I did a 20-mile section of the San Gabriel River Bike Trail, in preparation for doing the whole thing round trip (68-75 miles) to fulfill my pledge to ride my age in miles on my birthday.
The truth is that southern Californians don't notice solstices or equinoxes very much, because they aren't associated with predictable weather changes: on 12/21 it was 81 degrees here. New to the area in the late 1990s, I overheard my students complaining about how short the days were in winter, and how this interfered with their outdoor plans. I suggested that they demand that something be done to rectify the situation, and at least some of them agreed with me! Damned laws of physics, anyway!
I do love it out here, but after living through forty years of harsh winters in upstate NY, Vermont, and Massachusetts, I do find the natives' reaction to weather a bit. . .quaint.
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