Well, the storms here last night (ahh, thunderstorms... how I have missed thee) certainly made the evening and night wonderfully cool, but I have to admit that the humidity today is kicking my scrawny white arse. The sad thing is that I am quite certain this degree of humidity is nothing serious, and it is only going to get worse next summer. That is, quite possibly, the only thing I miss from Kalifornistan - the complete and utter lack of humidity. I am definitely one of those people who can withstand just about any temperature, so long as the air is not wet enough to swim in. And while the weather never changed, the seasons never changed, and it was always a wee bit warm in Kalifornistan, it was never humid, and that, at least, was something.

Of course, I hear that Kalifornistan's birthday falls somewhere in this week:

Do you know what happened this week back in 1850, 158 years ago?

California became a state!

The State had no electricity.

The State had no money.

Almost everyone spoke Spanish.

There were gunfights in the streets.

So basically, it was just like it is today, except the women had real breasts and the men didn't hold hands.

Happy birthday to the state, though I occasionally have to wonder at the wisdom of the decision to actually grant it statehood, gold or not.

For example, Kalifornistan may be celebrating Election Day by trying to undermine a centuries-old (if not millenia-old) tradition:

With Labor Day behind us and kids back in school, California voters are beginning to ask deeper questions about Proposition 8 and wondering what will happen if same-sex marriage is permanently legalized. The answers are unsettling. Consider these consequences if Prop 8 fails.

1. Children in public schools will have to be taught that same-sex marriage is just as good as traditional marriage . The California Education Code (§51890) already requires that health education classes instruct children about marriage. Therefore, unless Proposition 8 passes, children will be taught that marriage is a relation between any two adults regardless of gender. There will be serious clashes between the secular school system and the right of parents to teach their children their own values and beliefs.

2. It will lead to more government intrusion into private lives . A photographer in Albuquerque refused to photograph a lesbian couple's civil union ceremony. The New Mexico Human Rights Commission fined the photographer $6000 even though there were other photographers willing to accept the business. And this in a state where same-sex marriage is still illegal.

3. It will lead to speech monitors. An employee at the City of Oakland was threatened with termination for using the terms “natural family, marriage and family values” while discussing a public issue with co-workers. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal backed up the district court saying administrative efficiency in a government office is more important than free speech. Today it's municipal employees; tomorrow … who?

4. Anti-discrimination regulations will become more important than religious beliefs. In Vista, California, a lesbian couple sued a doctor who refused to perform a requested artificial insemination because of the doctor's religious beliefs. Although another doctor offered to do the procedure, the California Supreme Court held unanimously that the “1 st Amendment's right to the free exercise of religion does not exempt defendant physicians here from conforming their conduct to the … antidiscrimination requirements.” An elective procedure, no emergency involved, another doctor willing to do the procedure. Anti-bias laws will outweigh religion.

5. Churches will be sued over their tax-exempt status if they refuse to allow same-sex marriage ceremonies in their religious buildings open to the public. While pastors, priests, ministers, bishops, and rabbis may not be forced to conduct such marriages themselves, they will be required to allow such marriages in their chapels and sanctuaries.

6. Religious adoption agencies will be challenged by government to give up their long-held right to place children only in homes with both a mother and a father. Catholic Charities in Boston has already closed its doors because of the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts.

7. Religions that sponsor private schools with married-student housing will be required to provide housing for same-sex couples, even if counter to church doctrine, or risk lawsuits over tax exemptions and related benefits.

8. Ministers who preach against same-sex marriages will be sued for hate speech and could be fined by the government. It has already happened in Canada, one of six countries that have legalized gay marriage. If a government agency such as the Alberta Human Rights Commission can stop a minister from teaching his church's doctrine about marriage, then it won't be long before everyone's free speech rights will be in jeopardy.

9. It will cost everyone more money. This change in the definition of marriage will bring a cascade of lawsuits, including some already decided adversely. Even if courts eventually find in favor of a defender of traditional marriage (highly improbable given today's activist judges), think of the money – your money, your church contributions – that will be spent on legal battles.

Think of a world where Human Rights Commissions – unelected bureaucrats with unfettered authority – are judge, jury, and executioner of anything they feel is antagonistic speech toward same-sex marriage and its practitioners.

Think of a world where the judicial system relegates long-held religious beliefs to second-class importance behind anti-bias laws and a newly discovered protected class of people.

Think of a world where the public school system is required to teach values and beliefs to your children that may conflict with your own.

Think of the very real threat to your parental rights, your free speech, your freedom of religion.

And think of all the unintended consequences that we cannot even foresee at this time. Where will it end?

It's your children, your grandchildren, your money, and your freedoms.

