Oh … my … gawd …
…it’s toooo big… 😉

Now, Ronnie, his conception of California mostly the product of pop culture and literature, had dreamed of staking a claim in the LA music scene back in his salad days. But those dreams evaporated in a mix of spandex, big hair, and MTV-dominated schlock. He washed out in the Denver cover-band scene, selling out for a couple hundred bucks a week. His California Dream ended on New Year’s Eve, 1987.

Fast forward to 2024. The Hot Springs or Busk tour begins its California leg in Eureka, a beach town crawling with former pirates, giving us the heebie-jeebies. The local strip-mall reeked of desperation, beach sand coating every surface like a bad habit. We pushed on to Redding, a digital nomad-friendly place with a familiar feel. Sorta like Garden City Kansas, with palm trees.

Speaking of familiar places, we ventured south to Steinbeck Country… Salinas. Now, Ronnie’s used to half-empty malls, but this one was a different story. Thousands of people, a rainbow of cultures, all having a grand time. It was oddly refreshing, being on the other side of the majority.

And yes, California is home to many small to medium-sized colleges, as well as several famous literary landmarks associated with renowned authors. Jack London State Historic Park, The Henry Miller Library, a museum dedicated to the works of that prominent figure of the Beat Generation. And John Steinbeck National Historic Site, the birthplace and childhood home of that Nobel Prize-winner.

Steinbeck Country… Cannery Row… Salinas… Monterey… after leaving Eureka (scared the hell outta Rocinante), then we hoofed it to Redding (cos they had a PF), then to Salinas… hung here for a while before making our way to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) all the way to the LA archipelago (Moorpark, specifically).

Anyway… California isn’t just super-big, it’s also quite diverse in landscape: including a wide range of natural environments, from the Pacific coast to the Sierra Nevada mountains. It offers, at least in the coastal regions, fairly consistent Mild days with most of the state enjoying a Mediterranean climate, warm dry summers and mild, wet winters.

California, as anyone paying attention to national affairs knows, has a thriving economy, with major industries in technology, entertainment, agriculture, and tourism. But all those roads and bridges in sasquatch-infested double-canopy jungles require a somewhat higher bracket of fuel tax… (this is an extreme understatement).

California also has its share of publicly accessible natural hot springs, from Slates Hot Springs near Big Sur to Travertine Hot Springs in the Mono County area. And, in Ronnie’s estimation, the best feature of all is California’s cultural diversity. California is a delicious mix of cultures, with a rich tapestry of ethnicities and traditions… this is our true national character… a glorious stew of the world’s diverse personalities.

To be continued…
Onward through the fog… R.H.