If you are an iPhone user, odds are that you already know your way around it pretty well. Setting up iCal with your google account is simple, but making iCal sync with things appropriately is tough. I haven't had mine correct for over a year.

The only piece I was missing, and I am guessing you too, is to do all of your setup in the iPhone "settings" control. It looks like an app on your home screen with gears in the window.

Under settings, you have a mail/contacts/calendar tab. Within that tab, add your google account. If you want to share google calendars with your spouse or work, and the accounts here as well. You will then have the option to view mail, calendars, or notes.

Here was the key for me. If you scroll down to the bottom of this menu, you can select your google account as the default calendar. This will make every event you make in iCal shoot straight over to google calendar. Once that piece of the puzzle in is place everything else comes together easy.

Open up iCal, and select which calendars you would like to view. All the google calendars you authorized on the previous settings screen will now be authorized in your view list. Hope this helps!