When I was a little girl, Family Vacations were car trips and I one hundred percent hated them. Nothing like being trapped within ten feet of both my parents feeling nauseous for hours to make me hate something. (This was something I did not come to understand until I was 28. So, like, yesterday.)  Not even if the trip would eventually end, up to eight hours later, with a few days spent playing with my aunt and cousins. I always knew that the time spent getting there would make me wish for a swift death.

So, when I discovered that you can fly to places like San Francisco for relatively cheap (well, at least you could five years ago), it was like the entire world had opened up to me. Which, when you think about it, it really had. No more traveling with my parents. No more road trips! I could just go to the airport, take a nap, and wake up in Northern California. I thought this was a grand invention. I flew regularly. I particularly loved (still do!) flying alone.

Then, six months ago, I got my new car and I drove it to San Francisco to show off to my sister-in-law/BFF. It turned out that I didn’t hate the commute. It was Summer and the Central Valley hit over 110 degrees, but I kept the air conditioning up and stayed cool and comfy in my little white jelly bean. I  even took the PCH back down to Los Angeles. It was on my 29 Before 29 List, so I had to try it. If you’re a California resident and you’ never have, I suggest you leave immediately. Go on. This will still be here when you get back.

Just a couple months later, I rode up to San Francisco again as a passenger along the 101. I was armed with the knowledge to not drink iced tea this time, so as to not cause alarm or annoyance in my carmate. It was a warm weekend in early September, and those seven hours on the highway were a good opportunity to catch up with someone I hadn’t seen in some time, get plenty made fun of for curling up into a ball and falling asleep in the passenger seat, and spend 1o minutes slowly circling the parking lot at the Madonna Inn while listening to the radio change itself from pop to mariachi and literally crying with laughter.

Just last week, I took another spontaneous trip up the state, to Sacramento to visit one of my most dear friends then to San Francisco for Family Thanksgiving.* Did you know that Sacramento has seasons, in particular fall? Fall is my most favorite of all the seasons. And I always gauge my love for someone by how many bridges I am willing to cross for them. So, Amy/Sergi/Nancy – you’re pretty high up there.

Driving is not at all like flying. You don’t arrive somewhere in the blink of an eye. On my drive back on Thanksgiving weekend, I sat in traffic for nine hours. Just me, my music that no one else likes, The Moth podcasts, and Burrito. Burrito is a stuffed bulldog so I’m pretty sure he doesn’t really count as company. No one brings you ginger ale and peanuts when you’re driving your car. You can’t recline your seatback and fall asleep in the driver’s seat.

In a lot of other ways, though, it’s better. You don’t have to take off your shoes to get in the car. You can bring as large of a beverage as you want. No one makes you turn off your electronics. And you see the world in an entirely different way. You can stop off and visit whatever local flavor you want: French Press Coffee, The Madonna Inn, the cliffs of Big Sur. You see seasons and weather. Basically, I saw my state and fell in love with it. There’s just no place more beautiful than California.

In the past six months since buying my new car, I have driven a lot. For me, at least. I don’t have much of a commute. My regular day-to-day driving puts about 5 miles per day on  my car. So, the majority of my first 5,500 miles have been going places. San Francisco, Sacramento, Wrightwood, Yucaipa. I’ve seen a lot of this lovely state where I live, and there’s still so much more to see. Every time I go somewhere, I think of a new place to stop next time. I’m still looking forward to next time.

*All the photos in this post were taken (dangerously) by yours truly while in transit on this past weekend’s trip: 405N, 5N, 80E, Sacramento, 80W, San Francisco, 101S, 152E, 5S, 405S.