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dimensionwriter · 4 years

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Midnight Mask 2: The Date

Hero! Male! Monster x Reader

Warning: none, just usual fluff

Word Count: 1605

Part 1:The Meeting

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💚Like, Comment, Reblog please💚

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You want to know how hard it is to go on a date with a superhero. Pretty freaking hard.

The day you were supposed to meet Midnight Mask was perfect. The sun was shining with white fluffy clouds floating by. Pretty little blue birds flew around while singing their happy song.

You didn't know what time to show up since he only said in the morning, so you showed up an hour before work started. Before you ponder on how you could contact him about your arrival, he was running down the street waving feverishly at you wearing the biggest smile in the world.

His long white hair was braided back with it held together by a scrunchie of leaves. He wore a black turtleneck and black slacks with a giant brown overcoat. Looking at him felt like you were looking at the sun.

You ran over to him with a giant smile, ready to head over to the cafe, when the sounds of screaming and alarms going off stopped you. Startled, you spun around and saw the bank across the park was being robbed.

It felt so cheesy. People in black ski masks were running out of the bank with giant bags filled to the brim with money. They looked around before a black van sped up to them. They were quick to jump in before flying down the road.

You glanced up at Midnight to see his eyes narrowed as different array of emotions crossed his face. Annoyance was the one he settled on as he stomped his feet.

"Hey," you whispered, putting on a patient smile. He looked down at you and you almost melted. His dark pink lips were pouting and he was giving you puppy eyes. "Go ahead and save the day. We can do this later."

He glanced to the bank then back at you. A small red blush spread onto his cheeks. "I want… stay with you...please."

His black eyes were sparkling with hope. You didn't want him to leave either. You were really looking forward to this and of course life would get in the way. Maybe the police could get them.

As if summoning them, police sirens came from down the street, the opposite side of where the robbers were. At this rate, they weren't going to catch them and Midnight must have realized because he let out a long sigh as he closed his eyes.

"Let's meet up tomorrow," you said, giving him a parting hug. His arms gently wrapped around to your torso as he leaned his head on top of yours.

He gave you a squeeze before letting go. A vine shot from somewhere and wrapped around his wrist "Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," you repeated, giving him thumbs up. He gave a soft smile that made his entire face lit up. The vine pulled backwards causing him to be launched into the sky.

And that was the closest you got to him for a while.

Before you could get up the next morning, something was knocking at your window. It felt kind of like deja vu.

You slipped out of bed and waddled to the window to see Midnight standing on a giant leaf outside. Opening the window, you asked him why he was here. His black eyes drifted down in guilt.

"Forrest fire...far away….need my help," he mumbled while avoiding your eyes. That's when you realized he was wearing his summer hero outfit. His spandex suit was now sleeveless and was a lot thinner. Plus his long white hair was pulled up in a bun by some vines.

"Oh, that's fine. Go save some plants and animals," you yawned out. Maybe you could sleep in a little. You don't want to make him feel guilty for saving people. That's the worst thing you could do to a person.

"I'm sorry. Tomorrow?"

However, tomorrow never happened. He got called down by the police department to participate in an award ceremony. They wanted to thank him for everything he did.

For the next 3 days, it was pretty much that. The closest you guys got to your coffee date was getting one foot through the door before being pulled away by something.

You were slightly worried for Midnight because he seems to be getting overworked from all these call in. Every time he heard sirens, a giant scowl would appear on his face. The vines he summoned were slowly getting more thorns on them. The last thing you wanted was for him to experience a burn out.

Friday had finally arrived after a long week full of taking pictures of people who were quick to complain. Though, compared to poor Midnight, you were grateful you at least got breaks throughout the day.

The plans for your evening was to maybe take a nap or watch a bunch of old movies in your living room. However, that plan was scrapped when Midnight jumped in through your open window.

"Midnight!" You yelled in excitement. You jumped off the couch and ran over to him. You were torn between wanting to hug him and seeing if he was okay.

You wrapped your arms around his thin torso. It felt so nice to have him in your arms. For more than a week, you have been trying to see him and he was here.

"..." You lifted your head from his chest to look up at him. His light brown skin didn't have his usual glow to it and you noticed his dark brown tribal marks seem to be lighter.

He looked down at you and you could see some eyebags showing up, even still he could smile at you.

"What are you doing here?" You reluctantly pulled away from him, but still stayed near. His hand reached out towards you and grabbed the corner of your shirt. His face turned red at the action, but he didn't let go.

