Cough cough: Americans can be tourists in California as well as Aussies. Heck, CALIFORNIANS go on wine country tours.
I think it's great that you want to talk to 'real' people. I haven't been to California and haven't traveled on a Greyhound bus since my grandfather died and the guy sitting in the seat ahead of me kept hitting on me. Oh, I've taken plenty of public transport: Subways in Wash. DC, Boston and the light rail in Chicago and I've taken commuter busses and I've even taken tourist busses since then. Just not in California. But do ask your son who will have a much better idea about who you are likely to encounter on commercial bus travel. And also do check about whether you can get off and on commercial travel busses. That was what first got my attention about what hoped for. There is no doubt you will encounter other tourists, at least some of which will be tacky Americans, however you travel.
I have nothing against "tacky Americans".
Even if I find myself talking to other tourists, they are unlikely to be people that I have shared a culture with since birth. I'm sure I'll talk to lots of Americans during the cruise component of the trip, but this 120 odd miles might be my only chance to check out some of the terrain and some of the non tourists. Having said that,
TV and Credit Cards has pretty much sold me on the train.
I'll tell you my secret fear, and I am only partially joking. That I would let my politics slip, maybe even having so little self control as to be unable to stop myself refuting someone's positive image of Trump - and get myself shot. Or punched.
I suspect I've been exposed to the worst of American news by my habitation of this place, but it's an issue I wouldn't even have to consider at home, and I suspect may be on the edges of your warnings.
(I would bet money that my son has never seen much of the inside of American public transport. Between his car, bike and plane he has most distances covered.)
I don't know if this is relevant today, but I took a bus trip when I was in my 20s when I was too poor to fly, from San Antonio, Texas to New York City, so I could visit my parents. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life, other than being bitten by a rattle snake and things like that.
The trip took over 48 hours and by the time we reached our destination, the bus was filthy. At one point, I found myself sleeping with my head on the shoulder of a strange man. I was traveling with my 3 year old son, and one good thing was that I looked after a 7 year old boy who was traveling by himself to visit his grandparents. Of course, that never happens these days, but it did help to have an older child play with my little boy. Plus, I think it helped him feel better being around a protective adult. At one point we were stuck for over 4 hours in St. Louis, Missouri, but we couldn't leave the staton as it was located in a very high crime neighborhood. I traveled by Greyhound. Do people even take long bus trips that like anymore? Maybe a train trip would be better.
I took public buses throughout my childhood, including with my teenage girlfriends to visit the World's Fair in 1964 in NYCity. Those short trips were fine, but taking a long trip on a bus is something I decided I would never do again after that experience in the early 70s. I never minded taking the subway in New York either, but I'm not sure I'd feel safe doing that these days, due to all the crimes and crazy people pushing passengers on the track in front of an oncoming train.
I wonder how much I can derail my own thread?
We didn't have a car when I was a kid. We went everywhere by public transport. When I was 14 we moved from a working/middle class suburb to an inner city one with a very rough reputation (Collingwood, for those that means anything to.) I wanted to stay with my old Guide Company, so once a week I took the train back, returning around 10.30pm, alone and completely at ease. Never once had cause to regret it. (Except for the time there was a locust plague and I had to commit multiple murders just to cross Punt Rd over the carpet of insects.) Even when there were drunks on the train I never felt threatened. If my mother thought it was a bad idea she never mentioned it.
Melbourne is a spread out city. Fast forward 30 years and you'd be housebound without a car. The only time my son, growing up, saw the inside of a train was going to the city if I didn't want to worry about parking. But I somewhat miss those old days. Reading while someone else does the driving. Getting a little exercise at either end of the journey. I have no idea if it would be so stress free now, 50 years later.
The planning of this trip may turn out to be more fun than the trip itself. I want to thank everyone and fully intend picking your brains as questions arise.