Actually that's exactly right! I'm in La Buenda Vida's bar in Akumal, Mexico. IRL I'm wearing one of their t-shirts right now. They used to pay me half in shirts, ok not really but they did give me a lot of shirts. Almost like they were tipping me with t-shirts. I must own about 8 t-shirts from there. I think the people at my gym must think I either do laundry every night or wear the same stinky shirt everyday.


Here's the pool used by the dive shop for lessons:

http://www.akumalinfo.com/images/pool.jpg

No that's not me, just a photo I grabbed on-line. But I have taught the basics of diving to quite a few tourists in that pool. My best memories are of a couple ladies on a winter get away from the gray skies of the UK.

Here's one from inside the bar:

http://www.akumalinfo.com/images/eron_and_skeletons.jpg

I first found this place about 15yrs ago by accident. All good places are found by accident, IMHO. Back then the beers were .25 and they'd loan you snorkel gear. The bar stools are swings. When you got tried of swinging and drinking you could borrow snorkel gear and walk out into half moon bay where you'd see fish, squid and turtles. Not much has changed over the years except the number of tourists and the price. One Sunday morning while in Oregon I picked up my morning paper and flipped to the travel section. There on the front page was Akumal. On my next visit there I found the beers were $5 and now they rent you snorkel gear for $10.

Yer up, Nick!

Sounds like a cool place, even though you say it was cooler before the dreaded development. This reminds me that I need to go explore somewhere. But I can't believe I stumbled into guessing this one...your clues gave me good fodder for finding.

So where to be now?...is there anyplace we haven't been yet?

OK, where in the world am I?

kabul, afghanistan?

There really hasn't been much development. Just an increase in prices. That's a rare thing down here. Not sure why Akumal hasn't been over run with "resorts?" You can still swing at the bar and snorkel in the bay. Only difference I see is breakfast used to be $2 and now it's $10. And instead of having your meal served to you in a quiet restaurant alone, you have to often wait for a table.

This why there are many spots I like I wouldn't even post on here. Once it's "found" I have to find a new place to fly fish for Bone fish.

Ok, WH?

Yes I'm in the WH...so obviously not in Kabul.

SH?

Nope, I'm in the NH.

contiguous 48 - US?

City?

Yes I'm somewhere in the contiguous lower 48...but not in a city. But it is a place I'm pretty sure most people have heard of, though I bet very few have been there.

Ok east of the Miss. River?

Nope, west of the Miss.R.

Pike Peaks?

edit: Pikes Peak?

Nope, not Pikes Peak

...but man, I would love to drive my car up Pikes Peak some day. On a smaller, more local scale, maybe tomorrow, or if not then pretty soon, I'm driving over to Reading, PA about 45min west of my home to get familiar with the Duryea and Pagoda Hillclimb. They have a hillclimb competition there each year and I want to see what my car can do there...of course I have to steer it and control other stuff as any good driver should http://www.pahillclimb.org/Courses/Reading.htm

the four corners?

nope...I'm actually still west of there.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...5_FCMarker.jpg

death valley?

Lake?

not Death Valley, and not a Lake.

The place where I am is named after a natural feature, but when I say the name of the place I always think of what humans built there, not really the natural features of the place. I think most people would agree with that.

As I alluded to above, earlier today I drove up Duryea Drive to the top of the Pagoda Hill near Reading...actually in Mt. Penn, PA. Wow, what a gorgeous view of the surrounding valleys, including the town of Reading. Then I headed back on the other side down Skyline Dr. and found a real nice little creek to go back fishing, there's a dam on Antietam Creek there and it looks like I'll catch some largemouth bass there next time.

Mountain?

yes

...Tul, do you know that unc won't be here for a little while while he takes care of some personal matter?

Cascades?

Yes, I heard a rumor of such news regarding UP.

palisades...

leaving tomorrow for, hopefully, only a week and a half...

Wow, you're back already...leaving tomorrow. Journeyman.


Nothing I found relates this place in California to the Cascades or Palisades.

Pyramid Peak?

nope...I'm about 300 miles southwest of Pyramid Peak.

San Joaquin Valley?

San Gorgonio Mountain?

hope somebody's got it by 6:00 am...

I'm about 75 or 80 miles south of San Gorgonio Mt.

Keep looking up <<< = clue

Palomar Mountain?

Alright! You got it, Tully.

Astronomy has been a hobby of mine since I was about 8 years old, when I got my first telescope for my birthday. Since then my hobby has expanded a bit into astrophysics and cosmology...spaced out, I guess.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g2...bservatory.jpg

Alright, another cool spot.

Go!

Hint- I've run through my top three bars in the world, so this one won't be bar related. In fact I'm sad to say I've never even been to this place.

WH?

Yes

North America?

Yep.

I'll be out for a while. Got a nightmare going on with the electric company. Hopefully I'll be back later today.

in the U.S.?

Yep.

East of the Mississippi River?