I have been to California approximately 317 times in my lifetime (give or take a dozen trips). My friends and relatives live up and down the state — from Sacramento to San Francisco to Orange County to San Diego. And also some creepy little inland desert towns you don’t even want to know about (Cue the “Deliverance” banjos now).

So why is it whenever I visit CA., as Ted and I did for the last five days, I morph into a complete rube when I get there?

I’m telling you, it’s like this dream place where I expect Glinda the Good Witch of the North to come floating along in a giant Ivory Soap bubble.

First, there is the growing season. And the green. Every shade of green: Kelly, chartreuse, pine, Granny Smith, olive. Green all the time. Did I mention flowers? Everything is in bloom. The impatiens and begonias I grow in Utah look like salesman’s samples of the technicolor giants that flourish in California gardens. Even the freeway medians are wildly blooming. I can’t keep from gawking and gasping at the sights.

Here I am, standing in a field in Solvang, California. It’s nothing spectacular. But it’s green. And the sky is blue. I love it.

Next, I must mention the liquor scene. Walking into any Ralph’s, Von’s or Albertson’s supermarket, I immediately submit to the magnetic force of the wine department, pulling me in its direction. My eyes swell to seven times their normal size. I grab whomever I’m with by the sleeve, insisting he or she follow me over to the massive display of Napa or Russian River wines. Oh, and those Santa Barbara pinots? Wow. Look over here, Ted! Just like “Sideways!”

Of course, this is all due to my Utah upbringing and the fact that I’ve survived my adult years as a victim of the Utah liquor store phenomenon. When I visit any state with sane liquor laws I shift into instant hayseed mode. It’s unbelievable one can walk into a store, grab a chilled bottle of white on the way to a dinner party and be through the whole experience in under 11 minutes.

Guess what else? In California, you can even buy a corkscrew or a couple of limes in the liquor store! And cold beer, too. How exotic.

So nice to make a purchase without feeling like I’m standing in line for bread and potatoes under the old Soviet Union market system.

So, the trip was great, especially for this hick.

As I mentioned late last week, the real reason we went to CA. was for the final stages of the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race. Ted is the executive director of The Tour of Utah race. We traveled with several of his erstwhile staff members — volunteer directors, fundraisers and sponsorship directors, as well as a couple of members of the Utah Sports Commission.

Here are two of those travel companions: Michael Spencer, left, with Karen Kaull Weiss. Michael is a former U.S. Olympic moguls skier and attorney specializing in professional sports issues. Karen is Ted’s right hand in the Tour of Utah and an event planner by profession. Both are great fun.

Besides shooting bad photos, all I had to do for five days was wander around, gawk at wine displays, and look at gorgeous hard bodies on racing bikes. Then it was home again, where I am happy to be. It’s snowing like hell right now, it’s lovely, and it’s home.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 27th, 2007 at 11:40 am and is filed under All, Sports, Pretty Things, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

I have been to California approximately 317 times in my lifetime (give or take a dozen trips). My friends and relatives live up and down the state — from Sacramento to San Francisco to Orange County to San Diego. And also some creepy little inland desert towns you don’t even want to know about (Cue the “Deliverance” banjos now).

So why is it whenever I visit CA., as Ted and I did for the last five days, I morph into a complete rube when I get there?

I’m telling you, it’s like this dream place where I expect Glinda the Good Witch of the North to come floating along in a giant Ivory Soap bubble.

First, there is the growing season. And the green. Every shade of green: Kelly, chartreuse, pine, Granny Smith, olive. Green all the time. Did I mention flowers? Everything is in bloom. The impatiens and begonias I grow in Utah look like salesman’s samples of the technicolor giants that flourish in California gardens. Even the freeway medians are wildly blooming. I can’t keep from gawking and gasping at the sights.

Here I am, standing in a field in Solvang, California. It’s nothing spectacular. But it’s green. And the sky is blue. I love it.

Next, I must mention the liquor scene. Walking into any Ralph’s, Von’s or Albertson’s supermarket, I immediately submit to the magnetic force of the wine department, pulling me in its direction. My eyes swell to seven times their normal size. I grab whomever I’m with by the sleeve, insisting he or she follow me over to the massive display of Napa or Russian River wines. Oh, and those Santa Barbara pinots? Wow. Look over here, Ted! Just like “Sideways!”

Of course, this is all due to my Utah upbringing and the fact that I’ve survived my adult years as a victim of the Utah liquor store phenomenon. When I visit any state with sane liquor laws I shift into instant hayseed mode. It’s unbelievable one can walk into a store, grab a chilled bottle of white on the way to a dinner party and be through the whole experience in under 11 minutes.

Guess what else? In California, you can even buy a corkscrew or a couple of limes in the liquor store! And cold beer, too. How exotic.

So nice to make a purchase without feeling like I’m standing in line for bread and potatoes under the old Soviet Union market system.

So, the trip was great, especially for this hick.

As I mentioned late last week, the real reason we went to CA. was for the final stages of the Amgen Tour of California bicycle race. Ted is the executive director of The Tour of Utah race. We traveled with several of his erstwhile staff members — volunteer directors, fundraisers and sponsorship directors, as well as a couple of members of the Utah Sports Commission.

Here are two of those travel companions: Michael Spencer, left, with Karen Kaull Weiss. Michael is a former U.S. Olympic moguls skier and attorney specializing in professional sports issues. Karen is Ted’s right hand in the Tour of Utah and an event planner by profession. Both are great fun.

Besides shooting bad photos, all I had to do for five days was wander around, gawk at wine displays, and look at gorgeous hard bodies on racing bikes. Then it was home again, where I am happy to be. It’s snowing like hell right now, it’s lovely, and it’s home.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 27th, 2007 at 11:40 am and is filed under All, Sports, Pretty Things, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.