Bakersfield too, if you want to find life hanging on a bit better than some of the inland counties. California has a lot of strange feelings if you take the time to look in the right corners.

• A desert megacity next to the sea? Los Angeles.
• Incredibly posh people surrounded by the destitute? Newport beach in orange county.
• A slow-motion wave of impenetrable fog gently cresting the mountains around it? San Francisco.

This state has a lot more to it than TV and movies let on. Don't just drive it, check it out on motorcycle or bicycle too.