I like swimming, as well...in the right place. The 'natural' waters out here are nasty. I'm not quite sure what the source of the nasty is, as there are several natural sources as well as man-made sources. Lots of agriculture in the area, lots of cows, too, and the desert soils create a very fine sediment that hangs in the water forever making it milky and opaque. Have to get to the mountains for clear water, and that water is generally pretty doggone cold. When I was growing up in New Hampshire, the swimming was better. Here, it is mostly in pools, where the chlorine will mess with your hair pretty well over time. I still swim a fair amount, it's just not the same.

If you live at zero altitude, anything else is a bit...breathtaking. If you live at 10,000', then travel to zero altitude, you can feel super for a time. I'm kind of in the middle. Not high enough to feel any different at zero altitude, but high enough that 10,000' doesn't totally wipe me out.