Two Oceans

Busy outdoor day today, so just a little something I found that looked absolutely lovely: our Pacific shore, near Point Mugu, California:

And our Atlantic shore, on Hunting Island, South Carolina:

 In case you are wondering, the Pacific here is cool, a decent level of salty, and pristine blue.  The Atlantic here is warm (almost hot, thanks to the Gulf Stream), not terribly salty, and brownish, both features because of so many rivers pouring into the ocean.  The Pacific has wonderful beaches but is also quite rocky for much of its North American coastline.  Down here in California, more so towards the southern reaches, you don't tend to see a lot of trees, but rather wonderfully dense and lush chaparral (some of the plants were in a winter remission, when the California pictures were taken).  From Virginia Beach southward almost to Cape Canaveral, Florida, you get a lot of what you see above, some dunes backed by wonderful towering pine forests, and southward, including here, palms.

For now just some nice coastal scenery.  I'll revisit both places in detail later. 

How To Tell A State Line Is Near

1. There will be a lot of ads for firework stores and/or "adult" stores.

2. The state which you are leaving tries desperately to catch your attention with tons of billboards noting local attractions.

3. The state which you are leaving makes absolutely no attempt to remind you that you were even there.

4. You see billboards for Pure Michigan, as long as you are east of the Mountain Time Zone.  Michigan tourism advertisements are among the most prolific of any region in the United States.  The signs are usually near a state line, hoping to catch long distance travelers. 

5. You will find massive plantings of whatever tree or flower the state is crazy over.  Within a mile of the state line to Florida along any of its entry points will be palm trees planted en masse.  They even make Georgia do it for them on the other side!

6. Out of absolutely nothing you see a line of nearly urban development, complete with high-rise buildings and even rollercoasters. 

I-15 northbound.

This would be Primm, Nevada, which rises almost like a mirage oasis out of the dusty, barren bed of Ivanpah Dry Lake.  The west's lower elevations in general are arid affairs, but this particular part of the Mojave Desert is literally nothing but sand:

It can have water after some heavy spring rains.  I've seen it once, I swear, but yes, that is mostly sand.  A lot of sand.

Yet there Primm arises, the development project of Primm Valley Resorts, complete with multiple gas stations, convenience stores, and three casinos.  Right across the line in the California sun sand would be a gas station with the highest lottery sales for California, just a short walk from the same sort of gas station for Nevada and its lottery.  On the other side of I-15 entering the state from Arizona is the town of Mesquite, which also arises with a heck of a lot of gambling (of superior quality to that found in Primm), albeit from another actual town of Littlefield, Arizona, both Mormon pioneer towns built in the second half of the 19th century alongside the gracious waters of the Virgin River.  Up north, along I-80, West Wendover, Nevada, does yet another developmental surge for the traveler.  Nevada is heavily dependent upon tourism and especially gambling and the state's residents do not hesitate to try to milk you for your worth as soon as legally possible. 

Seeking A Pleasant Climate?

Tired of persistent heat, cold, rain, drought, dust, overbearing weeds?  Looking for the perfect place wherein one can keep their windows open all year, day after day, without fear for sudden rain or the sudden dash to stop a thermostat from taking control?  Do you wish to never experience anything remotely connected to "seasonal" again?

Look no further than the San Diego-Tijuana international metropolitan area!  January days in the mid 60's, July days in the mid 70's, and almost no variation otherwise!  Only 10 inches of rain a year!  Temperatures moderate enough to keep one from ever worrying about either frost or drought again!  The swaying palms of the tropics combined with the great frigid swimming pool of the California Pacific right off the backyard!

OK, so its covered in a nice layer of haze and smog much of the time and the water bills tend to be a bit extreme, but for anyone who wants a truly "in between" climate, coastal Southern California is the place to be.  The risks involve potential water hardships if California keeps overdrawing its reserves from farther afield than they ever planned to ship water in, not to mention earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, insane wildfires (at least with the current wildfire management strategies), and, you know, forgetting that the rest of the world exists, but climate wise the place can be pretty nice. 

There is probably no better place outside of Hawaii and southern Florida for growing a large assortment of palms and even quite a few tropicals.

Having the Pacific Ocean for a backdrop is also pretty nice.  Big blue moderates the temperatures and is amazing water to swim in.

That said, the environmental damage in southern California is catastrophic.  Development has almost completely changed the world there, in many cases actually adding significantly to the natural disasters, especially where wildfires are concerned.   Outside of the North American prairies, there has probably been no place worse affected than here because of the removal of native flora and fauna.  Part of this lies in the fact that precious little room is available for continued expansion (the same problem that southern Florida faces); miles inland lies the beginnings of the deserts of the interior, and even walking a few blocks away from the beach turns up the temperature a few degrees.  Still, people will keep moving to sunny Cali so long as the natural living conditions keep remaining so amazing.  Midwesterners, Lakers, and Northeasterners often look on at such places in envy for the lack of general extremes they have, especially when contending with too much or too little of the good things like moisture, chills, and heats. 

Still, you can never slide down a hill on a sled here in the wintertime.  You can't have many kinds of fruit trees that need a little winter chill to properly fruit.  You can't even make good wine when the heat turns up (not that I am... heh... in any way unappreciative of California wines.  Napa can still manage to get the heat when it needs to.  You know, if you want to make pretentious statements about superiority.)!  Eternal spring is not for everyone or everything.  I often remember this when I feel gloomy over a Michigan late spring, early frost, baking July, or overly frigid January.  We do, after all, have amazing forests, prairies, and water that could make even the majestic Pacific blush.  Perhaps the best thing to do is appreciate what one has and try to make the most of it and learn all one can about it.  The pleasant climate might just end up being the one where the most familiar things flourish.