Lets work together to protect them.

Every day I am thankful I escaped that state. However, I still have to wonder how long it will be before the rest of America is like the Kalifornistan I left behind - everything seems to start there and spread. How far are we going to let the infection go?

By the time you are reading this, Better Half and I should be on our plane and in flight over some state other than Kalifornistan (assuming no delays or other such problems). Furthermore, barring a momentary lapse of judgement when it comes to deciding on future vacation locations, or possibly (hopefully not) future job requirements, it is fairly safe to say that neither of us will ever return to this state of our own free will.

As such, GOOD !@#$%&* RIDDANCE! David is probably right, Kalifornistan is likely to be the front lines of some very interesting gun-rights battles in the near future, especially in light of the recent DC vs. Heller decision. However, gun-rights are only one aspect of the stupidity available in Kalifornistan - you also have your choice cars with lower horsepower than those sold in other states just because of emission requirements, state-sponsored scams in the form of a recycling program, state-sponsored scams in the form of a "smog check" (oh, but not for cars made before 1976... you know, some of the most polluting vehicles out there), absurdly high gas prices, absurdly high cost of living in general, house prices that, while they have burst, are still stratospheric, a Big Brother government that knows no bounds... the list literally goes on longer than I can remember and care to write.

I am definitely a gun nut at this point, but there are a lot of other elements that come into play in my and our lives, and we are quite certain that our lives will be considerably better and happier in another state. Any other state, really.

So, best of luck to everyone else who has either chosen to remain behind in Kalifornistan or is stuck here for other reasons... but as for us, we are tyen-sah out of here! Dong ma?

You know, living in Southern Kalifornistan as I do, things like this should not surprise me any more:

Can anyone venture to tell me what, exactly, is wrong with this particular sign? And, no, there is nothing faded out or anything on the sign - that is the way it was originally printed. Oh, and the real cherry on top of this mess? This sign is posted right outside a school. Way to go, American public education system!

So apparently Kalifornistan is in a drought, surprisingly enough. Of course, as I happened to be driving about yesterday (which I did an unfortunately large amount of), I noticed one constant thing, starting in the evening, and progressing well into the night.

Was it people setting up rain barrels? Nah. Dew traps, maybe? Nope. How about people going out and buying low-flow faucets? None stuck in my head.

No, the one constant thing was the absurdly copious amounts of water being sprayed out over landscaping, flower beds, trees, and shrubbery (and inevitably all ending up in the street, headed for some gutter somewhere) by automated watering systems. Let me make something simple for those of you who are lucky enough not to live here:

Southern Kalifornistan is a gorramed DESERT. Trying to make it anything but that is going to take absurd amounts of water, from somewhere, to make up for the fact that there is no local, large, widespread source of water - hence the term "desert". Hell, it rains about two weeks out of the year! And guess what happens when all of the water that could be used for keeping people hydrated, industries running, and crops growing ends up draining out of your poorly-designed landscaping onto the streets, and then into the gutters? You get a drought, you bleeding morons.

To be fair, no, landscaping probably is not the single root cause of this most-recent drought - but it sure as hell is not helping.

*sigh* Can I leave yet?

That post title is a recurring theme on a lot of firearm-related weblogs, and I finally found cause to use it myself today.

Behold the below news clipping from AP News:

No felony charges against Farina in gun incident

Los Angeles County prosecutors won't file felony charges against actor Dennis Farina for having a gun in his luggage at an airport earlier this month.

Farina was arrested for investigation of carrying a concealed weapon.

Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, said Friday there wasn't enough evidence to charge Farina with a felony.

Instead, the case was referred to the city attorney's office, which will decide whether to file misdimeanor charges that carry a lighter sentence.

Farina has said he forgot the weapon was there.

Ok, well, first off, credit should be given to the Associated Press for not succumbing to the standard pants-soiling nonsense we often see come out of any media outlet when they start talking about firearms. Hey - you have to encourage them when they do good, otherwise they will just stick to what they know.

However, the positive light pretty much stops there. Unfortunately, the article is incomplete in that it does not mention whether or not Farina has a legal concealed carry license for Los Angeles County. Granted, that little piece of plasic is about as elusive as a bloody unicorn, but, somehow, if you happen to be rich and famous, like so many actors are, procuring one is simply a matter of asking and receiving. Funny how that works.

Furthermore, Farina gets two strikes right off the bat - a concealed firearm anywhere within the state of Kalifornistan (assuming he does not have a license for it), and an undeclared firearm within an airport (at least, I have to assume it was undeclared, considering that finding it in his luggage was such a cause for concern). Of course, given how laws are here in the grand old People's Republik of Kalifornistan, the police here could probably cite you for carrying a firearm in a concealed manner when you have it packed into your luggage and every intention of declaring it when you get to the counter. That said, I cannot really come up with a reason why security or the police would search a piece of luggage before the start of the check-in process.

