Graham,

Just 10 minutes ago Sherri and I got back from Healdsburg, CA just north of Santa Rosa. We were attending a wedding for one of her co-workers.

Yes, its beautiful country there. Denver is an interesting town, and Boulder is culturally similar to San Francisco and has some great trailheads if you have time to get some hiking in.

San Jose Airport is the nicest of the San Francisco Bay Area airports. Oakland Airport is the easiest to get in and out of because it's arranged logically. Oakland Airport is actually closer to downtown San Francisco than San Francisco Airport, but the traffic across the Bay Bridge makes it about the same amount of driving time.

San Francisco International is the only truly international airport in the area, so most overseas travellers are stuck with using our most convoluted, crowded, and confusing airport.

A local news show did a satire on the San Francisco Airport that had families camping in the parking structures because they couldn't find their cars.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your trip to the U.S.

Keep us posted.