Fuck, he's so cute.

"I have...break?... vacation. I want...coffee date now… okay with it?" His eyes went back to yours and you could see hope swimming in his eyes.

This is the first time you've heard of Midnight Mask getting a day off and he wants to spend it with you. You were torn between feeling bad for wasting his time and wanting so badly to spend some time with him.

The grip on your shirt tightened as he pulled you closer to him. Bending his upper body lower, he placed his forehead against yours. At this proximity, his black eyes appeared to hold a galaxy in them.

"Okay."

You were expecting to maybe head over to one of the late running cafes, but Midnight seems to have something else in mind. He asked you to close your eyes and trust him. For a split second, you were hesitant, but then you remembered it was Midnight.

He wasn't traveling by foot. You could feel the wind blowing against your face as you were being gently rocked in Midnight's arms. Wherever he was taking you, it wasn't that far.

"Okay," he whispered, gently placing you on your feet. Once he saw you were stable, he released his hold on you. "Open eyes."

"Woah."

You couldn't believe your eyes. Green leaves formed this giant bubble around Midnight and you. Dangling from the ceiling was beautiful soft yellow fairy lights that lit up the room. The corner of the room had a blanket that you instantly recognized as the one you had before.

A giant leaf sprouted beside it and on top of was an assortment of treats. Some cute pastries along with small containers of leaves, that you theorized were for teas. On the other side was a bunch of different types of coffee cups.

"I'm sorry...scared to be outside...ask for help," he mumbled. His fingers were twisting into each other as he avoided your eyes.

"It's beautiful, Midnight. Did you set this up in one day?" You stepped towards him with a smile on your face. Red blossomed across his cheeks as he nodded bashfully.

"Wanted… to be special… for you." You couldn't hide your flusteredness from showing. This is the first time someone has done someone like this for you.

"It is special," you whispered. In a daring move, you hopped a little and planted a kiss on his cheeks. His skin felt so soft under you.

You leaned away and looked up at him. His eyes widen as they focus on you. His tribal marking seems to be actually glowing. He lifted his hand and gently pressed it against the spot on his cheeks.

You wanted to take in all of his adorable reaction, but your attention was taken to the wall behind him. The wall was only green leaves at first. However, dark red carnation bloomed all over the wall right behind him.

"Those are the flowers you gave me," you acknowledged. He remembered what he gave you. You didn't even see when they showed up.

"Flowers?" He turned around and froze. A small squeak escaped out of him causing you to become worried. Did he sprout the flowers accidentally?

He turned back around with embarrassment clear on his face. So the flowers were definitely unattended. Did they grow because he was flustered?

He's so cute. It's too much.

"I like the flowers. They're so pretty, just like you." Reaching for his hand, you brought him over to the blanket. You sat down and he slowly sat down next to you. He looked over as if asking if it was okay. Your response? Lean your head on his shoulder.

"So, let's start."

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This turned out a little better than I thought it would. The first half was me hating it then the ending I was like "mm, that's okay". Comment on what you would do if Midnight did this for you. I know it would be a lot more than a sweet kiss. I shall use it as research.

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brownstonearmy · 4 years

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2020-05-08: Sweet Dreams

July 25 (Saturday Afternoon)

Fresh out of the box to start their vault heist, our assembled party gets straight to the logistics of who gets what gear. But after a few moments of discussion, the air in the vault starts getting a hazy blue hue. Norm gasps and falls unconscious, while everyone else struggles to stay awake as the bluish air thickens. Even Fuego, whose half-elf ancestry prevents magical sleep, feels the sands of sleep tugging at their mind.

The door that leads out of the vault doesn't want to open, so Lucky makes a snap decision to save the party. She directs Spleenifer to slather some Paste of Attunement on the Robe of Stars and the Belt of Cloud Giant Strength. All the other loot (and an unconscious Norm) gets stashed in the portable hole, while Spleenifer uses her newfound Cloud Giant strength to leap into the Astral Plane via the Robe of Stars with everything she is carrying. And well, she is carrying EVERYTHING.

The three conscious adventurers find themselves in an endless desert under disconcertingly stormy skies. Thunder rolls across the landscape as lightning strikes the shifting sands. Lucky has been teleported to enough different planes of existence because of her wild magic surges to realize that this place isn't the astral plane. By her estimation, it appears to be some sort of demiplane.