Now, last I checked, both of those strikes happened to be felonies (the latter made even worse if the firearm happened to be loaded - again, incomplete reporting leaves us wondering) - I could be wrong, and if I am, feel free to correct me. And yet, both of the offenses are being overlooked by the Los Angeles DA's office. How convenient.

But, instead of just coming out and saying that the government of Kalifornistan goes out of its way to cater to the rich and indolent, the spokesperson for the DA had to come up with some legalistic explanation of why things are going the way they are going... Unfortunately, she failed miserably when it comes to believability. Either there was a firearm in Farina's luggage, or there was not. Either he has a license to carry it in a concealed manner, or he does not. Either he declared it at the counter, or he did not. This is a binary situation folks - either the evidence was there, or it was not; there is no "not enough evidence" crap.

And now, instead of trying to pursue the supposedly lacking evidence, or build a case, or anything of the nature, the DA's office is deciding whether or not it will file misdemeanor charges... Not what the charges will be, or what punishment they are seeking, or how many charges, but rather whether to file these lesser charges at all. Must be nice to be rich and famous - you can go and break a law, and the government decides if they are going to bother charging you with a less-severe offense... if at all!

Please do not misunderstand - I have nothing against Mr. Farina. In fact, if it were not for IMDB, I would have no idea who the schmuck was. Furthermore, I despise, with a small, firey passion, Kalifornistan's laws concerning firearms and concealed carry permits. However, the law is the law, whether I like it or not, and it is the same for all classes, races, ethnicities, ages, genders, and political affiliations of all people... or, at least, it would be, if this were not Kalifornistan, and if the person in question were not somehow rich and famous.

So much for Lady Justice being blindfolded... Hell, here in Kalifornstan, she has foregone even her scales and sword in favor of a copy of "People" and a television remote.

It is actually RAINING! In Southern Kalifornistan!

Crud... that means the Apocalypse is neigh...

I do a fair bit of driving in and around San Diego, and while it is quite often a challenge to do so without being run over by some crazed lunatic on the road (more often than not, with Mexico tags), I do tend to notice stupid little things at the same time. Of course, I tend to notice stupid little things regardless. One such thing was a sign by the side of the road (though I have seen more than one instance of it, over the past few months) - the standard orange-background, black-font sign you see at construction sites around the country. I wish I could have gotten a picture of it, but they are always located in places that it would be difficult/dangerous to stop.

Well, simply put, the signs read "End Landscape".

If that is the case, then I have two questions. First, where did it start? And second, what am I driving on now?

So what is the deal with the pictures from earlier this morning? Well, first, a little background on how I got where those pictures were taken.

I woke up yesterday morning, and came to the conclusion that I simply did not want to be stuck in my apartment staring at the walls for another day, and I needed to figure out some way to prevent this. Thankfully, I had yesterday off (a random day off, but I am not one to complain), and decided to head east - I had heard about an outdoor range out in that direction, and I wanted to poke around the southern edge of the Salton Sea (we did not get to explore that end during our cross-country trip), so yesterday seemed like as good a day as any. Unfortunately there are only about two routes out that direction, Highway 3 which, other than remarkably steep grades, is rather unexciting, or California Route 94, which weaves around in the back country, past a reservoir/recrational lake, down towards the border, and then leads right into the road the range is on. You can imagine which one I took. (For those who cannot figure it out, this was my route, in an anonymized nature.) Highways are so boring these days, especially here in Southern California, what with them being twenty lanes wide and all that nonsense.

So, route chosen, and off I went. Otay Lake is... well... a lake. Not much to be said for it, except that it is apparently only open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. That must have something to do with it being a reservoir, but I honestly have no idea. From there on, however, the road gets all manner of fun, switching back and forth, climbing up and down the sides of mountains, diving through valleys, and all that good stuff. Dulzura is situated in a perfectly beautiful valley, and I can definitely see the why of people living there, but not so much the how - do they commute to San Diego? Or is it exclusively a retirement community, and a rather large one at that? I cannot imagine commuting on roads like the ones in and out of there. Unfortunately, on the way out, I got stuck behind an articulated semi, so the drive out was not nearly as fun as the drive in, but I guess those are the breaks. From there on out, you will pass through a couple other small towns , and after you pass under some railroad tracks, you will actually be within a few hundred feet of Mexico. Kinda wierd, especially with the whole lack of a fence, wall, or other demarcation line that would make crossing it difficult. But, obviously, that kind of thing would be racist. Moving on.

