CALABUNGA CALIFORNIA!

I, am a SMALL town girl. NOT a CITY girl. I am earnestly, utterly, comletely, a country kid. So, when my mom announced, "Kids, we are going to drive Joel (my biggest bro. he's 19) to Arcadia CA. to his summer job." I immediatly invisioned California, as one huge, never ending city. So, with much trepedition, I packed my 4 changes of clothing, and settled down for 22 hours of driving, one way. Since we had 3 kids under the age of 12 with us, we started in the middle of the night, so they'd sleep, and give us bigger folk, some peace and quiet. I fell asleep too, and when I awoke, we had already gone over the border into Oregon, and were almost all the way across the same state. We were all excited to see the "hippie state" in all it's splendor, so we were all disapointed, when 2 miles over the Oregon\California border, that it looked the same. I at least was expecting it to change SOMEHOW. But, it was just desert, desert, and some more, desert. (not to be confused with "dessert." It was uneventful, until we kicked Joel out of the Suburban in "Forest Home Summer Camp." The camp, looked like a scene out of "Parent Trap!" Anyway, after we abandoned him, we took of. Mom turned to us with a grin on her face, and said, "who wants to go to the redwood trees?" Needless to say, Everyone did.We drove for four hours until we reached THEM. THe giant trees. *sighs* magestic and powerful, they reached up to the sky, like ancient gaurdians of some sleeping King. We walked, our voices hushed through the forest on a wide path. As we came to the tree that is so widly famed, for hole cut through it's heart that you can drve a car through, my heart stuck in my throat. The magestic tree was enclosed in a fence. Like some seedling that needed to be protected. The drivway through it's middle was heavily scarred. A bark-like substance grew inside of it, the trees attempt to heal itself. I touched the tree softly, as a kind of apology. I drew away, and ran to catch up with my family, looking back often at the majestic tree.
As we got back into the SUV, we decided to go to the ocean, so, we drove along a winding old highway, looking for an access road to a beach. Any beach. We passed many small towns, but all of them were to far out of our way. Finally, we reached a small town, that was on the ocean, and not to far out of our way. As we got out of the car, the kids split, running at top speed toweard the water. It was cloudy. I walked more slowly, more sedatly, yet no less exitedly than my younger siblings to the surf. 3/4 of the way there, and I lost my composure. I bolted for the water, running waist deep into the surf. Every wave that came flooding in nearly swept me off my feet, yet I stood, unmovable. It was so beautiful, and so amazing, I found tears pricking my eyes. My dad had loved the ocean. "I love you, Dad" I whispered. For the first time since the funeral. I was at peace, in my soul.