Since collecting sand is part of the group's mission, everyone works underneath the roiling sky to pack the portable hole full of sand. Lightning strikes faster and closer now, and a stray bolt of lightning strikes close enough to hit Spleenifer. Well, it would have hit Spleenifer if Lucky wasn't so, well, lucky. Sand turns to opaque glass where it was struck by lightning, but the party's got another storm coming.

A wall of dark clouds is rolling toward the party as they try once more to get a moment to figure out how to allocate Yula's magical resources amongst themselves. The wind picks up and the wall of clouds grows darker. Lighter grains of sand pelt at exposed skin. The storm is nearly here.

Fuego sees a small formation of rocks in the distance and casts Dimension Door. Lucky scoops out enough sand from the portable hole to make a place for herself to keep Norm safe while Fuego carries the folded portable hole and Spleenifer through the dimension door to their best hope of shelter. Everyone comes out of the door near a slab of rocks that looks sturdy enough to keep the party safe from the worst of things. There's only space for two people in the makeshift lean-to, so Lucky stays with Norm inside the portable hole. Spleenifer and Fuego take turns keeping a flap of the portable hole open so no one suffocates.

Once the raging sandstorm passes, Spleenifer notices a light in the distance that appears to be coming from some sort of tree. In all the walking they've done thus far, this is the only other living thing that anyone outside the party has seen in this place. As they draw closer, they realize that the light is actually the canopy of the tree on fire. An elven woman sits with her back against the tree, seemingly oblivious to the party or the burning treetop just above her head. As the party discusses how to approach this situation, their voices carry on the winds and startle the woman.

She jumps up and expresses disbelief that there are other living creatures here. She's been wandering this desert for a long time without seeing anyone or anything else. Everything that comes from outside the plane is swiftly consumed by the sand or the lightning. She set the tree on fire over a month ago to function as a landmark, but her fire isn't able to consume the tree. Eventually, she introduces herself as Riahra the Swift, and states that she's come here to look her brother whom she believes is being used to power some sort of magical device.

Riahra believes that the only reason she hasn't been consumed by the sands and lightning is because her brother is also her twin, and therefore enough like him to register as "not foreign" in this demiplane. She also mentions that she hasn't eaten or been able to drink anything in weeks, a fact which Spleenifer siezes upon. How can someone not die of dehydration from that?

It appears that time moves a little differently in this demiplane, according to Riahra. Her brother is being used by Goldleaf Wealth Services to create a sleeping gas that affects anything with a soul. Even elves, who are normally impervious to sleep. By Riahra's reckoning, months have passed here, but she sneaked into the bank's pumping system with a potion of gaseous form to look for her brother on Friday.

The Friday that appears to be just the day before the party arrived here.

Riahra believes her brother is trapped in the Glass Castle about a half-day's travel away from her landmark tree. What's stopping her from rescuing Aizon, her brother, is that the door to the chamber where he is kept requires a certain gem to open. And that gem is guarded by living stones that are too strong for her to handle on her own. If helping Riahra rescue her brother will help the party get back home, Lucky agrees to help.

Saving Aizon will likely cripple the bank's sleeping gas pumping system, if not disable the system entirely. And the sleeping gas is pumped through the vault ducts at Goldleaf each night near closing time to stop any potential thieves who make it into the vault. Riahra believes that this plane is a manifestation of Aizon's fever dreams from being forced into an indeterminate sleep. Aizon was a holy man who saw visions of the future, though he spoke of a period of personal suffering that would lead to a blank spot in his predictions of the future. That blank spot happened around the time he disappeared.

The party treks across the seemingly infinite expanse of sand dunes and thunder, guided by Riahra to a spot surrounded by pillars of smooth red rock. A fist-sized gem (by halfling standards, anyway) sits on a pedestal in the center of the pillars. Lucky uses her Mage Hand to lift the gem off the pedestal, but two boulders come to life and roll into the area as soon as the gem moves. Combat begins as Riahra takes shelter with the gem.

Lucky kicks off the combat by using the Ring of Earth Elemental Command found in Yula's stash to control one of the creatures. Spleenifer, now rocking the Belt of Cloud Giant Strength and the Staff of Striking, reduces the other one to rubble. Lucky commands the remaining creatures to guard the pedestal and to not follow the party. With the gem now in the party's possession, Riahra leads the way to the Glass Castle.

The Glass Castle is made of translucent weatherworn glass that appears to contain a swirling vortex of blue gas within it. The portcullis to the castle is open, but just as Riahra described, everyone soon comes to a large chamber with a slot in the door in the shape of the gem they just recovered. At the far end of the room ahead is the body of a someone who looks similar to Riahra, but is connected to all sorts of metal pipes. His skin has a bluish cast to it, and he struggles to breathe.

