Salinas, CA

When I began this trip so long ago I could not help but think of another man who undertook a similar trip. He was born and raised in this town. His first novels were written and based in this town. Later, the residents of this town called his books communist and burned them in the town square. He grew to despise this town. Now there are businesses and streets named for him and the house he was born in is an overpriced restaurant with his name on it.

I am speaking, of course, of John Steinbeck. I wasn’t going to come here; the town’s treatment of him and subsequent hypocrisy leaves a bad taste in my mouth. In the final equation, however, how could I resist seeing the original Rocinante? Yes, it’s true, I stole the name from Steinbeck (who stole it from Cervantes), but if one is going to steal, who better to steal from?

The town’s economy is still based on agriculture and the farms are still worked by migrant workers. According to some sources (biased though they are) this is some of the most fertile land in the world. Outside town limits this might be true, inside it’s just another California town.