California Luv

Yeah, I went there. I spelled love like that.

Almost everyone I know hates California. I don't really get it. Yeah it can be smoggy, and sometimes the people are so politically correct as to be fascist, but it is probably the single most beautiful place I have ever seen.

Think about it: anywhere in California, you are an hour (or so) from the beach, an hour (or so) from the desert, an hour (or so) from the mountains, and an hour (or so) from a major metropolitan area.

I always tell people who "hate" California to spend a weekend in either Yosemite or Sequoia National Parks. Yosemite is breathtakingly beautiful. Even as a child I was so struck by it's scenery. It is tranquil and calm, but also dynamic and alive. I have traveled a lot for someone my age, but I am hard pressed to say that there is a more perfect spot on earth.

When I was little we used to drive up to see the Sequoias a lot. Picture something big. No, bigger. Bigger still. That thing is dwarfed by these massive trees. They are the largest living things on earth. Bigger than whales!* The pinecones are the size of your forearm.They are some of the oldest too, with the General Sherman tree (the biggest one) clocking in at somewhere about 2700 years old.

Whether you believe in God or not, there is a super peaceful feeling about being amongst creation at its most base level. I feel so insignificant next to such beautiful and large monuments of nature, but at the same time I feel so intrinsically tied to everything else. It is an interesting dichotomy.

Oh, but it can get cold, so bring a sweater. :)

Picture I stole:

Half-Dome at Yosemite. Stop giggling about the name, its really neat!

Preeeeeeeeeettttttttttttttttttyyyyyyyy!!!!!!

Sequoias:

This is General Sherman. He is about 275ft tall, and the base is roughly 102 feet around. The largest branch is 6ft in diameter. Can your brain even process that?!?!?!

Trees trees trees.

The Stump.

Crystal Cave. You can go in there and look around and whatnot. Pretty, no?

No bullshit, that is what the road in looks like.

See?? So much more than hipsters and hippies. I need to go back. It has probably been 18 years since I have been to either of these parks. That is the impression this stuff made on me.

And for the record, I'm not talking Yogi Bear "Pic-a-nic Basket" stuff. That is Jellystone--er, Yellowstone. I've never been there.

*I once heard that a blue whale is so big that a baby could crawl through its veins and you could park a Volkswagen in it's heart. Neat, huh?