Where are some places you suggest Kevin?
I really like flying up off Skyline Blvd. There are areas that are heavily patrolled by Rangers, which is super annoying because those open spaces are great for flying, but the State Parks have banned drone flying. Some of the Regional Parks allow it, but the Rangers still like to say no. I could probably challenge them about the legalities of it, but usually I don't have the energy to argue with them. And I appreciate nature and the parks a lot, so I respect them anyway.
But there's a lot of good spots up there. And the further deep you go into nature, the higher chance to will see great stuff without people.
Flying off the coast is nice, but again, some areas are illegal. Lots of NFZ in this state. Super disappointing.
There use to be a park in Menlo Park that was nice to fly at, but all the locals decided to complain about it, and then the city banned drone flying in all of their parks. It's legal to fly over their homes at 400feet, but illegal to fly in empty parks. Go figure. People have their priorities wrong.
A friend of mine flies over the sloughs and water channels in Foster City almost daily. I've been meaning to get over there on a sunny day because it's pretty, and he's had no problems flying there (even with the proximity to San Carlos Airport).