Skiing San Francisco

You didn't think that was possible?

Well, it's not. Trust me.

A few weeks ago, it was time for my annual-ish ski trip with Miso. Jacob was just one, the babysitting had been planned months in advance, this was literally the only weekend all winter that worked for both of us.

Except winter wasn't working for us. Oh, winter so wasn't working for us. In fact, there'd been so little snow where we were heading that we'd actually decided not to even bother skiing at all - we were going to hike, knit, veg, but nothing especially snowy, since there was no snow. And then, on the day we were traveling to the mountain, there was snow (both at Miso's departure city and at our destination).

We might be cursed.
(Note that I'm so not over what happened a few years ago that I can't even go find the link.)

At one point, Miso was in San Francisco, I was in Los Angeles, both of our connecting flights were cancelled, and we were just stuck. We contemplated renting a cars, driving to each other, driving to the mountain, etc. Finally, it seemed better for each of us just to turn around and head back home (poor Miso had been traveling for our 24 hours at this point, owning to the giant snow storm that nearly prevented her departure). Tears were shed, frantic phone calls were made.

And, well, American Airlines came through. They totally saved this weekend, with a grace that is far more than one hopes for these days. From my tears in Los Angeles, they flew me to San Francisco, and then changed my return flight so I could fly directly home from San Francisco. At no charge.

We might just have a little luck left.

So, Miso and I had a weekend together! It wasn't the weekend we'd planned for (or packed for), but sometimes vacation is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.

Thank goodness for smartphones, free airport wifi, and speedy Facebook friends with hotel recommendations. By the time my plane landed in San Francisco, Miso had booked us a hotel room, and we headed straight there. It had been a loooooong day.

The next day: fun! We set out to eat at the Ferry Terminal, but we found the breakfast options a little limited. Luckily, there were many nearby options. 
Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words:

While trying to figure out how to spend the rest of the day, Miso remembered an urban hiking trail she'd read about - and we were off!

And no kidding on the urban. The bulk of what we walked was between the shipping containers at the Port of Oakland and a freeway interchange. But, well, the weather was beautiful. And we are intrepid adventurers!

We did make it to scenic slice where the bridge went out over the water and the old bridge didn't block the view.

Not bad, eh?

And we capped off our morning with an extremely excellent lunch with my aunt (who so graciously welcomed the vacation wash-ups in the middle of her pretty epic week).

We spent the afternoon wandering around Oakland - which, well, was actually extremely pleasant. One thing that always shocks me when I go back to California is just how bright and vibrant all the colors are there. The Texas palette is, shall we say, a little more restricted, even on the best of days. And here's just an average day, an average planter box outside my aunt's office.

Look, either you get it or think I just posted a poorly composed picture of some ordinary flowers. That's cool.

Here's some afternoon beauty everyone can get behind:

Yeah. It was good.

We met a friend of Miso's for dinner. She took us to a super-nice local place. And then we went for ice cream. Of course.

The next day, we grabbed some serious breakfast and then hit up a museum. Choosing a museum in San Francisco is not easy, but the Frog and Toad exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum was a total winner! 

There was also an exhibit re-creating some of the signs from Occupy Wall Street. It made for some interesting visuals.

The next day: more hiking! We did the Beach-to-Bay trail in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. I recommend it.

That night, another college friend joined us, and we actually went out! For dinner! And to hear live music! It was awesome. No pictures of the evening, but here's a shot I texted to Mike and the kids before we left the hotel room for the evening.

I was back home Sunday evening. What an adventure!