Just got back from a quick trip to Utah (and Colorado). Did some more scouting for places to move to once Zoe (daughter, high school freshman) goes to college.

Verdicts?

• Moab, UT - not bad. A definite possibility if we want to stay near large numbers of people we don't know.
• Durango, CO - out. You can tell it used to be a cute mountain town, but then the money & people rolled in.
• Escalante, UT - slipped in the ratings on this visit. Seems to be at that awkward stage between small community (where everyone knows everyone else) and a town (where they might not).
• Boulder, UT - way up. We walked around the town area and saw a number of good things. Beautiful vistas, good vibe. Just a matter of how we would deal with the remoteness and the altitude (6000').

So good trip from the learning perspective. Crappy weather, though -- clouds, rain, sleet, snow. And even worse light. So the photos we took aren't what I would call great. But hope you enjoy 'em.