My Emotions Are Bleeding Into My Charts

"DCCARGEEK" (dccargeek) 10/14/2015 at 01:22 • Filed to: None

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After four long months living in California, traversing the 405 day and night I’ve concluded: I hate California.

jester74 > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 01:44

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I left when I was 18 and now only go back for funerals. I too hate California.

911e46z06 > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 01:50

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Move South, brah. We have plenty of beer for everyone. You have to deal with people calling you ‘brah’ though.

Osiris - I can haz Euro spec? > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 02:06

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After growing up and spending my first 21 years of life in California, and then joining the Air Force and moving out of California, I have concluded that I will never return. So many better (and cheaper) places to go.

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 02:20

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NorCal is much better road wise and air wise but is even more expensive.

facw > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 02:47

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You could live closer to work?

Sneaky Pete > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 10/14/2015 at 03:08

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Road wise? No. The rest is true.

It’s taken me 34 years to realize California sucks. It wasn’t always this bad.

S H: now with more letters! > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 03:45

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I hated it, then I started getting out more. You have to take advantage of all the awesome things and places in CA to balance out the negatives. Endless amounts of beautiful hiking, world-class events and smooth sections of blacktop help me deal with the craziness. I feel it is probably as good a homebase as any.

Are you OC or LA?

A list of some of my favorite places, check ‘em out and see if you feel a bit better:

Sandstone Peak in Malibu (short hike but you can also go to the Getty Villa [free save for parking, schedule your tickets online] and Matador Beach in the same day). All three are absolutely amazing (as are many sections of PCH north of Santa Monica). At the base of the road up to Circle X Ranch and Sandstone Peak is Neptune’s Net, from the first F&F. Gorgeous redrock peaks in Malibu, breathtaking views almost the entire time. The drive up is super technical and you can take it to Mulholland Highway and some other classic canyon roads.

Crystal Cove and South Laguna Beach have some of my favorite beaches. The Montage reminds me of Elysium, and has some amazingly clear water as the waves break directly onto the sand (go out twenty feet and it is swimming pool clear), mind-blowing at sunset. Not to mention some fantastic tidepools. Taco Loco is a local landmark on PCH that I love. For Crystal Cove I would suggest to Park in the neighborhood north of the park and to walk into CC and along the sand to the southernmost point. Such a beautiful view from PCH and you could even stop and get a milkshake at the crowded-as-fuck Ruby’s Shake Shack (though I would say go from the beach, don’t try to drive-in).

Chantry Flats to Sturtevant Falls to Mt. Wilson is a gorgeous and varied hike. You walk along a crowded road before hitting a junction which has a path continuing on to Sturtevant Falls, which is a nice 80’ year-round waterfall. The path above the falls continues the whole way up to Mt. Wilson, where you can find the Observatory and some associated buildings. The trail above the falls offers a good bit of solitude and travels through well-shaded forest almost the entire way.

There is so much hiking to help de-stress on days off. A bonus is that most trailheads are off of wonderful pieces of pavement. Most roads in Angeles NF are a good time (and have very little enforcement).

Sorry if this response is way too long, I just was definitely in your position, hating every moment living here. But there is so much good living here that comes with the bad!

I need to stop drinking coffee so late.

Xyl0c41n3 > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 03:46

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Texas forever.

E92M3 > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 06:54

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Man what a debbie downer. I’ve always thought of SoCal as the best place in the states to live. The weather is perfect year round. The car culture is amazing. I’ve often day dreamed of winning the lottery and moving there. If the cost of living wasn’t so high I would of probably done it already.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 07:28

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I would think avoiding the 405 at all costs would be ideal. Even if that means moving or changing jobs. There are certainly other freeways like this in the LA area as well. If anything, I could agree with hating LA but not all of California is LA. San Diego is a literal paradise and driving up the one towards Monterey is just like some sort of Automotive journey to Mecca. The only real concern is the drought and how that might affect the future of living in the state/region.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > S H: now with more letters! 10/14/2015 at 07:30

