  I've been asked why I feel its time to leave here for a while. The reasons are complicated, some are not ones most people would expect. I've lived in Auburn for as long as I can remember and I've made many life long friends here. But Auburn isn't the same as it once was, I remember an Auburn with open space, friendly people and genuinely a wonderful place to live. As much as I love it here, everything is changing. I remember just 4 years ago being able to drive from Lincoln to Roseville and the landscape being beautiful open countryside.
Something you are hard pressed to find out there now. I remember the roads leading from Auburn all went into the unknown for a kid. The world seemed huge in these eyes. The only thing you could see were the beautiful golden rolling hills, and air as clean as could be. If gold was still to be found in the foothills, this was it. I've watched for years as the beauty of the world around me has been stripped, paved and turned into mini-malls, subdivisions and churches.
The best example of this is the drive south from Lincoln. Turn onto Industrial Blvd and drive what was once the old "highway" to Roseville. Right before you hit the road to the Casino, notice the landscape around you, grasses, creeks and a place full of life. Look further out and see the new housing developments, the Casino, the industries and take another look at the area directly around you.
At one point, this is all there was, the beauty of the California hills, and valleys at your fingertips, a site now soon to vanish into the sea of pavement. To me, the nature of the west is my spirit, every passing month the dark ocean swallows the natural beauty here and my soul. One day what beauty is left will simply be another suburb of Sacramento, a soulless wasteland where beauty once reigned. My soul longs again for the beauty of nature, the freedom to stand on a hill at dusk and know that for miles around you are away from it all. It is for this reason that I am at home in the mountains, in the plains or standing next to the ocean.
My heart, my soul and my clarity in life has always been the open space. With out that space, I lose who I am, and all I will be. So the title of this entry, "The Last Resort" is a title of an Eagles song, one approprate to how I feel. Download it for yourself and listen to the message. 
