On The Go Travel: California (2075)
California in the year 2075 offers the intrepid traveler a cornucopia of sad marvels, unnerving grotesqueries, and outright horrors. From the sea-scoured coastline, which, due to hurricane, typhoon and tsunami, has been eroded inland an average of 22 miles; to the mad and anarchic self-governing homeless encampment of Greater Los Angeles; to the scorched and moribund Redwood Forest; to the eerily abandoned ghost town of San Francisco; to the desiccated vestiges of America’s once-rich farmland; to the scalding wastes of The Inland Empire – California is truly an adventure tourist’s Eden.
Resources, however, such as water and electricity are in short supply and are often fought over. Tribal raids are not uncommon. Modern-day bootleggers, much like their 1920s counterparts, truck into the state many barrels of water and earn handsome profits. As such, criminal syndicates – some quite brutal and sanguinary – have arisen in the water trade. Most municipalities, though, possess household and community wells that tap into the underground water table. The water table shrinks dramatically year by year.
Electricity is another imperiled resource. Most homes and businesses, however, rely on cheap solar-powered generators. Sabotage is not unheard of. Countless lives have been lost over the years in the state’s undeclared, small-scale electricity and water wars. Travelers are advised to stay alert.
As for wildlife, little has survived global climate change here. Extreme temperatures have rendered extinct large species such as the condor, black bear, coyote, and elk. Only certain snakes remain. The animals in the state’s zoos all perished by the late 2030s and were then eaten by the homeless. Tropical diseases are now rampant. Travelers, consequently, must be inoculated against these abhorrent ailments. In addition, prior to entry, all persons must demonstrate that they have filed a legally binding will as well as a release from indemnity form. Recommended items to bring for a happy excursion include: gas mask, Geiger counter, lightweight biohazard suit, and firearm. The hazards in the Golden State are manifold.
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Let’s talk about food: Culinary choices are limited but still intriguing. Locally sourced meals are the norm. Bring a brave palette and eat what Californians eat. Here and there throughout the state the lucky traveler will find nondescript unlicensed eateries that cater to the tourist trade.
Many meals begin with a tasty medley of hors d’oeuvres. These reflect the astounding proliferation of insects in this balmy climate. Be prepared, then, for appetizers such as cockroaches and scorpions, dragonflies and spiders. Rodents, too, are plentiful, hence the popularity of protein-rich mice or mole sandwiches. Rattlesnake stew is a Western staple. California residents are by necessity no longer big meat eaters because domestic animals such as pigs, goats, chickens and cattle are all dead – they simply cannot survive in the Post-Apocalyptic heat. Weeds, however, grow in abundance in the sere California landscape; and surprisingly delicious soups are made from thistles, nettles and bitterroot, yarrow and fleabane. Carnivores may still sometimes encounter, though, entrees such as canine casserole or feline fricassee. The plenitude of scrub oaks makes dried acorn paste, contrived from mortar and pestle, a mouth-watering substitute for most breads. Also, all manner of canned goods abound: Spam, baked beans, anchovies. A rare delicacy to top off that special meal is one-and-twenty blackbird pie. Going further afield, the ravage West Coast shores offer delectable marine comestibles. Whales and dolphins, confused perhaps by the new irregular coastline, beach themselves oftentimes in the unnaturally warm ocean waters. The Sea Peoples butcher and eat them. In addition, seaweed enchiladas are readily available.
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The state’s southern border with The Mexican Empire is perhaps North America’s most treacherous and deadly zone. This is because of President Vance’s order, in 2029, to have buried there from the sea to the Colorado Creek one-hundred thousand land mines. These surreptitious munitions were designed to stop the mass influx of undocumented migrants. Such a punitive measure would, however, prove to be moot in succeeding decades as global temperatures rose astronomically. Illegal crossings, which were once such a contentious political issue, have now all but halted since the Mojave and the Sonora deserts routinely register daytime temperatures of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. No life – human, plant or animal – can survive in such a hellscape.
Moving northward, the traveler should at all costs avoid the radioactive ruins of what was once known as America’s Finest City. San Diego, once home to extensive Marine and Naval installations, is now populated only by roving bands of mutants. The city was annihilated by multiple nuclear strikes in the 2033 Two-Hour North Korean War. No significant infrastructure remains in this blasted moonscape.
Further north, the traveler will encounter what’s left of Lesser Orange County. While the inland regions are to this day still sparsely populated, the shoreline remains a shifting and pulverized danger zone. Once affluent towns such as Laguna, San Clemente, and Newport are now no more than memory and myth, having long since sunk into the sea. And yet the resolute traveler can, if properly equipped, dive into the wrecks of submerged palatial homes. Many Orange County piers and jetties now also lie broken on the ocean floor. The monstrous hurricanes and typhoons of the 2040s ate away at much of the bluffs, harbors and beaches. Erosion here has proceeded at a geometric rate. Immense landforms are at times still collapsing and falling into the Pacific. Due caution is called for always. Fun in the sun, though, can still be had at Santa Ana Beach.
Since the killer quakes of 2041 and 2060 demolished the Southland’s vast, crisscrossing freeway nexus, which is now a labyrinth of rubble, the traveler is advised to traverse the state in a four-wheel drive vehicle capable of off-road excursions. A jet pack may also be useful. These solar-powered vehicles can be rented before entering The Golden State in The Las Vegas Bubble. The earthquakes also wrecked the Southwestern hub of the transcontinental monorail. In fact, throughout the state, this innovative transport is now nonfunctional. Moving sidewalks have similarly been rendered obsolete. Private gasoline-powered vehicles were phased out in the state in the late 2020s.