Riahra rushes to free her brother, but before she can make it up the steps, a suit of armor comes to life along with several swords that dance through the air as though wielded by an invisible swordsman. Things just got complicated, and if the party wants to get Aizon out of here before he suffocates, it's gonna take some quick thinking.

Aizon needs medical help that no one in the party is really qualified to provide, plus that big honkin' suit of Danger Armor doesn't look too friendly. Lucky and Fuego have a quick sidebar before deciding the best course of action is to throw more manpower at the situation. Fuego gives the brass Horn of Valhalla a mighty “DOOT!”, and more manpower is exactly what happens. Nine slightly drunken barbarians in party hats appear. At least one of them will probably half some sort of medical proficiency due to living on the battlefield. And if they don't have that knowledge... Well, all of them have axes.

Weapons of all sorts begin flying. Axes are thrown, and the shield guardian's fists pummel all who try to pass. Lucky's luck rubs off on Spleenifer once again, allowing her to dodge an otherwise significant blow. Spleenifer's deadly combination of cloud giant strength and the staff of striking combine into a thunderous smite critical hit with what my game notes describe only as "doing a shitload of damage."

Meanwhile, Fuego deploys a dancing rapier and casts Heat Metal on it. The newest flying sword in this combat is now red hot and melts a hole in the shield guardian's armor where it hits. And you know what the best part about the dancing sword is? Fuego screams "Juice!" to make it attack. And it slices, dices, and juices just like intended.

Lucky blasts a chill touch at one of the enemy flying swords, all but destroying it. Farther up the stairs, Spleenifer's weaving around the shield guardian's fists. One of the other barbarians isn't as lucky, and a solid punch from the guardian knocks that barbarian into the business end of one of the flying swords. Spleenifer's staff skills come to the barbarian's rescue as she smacks the flying sword so hard that the sword gets dislodged in such a way that the sword is able to make a Tithe of Opportunity as it exits the barbarian's body. We'll let you figure out exactly how that works; because the will of Lathander is mysterious, indeed. Or maybe it's because Lucky's good fortune keeps rubbing off on people.

By the time the shield guardian goes down, Riahra and one of the barbarians are tending to Aizon at the top of the stairs. Aizon isn't responsive at the moment, so the barbarian attempts the Heimlich maneuver. Or rather, the barbarian equivalent of the Heimlich maneuver, which is really just a targeted punch to the stomach. It's enough to get Aizon going again, but the swirling vortex trapped in the glass begins to fade. Blocks of glass start cracking and the castle crumbles around everyone. The party flees toward safety, but things go black before they can make it to the door.

Everyone wakes up on the floor of the vault again. The blue haze in the air is dissipating, and through the ductwork in the vault, the voice of Aizon can be heard. "Thank you," he says, as the adventure concludes for the evening.

Stay tuned next time for more!

#adventure log #shits and giggles #Dungeons and Dragons #fishdavidson #desert #gas #elemental #lightning

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gillespialfredoe01806ld · 5 years

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Forget Aspen! 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home

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Winter, as you’ve surely heard, is coming—hard and fast. So why not ride it out in your very own home in the mountains, in a sweet place where the slopes are groomed, the air is clean, and après-ski bars are buzzing? While you’re at it, maybe chill for the summer too! Truth be told, you don’t have to be a second-generation reality TV star, tech titan, or trust-fund kid to live large in a great American ski town. And no, we’re not schussing you. You just need to know where to set your sights.

Hint: It’s not on Aspen, Jackson, Park City, or any of the other snowy playgrounds of the 1%, where median home prices rival or even exceed the most expensive neighborhoods of San Fransisco or New York.

But there are plenty of lower-key, way more inexpensive options around. In fact, just about half of America’s ski towns, as defined by realtor.com®, have a median home price under $300,000. So our data team set out to find the most affordable of the bunch, towns where you can keep the dream of owning a home near the slopes alive, and maybe even have some cash left over for a new snowmobile. Or heck, an SUV!

While you’d be forgoing some of the glam scenes, upper-end nightspots, and world-class powder of the best-known resort towns, these lower-priced mountain meccas are still undisputed winter and summer wonderlands. Some are old mining towns, or small remote cities that built resorts as a means to replace fading industries. They have fewer tourists, and miles of untrammeled nature.

