"Go West, Paradise is there."

In the summer of 2004, I drove to San Diego (from Kansas City, MO) with a friend. It was a spontaneous trip; we had no money, no plan, no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Two weeks later, two weeks spent in shitty motels, a car that kept overheating in the 115 degree Arizona heat, and several fast food parking lots (once money ran out), I returned to the green, green grass of home a changed man. I consider this trip one of the most important times of my life.

It was also the first time I have been to California since being born there in 1984. I wept at the sight of the sand dunes and Pacific Ocean.

Recently, I found a mix cd that I made just prior to the trip. If I remember correctly, the plan was to wait until we had crossed the border into California to dramatically pop this into the car's stereo. That moment was about 11 o'clock at night, just outside of Yuma, AZ, in the Colorado Desert (Imperial County).

Here, unabridged, regardless of any embarrassing inclusions, is the track listing to the cd.

01. Sound clip from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

02. Rancid - "California Sun"

03. Transplants - "California Babylon"

04. Rancid - "Hyena"

05. Choking Victim - "Crack Rock Steady"

06. Eve 6 - "Open Road Song"

07. Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - "Johnny Appleseed"

08. Kottonmouth Kings - "Bump"

09. Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards - "Campbell, CA"

10. Sublime - "40 oz to Freedom"

11. Mr. Bungle - "Air-Conditioned Nightmare"

12. the Gadjits - "Bad Gadjit"

13. Tom Waits - "Goin' Out West"

14. Nerf Herder - "Hotel California"

15. Dr. Dre - "Still D.R.E."

16. Rancid - "Red Hot Moon"

17. Kottonmouth Kings - "Here We Go Again"

18. Reel Big Fish - "Boss DJ"

19. Rancid - "Listed M.I.A."

20. Tupac - "California Love"

21. Against Me! - "Reinventing Axl Rose"

22. Rancid - "Backslide"

23. Billy Bragg & Wilco - "California Stars"