If you had to choose one view that you could see out your window, but it could be any view in the world, what would it be?

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001

Answers

This one's hard for me to answer, because there are a number of views I really love. But my first reaction was to choose the view of a steep valley next to Summit Lake, on Mt. Evans near Denver. It's breathtaking, and sometimes that's what I need. (Other times I'd prefer something more serene, such as an ocean view.)

-- Anonymous, May 29, 2001

Asleep or in a cave. Just kidding about the sleeping, caves can be really cool though. I don't have a favorite place. I do seem to go for those ou-ah sites where you are up in the moutains and overlook plains below. One of my favorites is on the Pacific Coast Trail near San Diego. You are hiking at around 6000 feet, in a pine forest on the East side of the range. As you round a corner, suddenly every thing opens up and thousands of feet below you you can see the great expanse of the desert and the Salton Sea in the distance. If you know where to look, I've been told, you can see the San Andreas fault and the ruts of the old stage coach trails.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

About 1 mile from my tree farm in New York State, there is a spot where the whole Mohawk Valley is visible. In the distance you can see the Adirondaks and the White Mts. of New Hampshire. The view is at least 50 miles. It looks to the northeast. I really like that spot. The access road is only open from April through October, because of the weather. I don't think I would really like to live there, it's just too lonesome. I go there many times when I am up in New York State tree farming. That spot makes me feel like some kind of Mohawk/Indian Scout/Rip Van Winkle/Johnny Appleseed/Early American etc. It's great. If I ever get to meet y'all, I'll show it to you.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

I love the view from Sulphur Mountain in Banff. You can't beat the Rocky Mountains.

I also adore looking from the north shore of the St. Lawrence, along the Thousand Islands Parkway, at the Thousand Islands.

-- Anonymous, May 30, 2001

I think it would be what the sky looked like as I drove through New Mexico a few summers ago. It was bright blue, with lots of fluffy white clouds, and it all contrasted nicely with the reddish-brown and intermittent green on the ground. It was miles and miles of open space, and I felt such limitless possibility as I looked at it (I can't believe I just wrote that, but that's actually how I felt at the time.) I live in a really crowded neighborhood in Boston (I can hear every word my neighbors say when our windows are open), so it was such a change to see all of that, well, space. It makes me happy just to remember it.

What a good question, Paul W!

-- Anonymous, May 31, 2001