Catalina Island, which can be glimpsed from any of the new beaches, officially succeeded from the state in 2039 and declared itself a sovereign republic. It was badly lashed but not obliterated by the next decade’s sea wrath. Interestingly, in 2055 The California Institute of Technology relocated its brainy campus here and in utopian fashion subsequently made knowledge itself the coin of the realm. Much theoretical work, therefore, is still conducted on the island. Automobile traffic on this idyllic 21-mile long redoubt is strictly proscribed. Cal Tech also keeps posted around-the-clock on the island a private militia with explicit orders to shoot interlopers on sight.
Turning northeast, the traveler will encounter the broiling monotony that is The Inland Empire. Nothing here is worth seeing. Once a sprawling yet nondescript bedroom community of some one million inhabitants, this parched land is now mostly unpopulated. The year-round heat is simply too noxious. What remains are Hell’s Angels outposts, meth labs, and feral cat colonies. Travelers with an interest in Americana may be tempted to trace the byways of Historic Route 66. It is best to quell this temptation. Historic Rote 66 is now a conduit for gun runners, dwarves, and drug peddlers, most of whom are territorial and more than willing to kill intruders.
Veering west again, travelers will inevitably come into contact with America’s largest and most notorious derelict community. This is Los Angeles. Its principal points of interest are the Hollywood sign, Disney Hall, the Griffith Planetarium, and Beverly Hills. West Los Angeles, sadly, no longer exists, as this venerable location – including the Santa Monica pier – largely drowned in the Great Kona Tsunami of 2051. All that remains here is bog land. To gain entrance to the city’s sights, one must pass through one of its fabled five gates. Then toll-keepers will, at the behest of the greater homeless population, grant a traveler a day pass for whatever the going rate may be. This could be gold, canned goods, ammunition or the latest hyper-opiates. Reports of cannibalism are unverified. Still, it is best not to be in Los Angeles come sundown. The homeless mostly sleep in the torpid, incinerating heat day and come out at night to forage, rut and rumble. Let it be noted, however, that tourists who have entered The City of Angels have many times perished in unspeakable fashion – or simply vanished. No one should travel alone here. Firearms are recommended. The derelict contingent in L.A., it’s interesting to note, constitutes fully two-thirds of the state’s population.
After a harrowing expedition into the city’s bowels, the traveler may be enticed to seek sun and relaxation at one of the West Coast’s most heralded shorelines: namely, Burbank Beach. Be alert, though, for predatory and amoral surfers who have claimed this recently created coastline as their own. Travelers, hence, are well-advised once more to carry firearms.
Some one-hundred miles north of Los Angeles, one encounters the majestic Sierra Nevada Mountains. At an altitude of 5,000 to 11,000 feet above sea level, these peaks are the state’s last temperate zone. Isolated and hardy hermits, prospectors and New Age anchorites call these rocky promontories home. The volcanic eruption of Mt. Lassen in 2062 killed five-hundred people outright and buried in ash half a dozen high-altitude hamlets. And there is, of course, no more snow in wintertime, due to the Global Tipping Point in 2030, so the once vibrant ski industry no longer exists and its attendant economy has collapsed. It would be ill-advised, on the whole, to venture far into this terrain as the surviving locals are paranoid and armed.
West of the Northern Sierra, you will find the Santa Cruz hills, which have been incinerated by a 17-year long wildfire that is still burning. It is best, then, to bypass this region. California, subsequent to the Great Depopulation, simply lacks both the money and the manpower to fight fires. And, additionally, no rain has fallen in the state since the late winter of 2070. Expect pop-up blazes wherever you travel.
North of Santa Cruz lies the ruins of San Francisco. An 8.9 earthquake in 2038 leveled The City by the Bay. Iconic structures fell and ceased to exist. The Trans-America Building toppled, the Golden Gate Bridge snapped in two. Casualties ran into the hundreds of thousands. Survivors mostly fled. The so-called Mole People now live in the wrecked and abandoned BART tunnels. These shadowy denizens have been officially classified as pests and it is legal to hunt them. Taxidermy services are available at reasonable rates in Vegas.
Travelers with long memories may be curious about California’s fabled Silicon Valley. This technological wonderland, which once brought so much wealth and prestige to the state, no longer exists. The Chinese Cyber Strike in 2034 financially obliterated many digital companies. Then temperatures soared. Big Tech, as is well known, uprooted and moved to more hospitable climes such as The Klondike and Greenland. San Jose is now a miniature desert.
And what about Sacramento, you may wonder. The seat of government is now occupied by a sage and sentient artificial intelligence network. Few people live or work in the state capital since it long ago became too hot and dry for human habitation. A handful of rotating technicians and software engineers, though, serve the ruling machines.
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We at On The Go Travel, in conclusion, hope that this guide has enticed you to explore the brutal wonders of The Golden State. It is truly a unique vacation destination for well-prepared, stalwart and adventure-minded tourists. It’s a once in a lifetime experience! California has always been known for innovation and self-invention, and we firmly believe that these timeless traits live on in the Post-Apocalyptic Age. It’s an exciting new chapter in the history of the West.
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JM Hollwig attended Brown University. He currently lives in the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California. He has studied the art of fiction at The Iowa Summer Writing Festival and at UCLA Extension. His work has appeared in Commuter Lit, Danse Macabre and the Santa Monica Review.
