Sometimes misty, ever magical, California entices the imagination with dreamy adventures of all kinds. Only here can you climb from the lowest to the highest point in the lower 48 – that is, if you dare! California has a landscape so diverse it needs nine different national parks to show them all off – and that’s to say nothing of a gemlike collection of state parks besides. This state is long, with a wonderful stretch of Pacific coastline that ranges from rugged cliffs to beautiful beaches. Lest I neglect the interior, I hasten to add that away from the coast, California is home to the oldest trees, the tallest trees and the biggest trees on the planet – and the Dr. Seuss-like Joshua trees as well. With deserts, volcanoes, alpine peaks, wild forests and windswept beaches, what’s not to love?
Although I’d visited many happy times previously, I finally started to feel like a local in 2020. My husband’s home state opened her arms to me as well, catching me when I most needed to be caught. Thereafter, I lived in the Golden State for two tremendous years, and still consider California home. Welcome to one of my favorite places on the planet!