To create our rankings, we started with a list of around 450 ski resorts, as compiled by onthesnow.com, a website that creates snow reports for the ski industry. We then looked at median list prices in the nearest towns or cities to those resorts to figure out which had the least expensive real estate. Only places with at least 50 homes for sale in October were included, and for geographic diversity, we included just one place per state.

So pull on that discount Uniqlo parka, grab a hot toddy or three, and let’s check out the best bargain ski towns in America.

Most affordable ski towns

Tony Frenzel

1. Iron River, MI

Median list price: $59,800

Lakefront home in Iron River

realtor.com

Yes, you read that median home price correctly. Located on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Iron River used to be dominated by copper and iron mines. But as the mines have closed, the town has been forced to reinvent itself. Fortunately, it had proximity on its side—it’s home to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and is in a county with 64 lakes. And right in town is Ski Brule, a resort with 12 lifts and trails ranging from beginner to expert.

More than two-thirds of real estate agent Corey Shankleton‘s clients are looking for second homes in the region, either on a lake or in secluded areas with lots of acreage. They can pick up a hunting cabin on 40 acres in the woods for $50,000, a lakefront home for $100,000, or one of the higher-end properties going for seven figures.

“People have really awoken to all that the Upper Peninsula has to offer,” says Shankleton, of UP Riverland Realty in Iron River. Most of his buyers hail from Midwestern cities and even from the Southeast.

“Because of the affordability of the homes in the area, we’ve got everyone from executives from Chicago looking for $1 million lakefront properties down to families looking for a getaway,” Shankleton says. “If you want to be in the middle of a busy lake with all sports activities, we’ve got those. And if you want to be nestled into the woods on a private lake or pond, we’ve got an abundance of that as well.”

2. Malone, NY

Median list price: $89,500

Chalet home in Malone

realtor.com

Located deep in the Adirondack Mountains on the Canadian border, Malone has some of the best fishing and snowmobiling sites in upstate New York. And that’s appealing to folks trying to escape the bustle of New York City and Boston.

On a stroll through Malone, folks take in its quaintness and small-town America vibe. The downtown streets are lined with old stone and red-brick structures, and in the summer, the city hosts the Franklin County Fair, the largest county fair in New York.

Buyers “either are moving for a job or they really want the culture of an outside lifestyle. Most of the time, it’s a lifestyle choice,” says Karamarie Morton, a local real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Whitbeck Associates. “They want the skiing and the snowmobiling in the winter and the fly-fishing, hiking, swimming, and boating in the summer.”

Home buyers here want to immerse themselves in nature and buy something with some land—and mountain views. And they don’t have to go broke doing it. Just check out this remodeled three-bedroom chalet with a raised porch. The best part? The price tag is just $139,900.

Snow sports in Malone revolve around Titus Mountain Family Ski Center. First opened in the 1960s, Titus now has 10 lifts and around 60 trails, with everything from green terrain to expert-level double black diamond.

3. Bruce, WI

Median list price: $95,000

Cabin in the woods in Bruce

realtor.com

Bruce isn’t quite what springs to mind when you hear the words “ski town.” It’s a true small town with fewer than 1,000 residents and a half-dozen restaurants. And it’s had its share of economic woes, closing down its local mine a couple of decades ago, followed by nearby Mount Senario College five years later. Today, the area is best known as a cut-rate outdoor destination.

Christie Mountain, which has 30 runs, is popular with skiers, snowboarders, and tubers.

“The biggest draw to this area is recreation, with hunting, fishing, ATV riding. There are fantastic bike trails and hiking trails,” says local real estate agent Jon Kaiser of Kaiser Realty.

Many of his clients are looking for remote properties with lots of land. Lots of cheap land. Just recently he sold 120 acres of wooded land with no home on it to a hunter for just $89,000.

More typically, a log cabin in the woods here can be snagged for less than $70,000. Or folks can buy lakefront land and build their dream home. This 2.2-acre lakefront lot is selling for just $49,000.

“It’s small enough that you know your neighbors, but you could live in Bruce and never talk to anyone,” says Kaiser. “You could live off the grid here.”

4. Biwabik, MN

Median list price: $99,500

Ski condos in Biwabik

realtor.com

Every skiers’ dream is to walk straight from their home to the ski lifts. But these commute-free homes can cost a fortune. But not in Biwabik! Ski-in/ski-out condos here can be purchased for under $100,000.

