For all u Cali haters........

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/editorials/la-ed-texas-20110208,0,6524985.story

 

Right! Read the article closely and it agrees with my earlier post. Texas cares little for it's land, wildlife, or quality of life when it comes to its pursuit of the all mighty dollar. This is especially true in the energy and meat packing industries. Much of Texas smells like a mix between cow #### and sulphur-petroleum products--even in remote areas where all that can be seen is scrub and rolling hill.

 

Like Cali is that worried about their land and such. LA is built on a land fill for pete's sake.

 

I have lived and/or visited quite a bit of the United States (and I don't count it as a real visit unless I get out and see things). I am currently, very reluctantly, living just north of Los Angeles. How bad do I think it is?

I cannot get a one-bedroom apartment here for the price I was paying for my three-bedroom apartment in Sun Valley, NV, or the mortgage I was paying on a five-bedroom home in Illinois.

1 out of every 4 radio stations I find are in English-- and I can't get good sports radio!

The weather has been so nice and sunny for the last two weeks that I had to go to sleep with Nyquil every night just to clear out my sinuses.

I can't drive to the mountains because there's too much traffic to get there and I can't drive to the ocean because it's so absolutely nasty (and so hard to find a decent bit of sand) that it's a waste of my gas.

I lived through the Northridge quake and through THREE tornados in Illinois and I'll take the tornados every time.

If you actually get into how California treats truckers... it's amazing they can get anyone to haul out of here at all.

Don't get me wrong. California has some beautiful areas... but it's just not worth the cost you pay to live here (IMNSHO).

 

Ok don't know why I just gotta weigh in here. I've been running Cal for more years than I care to remember. It used to be better towards trucks--BUT that was a long time ago. Having said that not all of Cali is trucker unfriendly--I have had too many wonderful times in the Salinas area(yes I run produce-and yes I have done it a loooong loooooong time!) Not to mention nites spent sleeping with the pacific out my window. Running out there does take a little getting used to. Things are different--maybe a little harder--especially in some of the Urban areas(but that goes for most urban areas) Parking near the cities can be a problem. Nothing a little better planning can't fix. Oh and yes I do LTL both ways inbound and outbound--and can be there for anywhere from 5-8 days. As for truck regs-(idling etc)-they are a little stricter but not as bad as people make out. Stay way out of town--(pick your spot)and most of Cal is country and country folks are country folks(besides with more and more apus etc=less troubles)and It's very rare winter or summer that you have to idle. I know if you are stuck in the valley in summer it can be abitch--same thing for the mountains in winter--but maybe I'm just lucky and have a little more leeway--but it is rare I can't get somewhere moderate for the evening(it is a big state with lots of climate changes in short distances)As for CHP and the DOT--yes 55 is BS--BUT anyone who runs out there for any length of time knows for the most part as long as you stay right and the 4-wheelers are passing you--you don't get bothered- Also as we all know the 4 wheelers are all runnin 10+miles over the speed limit. As for the mountain passes--face it you can come off most of them faster than the allowable speed limit-- but what do you really gain? so you just chill out and relax--it doesn't take all that much longer--even Donner--might cost you 10-15 mins running their so called suggested speeds (45-50) So again all this is no big deal. As for the DOT I have been inspected out there as much as the next guy--I've never been dealt w/unprofessionally--a little curt maybe--but so what. Besides if you keep your equipment and paperwork right--there ain't much they can say or do!
As for their politics--well that is another story and I don't live there so it is there problem. Besides any state dumb enough to elect the female axis of evil(BOXER-PELOSI-FEINSTEIN)over and over deserve what they get! IMHO. But I would ask all californians as a personal favor to keep all three of these wonderful ladies home next time they are up for re-election. That would be a wonderful olive branch you could extend to the rest of this country and will will thank you for it!
Just my $.02

 

Olhand..I was born and raised in Salinas, T&A, FOX, dole, all of em. Brings back some memories.
Yup, life in the "salad bowl"
Price of living though, nice house here in Dayton is around 100k. Nice home in Salinas is about 350k.
I do miss it, but will never go back (expensive!)

Did you ever run a truck on Saun Jaun Grade to Hollister? Heck, that road is probably closed.

 

Did you see my Great Blizzard of 2011 videos? 350k for a home in Salinas is cheap given the priceless and beautiful weather in the Monterey Bay area. You get what you pay for. I like Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati, but these cities fall short of activity relative to "the city" SF, which is about as close to Salinas, as Dayton is to Columbus, I reckon. I live in Stockton, where a home CAN still be purchased for 100k. Now, Stockton is a great deal in terms of weather, access to SF, Yosemite, LA, and even it's own waterfront on the San Joaquin River. I drive over the Pacheco Pass all the time enroute to picking up a load in Salinas. Pacheco pass is nearly as high as the top of I-80 in PA, but it takes only 20 minutes to drive over

 

Did somebody shorten Mount Rainier, in Washington? It was still the tallest, last time I checked!

 

Ok, so I'm born and raised Californian. I left in '91.

I'm not gonna knock Cali. Californians know what's wrong with the state. They don't need outsiders knocking it either. Fact is, EVERY state has it's problems and it's perks.
I mean, Illinois' ONLY redeeming quality is Chicago! And even THAT is debate-able.
Vegas, Phoenix, and Houston have smog that's reminiscent of L.A. circa 1980's!
Gimme L.A. or S.F. traffic over NYC, Chicago, or Atlanta ANYDAY!


And if we let the South secede again? California would be out of debt in a year or less! I don't think Texas would appreciate it's welfare state, Southern brethren for very long!
Not to mention it's the region that has the highest percentage of people that think condom use is morally wrong AND has the highest STD rates!

That said, California doesn't need water for agriculture. They're starving out the farms to build more housing additions.

Besides............in about 3 short years, western ports are gonna be starving for freight and Californian trucker are gonna get their wish, for fewer out-of-state trucks inside The People's Republic.

What am I talking about? A little thing called the Panama Canal. It's in the process of being dredged deeper and wider. It's expected to be complete in 2014. So, soon Asian and, possibly Indian, super-freighters can pass through the canal and deliver to Southeastern and Gulf ports. Jacksonville, Savannah, and Gulfport are gonna be booming with freight that used to come into western seaports.


Oh yeah. Where did I move to in '91? Indiana.
I know, I know. But I had family there at the time.

Now I'm relocating to Nashville area(which is within a days drive to 75% of the U.S. population).
Don't get me wrong. I love them Leftbound lanes and I ain't turned down a load going West yet! And them loads I get out of Cali pay a whole lot better that what I get out of the Northeast!

 

Mt. Whitney is the tallest in the lower 48 (14,505 feet)


Mount Rainier Elevation 14410 feet

Mount McKinley or Denali (Koyukon Athabaskan for "The High One") in Alaska USA is the highest mountain peak in North America 20,335 feet

Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii is the tallest mountain in the world when measured from base to summit 19,678 feet below sea level and its summit is 13,796 feet above sea level

Just sayin'! I'm a big geography geek...