Southward along the Pacific Coast from Long Beach and Los Angeles is the county of Orange, independent from the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Traveling by car from Irvine to Downtown Los Angeles to arrive at 8:00 am can be a trip of up to 1 hour 20 minutes and nearly 40 miles. Traveling by public transit would over 2 hours 20 minutes. In a similar way, the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area is divided into interwoven sub-regions based on car driving times and work schedules.
In early March 2026, I traveled for five days to Orange County, flying from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and renting a standard car with a national rental company I found on Costco Travel.
The U.S.-Israeli War in Iran began the week before my flight, and the price of oil at 12:00 am Eastern Time on my departure day was $94.77 per barrel, a 50.6% increase from a month before. When I visited the rental car agency, they said the price of gasoline had gone up by $0.25 the day before and their price for refueling after a rental was actually cheaper than the nearest public gas station. I did not know quite how many miles I intended to drive. For the first time ever, I decided to pre-pay for my tank, which was priced at $5.342 per gallon. When I returned on Friday, the price for filling up at the rental car agency had jumped to $10.00 per gallon, a flat price. I did not see a public gas station with prices that high, but it does show how uncertainty about conflict and the price of oil can increase costs even beyond simple supply and demand.
When I visited a Costco in Tustin, California, the price of regular gasoline was $4.895 per gallon, which is usually the cheapest wholesale price allowed by state law. In states like Minnesota, membership retailers cannot offer discounts on gasoline below the cost of that gasoline, while non-membership gas stations can offer discounts, like coupons for $0.10 off each gallon. On Friday, March 13, the national average price of regular gasoline was $3.610, a 22.8% increase from $2.940 a month ago, according to the American Automobile Association.
Car dependency is a modern California birthright. It is very common to drive on avenues with 10 or more lanes and speed limits of 60 miles per hour. To be clear, that is an avenue with periodic traffic light intersections with five lanes in each direction and more turn lanes at intersections. The speed limits in Orange County were usually about 10 miles per hour higher than what would be expected in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
There were a small number of bicyclists. They typically were enthusiast athletes along Pacific Coast Highway and residents who cannot drive, like teenagers on a bike going to school. I felt sick for how dangerous the intersections were for these children. I also saw a family with a stroller crossing an unmarked intersection, and stopped my car to let them cross the street. Bike lanes are typically one line of paint and sometimes green paint at intersections. I did not see a single protected bike lane with any level of plastic bollard or curb protection. There were, however some multi-use paths in more recreational park areas. Practical cyclists — like the teenagers — typically rode on the sidewalk.
California is a state with an abundance of natural beauty. There is a special feeling you have when the sand runs through your toes or the waves crash against your ankles. This was the right place to be, and I only wish that more people could enjoy it. The price of housing goes up as you near the coast. The high temperatures go down as you near the coast. One of my cousins lives about one mile from the beach, and their rambler home has solar panels, but no air conditioning. My cousin in Tustin has a newer home with air conditioning, and high temperatures up to around 20ºF higher. The price of housing is also about three times that of comparable homes in Minneapolis.
I enjoyed my trip to Orange County. It was good to visit with my cousins and their kids. I could feel my cortisol levels drop and my dopamine levels balance as I took in the warmth and sun. But I would not like to live here, even if I could afford it. It feels like I drove more miles in five days than I drove at home in a month. I do not want to spend the precious hours of my life behind a wheel.