>>2789670As for your first point, yeah, my preferred destination is Idyllwild. Originally I went up there because my wife's parents live by Indio and we used to visit them often. My mother-in-law also likes to hike, but the desert is fucking brutal in summer. So we drove up the mountain to Idyllwild and its cooler, plus it has more trees and wildlife to check out than the desert does. Overall, it's a chill spot and a decent little weekend getaway town, but from LA, it's a 2 to 3 hour drive, depending on traffic.
Point 2, I follow the rules of the city, keeping nothing visible and nothing I'm not willing to lose in the car. Plus my car is a piece of shit, so they will probably hit someone else. This logistically can make hiking a pain in the ass, though.
>>2789674You are right, CA has a lot to offer, but it is not very accessible. If you live in LA and want to go to Yosemite, that is a 4.5 to 5-hour drive. By comparison, on the East Coast, if you were living in the NYC area, a 4.5-hour drive could take you to spots in CT, RI, MA, NH, VT, ME, upstate NY, PA, NJ, DE, MD, and VA. CA is big as fuck, and as such, it has a lot to offer, but you need a lot of spare time and a lot of gas to access it.
The next time I move, I am going to look for a city that has a lot of accessible trails with good foliage near them. I am getting sick of sitting in traffic for a combined 3 hours, just to go on a 2 hour hike lol