The next big town you come to is Campo, home to the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to stop, but after passing it, turning around, and coming back, I just had to stop at the Motor Transport Museum. I lucked out, in that they are only open on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, but lost due to the fact that I got there just in time for all of the guys working there to be headed to lunch. The gentleman who spoke with me, however, was very polite, and was very enthusiastic about me coming back the next time I was in the area. Trust me - that is a very distinct possibility. This place has the most delightfully eclectic collection of cars, trucks, equipment, and just random bits and bobs from about 10 years back all the way back to possibly the early '20s, if not farther. I did not have a chance to poke my head into the actual building where they do their restoration work, but just the stuff they had parked out on the grounds was impressive as hell, ranging from a centrifugal pump 10 feet in diameter to an old air raid siren to Ford trucks your grandfather could have driven to old military two-ton trucks to God knows what else. I was the only visitor at the time, but anyone who is any manner of interested in antique cars, historical equipment, or anything of the like would definitely get a kick out of this place.

Moving on out of Campo, you come across an Indian reservation (not the most depressing one I have seen, but close), the town of Boulevard, and the town of Jacumba, which actually seems like a pleasant enough very-small town, complete with a Hot Springs Resort. Kinda wierd, but the San Andreas Fault is nearby, so it makes sense. However, just past it is the first place I was looking for on this trip: The Carrizo Creek Range.

Now, I more-or-less followed the directions from their webpage on how to get there (so I took the backroads... still got to the same intersection), but there are no signs indicating where the range is, so I was driving buy guesswork. However, once I drove over a very short (both in terms of height and length) bridge labelled as the Carrizo Creek, I knew I must be in the neighborhood. I turned around, and pulled off at the only available pull-off, and immediately upon getting out of my car, was confronted with all manner of firearm detritus. Considering the fact that you are requried to take your brass/trash/waste/targets with you when you leave, and that their last range-wide cleanup was only a few months ago, to say that people have been being careless would be putting it mildly. At any rate, before I go any further, first a little history: This tract of land, right off Old Highway 80, is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, and is designated as "multi-use land". It has been used as a range for some time now, and its natural geological formation certainly lends itself well to that purpose. There are no facilities out there (the closest bathroom and water are back in Jacumba, about two miles distant), nor any range masters, but you are still subject to the basic California firearm laws, like them or not.

Anywise, given that I was almost right on top of Carrizo Creek (not much of a creek, granted... this is the desert, for all intents and purposes) and surrounded by spent casings, I was pretty sure I was in the right place. However, having poked around a little in the SoKal backcountry before, I knew that people had a tendecy to shoot off their firearms anywhere there was a good gully out of sight and sound from any nearby civilization - not exactly the most legal thing in the world. Desiring to stay mostly within the bounds of the laws as I am, I walked up to a couple of people set up out of the back of the truck, and inquired as to whether or not this location was the Carrizo Creek Range. These two... sophonts... to put it as politely as I can, could see me coming for about a hundred feet (I parked my car at the base of the hill), and were wearing protective glasses and hearing protection. I could not see the bed of their pickup truck, but I could see the butt of a rifle sticking out of it. The conversation went something like this:

Me: Excuse me, is this the Carrizo Creek Range?
Him (only one spoke): The what?
Me: The Carrizo Creek Gun Range?
Him: Never heard of it. *glances at the other* Nope, you are talking to the wrong people.
Me: Oh...
Him: Are you looking for an outdoor range or something?
Me: Yeah, basically.
Him: Yeah, we have no idea where one of those is... There are some people over there you could talk to, though.
Me: Ok, thanks.

It being painfully obvious that the conversation was over, I left them to their devices, and left the area - if they were any indication of my welcome at the other party at the range, I certainly was not going to bother. And I certainly was not going to force the conversation when they were armed... I do not know if they thought the question was so painfully obvious as to be stupid (it probably was, but, again, I wanted to be sure), or if the first rule of the Carrizo Creek Range is you do not talk about the Carrizo Creek Range, or what the malfuction was, but they were excessively rude for no apparent reason, and I have no patience for that kind of stupidity. I certainly hope these two individuals were not indicative of the standard user of the range... otherwise, it is no small wonder that it gets trashed so regularly, considering their disregard of the basic concepts of common courtesy. I will admit, in all of the gun shows I have attended and ranges I have shot at, you do run into the occasional jackass - but, in all honesty, they are remarkably few and far between. These guys made up for it, though.

