50 Nifty: California

California  A guest post by Jennifer Snyder    Jennifer is a writer and travel enthusiast based in the Sacramento area of Northern California. She has recently given in to the insatiable urge to wander and loves to share photos and experiences over on her blog, People + Places + Things. Jennifer has also authored an app titled Northern California for Nature Lovers, which can be downloaded from the App Store here.   -------  Let’s face it: California is often thought of as one big tourist trap. Just take a look at our tourism ads, which poke fun at our reputation. The basic idea is that our citizens (celebrity citizens, mind you) have it all: beaches, vineyards, forests, mountains and more.  

Baker Beach

  You know what? Those ads are mostly true. Heavy-handed celebrity cameos aside, California really does have something for everyone. Here are just three of the things I love most about this big beautiful state:  1.) Perfect weather for enjoying the outdoors:  

Stebbins Cold Canyon

 The weather in California is something to behold. No, it’s not 85° and sunny every day. The north coast gets an amazing amount of rain. Lucky for us, a good soaking nourishes our giant redwoods. In the valleys, we experience hot summer weather. Without the high temperatures, we would never get such wonderful locally grown produce. Our mountains are topped with snow in the winter months offering fantastic recreational opportunities. Even our deserts have a certain type of beauty. Every season brings something new and each region of our state offers vastly different experiences.    2.) Amazing locally grown and produced goods:  

  Thanks to the weather in the hills and valleys of California, we really do have some of the best locally grown fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains around. And let’s not forget about the locally produced wine! You can’t go very far in California without stumbling across a farmers market and many of our restaurateurs take advantage of it. In fact, Sacramento, California was recently designated as “America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital!”    3.) Wonderful cities and towns: 

San Francisco

 From small towns to large cities, California has just about everything one could want. Not interested in navigating around Los Angeles? No problem. You’ll find solitude a few hours up the coast in Big Sur. Looking for quaint shops with a side of fresh seafood and natural beauty? Look no further than a drive up Highway 101 to Crescent City. 
The drawback: After reading about California’s favorable traits, it’s hard to see a downside to being here. Well, if there’s one drawback to California’s greatness, it’s that everyone knows about California’s greatness. Our state is the most populous state in the U.S. and in many places, that fact is quite obvious. We often hear about people moving out of California to escape the traffic, smog and crowded attractions in some of our larger cities. I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed our minds once or twice. For now, however, we see the large population as a small price to pay for having access to some of the most beautiful and interesting places in the U.S. 
The bottom line: California’s landscape – both urban and rural – is so varied. There’s no way to capture that in a cheeky 30-second tourism ad. I urge visitors to look beyond the usual suspects. Think about what you want your California experience to be. Really think about it. Then, do a bit of research and get going. Just don’t forget to pack your patience!  ---  I am still looking for posters for several states.Would you kindly please click here to see if your state/a state you've lived in or visited in the past is still available? 

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