Going to California

On my list of favorite states California is second only to my native Michigan. Friday I'm headed out to sunny southern California for a short weekend trip. Some travelers are more attracted to the known and others to the unknown. For me it's both. I like knowing my way around the John Wayne airport and all the intersecting highways near there. It's also nice to know I'll see something new or meet someone new while I'm out there.

It's always fun to sample the local cuisine. I asked a friend where the best tacos are in that area and was told to go to the Fashion Island mall in Newport Beach and/or La Salsa in Irvine. Something valuable I've learned while on these business trips is to have a little fun by catching up with old friends or at the very least eat a good meal.

I hope to have good things to report from the road. Until then, enjoy this quintessential California video and song.

California Route 91 American Flag painting part 1

I can't find this anywhere on the internet. It's probably the largest thing not to be on the internet.

On California Route 91 west of Riverside there is a huge painting of an American flag and the words 1776-1976 200 Years of Freedom. When it was done it must have been a large undertaking. I've driven by it many times and often thought it needed a fresh coat of paint. I'm amazed I can't find it because it's one of the busiest freeways in California and tens of thousands of cars drive by it every day.

I hope to find out more about this in the near future. If I were a TV reporter in California I'd do one of those stories where they wander around asking people on the street about it on camera and getting lots of "I don't know" and "Never really thought about it." At some point I'd also go to a city or county building looking for answers.