I booked this AirBnB in the city due to its decent reviews and free parking spot at the property. I hate the parking situation in San Francisco, so I booked it. It was clean, but it was a bit noisy as the walls and ceiling were thin. I don't think I would book again because of the noise factor and the lack of personal touches and hospitality I have found at other AirBnBs.

This was a short and sweet "dream solo trip" to the Bay Area. It was a trip to travel how I want and when I want. I got to see places that I've wanted to see for so long, but couldn't because other people just weren't interested. On my long time travel bucket list was eating oysters at the Marshall Store and seeing the contemporary art at SFMOMA and I'm so happy I was able to finally make it happen.  It was  a quick long weekend jaunt, but I saw so many things and created lasting memories.   It's funny how on my recent trip to Kentucky and West Virginia I ate so badly and I didn't gain any weight. On this trip I gained 5 pounds! Was it worth it? It sure was!  Now, back to reality and trying to eat healthy every day.  Until my next adventure...

I haven't been on an airplane during COVID and it's been four years since I last step foot on an airplane.  I know people who have traveled including one of my regular clients who recently convinced me to book the flight.  I've hesitated for so long and kept my vacations limited to road trips because of everything I've been hearing in the news about flying these days. It's expensive. When there were mask restrictions, passengers were violent and combative. Luggages gets lost (which is still happening frequently).  My cousin recently came back from a wedding in NYC and got COVID.  

My mom and her husband were in West Virginia so I decided to look at my options for flights to Charleston, West Virginia.  The rates were high as expected for the major airlines except for an airline I didn't know much about -- Spirit Airlines when running a Google flight search at airports surrounding Charleston, West Virginia.  The surrounding city that looked most interesting was Louisville which I didn't know much about other than the Kentucky Derby.

The flight to Louisville would be only be four hours and a non-stop flight so it would minimize the risk of lost luggage.  Being the adventurous person that I am, I was game to try this "questionable" bare bones airline because it was so inexpensive.

After researching Louisville, I discovered it is a serious food and drink city. There were plenty of local restaurants to explore and it's the epicenter of bourbon production.  I've seen a few people venturing off to Kentucky for bourbon distillery tours, but it didn't sound appealing until now. I've given up drinking alcohol here at home for health reasons, but it was vacation so I made an exception to go on a distillery tour and tasting.

With inexpensive airfare and being vaccinated against COVID, I decided to take the leap with the following COVID safety protocol checklist while at the airport and airplane:  N95 mask - check. Face shield - check. Hand sanitizer and wipes - check.

Once I got to the terminal at LAX, most people didn't have masks on and no one had a face shield on.  Luckily, no one laughed or took an obvious double take at this point during the pandemic.  It was my first time flying so taking these precautions was my security blanket.

The flight wasn't that bad on Spirit. I met someone in West Virginia from LA who callled a shith*le airline.  I'm pretty low maintenance so I thought flying Spirit was fine with me. I can fly more often now since their prices are so low.

My week in the South was an amazing travel experience. It opened my eyes to a different culture within the United States. Yes, visiting the South to me is like visiting another country!

Most of the people were (not surprisingly) warm and friendly except one "redneck" woman (my mom's husband called her that, not me) at the toll booth that gave me major attitude once she saw my LA Dodgers baseball cap.  I've always been afraid to travel to this part of the country because I was afraid of possible hatred for people who look like me and where I'm from. It was not on my absolute travel list because I have been scared of the South.  Maybe I was asking for it wearing that LA cap.

I really enjoyed visiting Kentucky and plan to return again one day to visit Mammoth Cave National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site.  My travel bucket list revolves around that UNESCO list.  West Virginia seems to be on the verge of becoming a popular vacation destination with Lonely Planet shining the spotlight on West Virginia as a "Place to Visit in 2022." 

I didn't have enough time to see Pittsburgh as planned so I already want to return to Pennsylvania to visit both Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and probably explore the Pennsylvania Amish culture. I only got a taste of Virginia visiting the historic Old Winchester area.  There's still so much explore in Virginia as well.  I don't think visiting Arlington National Cemetery when I was seven years old counts. I need to see more. I definitely need to plan a return trip to D.C. solo and as an adult.

With a taste of air travel again, I already want to see more of the United States that I haven't seen yet. I'm not brave enough to do any long haul travel during the pandemic as I'm taking baby steps right now.  I definitely don't want to lose my luggage on a connecting flight.  I've already experienced losing luggage and it really does ruin your first few days of travel plans. The odds of losing your luggage are much higher now than before.

My mom got COVID on her flight back to LA as she is an anti-masker like everyone else (but me). Everyone is tired of the mask. I am too, but I don't want to experience symptoms of never ending LONG COVID. Some people are experiencing symptoms after catching COVID in 2020. I don't want to deal with that and the chance of permanent disability. I'll keep using my mask in crowded indoor situations.  I can buy mom boxes of N95s, but of course it's her choice to wear an N95 or not.  I hope she learned her lesson not wearing a mask at the airport and on the airplane.  I read that the most dangerous time to be unmasked is while entering and exiting the aircraft when everyone gets up at the same time while the HEPA filters aren't running.  If someone nearby has COVID, you'll probably get it.

