California DUers, I'm beginning to understand why you put up with it all

[derby378]

I'm watching Sunrise Earth on Discovery HD Theater right now. Texans like me sometimes look at our friends in California and wonder why they choose to stay put despite everything - the earthquakes, the urban decay, the grueling rush hour commutes, the high taxes (do you still have a "popcorn tax?"), the electricity and gasoline bills, the widening gap between rich and poor, and all those rules and regulations, including some of the most restrictive gun laws in the nation. How do you stand it all?

Then I see it. Yosemite National Park at daybreak. Sunrise over El Capitan and Bridal Veil Falls. And I have lost my heart. And my throat clutches at the beauty of it all.

I have yet to set foot in California. The closest I've come is the stretch of Highway 93 between Hoover Dam and Kingman, AZ. Surely I could have driven westward for a bit so I could at least set foot on California soil.

My wife visited California a long time ago. She said she loved it. Can't remember if she was in Los Angeles or San Francisco. But I'm sure she got to see some of the wilderness during her stay.

A small tree is on the screen now. I'm no good at identifying trees, but it looks like it's covered with pine needles. The image has shifted to the Merced River, serene waters wending through the forest. The sky is a heartbreakingly beautiful blue, the mountains rising up to greet the dawn.

I envy the Native Americans who called this home for thousands of years. I envy the Russians who sought furs in the region and took delight in the view. I envy John Muir for standing in the midst of the California wilderness and resolving to preserve it for all humankind, for what mere man can claim this as his own?

We've got to get out on the road again. Dallas is nice, but it's all concrete and suburban sprawl. And I know ChickMagic wants to show me more of the world she experienced during her travels. Maybe one day we can set foot in California, hand in hand, gaze upon the cliffs and the falls and the river and the majestic woods, and discover for ourselves what you've known all along.

[Aristus]

1. After a nine-year absence, I was dismayed to see my beautiful hometown of San Antonio

morphed into a freeway-choked sprawl that was like L.A. without the thrilling progressive vibe. I keep hearing that Texas is on the verge of turning blue. But until it does, I'm sticking close to the West Coast.

[derby378]

4. Dallas is leading the progressive charge in northern Texas

We've got the national census coming up next year as well as the gubernatorial elections where we can hopefully replace Gov. Hairball with a Democrat, so please be patient.

[Aristus]

5. I'm not going anywhere...

And neither is Texas, I'll be bound. Any talk of secession is just talk, no doubt...

Keep up the good work down there! :thumbsup:

[Kajsa]

2. Don't forget "our" ocean, Derby!

The great Pacific has a strong gravitational pull for many of us,
here.

I was fortunate to grow up right on the beach in Santa Monica,
when moderate income families could live on the beach.

Now I live a few miles from the ocean.

Hopefully, you can come visit us soon!

I wouldn't recommend June in Southern California, though.
We have persistent coastal fog, called the Catalina eddy,
that lasts most of the day in June.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalina_eddy

:)

[CreekDog]

16. June gloom?

:hi:

but your version of the fog is warmer.

so i don't mind that.

[Kajsa]

20. Yep, it's the June gloom.

It is a bit warmer but it really obscures
your view, especially if you're swimming
in the ocean.

" Oh hell, look at that six footer right on top of me
just about to break!" Bam!

But it is warmer than most fogs.

:) :hi:

[kwassa]

31. The Marine Layer ....

It can be 105 degrees in the San Fernando Valley, and six miles away at the beach it can be 60 degrees and foggy.

I've gone rushing down to the beach on many a hot day to hit the fog about six blocks in from the shore.

Some of the best beach weather is in September and October, the warmest and driest time of the year with the least amount of fog.

[Kajsa]

35. Yep, that's the problem.

We have heatwaves inland, while the coast is
shrouded in fog.

[Arugula Latte]

3. So many parts of California are beautiful and spectacular.

I grew up there, in the Bay Area.

We used to fly into Texas to visit relatives.

Sorry, but ... the parts of Texas we saw left a lot to be desired. :hide:

edited for crappy grammar

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. California has some nice places that I'd like to visit, but....

....I don't forsee any reason as to why I'd want to live there.

Northern California isn't warm enough for my taste, and Southern California is way too dry and brown. Too many brush fires and mudslides for me, and the idea of living in a potential earthquake zone--no thanks.

Plus, while the Pacific Ocean might be nice to look at, it is way too cold to swim in most places.

[Mollis]

18. I live in Northern Cali. It gets hot enough.

About 120 some summers. I love it :)

[Hell Hath No Fury]

7. Get your butt out here!

You have a standing invitation for San Francisco. :hi:

The State of California covers soooo much terrain -- we have everything you can imagine, from beachfront to high desert to mountains -- it is truly breathtaking. I grew up here and I am completely spoiled -- I don't think I could live anywhere else.

Yosemite is "church" for me. Standing on Glacier Point, looking out at the Yosemite Valley is as close to finding "god" as I will ever come. I think it is something everyone must do at least once in ther lives.

Thank heavens for people like John Muir and Teddy -- what they helped preserve truly are our country's crown jewels.

[begin_within]

8. Here are some pictures I took last year...

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View, May 22, 2008. El Capitan on left, Half Dome in center distance, Cathedral Rocks at right, Bridalveil Falls at right.



My Mom at Tunnel View. The valley is 7 miles long and 1 mile wide.



