California, first impressions

Well, my short time in California is about up. My first thoughts of the state aren't anything great...

1. I'm surprised its not greener. I was expecting something more like Georgia I guess, but it seems more like Denver, with Palm trees. I suspect I'd have to go further north for things to "green up." That does explain the wildfires though.
   
2. Yes, the traffic around LA is absolutely as bad is they say it is.
3. Are the houses here really worth what the asking prices are? They sure don't look it.
4. It's the end of November, and temps are in the high 60's.... but it was in the high 60's when I left Denver too. I suspect they are much more stable here though
5. I'm reminded that the beach really does not do anything for me. Don't care for the feel of sand in my toes, or the sticky feeling the air leaves on my skin. The water didn't seem all that warm either.
6. Houses on cliffs are probably not the safest things to live in.
7. The people seem nice enough around here
8. I do find the geography of the area appealing, mountains around the horizon.
9. Eucalyptus trees are neat looking, but I imagine they aren't a native species.

Tomorrow we'll drive back down the pacific coast highway to LA. Should be much better this time, since it will be daylight. The drive north was simply nerve wracking. I don't care for driving in unfamiliar land at night, and the lanes were narrow at points. It was also disappointing to not have any kind of view. The plane takes off for for New Zealand at 8 PM pacific time, and then I'm stuck on it for 13 hours. Yipee! I heard that Qantas flights are pretty nice though. We'll see.

Well, in closing, I'll leave you with a few photos I took at the beach in Port Hueneme during sunset tonight