The California trip was something else. Driving that far was not as bad as I imagined it could be. I had the opportunity to take so many cool pictures. Hanging out the van window at 80 mph was an adventure to try to capture some of those mountains in Arizona on film. Utah was desolate. As far as you could see there was small dry bushes and hard sand. In the distance the mountains loomed, but they were always miles away. Everything was a tannish reddish color. The roads were pretty straight and stretched for miles ahead of us. Entering california was about the same. We did go through some impressive red rock mountains which were a plesant break from the monotony of the desolation.
Los Angeles…a city of smog, traffic, and palm trees. The traffic was unlike anything I had previously experienced. We would sit and wait forever. To go from Santa Monica to LaMirada was only 32 miles but it took nearly 2 hours. I can’t deal with that. The beach and pier at Santa Monica was awesome. I can now say I have touched both oceans (And driven from one side of the US to the other).
Hollywood was alot more dingy and dirty than I expected it to be. I guess it is such an old city (by California standards) that it is like that. But the Avenue of Stars was not at all what I imagined as some of the stars were cracked and broken, and the black sidewalks were old and dusty. Our brief drive through Beverly Hills, however, proved that it was as nice as you see on TV. It was interesting being in a place that shapes our culture’s thinking…or lack thereof.