You know you are in California when...

We are in California visiting with our son and his wife. Today while they were at work, we decided to drive from Mountain View through San Francisco and across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Muir Woods National Monument to see the redwoods.

On the way there, I realized, much to my annoyance, that I had forgotten my camera. It was in the side pocket of my backpack which I had left at their apartment. I would have loved to have taken a picture of the bridge or a picture from the bridge of San Francisco Bay. The coastal redwoods are much too impressive to actually be captured in a photo.

We hiked through the forest...further than we meant to when we started out. The trail was muddy and slippery from recent rain, but the trees were awe-inspiring. It is overwhelming to stand among them looking up and realize their immensity. Later we drove further up the mountain and then down the west side where we could see the ocean from a lookout area. Way below us was the Pacific crashing against the shoreline. Again, it would have made an amazing photo.

However, the picture I most missed taking was of a sign I saw on the way back to the parking lot. You know you are in California when you see a sign that says, "First Amendment Rights Area." Underneath the title was the explanation that this was the designated area in which individuals wishing to express their first amendment rights could do so. Seriously??? There are designated areas for such?! Does any other state in the union do this?

I once heard someone say that a long time ago, the country was tilted to the west, and all the nuts rolled to California. Maybe he was right.