Good to be talking with you.
I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains, which is basically the Southern most tip of a very large North American Redwood forest. My backyard consisted of mountains, trees hundreds of feet tall, springs and streams, and the most diverse Salamander population on the planet (little tidbit there, learn something everyday). If you have seen the movie Return of the Jedi then you know exactly what my area looks like. The tree-top village for the Ewoks was staged in a spot about 1km from my home.
The best part about living there was that in 15 minutes down Hwy. 9 I could be standing on the beach in Santa Cruz. It is where the wetsuit was invented for a reason... but I still would body surf that 62 degree water (on a good day) all over. In about 3 hours I could be on any of a number of ski resorts. Traffic and weather permitting, 4 hours gets you to just about any ski resort in California. I'm talking about Dodge Ridge, Kirkwood, Squaw Valley, Heavenly, Sierra Summit, Sierra at Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain, Diamond Peak, Northstar at Tahoe, Sugar Bowl, Donner, Boreal, Bear Valley, and probably others I haven't been too...
For the dirt biking enthusiast in you, check out the Hollister Hills. In the central valley of CA, around Hollister, Salinas, Los Banos, and South of the San Luis Reservoir there is quite a bit of open and unspoiled land. Not really being used for anything, maybe cows somewhere on thousands of acres of grass and sparsely placed trees. I imagine the rolling hills and flat valleys of grass that grows tall in the spring and turns gold in the summer is somewhat familiar to you.
The only negative I have to say about the place is the traffic. The greater Bay Area (including Santa Cruz, Oakland, San Francisco, and Gilroy) contains some nearly 15 million people spread out over a large area. I think the key is to live on the edge of that "urban sprawl" near the still beautiful places so that you can still utilize the economy of the area as well as find all the thing you like to do.
California... It really is the bomb. From the lakes, to the cities, and the coastline... Hell, it is the 6th largest economy in the world, and it's only one of fifty states and it is gorgeous. They charge you to live there though. Sales tax is at like 10% in some areas. And they tax your earnings a good 35% by the time you get them.
Basically, you honestly only get about 50% of what you earn... Aaaaannnnndddd you have to pay for one of the highest costs of living in the world. This, and the declining infrastructure, are why I actually chose to leave California and locate myself further North in Oregon. Portland is a very nice place, the coast area and the skiing are also available. Intel, Nike, Google, and other large companies employ a great number of people here. The cost of living here is about 75% of what it is in California and you don't have to pay crazy sales taxes (they take about 40% of your earnings though).
I think if you wanted to move stateside you should look into getting a job and a work visa. The seasonal summer work is a good stepping stone to get all the paperwork handled. I wish you the best of luck in your travels.
Edit: The Mexicans in California don't really consider themselves Californian. There is a definite sub culture centralized around gang life mentality which is extremely dangerous to get involved with. I would never say that every Hispanic person in the state is like this (like the Russians in Sacramento being violent and intoxicated 24/7) but in Santa Cruz it's just better to give them their space. If they are cool people you'll pick up on the energy pretty quick.
