Mountains, Beaches and Snow: A California Winter

---

Edward Abbey:
"There is science, logic, reason; there is thought verified by experience.
And then there is California."

Jimmy Carter:
“Whatever starts in California
unfortunately has an inclination to spread.”

Henry Miller:
“Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked at from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look”

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
"California will not wait for our federal government to take strong action on global warming. We won't wait for the federal government. We will move forward because we know it's the right thing to do.
We will lead on this issue."
(when asked if it was time to legalize cannabis)
"No, I think that it's not time for that, but I think it's time for a debate"
"I would rather be Governor of California than own Austria"

Ross MacDonald:
"Nothing is wrong with Southern California that a rise in the ocean level wouldn't cure."

Jonathan Culler:
“Los Angeles makes the rest of California seem authentic”

California has 1750 kilometers of coastline, 424,000 sq kilometers of land area and 35 million people. Approximately 85% of its

Coastal Redwood, Big Basin State Park

---

Only 4% of old growth Redwoods remain. Here we see a giant in the Santa Cruz mountains of the SF Bay Area.

population living within 50 kilometers of the coast. Today, each resident has about 5 centimeters of coastline to enjoy, and the population is increasing at the rate of 1500 people per day. In 2008 California made over 545 million gallons of wine. With less than four percent of the nation’s farmland California produces 350 commercial crops, generating agricultural revenue of over 31 Billion USD per year. Each year California makes 80 percent of the world supply of almonds, 5.3 billion eggs and $3 Billion USD in grapes.

California had over 74 distinct Native American languages at the time of contact.
The California Floristic Province has over 2100 endemic species of animals and plants.
California is home to 52 conifers, including 18 of the United States' 39 pines, 10 of its 11 cypresses, and 7 of its 9 firs. Noted Species:

• Giant Sequoia: The Worlds Most Massive Tree
• Coast Redwood: The Worlds Tallest Tree
• Bristlecone Pine: The Worlds Longest Lived Tree
• Sugar Pine: The World's Largest Pine

Bill Clinton:
"California has become the first American state where there is no majority race, and we're doing just fine. If you look around the room, you can see a microcosm

Snowshoeing in a Blizzard, Lassen

---

Shortly after setting off on the trail, a summit of Lassen Volcano seemed unlikely

of what we can do in the world. . . . You should be hopeful on balance about the future. But it's like any future since the beginning of time -- you're going to have to make it.”

Gloria Swanson:
"All creative people should be required to leave California for three months every year."

Saul Bellow
“California is like an artificial limb the rest of the country doesn't really need. You can quote me on that.”

Fred Allen:
"California is a fine place to live—if you happen to be an orange."

Mort Sahl:
"You haven't lived until you've died in California”

Geographical Elitism

An attitude of superiority based solely on geographical location. ex--> People in Newport Beach looks down on people from Huntington Beach, who look down on those from Riverside. Both of them make fun of people who are from Barstow. ex--> In San Francisco people look poorly upon those from San Jose, Who view people from Fresno poorly, who in turn make fun of people who live in Bakersfield.

But what is the real armpit of California? Wealth? Materialism? Beauty?

The reality of California is that it is a microcosm of the world. All that is good and bad about human civilization is here. We set trends for a nation, we have race riots, we make movies, we advance technology, we are culturally diverse. 25% of our environment is pristine with most of that protected. We also are a product of the petroleum based world. The vast settling of the American Southwest was only possible with a combination of cheap oil and imported water from hundreds of miles away. If we independently have the world's 7th largest economy, why does the California government have a $22 Billion USD deficit and run out of money for schools?

--Steve
http://www.sphotography.org

---