As for the range itself, there are no designated firing lines, you pretty much pull up to your corner of the hill, set up your targets where ever you like, and go at it. The hill has enough rills and gullys to be usable by a relatively large number of people, so busy days (if it ever gets any) should not be a problem. Just be mindful of your basic firearm safety rules and be situationally aware so you do not walk into someone's line of fire while they are shooting. And bring lots of sunscreen - there are no trees or shelters of any variety, and even less shade. If you shoot here often, one of those fold-up portable patio tent thingies might be useful. And while the only way to get to the various firing lines at the range are by dirt road, they have been sufficiently worn down that my Mazda 3 would have had no problems with them.

Moving on... From there on, I hopped on Highway 8 just to save a little time (and because I did not know of anything else I wanted to see on the back roads), and then hopped off again on California Route 111, just east of El Centro. Stayed on that for a spell, until it passed through Calipatria, and then took a left on Sinclair Road. And this is pretty much where Google Maps fails. All of those roads you see north and west of Calipatria are, in fact, dirt roads on one side or the other of irrigation ditches that services the fields between the roads. Sinclair Road, thankfully, was fully paved, but if you plan on getting around the rest of those roads with any degree of ease, bring a truck. At the end of Sinclair Road is the headquarters of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, along with the Rock Hill Trail. Honestly, there is not a lot to be said for either. If you are interested in bird-watching, this would be a good place, since this particular section of the park is home to artificially-created baby-bird-haven islands, and pretty much the entire park is dedicated as a refuge for the massive variety of birds that visit the sea. The Rock Hill is just that, though you can find interesting pieces of basalt on the way out to it - another indication of the proximity of the San Andreas Fault. As for the view... well, I will leave that to you to find out. However, be forewarned - anywhere you visit on the Salton Sea will have all manner of dead fish on the beaches, along with the occasional dead bird. Basically, the increasing salinity of the Sea, combined with industrial/agricultural run-off, combined with the occasional bacteria bloom, is slowly killing off everything in the Sea. Also, bring plenty of water, and sunscreen, and a hat, and all good nonsense - the highest temperature I recorded was 106 Fahrenheit, and while it was hazy, there were no clouds. This is not Death Valley (though the bottom of the Sea is only 5 feet closer to sea level than the Valley is), but it sure is close.

One interesting thing you will find on the way out to the park, though, are geothermal power plants. It took me a bit to figure out what they were (actually, it took a sign at the park for me to figure out what they were), but apparently they drill down (which explains the drilling rigs you will also see), suck up heated brine, flash it to steam, run it through turbines, and dump the leftover briny-brine back into the Sea. Gotta love pollution-free power, but I doubt it yields very many megawatts.

Leaving the park, going back east on Sinclair Road, and then left on Garst Road, you will head towards the Red Hills Marina Country Park and Campground. On the way there, you will probably see the vantage point from which I took the first picture in the previous post. Also, if you continue a little past the turnoff for the Marina (Schrimpf Road), you will find the second. And, for clarification, those piers are now projecting out over salt flats. Even that blue-green is salt. The nearest water is a good fifty feet away from the end of the wood. As for the Marina/Campground, it is still occupied, though you cannot venture out into the camping area without registering, and the marina looks many years disused (Though it was very expensively built, with concrete jetties creating an artificial alley out into the water, protected from whatever wave action - none - and all that good stuff. In fact, all of the marinas on the Sea are like that, and I have no idea why.). Registration is $5, with electricity hookups costing $7, and monthly storage costing $100.

I left there, made my way back to 111, and headed north again. On the way to Niland, I ran into the first checkpoint of the day. Yes, checkpoint. On California 111. By the Salton Sea. Basically, the middle of gorram nowhere. What was this checkpoint, and who manned it? Well, honestly, I could not tell you why it was there, but it was manned by the Border Patrol. More on that later.

Immediately after the checkpoint, I hung a left on Niland Marina Road, and drove down to the now-closed state park. That is where pictures three and four were taken, though I would caution that even more dead fish (and the associated flies) are down there. Additionally, hundreds of pellicans camp out on the remains of yet another set of concrete jetties - my camera has nowhere near enough zoom to adequately photograph them, but it seems like a good place for more bird-watching.

Back out on 111, I managed to completely forget about Salvation Mountain, and headed on to Bombay Beach. This community is... interesting. The southern portions of it were lost to the Sea some time back, and precipitated the construction of the levies that surround the area. On the southern side of the levies you can find the object I took the fifth picture of. However, as for the "town"... it appears to be constituted of beach buggy-ers, retirees, and melting mobile homes. I honestly do not know why anyone would live there, or still does, or what they do for a living, but they do. To say this place was depressing would be an understatement. I headed out of there shortly after I got my pictures, back south on 111.

