them, but it is great to already have fun friends in the area.  

After lunch, we invested in half-price cross-country skies, checked out the Mule Day booths, ate delicious food at the brewery, then went on our first hike just outside of town in the wildflower and boulder covered Little Egypt.