San Francisco and the Oakland Bay area were awesome if a bit smoky. Picked the Nova Scotia crew up at SFO on the BART and it was super convenient. With an NBA and NFL game the boys were happy and no shortage of places to eat and drink. Oakland showed a little urban decay but had some pretty cool architecture and public art. San Fran was really the cool spot though. We got off at Embarcadero and started walking to the Alcatraz ferrry. The prison was a highlight. Well maintained and presented. After that we visited our trip sponsor, Chipotle for some snacks. Jen got her research and meetings in in Oakland and San Jose. The boys and I toured San Jose and the State University and it was really neat. The Thai restaurant Jen found was a highlight and then on to Santa Cruz for the night. Santa Cruz and Monterey will be another post even though I am in LA. Wish I had more time to post the next two blogs but I have to make the most of the Indigo in downtown LA to get my gear ready for Joshua Tree.