Retracing my steps to Calipatria, I took a right on Main Street, which turned into W. Eddins Road, which turned into Eddins Road, which turned into Gentry Road (at least there was a turn at that transformation), which turned into Walker Road, which turned into Forrester Road. Erf. Before I got to California 78/86, however, I took a right on Bannister Road, and another right on Vendel Road. This particular road, first paved, then gravel, then dirt, terminates at the last section of the Sonny Bono Refuge, and there is not a lot here. A two-story wood tower for bird watching, and a composting toilet. And that is it. Due to the preserve, you cannot even get to the Sea from here. Spending all of five minutes here, I headed back south and hopped on 86/78 west.

However, before I could even get to the turn-off for 78 West, I ran into yet another checkpoint... with a mile of traffic before it. Also manned by the Border Patrol. Now, I am not terribly sure what their particular mission is, but would it not normally have something to do with... you know... patrolling the border? These two checkpoints I encountered were easily 50 miles from the said border. Additionally, they were in fixed buildings, not roving trucks. And they were on roads with remarkably low levels of traffic. I have no idea what they were trying to catch with these checkpoints - possibly people who walk across the border and then get rides within the States - but considering the fact that Highway 8 does not have any checkpoints on it, and the fact that there are other ways to get north from Highway 8 (just a little out of the way, is all), these checkpoints serve to do nothing more than inconvenience honest people actually trying to get somewhere. Add to this the fact that the only presence I saw of the Border Patrol while driving around between San Diego and Jacumba (talk about places to have a checkpoint) was just them tooling around in their cute little white-and-green pickup trucks, and my viewpoint of them, right now, is not particularly bright. Do not misunderstand me - they do provide a valuable service, and America does need them. But they are providing that service poorly and inefficiently, and misusing their people and their capabilities. If they did a better job of actually patrolling the border, or, God help us, actually secured the border so as to make crossing it difficult, idiotically pointless checkpoints like the ones I found would become superfluous.

After the checkpoint, I continued heading north to explore the now-retired Salton Sea Military Reservation. The road into it is blocked by impassable (at least for my car) sand dunes, but about a mile's walk down presents you with... well... nothing. Whatever was left when the military retired the base was either taken by them, surrendered to time, or destroyed by the government when they built a salt-level monitoring station as part of the continuing effort to reclaim, or at least stabilize, the Sea. The area seems to be good for offroad vehicles, especially judging from the number of tracks I saw, but there was a cute little sign on the way in that basically amounted to, "This used to be a military test range. If it looks like a bomb, it probably is a bomb, and you probably should not touch it." I made sure to stick to the paved road (or at least the dunes on top of it).

Retracing my steps once again, I headed south to the 78 turnoff, and followed it west, past the Ocotillo Wells Vehicular Recreation Area and the town of Borrego Wells. For all you speed freaks out there, this road passes into the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and shortly before the park, there is a sign that says, swear to God, "End 65 MPH speed limit". The only speed limit signs I saw after that until California Route 79 were the advisorial ones - the yellow ones before curves. Granted, a lot of that road I would not take any faster than 30, but there were some decent straightaways, and even a good downhill one. 78 takes you through the southern stretch of the Park, and even in the dry season, it is certainly something to see. The road gets windy towards the west end, and then really, really windy towards 79 (like multiple 180 degree switchbacks per mile, for about five miles), but if you want to really experience the park, as well as the twisty roads it can create, I suggest going up to Borrego Springs proper, and exploring California Route S22.

78 intersects 79 at Julian, which offers the chance for some stargazing, as well as an outstanding view of the valley you just climbed up from on 78. If you look carefully from the scenic overlook south of Julian on 79, you can find a massive "B" painted into one of the hillsides... why, I have no idea - the towns down there are called "Whispering Pines" and "Kentwood-in-the-Pines". Following even more switchbacks and windy roads south on 79, you will pass by Lake Cuyamaca (yet another recreational reservoir) and the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. This park suffered substantial damage during the Cedar Fire of 2003, and a lot of the damage from it is still visible, though most of the park is open once again. However, as with all natural areas in Southern California, there is a mountain lion presence, so plan and act accordingly if you want to go hiking/camping around.

And eventually, 79 gets you back to Highway 8, which will get you back to San Diego.