Situated on the hilltops of Minnesota’s Iron Range is Giants Ridge, a ski resort with more than 35 downhill runs and 40 miles of cross-country trails. And right at its foothills is the Lodge at Giants Ridge, a large complex offering a combination of hotel rooms and condominiums.

Built in 1999, the one-bedroom condos at Giants Ridge have access to an indoor pool and recreational area. But what really pique buyer interest are the views of the towering pine trees and ski slopes.

Biwabik doesn’t offer the large shopping and restaurant scenes of upper-crust resort towns—it has only about 1,000 residents and its quaint, quintessentially Midwestern downtown (complete with red sidewalks) reflects that. But the town punches above its weight when it comes to fun. There are nearby spas, golf courses, and a bicycle trail that runs more than 100 miles through the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

5. Scranton, PA

Median list price: $114,900

Victorian home for sale in Scranton

realtor.com

Ski resorts tend to be far away from big cities—and big-city amenities. That’s where Scranton separates itself. It might not be huge, but with a population of around 75,000, there is a lot more to do here than just ski.

Scranton is home to Montage Mountain, known for its excellent expert-level trails. Its biggest claim to fame is White Lightning, the second-steepest slope on the East Coast. Not enough? Just a 40-minute drive south of the city is Camelback Mountain Resort, which has more than 30 trails.

And the real estate is really cheap. Buyers can snag older three- to four-bedroom homes with new kitchens for around $100,000, says Robert Vanston, a real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Preferred Properties in Clarks Summit, PA. Newer four-bedroom, 2.5-bath abodes can go for $300,000 to $400,000.

6. Mansfield, OH

Median list price: $115,900

Home in Mansfield

realtor.com

In 1961, developers turned one of Ohio’s highest points of elevation into the state’s first ski resort. Since Snow Trails opened in Mansfield, about an hour’s drive north of Columbus, it has grown into the Buckeye State’s mecca for winter sports. The resort has nine lifts, 17 runs, and multiple bars on site. On site!

Home to 46,000 residents, its streets are full of history. The downtown has beautiful three-story churches and handsome old courthouses. And many of the homes for sale here are older homes built in the 1920s and ’30s, with charming front porches that breathe the air of an older era.

7. Boone, IA

Median list price: $129,900

A charming little home in Boone

realtor.com

Boone is still a bargain, but it’s getting increasingly popular as a home-buying and vacation spot. And why not? You have the banks of the Des Moines River, breweries, a golf club, and a state park all nearby. Oh yeah, and a fine ski resort.

Seven Oaks Recreation offers 11 ski and snowboard runs, and snow tubing too. And when the warmer weather hits, locals go canoeing, kayaking, or fishing, or face off in a fierce game of paintball.

But it’s all still relatively affordable.

“This isn’t a sleepy mountain town,” says local real estate agent Jennifer Weigel of Nerem & Associates. “We have a very hot real estate market right now. It’s a true seller’s market.”

8. Kellogg, ID

Median list price: $138,500

Condo at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellog

realtor.com

In the hills of northern Idaho, outdoors lovers search out Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg. It’s busy year-round, with everything from skiing and snowboarding to an indoor water park.

But Kellogg wasn’t always packed with vacationers. For nearly a century, this was a gritty, blue-collar mining town. That started to change when Silver Mountain Resort, then named Jackass Ski Bowl, opened in 1968. Then in 1972, one of the country’s worst mining accidents occurred in Kellogg, killing more than 90 miners. Around a decade later, the Bunker Hill Mine closed and virtually ended the region’s mining business. But as one industry ended, another flourished, and the place has been known for outdoor recreation ever since.

Folks buying homes here can get everything from condos blocks from the Silver Mountain Resort under $100,000 to new homes with open floor plans priced around the $250,000.

9. Brian Head, UT

Median list price: $152,900

Brian Head, UT

realtor.com

There’s no shortage of great ski resorts in Utah. But the best known of them sure ain’t cheap. This is where Brian Head stands out. A full-day adult ticket at Snowbird in Salt Lake City costs around $125, compared with around $79 at Brian Head Resort, which covers 650 acres and offers 71 runs and eight chair lifts.

“Our biggest claim is that it’s a nice family resort, great for the kids,” says Mike Carr, a real estate agent at High Country Realty. “It’s really affordable compared to other ski destinations in the area.”

Around a four-hour drive from downtown Salt Lake City and three hours from Las Vegas, Brian Head becomes a hiker’s dream once the snow clears. At the edges of the city are Dixie National Forest, known for its wildlife and beautiful red rock formations.

