Photoessay #1434 - California

The other day my doctor asked me what there was to see in California. She’s from rural Kentucky, now lives in the Puget Sound area. I think she’s never been to the Golden State, just looking for some ideas. I didn’t know what to say, I just couldn’t give any pat tourist advice.

As we’ve been driving along, seeing some familiar places, some new places, some places that have changed so much since the last time we’ve driven around. But many things that haven’t changed.

I realized that California is a complex complicated place. And my relationship with California is also complex and complicated. I spent my first 27 years living in different parts of this rich varied place. Growing up in the Central valley. Going to school at UCSC and a bit of UCLA. My parents moving to Orange County and then leaving the state. Living in Chico. I’ve seen a lot and I know a lot. I’m still a California girl at heart.
I’m also the queen of the alternate route. Instead of going down I-5, negotiating Sacramento to get onto Hwy 16 to Jackson, I devised an alternate route involving a whole lot of Hwy 49 through the Gold Country. We were taking Hwy 70 down from Chico, pleased at the new orchards I saw. Went due east at Marysville almost to Grass Valley, then took Hwy 49 all the way to Jackson. Which is not the fast way to do it as a matter of fact. A lot of windy roads down into river canyons. And the over emphasized but under-developed Mother Lode. We cruised past Coloma, where the original gold was discovered. My mother chose this destination when out of town people came. I can see why, a lot to see, pretty drive, lots of period buildings. Pretty empty today, plenty of place to park but not glitzy, not upgraded, the new money was not in Coloma. Now I kind of wish we had stopped but going down 49 was slow, not as bad as Hwy 17, of course, nothing can touch that and we were eager to get up into the mountains.

And here we are in Kit Carson, in the high high Sierra. You can just forget cell phones. But I hear the lodge has wifi and maybe I can post this.