This past weekend, I finally left the San Francisco Bay Area for the first time since the pandemic started. One of my good friends is a Chinatown enthusiasts, and he’s on a quest to visit all the major Chinatowns in this country and beyond. Now that I’m fully vaccinated - and so is my friend - I’ve decided to join him on one of these adventures. This time, it happened to be the central California city of Fresno.
The result: I’m pretty sure I got enough vitamin D to last the rest of May. It was a dry and sunny 90 degrees in the Central Valley, a complete weather opposite to the foggy mid 50s that I am used to in San Francisco. After more than a year in pseudo hibernation, perhaps it was a bit overboard to go from zero to that much sun exposure at once. I was certainly feeling the effects by the time we finished lunch (surprisingly good Chinese food in nearby town of Hanford): a mild headache and decently dehydrated.
Turns out, it was an exceptionally dry weekend in the San Joaquin valley, with a few wildfires igniting in the Merced area. We damn picked a good time to go and torture ourselves! It didn’t help that I was breaking in a new pair of Allbirds wool shoes, in what turns out of be a one size too small. My feet sure was feeling it being stuff in those things for 10 hours in the heat. I’m in the process of returning them for a pair one size larger.
Overall it’s nice to finally get out of the house for an extended period. I really miss going on road trips, and the three hour trek to Fresno is a good appetizer for things to come. My BMW M2 has yet to go on a long trip of any sorts, so that is something at the top of the list as California nears its fully reopen date. I’m sure my friend has other Chinatowns to explore in Southern California, and up the coast into Oregon and Washington.
I’m still recovering from being sun-drunk two days later, but this is good for my body. I’ve gotten too used to nature’s air conditioning, living in the west side of San Francisco. A little bit of heat now and then is beneficial.
In the 559.