10. Mount Jackson, VA

Median list price: $159,900

Four-bedroom house in Mount Jackson

realtor.com

Mount Jackson is a small town of antiques stores hawking Civil War memorabilia, independently owned restaurants, and plenty of vineyards and wineries. There are national forests nearby, which attract hikers and mountain bikers. And the Bryce Resort offers skiing and snowboarding in the winter and golfing, zip lining, and tubing in the summer.

The area was hit hard in the recession of a decade ago, but the second-home buyers and retirees have been returning in recent years, says local real estate agent David Shalap of ERA Beasley Realty. Many of them are coming from Washington, DC, about two hours to the east.

“The prices out here are extremely reasonable,” says Shalap. He also touted the low taxes and cost of living.

“We have high-end homes, but we also have nice homes in the $175,000 to $275,000 price range,” he continues. “You can get a little bit of land around it, 1 to 3 acres maybe.”

Judy Dutton, Clare Trapasso, Allison Underhill, and Natalie Way contributed to this report.

The post Forget Aspen! 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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davidoespailla · 5 years

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Forget Aspen! 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home

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So pull on that discount Uniqlo parka, grab a hot toddy or three, and let’s check out the best bargain ski towns in America.

Most affordable ski towns

Tony Frenzel

1. Iron River, MI

Median list price: $59,800

Lakefront home in Iron River

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2. Malone, NY

Median list price: $89,500

Chalet home in Malone

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3. Bruce, WI

Median list price: $95,000

Cabin in the woods in Bruce

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Christie Mountain, which has 30 runs, is popular with skiers, snowboarders, and tubers.

“The biggest draw to this area is recreation, with hunting, fishing, ATV riding. There are fantastic bike trails and hiking trails,” says local real estate agent Jon Kaiser of Kaiser Realty.

Many of his clients are looking for remote properties with lots of land. Lots of cheap land. Just recently he sold 120 acres of wooded land with no home on it to a hunter for just $89,000.

“It’s small enough that you know your neighbors, but you could live in Bruce and never talk to anyone,” says Kaiser. “You could live off the grid here.”

4. Biwabik, MN

Median list price: $99,500

Ski condos in Biwabik

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5. Scranton, PA

Median list price: $114,900

Victorian home for sale in Scranton

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6. Mansfield, OH

Median list price: $115,900

Home in Mansfield

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7. Boone, IA

Median list price: $129,900

A charming little home in Boone

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Seven Oaks Recreation offers 11 ski and snowboard runs, and snow tubing too. And when the warmer weather hits, locals go canoeing, kayaking, or fishing, or face off in a fierce game of paintball.

But it’s all still relatively affordable.

“This isn’t a sleepy mountain town,” says local real estate agent Jennifer Weigel of Nerem & Associates. “We have a very hot real estate market right now. It’s a true seller’s market.”

8. Kellogg, ID

Median list price: $138,500

Condo at Silver Mountain Resort in Kellog

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In the hills of northern Idaho, outdoors lovers search out Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg. It’s busy year-round, with everything from skiing and snowboarding to an indoor water park.

Folks buying homes here can get everything from condos blocks from the Silver Mountain Resort under $100,000 to new homes with open floor plans priced around the $250,000.

9. Brian Head, UT

Median list price: $152,900

Brian Head, UT

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10. Mount Jackson, VA

Median list price: $159,900

Four-bedroom house in Mount Jackson

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“The prices out here are extremely reasonable,” says Shalap. He also touted the low taxes and cost of living.

“We have high-end homes, but we also have nice homes in the $175,000 to $275,000 price range,” he continues. “You can get a little bit of land around it, 1 to 3 acres maybe.”

Judy Dutton, Clare Trapasso, Allison Underhill, and Natalie Way contributed to this report.

The post Forget Aspen! 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

Forget Aspen! 10 Great U.S. Ski Towns Where Folks Can Actually Afford to Buy a Home

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lindoig · 7 years

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Days 13 to 15

The Tuesday and Thursday were both a bit of lay-days for us, catching up on washing, cleaning, cooking, Facebook postings – a housewife’s work is never done….. But I went off to do some shopping and explore the town a bit more on the Thursday and spent a couple of hours at the Low Level Nature Reserve photographing birds – mainly black kites and rainbow bee eaters. Hot and dusty with a sharp eye out for crocodiles.