It is quite a drive... I left about 10:30 in the morning, and did not get back until about 8:30 at night, but it was well worth it. The variety of landscapes you can see on such a short loop is amazingly impressive, and it shows you just how close San Diego is to honest-to-God desert. And some of the geological formations around Jacumba are just amazing... hills ranging from standard mesa-type things and massive piles of dirt, to what look to be enormous piles of boulders, like a giant-sized dump truck dropped off a load of rocks, and never came back to pick them up. Salton Sea itself is impressive, sometimes from the massive amount of depression (emotional, ecological, and economical), but also sometimes from the vistas and sights you can see. And always impressive from the heat - at least there is no humidity, right? And driving through the back country is always fun, especially with a small, nimble car, like mine. That said, when you are enjoying windy roads, please try and stay on your side... I just about ate an overly-agressive Miata coming down 78 as I was going up it. The driver was obviously enjoying the windy road (and that is definitely the car to do it in - mine has nothing on it), but skirting a head-on to do so seems somewhat foolish. Again, bring plenty of fluids, and as a somewhat related note, if you get below half a tank of gas, you should start searching for a station - it will probably take you that long to find one. Convenience stores are aplenty, but gas stations are few and far between on some stretches. And, like I said, a truck/SUV/vehicle with more clearance would have definitely been useful in a lot of the areas. As for the Carrizo Creek Range, I will have to weigh the drive (about an hour and a half), obnoxious people, and outdoor location against having a free place to shoot... Only having a pistol, as I do, I might be willing to pay for air conditioning. Once I secure a rifle, however, I might venture out there and see how it is from the shooting aspect, and just mind my own business in the future.

If you are ever in the San Diego area for an extended period of time, I would definitely suggest a drive like this - it gets you out of the bustling metropolis the city is, and reminds you of the fact that there is, indeed, nature out there. Like I said, there is not a lot good to be said about Kalifornistan, but some of its more natural areas make the discomfort of living here a little less painful.

As an aside, does anyone have a good remedy for quarter-sized blisters? I guess my year-old hiking boots that I have worn off and on for that year were not quite as broken-in as I would have liked. The blasted things have already popped, but now they just hurt like the devil... I am just thankful they had not moved from clear liquids to red ones...

There is not a lot to be said for Kalifornistan, but some of its photo opportunities are nice. Explanations later today. And, yes, I like black-and-white and sepia. Deal with it.

... or at least the location. 

On the way home from work, I saw a "For Sale By Owner" sign concerning a house.  It advertised itself as a "Like-new, big four bedroom."  Ok, fine, I certainly was not going to go look for myself, since I am not in the market.  The real kicker, however, was the price:  "Only 596k!" 

...  ONLY? 

Good Lord. 

But I have to admit, this is certainly an interesting development for anyone trapped within the People's Republic of Kalifornistan. 

First, a little history.  In 1994, the Federal Government passed the Federal Crime Bill, which, among other things, prevented average citizens from owning a variety of "assault weapons".  That particular law expired in 2004.  Kalifornistan beat the government to the punch, however, and passed the Robert-Roos Act in 1989 - which proceeded to ban a variety of "assault weapons" by specific name.  This act predominantly centered around AK- and AR-style weapons, however, over the years, more companies started making more and more firearms based on those frames, and so the Robert-Roos Act was added to by the Kasler vs. Lockyer Assault Weapon List, generated in 2000.  Finally, Senate Bill 23 came into effect in 2000 as well.  This bill added Penal Code Section 12276.1 to the California Penal Code, and the relevant portions of it are shown below: 

12276.1 (a) Notwithstanding Section 12276, "assault weapon" shall also mean any of the following:

1. A semiautomatic, centerfire rifle that has the capacity to accept a detachable magazine and any one of the following:
   1. A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon.
   2. A thumbhole stock.
   3. A folding or telescoping stock.
   4. A grenade launcher or flare launcher.
   5. A flash suppressor.
   6. A forward pistol grip.

With that one sweep of a pen, the grand People's Republic of Kalifornistan effectively banned any firearms loosely related to those our brave men and women in the armed forces use (the M-16, or its civilianized cousin the AR-15) - or, conversely, those firearms their enemies use, if you are of that inclination (the AK series).  Of course, I will never completely understand why making it so you can reload your firearm sometime this decade, or fire it more comfortably and/or accurately, or carry it easier, or quiet it down and make it less obnoxious/flashy, or any of that nonsense inherently makes that firearm more evil/dangerous than any other firearm.  A grenade launcher, I will admit, does seem a wee bit excessive, but I can certainly see where a flare launcher might prove to be useful.  Regardless, barring firearms purchased before these bans and registered accordingly, Kalifornistan thought it had completely eliminated the "threat" of AR and AK style weapons. 

