In order to witness a greater diversity of life, six animation students and six illustration students, along with faculty members Ryan Woodward, Richard Hull and part-time faculty Peter Sakievich traveled by van to San Francisco and back. San Francisco is known for being a melting pot of cultures and peoples from all over the world. Within its boundaries exist extreme poverty, upper class business, blue collar workers, and citizens from the four corners of the globe. Along the way, we stopped in for mentoring opportunities in Reno, Battle Mountain, Lake Tahoe, Sacramento, Winters, and Grass Valley. Faculty/student mentoring included demonstrations of drawing/sketching, plein air painting, discussions of story ideas, and shooting photo reference.