You can hear the seagulls and the breakers slightly off to
one side
While the semis jake brake and the cars whiz by the Amtrac
trains on the other
They are protecting several tiny endangered plant species
found only here -
In the slope up to the freeway exit behind another new Super
Target
The elephant seals have begun to re-appear after being
mass-slaughtered a century ago
Priuses tailgate Cadillac SUVs in unending lines through
smog-enhanced sunsets
There is a green recycling bin by each one of the many
public garbage cans
But, Yosemite valley is a twisty, overcrowded maze of dusty,
half-lost traffic
The bread is good and there are organic fruits and
vegetables readily available
Stores and houses crowd the farmland down to the tiny
coastal butterfly reserves
Progressive is not an insulting word and alternative
thinking abounds
The radio dial sports more Christianity than Country but
less than Spanish FA-MA
They are protecting the beach nesting areas of the
endangered snowy sand plover
Thirty-five million people already live here and more arrive
every single day
There may still be good, un-crowded surf breaks just a short
ways up the central coast
They pipe stolen water 500 miles to try and quench LA’s vast
unending thirst
Chances are a freeway will take you to that remotest
wilderness area
It’s all handicapped accessible and the poor earn money
collecting all the recyclable litter
The gasoline pumps are fitted with vapor-trapping devices to
fight the air pollution
Retirees carefully fuel their 70’ motor homes which tow
monstrous SUVs
Bears roaming through the campsites are exciting nighttime
entertainment
Having a flat out on an urban freeway might just cost you
your life
They got commuter trains and carpool lanes and a host of
ecological tax incentives
Quite often you don’t have an average speed, stalled
somewhere out on The 5
The economy is hi-tech, service-oriented and among the
world’s largest
Swarms of the brown people’s decrepit vehicles surround a
myriad of small plots
The climate is mild along the coast, tending towards
forgiving and inviting
There really is no end to the traffic but sometimes it’s a
little lighter
Volunteer ‘docentes’ help to raise public awareness
of the treasures to be preserved
It’s really hard to tell if they are moving ahead any faster
than they fall behind
Cute little signs urge us not to dump because these drains
all flow into our bay
Still, Tijuana, but 10 miles down, pours all its raw sewage
into the ocean every day
These people buy more hybrid cars than any place else on
earth
Their mammoth shining RVs consume power like apartments in
slow motion
Every owner counts on the high six figures and above from
the investment that is their home
The lucky urban poor raise children at campgrounds, fairly
near to where they were born
They are protecting the fuzzy otters in the lush green kelp
beds just offshore
Their
organic spinach infected with migrant E. Coli sometimes finds its way into our
markets
