I had spent an extended weekend in California to visit a friend who had moved there recently. I ensured that we would explore the area. One of the little things I liked about staying near the airport was watching the planes take off and land in the mornings and evenings. It wasn’t something I expected to care about that much, but it was pretty cool.

Pinnacles National Park

We hiked the Old Pinnacles Trail and then did the Balconies Cliffs Trail to Balconies Cave loop.

The cave was easily the best part. It was way longer and more involved than I expected, with rocks to climb over and down, tight spots, and sections that were completely dark. You definitely need a flashlight or your phone light.

The hike back took a lot longer than expected because one person in the group was really struggling, and I started getting a little nervous about the sun going down before we made it back. We eventually got there, though, and the cave was absolutely worth it.

Tony’s Pizza Napoletana

Tony’s was good, but I honestly didn’t think it lived up to the hype. I’ve had pizza in Wisconsin and Minnesota that I liked more.

Still glad I tried it, though.

Golden Gate Bridge

The walk across the Golden Gate Bridge was a lot longer than I expected. The fog would roll in and then disappear just like that.

San Francisco

San Francisco was colder than I expected. Not freezing, obviously, but definitely chilly enough that I finally understood all those quotes about how cold summer can feel there.

The World Cup was going on while we were in California, so there were soccer fans everywhere and games on all over the place. It was kind of fun having that happening in the background of the trip. It made the whole area feel a little more alive than it normally would.

California really loves Teslas. It honestly felt like every other car on the road was one. There were also way more Waymos around than I’m used to seeing in the Midwest. I took my first ride in one just around the block, and it was super fun. It was also kind of wild seeing how advanced the whole thing is when you’re actually sitting inside one instead of just reading about it.

Pier 39 was alright, but I didn’t like it as much as I expected to. There wasn’t really anything there that grabbed my attention. The most memorable part was probably stopping at a candy shop and buying a Malibu rum chocolate bar. It was so good that I ended up ordering another one from a different candy shop after I got home.

Ghirardelli Square was alright. I got a hot fudge sundae and walked around for a bit, but there honestly wasn’t a whole lot there that caught my attention. I kind of wish it had more historic stuff to see. I was expecting the place itself to be a little more interesting beyond the shops and chocolate.

Big Sur

Big Sur was warmer than San Francisco and super fun to drive through because there were overlooks everywhere. We had a sneaker wave warning in effect, which I’d never really heard of before. After watching a few videos of them taking out trucks and everything else in their path, we decided the overlooks were plenty close enough to the ocean.

Alcatraz

Winchester Mystery House

The Winchester Mystery House was worth visiting once, especially because I had been reading about the history before we went.

What I found most interesting was how much the tour seems to lean into the legends. Some of the stories sound way more dramatic than the actual history probably was, especially the stuff about Sarah Winchester supposedly being obsessed with certain numbers and superstitions. The reality seems a lot less mysterious, but I guess that doesn’t make for as fun of a tour.