This past April, my friend and I took a five-day trip to California, where we visited San Francisco and the Napa Valley wine country. We flew out on a Friday morning and stayed in the Golden State until Wednesday afternoon. During our visit, we saw quite a bit of gorgeous scenery, ate some scrumptious food, and drank some tasty wine. All in all, it was a fun, relaxing, and memorable vacation. But the reason the getaway was truly memorable is because it was the “luckiest” trip I have ever taken!

When I say “luckiest,” I mean that a great many aspects of our vacation that were beyond our control just happened to go in our favor. In San Francisco, for instance, the weather was absolutely beautiful, with sunshine, very few clouds, and mild temperatures. The city has a reputation for being foggy, chilly, and windy, so we were fortunate to experience the lovely weather while we were there. In addition, my friend and I went to Pier 51, which is “home” to some sea lions during certain times of the year. Though there are many times throughout the year that the sea lions are not present, we visited when there were literally hundreds of them on and around platforms just off the pier.

Our trip to San Francisco was lucky for reasons other than weather and seasonal factors. During our first night in the city, we had no idea where to have dinner. So we sought the advice of our hotel concierge knowing fully well that he might direct us to an establishment of nominal quality simply because he was trying to promote it (this had happened to me on more than one occasion). However, the restaurant he chose for us was perfect. The décor, service, and cuisine were among the best I had seen anywhere; and the prices were much more reasonable than I would have guessed! Our restaurant-related luck continued the following day during our walking tour of the Chinatown area. When our hunger overtook us suddenly, we ducked into the nearest establishment for lunch. Given our lucky streak, we should not have been surprised that it served the tastiest Chinese food we had ever eaten! After lunch, we found a small fortune cookie factory in Chinatown which made the Oriental treats by hand. When I opened my cookie to see the message inside, I read, “Fortune smiles upon you always.”

Similarly, fortune continued to smile on us when we drove up to the Napa Valley region on Sunday afternoon. We attempted to secure a last-minute reservation at the famed Greystone restaurant, which is operated by the Culinary Institute of America. As it turns out, there was a last-minute cancellation, and we were able to dine at one of the finest upscale eateries on the West Coast. For our driving winery tour on Monday, the weather again cooperated by giving us sunny skies and mild temperatures. It was the perfect backdrop for the miles of beautiful vineyards, rolling hills, and mountains which we saw, and I was able to take dozens of excellent photographs. However, the weather changed on Tuesday, turning cloudy and showering the area with a constant drizzle. But even that was lucky for us – since we had booked two seats on the Napa Valley Wine Train. We sampled food, drank wine, and chatted with winemakers without having to navigate the stormy weather in our car!

Shortly after my friend and I returned home, I realized that I had just enjoyed the luckiest vacation I had ever taken – and I may never take one that is luckier! This realization stirred mixed emotions in me. I certainly felt fortunate that all of the uncontrollable factors aligned in such a way that it made my trip extra special. But I also recognized that if I ever returned to that part of California, my trip might not be quite as fun. What I will always have, however, are the memories of my extremely lucky trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley. In fact, I have begun referring to it as my “reverse Murphy’s Law” trip – because everything that could go right did!