After returning from my first trip on an airplane in four years, I can't wait for my next travel adventure to eat good local food, learn something new, create memories with new experiences, and to meet new people. Perhaps I will get on an airplane again for my birthday coming up soon?  Stay tuned..

For my birthday, I originally planned a road trip to Yellowstone National Park, but the weather forecast for the week was snowfall. I have driven in heavy snow in Utah and during snowboarding trips in Mammoth and Big Bear and I'm not a fan of skidding on the road. 

The next best thing was a fall foliage road trip along the Eastern Sierra on Highway 395 to June Lake Loop just in time for the beginning of peak fall foliage. Visiting June Lake during fall foliage has been on my radar for a while now just to see the dramatic colors of autumn.

First thing on my mind before, during, and after vacation is always food. A stop to grab a bite at Copper Top BBQ has become a ritual on the drive home from Mammoth on past snowboarding trips along with picking up some bread at  Erick Schat's Bakery.

I took my tri-tip sandwich and mac 'n cheese up to Schulman's Grove for a picnic lunch. I met a lady, her friend, and dog camping in the area also from the San Fernando Valley. She wanted me to text her wife a message of "thinking about you and I love you" when I got to June Lake because there wasn't any cell service around Schulman Grove. I thought it was so sweet that they are married couple still in love.  

 Along with me, some photographers trying to get the perfect shot of the ancient bristlecone pine trees during sunset -- these are the oldest living trees in the world at more than 4,000 years old!

The Whispering Pines in June Lake was my home for the next two nights. It was nice to have a kitchen in my motel room as I brought a lot of snacks and instant Asian soup bowls.  Of course, I brought my own sheets again, pillow, electric hot water kettle for tea, and air purifier... and brought my disinfecting wipes to sanitize everything I was going to touch in the motel room.

This was the picturesque view outside the motel in June Lake.

Scenes from the stunning June Lake Loop.

 This scenic fall morning drive around June Lake was a treat for my birthday.

A flock of sheep on my way to Bodie Ghost Town. I scared them off.  :(

I spent a couple hours wandering and taking photographs of Bodie Ghost Town which was a booming town during its heydey during the California Gold Rush era.

This was an interesting find. It was a crate of soda bottles from Glendale, California inside one of the decrepit buildings.

It's a ghost town frozen in time. They haven't done anything to clean up the place, just made some reinforcements to some of the structures.

Some eye candy along highway 108 to Sonora Pass.

Fresh powder at Sonora Pass.

Marking my birthday at the historic and scenic Sonora Pass.

Fall colors on the way back down from Sonora Pass.

June Lake in the afternoon on my way to June Lake Brewery for craft beer and Ohanas 395 for Hawaii-inspired eats. The owner spent time in Hawaii and crafted a menu including poke, fish tacos, fried rice, and vegetarian food. She also has lumpia (Filipino egg rolls) on the menu.   I ordered the mahi-mahi fried rice and mahi-mahi tacos to eat with my sour beer and pale ale. I realized that had a huge phone dependence problem when I realized that I left my phone in my car and couldn't take a photo of my fried rice and sour beer lol.

I caught some deer having dinner at dusk back at the motel.

I spent dusk exploring Hot Creek to see the geothermal activity there. It's like a mini Lassen Volcanic National Park.

There weren't many options in June Lake for dinner.  This barbecue pizza at June Pie Pizza Co.  seemed like the best option for dinner in the area. I didn't eat the crust so that tells you a bit about this pizza.

Due to high wind activity on the 395, I decided not to explore Whitney Portal and Manzanar on my way back down. Instead  I returned to Yosemite for the day to take the 41 back down to LA.

The mountain range was beautiful covered in snow, but I dreaded driving over ice and snow.  The people behind me probably hated how slow I was driving.

 I think I was around 5 years old when I last visited the Tunnel View for a photo. Maybe I'll post it here when I have time to locate it.

I decided to explore the Wawona Hotel surroundings and hike in the area before heading out of Yosemite.

I cracked open this craft beer I bought at the general store near the hotel for my leisurely stroll.

More of a gentle stroll in the woods than a heart-pounding hike, it was peaceful and I enjoyed my time here without anyone around.  I ran into only two  individuals during my time on the trail.

View of the meadow towards the end of the trail.

I decided on a second round of hiking at Mariposa Grove to see the giant sequoia trees of Yosemite.  I ran into deer who weren't afraid of me.  Just like dogs, most animals love me!

I quickly roamed the sequoia grove and didn't go further a couple more miles to see the larger grove since it was getting dark.  I took the service road back down to avoid hiking in the dark. It was about a 30-minute walk back to the welcome center.

There's so much more to see and do in Yosemite and can't wait for a return trip to explore more places away from the Yosemite Valley which is way overcrowded. I couldn't wait to escape the Valley the last time I visited. There wasn't any parking and too many people. It must be more worse now since my last visit as more people are discovering our national parks and "van life" Instagrammers during the pandemic.

The crowds ruin the experience for me at our national parks. I much prefer the hidden gem national parks. It's nice to know there are still spots to visit in Yosemite that are more peaceful. It also helps to visit Yosemite and other popular national parks during a less busy time of the year.