Last week I headed out to Northern California to meet up with Otis on his work trip. I spent Wednesday and Thursday on my own while he worked, and then we had all day Friday and Saturday to explore the northern California coastline together. That area of the country is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The wildfire smoke wasn't too bad, and Saturday ended up being a perfectly clear day.

On Wednesday I went for a run in the Rancho San Antonio Open Area. It was beautiful and peaceful. I decided to lug the big camera along, making the run a bit awkward. It was totally worth it. I got some great shots...this one is my favorite:

On Thursday I hopped the CalTrain to San Francisco and spent the day walking around, shopping, and enjoying the city. I got a few pics while there, but those are on the point-and-shoot. Still need to get those on the computer. I can't decide how I feel about San Fran. This is my second time there this year. Both times I only had about a day, but it seemed to be plenty. It's an expensive city. And dirty. And crowded. But it's also amazingly unique and has a cool vibe, which I love. I think I would enjoy San Fran more with a group of girlfriends, preferably one who lives there and knows lots of cool local things to do.

On Friday Otis and I headed down to Monterey and Santa Cruz, where we hit up the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The jellyfish exhibit was my favorite.

Otis took this awesome photo:

And lastly, on Saturday we drove to Big Basin National Forest and hiked through some redwood forests. The size of the trees are amazing.

On top of all of this, we had plenty of time to relax and hang out together, and we got to stay at a super posh hotel in Palo Alto Friday and Saturday night (thanks sis!). But the best part, as it always is after vacation, was coming home. We're both glad to be back, and be here for a while.