Bridalveil Falls, 620 feet high



Bridalveil Falls later in the afternoon after the wind died down



My mom at base of Bridalveil Falls



Western end of Yosemite Valley



Yosemite Falls, tallest waterfall in north America, 2,425 feet from top to valley floor



The upper portion of Yosemite Falls is 1,430 feet; 180 feet taller than the Empire State building



El Capitan, the largest exposed piece of granite in the world, 3,500 feet tall



Half Dome, the most vertical rock wall in the world, 4,737 feet from valley floor to top



Redwood trees in Yosemite Valley



Point Lobos State Reserve, near Carmel, California













Big Sur coastline

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Great pics! nt

[begin_within]

10. Thanks. And we're going there again June 3 and 4.

Ever since we drove away from there last year I've been wanting to go back. I've been to 12 national parks but Yosemite is the best, in my opinion.

[derby378]

13. Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

:hi:

[begin_within]

15. You're welcome and thanks

also pics I took at Yellowstone and Grand Teton are here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8165403

[derby378]

14. Accidental dupe

:dunce:

[KG]

11. the american west is truely magnificant. the little i saw driving to the west caost and back.

[Hell Hath No Fury]

12. A small taste of Cali ---

The divine Muir Woods, just 20 minutes fom SF


The biggest trees in the world at Sequoia National Park


The Carmel coast


The stark beauty of Joshua Trees


The killer coastline of Big Sur


The ancient giants of the Mariposa Grove


The wine country


Our lovely foothills that turn emerald in the spring and gold in the summer (that's how our State got the name "the Golden State")
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3RYuLj1cvsg/SLGphnjKWaI/AAAAAAAAAL4/vV8xPPCI9kU/s320/ca+foothills+housing.jpg

Lake Tahoe, formed in the basin of an ancient volcano


And our most beautiful spot, Yosemite

[DarkTirade]

17. I've only been to the west coast once a bit farther north than CA, but it really took my breath away

[Mollis]

19. I love my location in California.

Within a few hours I can get to a lake, a mountain, the coast, or a big city.
It gets hot, which I love. Like 110 and up in the summer.
The only thing I don't like are the people. Mostly republicans...well they all are. Freeptards.

[cboy4]

21. I live two hours from San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean

and two hours from Lake Tahoe and some of the best skiing in the world.

I am an hour from the wine country.

Very few places you can be so close to the ocean and the mountains.

There is not a cloud in the sky during the summer where I live and the winters are very mild. I'm embarrassed that we even call a season winter, when I see what true winters look like across the country.

[Arugula Latte]

22. When I grew up in California there was one weekend

where I went skiing at Tahoe one day and then went to the beach the next day (and the beach was comfortable that day, not windy and freezing).

[cboy4]

23. I know. How cool is that?

:)

[Sequoia]

26. That reminds me of one of those beach blankent movies

I saw as a kid. The college or highschoolers were skiing in the morning and by the afternoon they were at the beach. I knew then California was the state for me to move to when I got older. Big Bear to Santa Monica locations in the movie I think.

[petronius]

32. That was a habit of ours in high school - morning surf, and then an afternoon

ski. The close-in ski places had cheap half-day rates and lights, so you could ski from 4-9 pm or something like that for a good price.

[Sequoia]

34. Well, okay Moondoggie.

[Taverner]

24. And Yosemite is only the beginning

There's Monterey Bay, Lake Tahoe, Joshua Tree, Mount Shasta, Muir Woods, Big Basin, Big Sur, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Mono Lake, Point Reyes - and that's just concentrating on mostly Northern nature. Los Angelenos tell me there's just as much to see in the South.

As for restrictive gun laws - meh, you can have a gun, its just hard to get some guns and a CCR. Think of it as the trade off for near-legal pot :)

[arcadian]

25. The problem with Yosemite, is the valley floor.

It's fucking hideous. Too crowded. Trashed. It represents everything that is wrong with this country. You know they recently mowed down a stand of old growth in the valley to put up something tourist oriented?

[kwassa]

27. "hideous" and "too crowded" are two different ideas.

The valley floor isn't that bad. It simply has other tourists in it that you wish weren't there!

Me, too. Of course, the park is very popular because the valley floor is so spectacular, in terms of the meadows and the Merced River, and the views.

The best time to visit is the end of May. The waterfalls are at their biggest, from the melting snow runoff, and the summer tourist season has not started yet. Plenty of room and beauty for everyone.

[arcadian]

29. The natural history of the valley is indeed stunning.

I just don't want the Mickey Mouse atmosphere that the concessions enable. I think the valley floor should be closed to all vehicular traffic and most of the building ripped out, save for some historic lodges, ranger stations, etc.

[kwassa]

30. They've talked about doing this for years.

They would need one great tram system, however, and better facilities in the valley for those that want to stay.

me, I did fine at Camp Curry in the old canvas tents, but most tourist Americans want to bring their homes with them in the form of campers and Winnebagos.

[Bennyboy]

28. Some Photos...

A California phoo album http://picasaweb.google.com/bennyboy420/California?authkey=Gv1sRgCOzGt9eChPzq5wE#slideshow/5314197557661359266

[petronius]

33. One of the things I've always loved about my state is our diversity of ecosystem.

Excluding the wet subtropical parts of HI and FL, and the northern tundra of AK, I think we have at least a small version of just about every other habitat around.

On the other hand, I've alwas loved my visits to west and south Texas - the first time I crossed that Hwy 90 (IIRC) bridge over the Pecos I slammed on the brakes and went skidding into the turnout. I probably stood there for an hour looking at that gorge...