From now on this is going to be a Flying Blog

Mostly a place to keep a record of interesting places to go, good routes and Stuff that Happened.

First post - my new favorite route from Concord to Half Moon Bay. I found this via a youtube video but haven't seen it described anywhere in detail. Yet based on controller familiarity it seems to be well known. From Concord, the route goes through the Oakland Charlie directly over the field, then the San Mateo bridge midspan, through the SQL Delta and then a climb over the peninsula ridge before descending to HAF. It's pretty much the shortest route outside the SFO Bravo. If you're programming it into your navigator, it's KCCR - OAK - VPMID - KSQL - KHAF.  The OAK waypoint is not exactly right - the instruction will be to cross the Coliseum then head for the 30 numbers (assuming, as is essentially always the case in nice weather, that OAK is landing to the northwest). I now have those spots set up as VOR/radial/distance waypoints in Foreflight. But you're navigating VFR, so you can adjust as needed without the programming.

Unusually, the first call leaving CCR is to OAK tower (north, the GA one), not NorCal. My habit is to climb to 3K out of CCR and listen on the OAK tower frequency as soon as I'm clear of the CCR Delta. You can only hear the pilot side until getting above 2K and within about 15 miles. Once you hear the tower, call them up. They'll descend you to 2K approaching the field. Nearing the coliseum they'll switch you to the south tower which will send you over the 30 #'s, descend you to 1.4K & send you to the midspan. Before reaching the bridge, they'll ship you to SQL for that transition. SQL's D goes right up to the B shelf. My personal custom is to ask for the transition. It's never been denied. I suppose worst case if they refuse entry you could turn south and go through the gap between SQL and PAO airspace.

The B shelf is at 1.5K along that stretch. Very likely you'll cross under SFO arrivals, often two landing in parallel on 28L & R. If they're not too busy, SQL may offer to switch you to NorCal, but by the time you cross over there you're nearly at HAF so I no longer bother. Leaving that B shelf, you can now climb to 2.5 or 3K to cross the ridgeline. 

Lots of altitude changes but very scenic. Here is a recent track log.