I can’t believe I’ve already been home from California over a week. It’s amazing the amount of things you need to catch up on when you are out of town for almost a month. Of course I wouldn’t trade the time away for less catch-up work later. This is my second vacation to the San Francisco area, so I skipped some of the normal tourist spots and went for things a little out of the usual.

I went on a couple winery tours, since you can’t be near Napa Valley and not visit these famous places. Wine really isn’t my thing, but I enjoyed the views and the company I was with while trying a variety of wines.

But Brewery tours… now those are much more my thing! While in San Francisco I went to the Lagunitas tour (twice), the Pyramid Brewery tour, and tried out a flight at the brewpub Magnolia. With all the hype about wine I never would have know that area of the country actually makes some really great beer too. Better yet, for all you Midwest-IPA lovers, Lagunitas is opening a Chicago location this month!

But really, California wasn’t all about drinking. I swear. I went on two long hikes in the Point Reyes area. 17 miles one day. 13 miles the second time around. The park is so big that I never retraced my steps or saw the same view. It was spectacular from every angle. Why in the world doesn’t the Midwest have scenic, hilly hikes?

And of course, I couldn’t pass up the chance to spend a day at the zoo. Juvenile, perhaps, but I love to see all the animals. Plus it is interesting to compare and contrast all the various zoos I’ve ever been to. This one ranks pretty highly on the list of best zoos I’ve experienced. The children’s petting farm was one of the best exhibits. The goats are so tame that even the most frightened child got the chance to brush or pet them. It was adorable to see them melt before these little creatures.

And let’s not forget the food factor! While there I tried In-N-Out for the first time. I didn’t get animal style fries, but the burger was delicious. (Although to be honest I’m not sure what all the crazy hype is about.) I also stood in a LONG line to get one of the CREAM ice cream sandwiches in Berkeley. (That totally lived up to the hype!) I also tried Bi-Rite creamery, and while the ice cream was good I thought the portions were small for what was paid, but then again I’m coming from the Midwest where everything is twice the size and half the price. And I got salted caramel hot chocolate from Ghirardelli - rich, yummy goodness. (Not surprisingly I also managed to find myself in at least 5 different Starbucks while away. I could probably locate these with my eyes closed at this point - it’s a little scary.)

And to make up for all these delicious and well-worth-it calories I also went on a number of short trail runs around where I was staying! Each day was a new adventure, a new scene, a new path worth discovering.

Of course, I couldn’t make it through San Francisco without stopping at a few tourist traps. I watched the sunset along the embarcadero and watched the crazy performers. I took in the view from Lands End and spent time people watching on a park bench at the Palace of Fine Arts.

And lastly, I caught a number of sunsets over the water - something we NEVER get in the Midwest.