California

I have spent much of this winter in California. No, not rubbing elbows with the stars or making millions in Silicon Valley or even enjoying the beautiful California sun on southern beaches - although those are certainly things one can do (or attempt to do) in America's most populous state. That's the thing about California, it is big and plentiful. It is an incredibly diverse place. Beaches, mountains, deserts, valleys, swamps, cliffs... You can drive for an hour, descending 6000 feet, from a blizzard-like snow storm in Alpine terrain to palm trees in a picturesque valley.

My experience of California this winter certainly has not encompassed the whole state but I have seen quite a bit. I have come to appreciate quite fully the immensity of the Sierra Nevadas. They rise from below sea level to over 9000 feet, jagged and challenging. The skiing there is technical and interesting. The lakes and forests and largely untouched and you can truly be alone in the wilderness.

We took a trip down to Yosemite National Park. We had to drive down into the foothills and fairly far south and then back up into the mountains. Gold rush country. Though quite near urban areas, there are towns there that are tiny, sleepy little places, busy only because a state highway runs through the town center. Between these dusty crossings, you find one of three things: rugged and seemingly untouched terrain, farms, or multi-million dollar homes.

Yosemite was one of the most amazing natural scenes I've seen. Yosemite Valley is an enormous valley carved by ancient glaciers. The rock formations are like out of a fantasy world. As you drive through, you pass boulders larger than houses that must have fallen in some past quake or rock slide. You pray you aren't there to witness one. You stand at the base of El Capitan, a 3000ft monolithic cliff face, and you understand exactly what 'small' means. These formations, trees, waterfalls, and boulders have been around longer than we have and will be around for much, much longer still. That too makes you feel small, a small blip in the history of the world.

Maybe all of California makes you feel small, with it's variety and magnitude. But I think feeling small is a sort of challenge. It's a challenge to prove that though you may be small, you can lead a big life.