California , a place of contradictions.

[Orcs]

I have just returned from California, I visited San Francisco and Los Angeles and drove down the Pacific Coast Highway. This was my first visit to west coats America. I was not sure what to expect, but some things surprised me, on reflection , I should have guessed and if you asked me to think about it I would have realized many of them.

By far the most spoken language we heard was Spanish not English (Or what Americans call English)

Nobody seems to be paid properly in an expensive hotel you are expected to tip the waiter 15% at breakfaxt just for bringing you a pot of coffee. In a restaurant 20% - 25% is expected for normal service.

Nearly everyone had very dark hair - No Baywatch blonds to be seen.

At 100KGs and 5'11" I felt very slim. (I hasten to add I don't actually think I am).

Americans do not seem to be able to drive on any road that has bends. The Pacific Coast Highway has a speed limit of 55mph (in the UK this would be 60mph) and obviously has lots of bends as it follows the coast. Most American drivers were driving at 30mph and slowing to 20mph for relatively gentle bends. When free of traffic it was easy to gently cruise along nearly all of it at 50mph plus.

When traffic lights change to Green you have about 5 seconds before the first vehicle moves off, and yet they cut across multiple lanes of traffic at speed  with a "fag paper" between them and the other vehicles.

There were far more electric vehicles and hybrids than I expected, but this is California where they like to think they are early adopters of the "green technology" - However for every electric vehicle there were 3 or 4 huge vehicles with 5.0 engines.

I stayed at a number of Hotels and motels of varying price ranges. In every one the cups in the room were disposable, and individually wrapped in plastic. At the cheaper end all crockery and cutlery for breakfast was disposable. 

The cheaper Hotels did have separate bins for recycling and rubbish in the room, but did not do this for the breakfast cutlery and crockery with all waste including food going in the same bin.

While I completely agree with recycling and limiting our impact on the environment, I did come home feeling that as far as bigger picture is concerned,  we are wasting our time and forcing expensive costs on people that can't afford it in order to achieve "Net Zero". I was quite a coincidence to read the news on returning home, that the Government is now looking at changing some of this.

Would I go again? Certainly not to the two big cities, the few days we had in them were enough. We enjoyed the coast, but would probably not go back to California again. 

[d_Guy]

Excellent AAR. 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Spent the summer of 96 backpacking and climbing, once you are off the tourist trails, incredible. Inland, Yosemite and the like are incredible.
Point Sur on the coast, just south of Carmel was gorgous.

[paulr]

Many years ago I was lucky enough to spend 6 weeks working in Monterey, CA.

We flew into LA and after a few days up to San Francisco then drove down to Monterey.

Drove back to San Francisco for a weekend, I found both large cities interesting, but a few days was enough.

Weekend trips from Monterey to Point Sur, Carmel, Santa Cruz and inland into the hills were fascinating.

I tacked a four-week holiday onto the end of the trip and drove to Seattle via Yosemite, Tahoe, Sacramento, Klamath Falls, Eugene, Portland (with a visit to Geohex terrain).

Then out to the coast, crossing the Columbia River at Astoria and round the Olympic Peninsular to Port Townsend, then a few days in Seattle before flying out.

I concur with most of your observations, slightly less Spanish back then certainly so in Oregon & Washington.

[Last Hussar]

While I fully understand the 'But its pointless without the US and China' on the Green policy,  I think we have to do as much as we can, it's not really an excuse. (a parallel example would be if you killed someone that would add 0.2% to the UK murder rate, but it's hardly and excuse.

However, you didn't go very far did you?

California is a hamlet to the south side of Aylesbury town centre in Buckinghamshire in England, although today it has been completely swallowed up by the urban growth of Aylesbury.

https://www.bing.com/maps?q=california+aylesbury&FORM=HDRSC7&cp=51.812557%7E-0.81481&lvl=17.2

[kipt]

Orcs, I live about 20 miles east of SF, across the bay.  If I had know you were visiting I would have invited you over.

[flamingpig0]

While I fully understand the 'But its pointless without the US and China' on the Green policy,  I think we have to do as much as we can, it's not really an excuse. (a parallel example would be if you killed someone that would add 0.2% to the UK murder rate, but it's hardly and excuse.

However, you didn't go very far did you?

https://www.bing.com/maps?q=california+aylesbury&FORM=HDRSC7&cp=51.812557%7E-0.81481&lvl=17.2

As a follow on the  Clean Air Act of 1956, is one of the greatest arguments against "Libertarianism" that exists

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

While I fully understand the 'But its pointless without the US and China' on the Green policy,  I think we have to do as much as we can, it's not really an excuse. (a parallel example would be if you killed someone that would add 0.2% to the UK murder rate, but it's hardly and excuse.

However, you didn't go very far did you?

https://www.bing.com/maps?q=california+aylesbury&FORM=HDRSC7&cp=51.812557%7E-0.81481&lvl=17.2

[/q

While I fully understand the 'But its pointless without the US and China' on the Green policy,  I think we have to do as much as we can, it's not really an excuse. (a parallel example would be if you killed someone that would add 0.2% to the UK murder rate, but it's hardly and excuse.

However, you didn't go very far did you?

https://www.bing.com/maps?q=california+aylesbury&FORM=HDRSC7&cp=51.812557%7E-0.81481&lvl=17.2

      

[Ithoriel]

I've been to California only once. I was visiting a friend in Falkirk and popped over to California to pick up a telly that some one was selling on EBay.

[Orcs]

Orcs, I live about 20 miles east of SF, across the bay.  If I had know you were visiting I would have invited you over.

That's A shame, it would have been good to meet up. Perhaps next time when we come and do Nappa valley.

[kipt]

Of course.  Let me know.

[jimduncanuk]

I was in California about 12 years ago touring between LA and SF, last week in June.

I thought it was quite cold by the beach, round about 70 F which by comparison with the previous week up in the high desert of 100+ F was a bit chilly.

The tour guide said it was unseasonably warm that day.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

'The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.' Mark Twain

It's the fog

[paulr]

The trip I mentioned above started in June and the first night we were in Monterey the fog rolled in about 6pm and burned off in the morning about 8:30. This happened for the next couple of days so I asked one of the locals I was working with when he thought the fog would stop rolling in.

After a little thought he said, about the second week of August

I was there for 6 weeks and every night the fog came in. As a Kiwi I'm used to

[kipt]

I did my army basic training at Fort Ord near Monterey.  Basic was near the sea and it was always cold and overcast/foggy (this was June, July).  After Basic I did AIT (Advanced Individual Training) further inland where it was always sunny and hot.