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I enjoy these hiking suggestions. I will be in LA next week and was looking for some challenging/rewarding day-hikes to do. I know driving on Angeles Crest Highway very well so it will be great to hike up there to Mount Wilson!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > E92M3 10/14/2015 at 07:32

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I think NorCal has better weather. Then you actually get some seasons too. But you still get to avoid the Snowpocalypses of the east coast/Midwest. Anything to avoid humidity though sounds lovely to me.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > facw 10/14/2015 at 07:34

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This is an underrated concept. But also not viable in most cases. You can't just tell your significant other or family to have a longer commute in order to make your commute shorter. I think if you live on your own, all expenses should be spared to have as short of a commute as possible. It is just not worth the stress to commute far. But long commute times are inevitable for the majority.

wiffleballtony > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 11:05

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I moved out of California back in 2001. I end up driving to the beach or so twice a year or so. Each time in amazes me that it continues to get worse year after year. The road conditions specifically are terrible. The moment I hit the border it’s noticeably worse.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 11:41

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California’s a big place. There’s a lot to love, too. But I’ve never lived and worked there. Sorry about your drive.

DCCARGEEK > S H: now with more letters! 10/14/2015 at 14:22

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Thanks for taking the time to share your experience here and provide a few fun things to get out and do. Many here have made great points - the state is great, has a lot to offer, but if your work isn’t near where you live - be prepared for constant highway congestion.

I do plan to relocate closer to my office, but as others have said, when you work near the beach, buying a home with good schools for a family isn’t exactly “easy” and it’s far from affordable.

DCCARGEEK > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/14/2015 at 14:23

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Yes. I work in Santa Monica. My wife and kids would prefer a single family home or nice townhouse. How much are those on average in a 15-20 min commute to Santa Monica? Try $800K and up for 1200 sqft mediocre home.

DCCARGEEK > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/14/2015 at 14:24

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My dream is to tell stories for a living.

S H: now with more letters! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/14/2015 at 16:14

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If you go, here is the loop. As they mention in the guide, you can take Upper Winter Creek Trail at the last junction, which means you don’t finish with an uphill journey (I definitely prefer it this way). Also, make sure you bring bug spray, the flies will be swarming. I prefer to take the trail to the top of the falls and hike down instead of taking the lower trail and doubling back (to do this take the Lower Gabrielino Trail mentioned in Step 3). Chantry Flats requires an Adventure Pass/Interagency Pass or a Day Pass, so pick one up before heading up or get one at the general store in the parking lot. If you go over the weekend, parking is a pain after 8.

Definitely my favorite hike in Angeles NF!

For a shorter hike in the city, this is my favorite in Griffith Park.

Thanks for reading! I hike every weekend and rarely get to share.

S H: now with more letters! > DCCARGEEK 10/14/2015 at 16:38

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I totally understand!

You are going to hate it. You are going to wish that you were from here. Then you are going to get used to the endless traffic and take solace in the fact that everyone here knows how to drive in traffic and it isn’t all that bad. The main thing is, don’t let that stress keep you from going out at every free moment or you might miss the (at times, overwhelming) good for all the bad. That is, I think, the key to loving it here.

CRider > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 10/15/2015 at 03:42

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Northern California is a rainforest. Great place to visit, but that’s not the kind of weather people think of when they move to California.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > S H: now with more letters! 10/15/2015 at 08:22

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Yeah both days I plan on hiking will be weekdays. I hate hiking on the weekends here on the east coast, could only imagine it is worse in LA. Of course weekday hikes are harder to pull off with the whole work thing.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > CRider 10/15/2015 at 08:29

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Yeah for some reason people like living in the desert. I don't really enjoy living in an oven lol

Scott > DCCARGEEK 10/15/2015 at 11:40

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The worst thing about California... Californians are starting to leave, and they are bringing their crap with them... ohhh the horror.. the humanity.