Cleveland: Why you Should Flock to the City that Rocks

Okay, so it's been a while, but I do have the latest Surfloin travel tip for you.

I went home for the holidays as many do, but while I was home I got to thinking that maybe home isn't so bad. Many of us privileged people who get to live in the Pacific Northwest think the rest of the country is for the pee-ons, but the truth is a lot of people who stick it out have just as much as we have here. What do they have, you might ask? Well, what they have are lifelong friends and a culture that they have an ability to mold themselves. They also have their natural resources, which are often untapped for the enjoyment that many of us search for. Waves? Snow? Look no further than Northeast Ohio.

First of all, there is plenty of snow in the Midwest, and if the natural stuff doesn't suffice they are experts on creating the fake stuff. No, there isn't usually a lot of vertical, but what lacks can be made up in cheap booze and icy terrain parks. The friendly locals have also been known to take adventurous tourists on some heart-pounding, country rally rides in between epic sessions. Need proof checkout www.snowtrails.com . There are other options out there, but like their slogan, Snow Trails is "Ohio's First and Finest".

Then, you have yourself some of the best lake surfing in the world. (There are only so many surfable lakes out there.) Nonetheless, Lake Erie does produce surfable waves year round (minus January and February when the lake is frozen over), and it isn't just a novelty for the locals. I have personally experienced some shoulder-high thumpers that rival some average days in the PNW, even better than average, now that I think about it. Check out www.wagnersurfclub.com . It rivals that Oregon surfing forum, and even has an eighteen and over entrance agreement. GRITTY.
Just like here in Oregon, you get skunked while driving hours on end trying to find the right set-up, while the swell passes you by. But from time to time you score the day that you thought never existed. Obviously, you continue to think that day is going to return each and every time you head out the door, and it doesn't, but you try anyway.

Your home is what you make of it. Sometimes people get lucky and sometimes you have to make your own luck. In the worn-out steel belt you have to do-it-yourself, and and when you do, the reward speaks for itself.

Am I moving back? Nah..., but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Need more? Check- out http://www.raysmtb.com/ ... the coolest indoor Mountain Biking Park ever.