The Long Trip to California

Today marks exactly three months that I have been in California. My journeys here have taken me over much of the state, from Lake  Tahoe and along the east side of the Sierra, to the high desert, the Central Valley, the Bay Area, the Central Coast, the North Coast, and now to where I am, along the beach just north of Los Angeles (more on that in another post).

It's by far the longest amount of time I've ever spent in this state, and (excepting Colorado) the longest continuous stretch outside any state since the half year I spent in Massachusetts in 2008-2009 (and even then I made regular trips to New Hampshire).

I would claim that I've begun to feel like a resident here, but I don't feel that way at all, mainly because I've been on the move the entire time, and have stayed in one place no longer than 9-10 days at a time (which is actually how long I've been in my current locale).

I've come to call this phase of my travels "The Long Trip to California" as per title. It goes with "The Loop" that I made earlier this year through through the eastern and central parts of the U.S.A.

The last three months here have been among the most interesting, inspiring, invigorating, and downright fun experiences of my entire life. I've been extremely fortunate during almost every phase of this, especially in the people I've met, both old dear friends and brand new ones.

It is probably the biggest reason that I travel---to meet people, to force myself to meet people perhaps, and I have not been let down at all. I am extremely grateful for this, most especially to those who have hosted in me in various places along the way, in particular Fresno, Arroyo Grande, Oakland, and Berkeley.

I suppose it is worth recording some of my overall impressions of the state at this point. But I'll probably do that in the next post.

For now I'm just going to relax in this very comfortable motel bed and watch some old television episodes on Netflix. I've just started watching The Rockford Files, starting with the pilot episode from 1974. Maybe that gives you a clue about where I am right now.