California

So California and i really didn't get along that well, but it wasn't all bad.  I just think it was too overwhelming for me by myself, especially doing all that driving alone.  The Pacific Coast Highway has some beautiful views, but there are parts of it that all you do is twist and turn for miles on end and you can only go 20-30 mph so it gets very tiring after awhile.   There was a good portion of it where i didn't see the ocean at all, but when it did come into view, all the twists and turns and long drives were all worth it.  There are a couple of places in the central coast that i definitely want to go back to someday and bring some people along with me.  The first is the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, and the second is Monterey.  Santa Cruz has the coolest boardwalk with lots of shops and amusement park rides lining the beach.  It was a little too much for me that day and it was kind of confusing trying to figure out where to park, but i definitely want to go back sometime and spend a few days there.  Monterey was another place that i wish i would've spent some real time in, instead of just driving around, but parking down around fisherman's wharf was kind of confusing for me also.  Driving around there i could see that the views and pictures would be amazing, so that's on my list of places to explore again.  That night i made it to Santa Margarita to camp at a KOA and I didn't get there until it was already dark.  It was out at a lake, and the paths were not clearly marked and i was really scared i was just going to drive off a cliff, but the place i ended up camping at i could see a sky full of beautiful stars as i fell asleep so that made it all worth it.  Tuesday was my wonderful drive through the Los Angeles area......not one of my favorite days.  I thought since i wasn't driving through the heart of LA that it wouldn't be that bad, but i underestimated how much traffic there would be on the PCH.  That part of it you are driving right by the ocean and there are a ton of beaches and beach towns along the way and there was a lot of traffic to deal with.  On top of that, every square inch possible was crammed with a building or a sign or a billboard, and it just got to be too much for me to deal with......definitely had sensory overload.  I made it through all of that and it finally calmed down some when i got to Newport Beach and Laguna Beach.  Both of those towns were really pretty and had a lot of cute shops lining the streets, but not so many that it was overwhelming.  I stopped at a beach near Laguna and had a great run along a path that ran parallel to the ocean........could definitely get used to that.  I got my towel out after my run and sat up on a cliff and stretched and just chilled out by the ocean for awhile.  That was definitely a great end to a pretty stressful day.