At least, until now - behold the U15 stock for AR-15 style receivers.  Designed by a Mr. Grant Early, it neatly bypasses all of the frame-related limitations Kalifornistan imposed on the AR series - no pistol grip, no hole in the stock, and the stock does not fold or telescope.  Assuming you have a frame that does not include a flash suppressor or forward pistol grip, you are suddenly permitted to use removable magazines on your "assault weapons".  Of course, as I said, it does look atrociously ugly, and I have no idea where one would rest one's cheek when trying to shoot with the sights or a scope, but it certainly appears to be a functional and easy-to-install workaround for what amounts to be an idiotic, and obviously ineffective law.  Not sure how comfortable it would be, but seeing as how I lack an AR frame, I will leave that debate to anyone who has one.  I guess this amounts to nothing more than "never underestimate human ingenuity", but one has to wonder how long it is before the Kalifornistan government finds a way to ban this workaround as well. 

All that said, I think I am still leaning towards the 7.62mm market, and specifically the M1A SOCOM by Springfield Armory.  It is inherently California-legal with its removable magazine and without having to be modified to look like something from some B-style science fiction flick, and it fires a larger caliber bullet to boot.  And it can be used as a blunt-force instrument if all else fails...  I always wonder about ARs in that kind of application.  However, whether or not you are particularly interested in ARs, it is good to know that using them with removable magazines will be a little easier here in Kalifornistan, stupid-assed lawmakers or no.  Of course, those idiotic legislators will, no doubt, react poorly to this new development once it starts getting more popularity... but one can only hope that Kalifornistan is going to eventually legislate itself right out of existence. 

In relatively unrelated news, this webpage on "assault weapons" is just hilarious. 

(Hat tip to Random Nuclear Strikes, yet again.) 

Yes, ladies and gentlepeople, Better Half and I are, unfortunately, firmly ensconced within the stupidity that is Kalifornistan.  As such, this new category was generated by me, your eloquent and intelligent host, as a way of documenting all of the... interesting... and... entertaining... things that go on within this "state".  Yeah, I am that bored.  And, yeah, I do have that many things to kibitz about. 

So, what better place to start than by trying to get into the "state" of Kalifornistan itself?  Well, ladies and germs, unlike basically all of the other 49 states of this Grand Old Union (well, excluding Alaska, for obvious reasons that will soon become apparent), in order to drive from any other state into California (ok you can only do it from three other states), one must first go through customs.  Yes, I said "customs" - like the kind of things you have to do when you go from one nation to another - not one state to another.  Now, granted, these "customs" are not quite as stringent as those when you go from a nation to another nation, but consider this excerpt from Wikitravel: 

All major road and airport entrances (including entrances from other US States) to California have agricultural inspection stations to ensure that some fruits and vegetables do not cross into a region where they may come into contact with the farms in the Central Valley. Often, travellers are subject to border inspection (somewhat strict for domestic travel) and asked if they have been on a farm or are carrying organic matter with them. These measures are likely to be increasingly stringent as extreme biosecurity problems arise from travel-carried fruit and vegetables, imported plants and animals, or even from packing material that may carry bioinvader species.

Form what I have read, and what I observed myself, "often" equates to "always" in realistic terms, and "somewhat" is a rather loose way of saying "insanely".  As with all wiki enterprises, this one seems somewhat prone to ... liberal editing.  Of course, I suppose any degree of strictness compared to no degree of strictness could be qualified as "somewhat" - how do you compare something to nothing? 

Anywise, verbage aside, the entire concept is ludicrous.  Better Half and I successfully crossed seven other state borders besides the last Arizona-Califonia border, and were never stopped and subjected to an inspection of our vehicle.  Hell, I have been to the majority of this nation's states throughout the course of my life, and never once was my family's vehicle stopped at the state border.  In fact, one time I asked my father if states had the same kind of arrangements that we had with Canada (we moved cross-country shortly after visiting Canada once), and he all but laughed at me, and explained that states did not do such things. 

Fortunately, through the course of those familial cross-country trips, we never swung down to California. 

All that said, I will grant that the "inspection" Better Half and I were subjected to was laughable - some old guy stuck his head in my window and asked if we had any plants, nuts, firewood, vegetables, fruits, or other organic matter that we were transporting from outside of the state into the state.  After I responded in the negative, he looked at the car from front to back, cracked a joke about the disconnect between my Georgia Tech bumper sticker and my Florida license plates, and let us through.  If that is an inspection, I am Mickey Mouse. 

However, pathetically-executed or not, the very concept of a vehicle inspection to travel from one state to another is inherently distasteful, more than a little annoying, and could potentially open up a whole massive can of worms that people just do not want to deal with.  Of course, considering how Nanny-State-ish we have become, I could be very, very wrong on that last count. 

So, what better way to be welcomed to Kalifornistan, eh?  As if I needed more evidence that this "state" should not actually be qualified as such, that first nail in the coffin provided at the border was one hell of a large one. 

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