Today, we went first to Cal Poly SLO for a tour. It’s a really nice school, nice and big. The people there seem nice, and the campus is insanely clean. As in, no trash at all, which is really weird. They’re a bit hard to get in, with an average GPA of 4.12 and an average SAT in the 1400s, but it still seems like a quite enjoyable school and one many should consider going into, especially if they’re interested in science. It’s kind of hard to talk about without the person actually being there, so I’ll stop now.
After that, we took a road east to Bakersfield. We stopped by Soda Lake and the Carrizo National Monument. The “monument” is literally just a field. However, despite how lame that sounds, it actually was kind of cool. With all the rain that recently happened, there’s been a big bloom out in the country, with flowers popping up all over the place.
These pictures don’t really do it enough justice. It was yellow and purple everywhere. At times, I couldn’t even see the hill, it was just that covered in flowers. At points, it didn’t even feel like it was California anymore. It’s really interesting how different California is depending on where one goes. Many people who live in California will never see this part of it, as it is hidden away in the middle of California, where many won’t go. This is the real joy of traveling–seeing and doing things many around you won’t experience ever. Sure, it’s great to go to Hawaii for the 457th time, but have you been to Montana? Or North Dakota? Many haven’t, so you will have those experiences that many others will never have. That is the true glory of road trips, and why my family loves to go on them.
As much as there is beauty, there is also ugliness. Legend says that if you look up ugliness in the dictionary, you get a picture of Bakersfield. Over half a million people live here, and I don’t know how. It has this haze of dust and smoke, like something straight out of Mad Max. It clogs your throat and gives you a terrible cough and blots out the sun.
This is mainly due to the drilling of oil, I presume, but usually oil towns aren’t that populated. Why half a million people choose to settle down in such an ugly place fathoms me. Is it part of the economy? Are so many people in poverty that they have to work for the oil industry, while they laugh at the joke that is the American Dream? Am I too young to be talking about this? Maybe. Should I move on? Yes. Hotel? Trivago. The sad thing about Bakersfield is that in the mess of it, there is hope. We had dinner at a really nice place, that was clean and big and just as good as ever. There are plenty of bakeries and different cuisines all around. The area may not be the best, but the people are making the best of it, and trying to make living here less terrible. In the end, isn’t that the true American Dream? Making the best out of the situation given, even if it isn’t the best? One does not to be the richest man nor the Renaissance man, they just need to improve their life and others and be happy. Anyway, that’s enough for today. I’m off to bed, where I’m probably going to get lung cancer from the air here.