Why is California such a vibe?

[Anonymous]

Hate to sound cliche lol but every time I visit California there’s just like a special energy in the air, it’s insane. Hard to describe it. Not to say that it doesn’t have its issues but still, outside of all that, it’s just a really beautiful place, I love it.

[NamerOfStars]

Take a look at a globe. Start from Indonesia and work your way east. Notice the huge amounts of nothing once the islands run out? The Polynesians who settled the lands there are were FANTASTIC navigators- no compasses or sextants or even "when you come to a cluster of three pine trees in a row, turn north in four miles"; NOTHING but the moon and stars.

And not only did they island hop well enough to FIND new places, they found them AGAIN, to settle them. Using what were little more than canoes. Now, Hawaii is pretty much the last real land before you hit California (or Mexico, if you're going straight east), and it's a BIG hop to get even that far, regardless of which island you're coming from. Consequently, there must've been (I obviously wasn't there, but some things are universal) an air of "this is it; we finally made it- we're here" on the islands in those days; you see much of that same mellowness of spirit there today. Even reaching the islands was such an incredible accomplishment, they must've felt like a gift from the gods.

Now look at a topographical map of the US. Whether it's the Rockies or the Sierra Nevadas, California can only be reached by crossing some SERIOUS mountains (assuming you're coming from the east), and very tall mountains have very big rain shadows- and usually, as in this case, very DARK rain shadows; the area east of the Rockies is literally called "the badlands". Additionally, because those ranges run northwest-southeast, and the Appalachians on the other side of the nation run northeast-southwest, you have ideal tornado-forming geography, and crossing the distance far enough south (where you're out of the worst of the rain shadow) means heading into tornado country.

So similar to Hawaii, reaching California feels like you've "made it"- you passed the last test, crossed the final boundary, and reached the end of the pilgrimage to receive your reward.

[OlderAndWiser]

California would be a great place if it wasn't inhabited by aliens from outer space.

[SaoirseS]

My memories of California:
1. Traffic
2. All roads beginning with “the” (the 5, the 405, the 101, etc.)
3. Expensive
4. Traffic

[Lyndsielee666]

The part I’m in is absolutely not a vibe 😂

[dustybiker]

It does that.