The first leg of my trip through the Southwest was intense. It was my first time traveling for an extended period of time without running into anyone I knew or had any prior connection to. My adrenaline ran high. Traveling through California was completely different because I was fortunate to have many friends and family scattered across the state. I want to dedicate space on this blog to acknowledge all the people who helped me out, traveled with me, and overall enriched my travel experience.

Santa Barbara, CA

After my stint in the Southwest, I arrived in Santa Barbara, CA covered in a good layer of desert cached on sweat cached on desert. I stayed with my cousin Julia for a couple days and to this day, I still recall that stay as my second new definition of heaven. My stay in Julia's guest bedroom was everything you fantasize about after traveling long stretches in the backcountry. It was my first night sleeping in a "real" bed in a month. Compared to the piece of plywood I slept on my first four nights during the first leg of my trip, I slept like a queen.

Julia introduced me to the world of oysters! Little did I know you could go to oyster farms and eat oodles of oysters.

Orange, CA & San Diego, CA

While I was in LA for Pride, I got wind that my aunt, uncle, and cousin were in the area. Having no pressing business, I joined them on their mini trip to Orange, CA and later to San Diego, CA to visit a family and friends.

Adventuring with my relatives was very nice and a good change of pace to explore urban areas, eat delicious food, and hangout with my awesome family.

Strolling along the beach on a hazy afternoon

San Francisco, CA

Of the many random things I did in San Francisco, I started off by going to American Dental Association conference in downtown San Francisco with my friend, Yin. While I couldn't get into the conference area without a pass, there was still plenty to see right outside. I even got screened for oral cancer and am happy to know my mouth is cancer free!

After the conference, we headed out by foot to Golden Boy Pizza. According to another travel writer I had met earlier in the week, Golden Boy Pizza was supposed to be the cheapest best pizza in SF. Naturally, I wanted to find out for myself. Coincidentally, our route to Golden Boy Pizza took us through Chinatown which was perfect because I wanted to go to Chinatown, but wasn't sure if I'd have the opportunity.

A slice of pepperoni $3.50 and pesto veggie pizza $4

And the verdict for the pizza? Not bad. Golden Boy Pizza is a dive with an unassuming exterior and a punk vibe inside. The service is fast and the expectation is that you eat up and get out so that others can take your spot at one of the few seats available. I was happy to get a cheap meal in the heart of SF.

San Mateo, CA

In the summer of 2006, I studied abroad in Beijing, China. The program was primarily to learn Chinese language with a few elective classes tossed in there such as calligraphy, Chinese painting, tai chi, etc. Within the program, there was a group of us that hung out a lot and called ourselves the "Rainbow 7" after we went to the hair salon and each dyed our hair a different color of the rainbow. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun in China. Over the years, I had mostly kept up with Tina, whom I tried to find purple sand with in Crazy California: Finding Purple Sand. However, it turned out that several of us were in the area and managed to have dinner one day. We hadn't seen each other in 10 years! It was great to catch up!

Oakland, CA

Aria is one of those unique and wonderful humans in the world I'd met back in Minnesota. I was excited to connect up with her while I was in California. While a lot of the time I spent at Aria's place involved binge watching Criminal Minds on TV while I recovered from a cold, we did make a trip up to Harbin Hot Springs and explore around Oakland.

At one point, we took a walk around Lake Merritt in Oakland. The same travel blogger who recommended Golden Boy Pizza recommended going to Lake Merritt. Lake Merritt is a man made lake surrounded by apartment buildings and other commercial establishments. To a Minnesotan, who has access to lakes everywhere, the lake was lacking. The sidewalks were littered with goose droppings and the lake smelled foul and had a lot of algae...

Fremont, CA

For the last two years, I have volunteered to prepare Federal and State tax returns for low income taxpayers at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) clinic. During my first year preparing taxes, I met Marco and we fast became friends. He's a manager at Pancheros and was helping to open a new branch in Fremont, CA. So, one night I met up with him for drinks and burritos. I gotta say, the queso in a Pancheros burrito is pretty tasty and hits the spot every time!