You know your home when…

You’re on the 405 N and you pass street names like Beverly and Wilshire.

The stop and go rush hour traffic at 2:30 in the afternoon abates once you get past the 405/101 split

You see your first “CHiPpy” Motorcycle patrol men

You see the tram for the Getty Museum on your left

You realize California still has “Black and Whites” and YES they care what speed you’re driving

You pass Magic Mountain

The freeway medians have Oleanders growing in them

The wind in Gorman almost blows you off the road

You reach the summit at Tejon – and your car doesn’t overheat, but others are

You see a long line of semi’s in the far right hand lane doing 15 or 20 miles an hour as they go over the Grapevine Pass

You see your first sign for “In and Out Burgers” and recall when it was cool to have the “B” and “s” of Burgers cut off on the bumper sticker on your car

You recognize the trees planted along Highway 99 are Eucalyptus trees – and on the hills those are “Live Oaks”

Once you get on the north side of the Grapevine you being to see oil derricks as you approach Bakersfield.

Dwight Yoakum is singing “The Lonely Streets of Bakersfield” on the radio – and it fits

You recognize the orchards trees as Almonds, Walnuts, Peaches, and Pistachios – and no one had to identify them for you

You see your first Pima cotton in bloom in 3 years

Those other trees looking WAY overloaded are Figs and Plums

You realize the absurdity of the words “Pixley” and “RV Resort” being linked together

You smell the fresh cut Alfalfa

Closely followed by the scent of 1,000+ cow dairies

You see acre upon acre of seedless Thompson Grape vines – then pass through Delano where Caesar Chavez started the whole thing

BUT ABSOLUTELY THE BEST THING TO SEE ……

Is the smile of your “Little Brothers” face when you knocks on your hotel room door – and as he sits across the table from you at dinner!

Yep, it’s good to visit home – now get me back down to LA!