Which do you prefer—the Ocean or the mountains?

[Charlie&Rose]

I used to love the ocean, still do, but now that I am older, the mountains are more relaxing. With the ocean comes all the traffic, and more work.....sun screen, sand, putting up the unbrella at the beach.

[OutdoorLover]

I am older and while I still love the mountains and the beach, I just can't do the things I used to as a younger man, so I have to look for milder ways to enjoy wild nature - to make certain adjustments is all. These days I am not plunging into strong surf or powering my way up switchbacks... more like going for a walk, having a picnic lunch, fishing, or taking wildlife photos.

If "the beach" is just a straight strip of sand and the ocean is just an infinite blue plane, it's a bit monotonous - I prefer a rocky beach, coves, islands, estuaries, salt marsh...

[Ron61]

I live in Florida, not far from the Gulf. That said, I would trade this in a nanosecond for the mountains but the wife has enjoyed much better health at sea level.

[Threerun]

Would never trade the cool crisp air of the Rockies and the prairies.

[Riley.]

I've lived with both.....but prefer mountains. Clean cool air, green, trees....
That said, there's nothing like a chill day at the beach These days, however, beaches are so crowded and noisy. Forests tend to be peaceful (for me).

[pathrunner]

Originally Posted by Riley.

I've lived with both.....but prefer mountains. Clean cool air, green, trees....
That said, there's nothing like a chill day at the beach These days, however, beaches are so crowded and noisy. Forests tend to be peaceful (for me).

Same.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

We've got both at this point in time--we're about 10 miles from the beach in SoCal, and our North Idaho property has a mountain view. I grew up on an east-facing coast, so the proximity of the ocean matters to me, but in North Idaho we've got the immense Lake Pend Oreille, which is an acceptable substitute. I'm not really a beach person anymore, but I love the SoCal ocean breezes, the sun sparkling on the water, and the sound of the surf. But I also love listening to the wind in the pine trees in our North Idaho river valley, watching the light change on the mountain, and keeping an eye on the soaring Golden eagles.

[jean_ji]

For me it’s the light.

We moved from a relatively flat area in the Midwest to the Hudson Highlands of NY. I felt like I was on vacation in such a beautiful, mountainous area. We lived there for 30+ years. We began to travel to Florida to see grandkids and eventually bought a house near the Gulf. I realized traveling back and forth between NY and FL over five years that I preferred the quality of light that wide open horizons give. I felt the same when we travelled back to the Midwest, but it wasn’t as strong and I could never pin down what I was feeling.

On a return trip, as we drove down the winding road from the top of mountain down into the lush, green growth of the village we lived in, I realized I was feeling slightly claustrophobic. We had just returned from FL and the difference was very noticeable. I never felt that way when hiking or driving along the top of the mountains, but everyday living in the valley made me feel closed in. While I like living near beaches, it’s the light in the general area that makes the difference for me.