The Land of Happy Cows

I did in fact see cows during my trip to California this Winter break, though I could not judge their happiness due to a certain lack of recognizable facial expressions. What I can say with certainty is that NorCal is a great place to visit. A quick inexpensive Southwest Ding flight from Portland, OR to Oakland had me on my way. A special someone met me at the airport and we were stationed at his family's home in Clayton for the duration of my week. It is a cute modern version of the old western mining town it once was.

The day after my arrival we took BART into San Francisco. Here I retrieved my Israel Student Visa, met up with another friend, and then continued to wander around the city on foot. We made it to City Hall, the Financial District, Chinatown, and Fishermen's Wharf. Walking all day called for a few pit stops: lunch at a mall food court serving "gourmet" food on real dishes, coffee at Peet's Coffee & Tea, and for dinner hot fudge sundaes at Ghirardelli Square (of course). It was a wonderful day ended with a relaxing evening walking on the beach seeing the city lights reflected on the damp ground.

The next and longest stop was Truckee, a small mountain town filled with vacation homes and snowy forests. It provided serenity and an escape. Truckee's proximity to both Tahoe and Reno (both about a 35-45 minute drive away) provided for fun day trips. I had never before been to a casino, so quality all-you-can-eat sushi at Atlantis followed by a free trapeze show at Circus Circus made for an adventure. Not to mention the classic activity of bowling created a memorable Reno experience. On the way to Tahoe we stopped by Squaw Valley to walk around. This gave me a taste of the ski resort atmosphere without actually having to hit the slopes. Lake Tahoe itself was expansive and calm. A walk along the water's edge lead to a pathetic snow-angel making attempt (the snow was icy) and an impromptu snow fight.

Back in Clayton for the last day of my trip we hiked up Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve trail, where we hung out with grazing cows and admired a view down across the country (with wind turbines in the distance). The day was topped off with his little brother's basketball game (1st place in their league!) and a family game of Cranium.

If that wasn't an amazing vacation, I don't know what is. Although I am not going to lie: the company sure helped.