Hey Giok,

You've gotten good advice from Claire and Amos re: what's what on the road from SFO to LA.

I love the coast roads of California. I grew up here and have never tired of the ocean. A short way north of SF you can visit western Marin and Sonoma counties (including Inverness, California) home of soft rolling hills and ocean views (okay, so you can get those in Scotland) and redwood trees the like of which you won't find anywhere else. It's worth a thought.

Saving time for Yosemite and Death Valley is worthwhile. You won't find scenery like that anywhere else. The quality of light in Yosemite is quite different from anything in Scotland. My uncle, who lived in Perthshire, always looked forward to the striking downlight of the Yosemite Vallay. It's a great time to visit Death Valley, neither too cold nor too hot, perhaps some green vegetation to be seen. You might also consider Bodie, a ghost town in a state of arrested decay held by the park service.

Give me a PM. I'll be off duty your first few days here. I live just across the bridge from San Francisco. I'll give you all the native son advice you can stand, and buy the first pint. I might even be able to scare up some music.

Amos will find an excuse not to come up here for a pint, but he's just that way.

Cheers,

D