The Wednesday was more interesting with a trip out to Edith Falls (poor Edith, hope she was not hurt). It is just an hour or so from Katherine and is a green oasis with quite an impressive cascade falling into a crocodile-infested lake (not that we saw any crocs on the day). We walked around the Park and spotted quite a lot of birds and spread ourselves out for a picnic in the shade, on a vivid green lawn a few metres from the lake – but with a barrier of trees to discourage any inquisitive Big Bities. Interestingly, there were two young boys ignoring the warning signs, clambering down the bank to the nearby creek and hanging off a bridge to cool their hands in the stream. We yelled at them and warned them away, only to see their father doing exactly the same thing a few minutes later. It absolutely mystifies me how the crocs don’t gorge themselves to obesity eating all the human idiots who invade their domain imagining that it will never happen to them. We enquired about the aboriginal kids swimming when we were up at the Cape a couple of years ago and they told us that crocs only like ‘white-fella meat’ – not true, of course, because we have heard that quite a few black folk are on the standard crocodile menu up here. (But then, we eat crocodile too – so it is a bit of tit for tat.)

I have been thinking a bit about why we love travelling in the outback so much.

Like many things in life, travel is about variety: new things to see and experience, different from being at home. But at present, travelling in the caravan is ‘being at home’ for us and the variety we enjoy along the track is just as enjoyable as if it were on a holiday.

We chose to live in Southbank because it was in the centre of the city with a plethora of things around us to do as and when we wanted. No matter that we rarely participate in all that many, but they were there and we could do them whenever we wanted to. There is always plenty of people and noise and movement, things happening and people and places to see. Some people have criticised us for having a large car when we have public transport at our doorstep - but there is another side to life that we enjoy just as much as the bustle and hurly-burly of inner city living: the Out-there!

We both grew up with a love of the outdoors as an important part of our nature; and flat landscapes, limitless horizons and big skies are part of who we are. So when we are tired of the pace of life surrounded by buildings, noisy cars and social restraints, the silence, space and freedom of the big Out-there Outback is like a tonic that restores the part of us that went missing for all too long.

Travel, like sex, is more about the journey than the destination. Most people seem to jump on a plane or a train and rush to the place at which they want to relax for a holiday. Even those that take to the road often risk all in their mad drive to reach their objective a few minutes earlier than they might have done - but what did they miss? We love the desert: that endless flat thing to be traversed as quickly as possible because there is nothing to see there. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth in my view.

We once spent hours with car and van parked just off the road in the Gibber, in the middle of Nowhere (actually Nowhere At All). Once you get even a couple of metres off the road, you see literally millions of small stones of every shape and colour imaginable. The ground is mainly hard-packed grey crusted sand, strewn with stones, most simply sitting atop the soil as if a giant hand had scattered them willy-nilly like dice. Not often clustered, but perhaps 20 or 30 per square metre with a few larger ones randomly thrown in to break up the pattern. Most are roughly egg-sized or smaller. How did they get there? Without providing the official explanation, it remains utterly puzzling to me, even after reading about their origins. We have spent hours on more than one occasion wandering through this alien landscape, turning over stones, marvelling at their variety as much as their uniformity, collecting colours and textures that the travellers in almost every passing car (VERY FEW) will never experience or even imagine.

And I recall other times when we have simply pulled to the side of the road, usually in an attempt to get a better view of a bird, and then decided to chase it into the scrub for the view we missed while getting the rig off the centre of the road. Whether I actually see the bird or not, there is a world in microcosm under my feet. Even in the harshest landscape, there seems to be a dozen species of plants almost literally within arms’ reach. The plants support their own ecologies with ants, skinks, butterflies, buzzing, biting insects and the ever-present flies. (Always wear the flynet - and gaiters to avoid an hour at night picking prickles out of your shoes and socks! Amazingly, I can use my binoculars almost as well with the flynet on as off – eating and drinking are possible, but not as easy – you have to remember to lift the net or put your sanger inside it before chomping down on it.) There are always larger predators around, but they never bother us. But whole colonies of small mammals, insects, reptiles are bustling around down there, industriously scratching out their livelihoods, fighting their mini-wars, reproducing and even dying and being eaten as we watch. There are, of course, bigger things happening too. An eagle might swoop on a rabbit or other small animal, a herd of kangaroos may be heading for greener (less-grey) pastures, corellas might be squabbling over which bit of the perch is theirs tonight, there may even be some domestic stock around, but most tourists usually see those things by accident, if at all, as they speed to their destination. It just seems sad that so many people, particularly kids, miss out on the wonderment of all we see when we pass the same places at a more leisurely pace and take the time to explore a little.

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